SVS PC-2000 Cylinder Subwoofer Review

SVS PC-2000 Introduction

The most well-known manufacturer-direct subwoofer company is undoubtedly SVS. While they have grown into a multi-million dollar company doing business across the world, SVS’s origins were humble enough, as a small crew who hand-assembled subwoofers in Ohio. Their first subwoofers were passive cylinder units released in 1998 and which were later followed by active cylinder models. While SVS has expanded their lines out greatly from those first cylinder models, they have always had cylinder subwoofers available, and their latest subwoofer is an example of this type. The PC-2000 follows 17 years of its design type from SVS, which is quite a legacy to carry considering cylinder designs were how SVS made their mark in the audio business. So, with all that extensive design experience packed into the PC-2000, how well does it carry the torch for its SVS heritage?

Unpackaging and Setup Guide

SVS PC2000 Exterior Packaging

The PC-2000 is shipped in a descriptive box that leaves no mystery as to its contents. It is shipped in a very sturdy cardboard, and, while not exactly double boxed, it might qualify as 1.5 times boxed thanks to two rugged internal cardboard sleeves which hold the shaped foam inserts. The sub is further wrapped in plastic to protect it from moisture, and a heavy-duty paper encircles the sides of the sub to protect the sub’s fabric exterior from nicks and runs during unpacking. This sub is very well protected from harm during shipping, and the packaging is well designed.

 

SVS PC2000 Interior Packaging 

Upon opening the exterior box, one is greeted with an illustrated unpackaging flyer that explains how to unpack the PC-2000 in the intended manner. The owner’s manual, which is also available on the product page website as a PDF, concisely explains connectivity and setup with diagrams, and also lists the many features of the PC-2000. For those who are new to the world of subwoofers, the PC-2000 owner’s manual looks to be clear enough to get you going without much confusion.  

Appearance

The atypical shape of cylinder subs is not one which everyone will find to their liking. However, SVS has tried to make it as palatable as possible by covering the sub with an attractive black fabric and giving it a black oak veneered top. The top is also available in a black gloss finish for an extra $50. The aesthetic strategy seems to be to make the PC-2000 as innocuous as possible, since that black fabric is like a light silk. In fact, it was difficult to get a picture of the PC-2000 that gave it more detail than just a black shape. Personally, I was not bothered by the appearance of the PC-2000, but in a brightly-lit room with a more traditional décor, I could see how it could clash. On the other hand, it might fit nicely in a more modern interior. In a dimly-lit corner, the PC-2000 should disappear rather well, and its light-absorbent covering would make it a great choice for rooms with projection screens, where light-reflective objects can reduce contrast in the picture. Its small footprint makes it easy to tuck away in a corner, and, if one needed to increase its spousal-approval-factor, maybe a plant could be set on top of the sub (so long as it is only the plant that gets watered and not the subwoofer).

    

One minor note is the power status light on the PC-2000 is quite bright, so while the subwoofer generally tries to be inconspicuous, that light, especially if facing the listener, is difficult to ignore (although it is not intended to face the listener). There is certainly no question whether the sub is standby mode or not. In a dedicated home theater room with a projector-lit screen, the status light could definitely interfere with the picture if facing the screen. The light can be easily blocked by construction paper or electrical tape, so it is not a big deal. As long as the user is willing to do something like that, the PC-2000 is still an ideal choice for rooms where light-control is a concern.

 

Close up of PC2000 for view of fabric texture detail

Design Overview

A good place to begin to explain the design of the PC2000 is with its most unique feature: the enclosure. Its cylindrical form may be a turnoff to some, but it will be a draw to others thanks to its light weight and relatively small footprint. The cylindrical part of the enclosure is made from a very sturdy cardboard, similar to if not the same as the sonotube type; this is a very tough cardboard and is not easily punctured or damaged. One of the theoretical structural advantages of the cylinder form is the rigidity of its sidewalls versus the rectangular walls of typical subwoofer However, I did not break out an accelerometer to test for surface vibrations. That said, I did not hear anything I thought to be a cabinet resonance during my time with the PC-2000.

 

PC-2000 Bottom View (left pic); Internal View (right pic)

The feet of the PC-2000 are something SVS has termed the ‘SoundPath Subwoofer Isolation System’. They are made from a rubber that has been fine-tuned to a specific hardness. The idea is to isolate vibration of the subwoofer enclosure from the floor, so the sub only vibrates the air and not the floor and thus things resting on the floor. I have always been skeptical of the effectiveness of isolating direct mechanical vibrations of a speaker enclosure in reducing the shaking of objects around a room, although I think it may have some merit on thin flooring. The SoundPath feet can be purchased separately for non-SVS subs and look to be a more sensible solution than large foam isolation pads for those who want to try isolating the mechanical vibration of their sub from the floor.

Removing the driver and peering into the PC-2000, we see a good amount of stuffing lining the sidewalls. The 4” diameter port stretches down deep into the cabinet and is flared on both ends for reduced chuffing. A circular ¾” window brace in the middle of the tube helps to reinforce the sidewalls and also holds the port in place. A rubber pad sandwiched between the driver and port’s bend shows that the port is partially supported by the driver, and the rubber likely damps any vibration from the driver to perhaps eliminate knocking noises between them when the subwoofer is driven hard. The bottom baffle in which the driver is mounted is a 1” thick ring of MDF, and the sidewalls of the tube look to be maybe ½” to ⅜” thick of the very sturdy sonotube-type cardboard. Altogether, there is certainly more attention to cabinetry here than simply placing a driver in a sonotube. The placement decisions of driver, bracing, amp, and port show some careful thought went into this design.

SVS PC-2000 12" Subwoofer Driver

The SVS PC-2000 driver is based on the Tymphany Peerless XXLS platform, which has long been renowned for its very low inductance and high linearity. The XXLS (which stands for Xpanded Xtra Long Stroke) is a pricey driver to buy on its own, and the one used in the PC-2000 is customized for SVS’ application. Ed Mullen, SVS’s Director of Technology, said that they went through 17 iterations of the driver for reasons of performance, durability, and reliability before all criteria and design goals were met. Let’s go over a few of the driver’s features: a sturdy cast aluminum basket holds the cone and motor sections together. Two ¾” stacked magnets provide the voice coil a powerful magnetic field. Venting is done through the voice coil former just under the cone through a series of holes. An aluminum cone provides a stiff but light exterior and likely greater durability than conventional paper cones. Dual shorting rings are used to short out induced current created by the motion of the charged voice coil within the motor. A Nomex spider provides stiffness against horizontal motion while allowing smooth vertical motion and should be able to retain its shape even after a long time and heavy use. Everything taken together, the PC2000 driver looks to be a finely-engineered work with an emphasis on linearity and durability.

The PC-2000 uses a 500-watt, class D, DSP amplifier that they call the Sledge STA-500D Amplifier. The digital signal processing allows SVS to precisely shape the frequency response of the subwoofer, and implement more controlled limiting than could be achieved with traditional analog amplifiers. Among the features of this amp is the very low standby power consumption of less than 0.5 watts, continuously variable phase control, and a continuously variable 12dB/octave low pass filter running from 50 Hz to 160 Hz with an LFE disable setting. One of my favorite features is the high-passed line-level outputs. This makes the PC-2000 a great candidate for two-channel computer systems, which rarely have any bass management. With the prevalence of bedroom recording studios, I believe that there are more of these systems than is commonly thought, and the addition of this simple onboard bass management by SVS makes the smooth integration of a subwoofer into such a system a far easier task than it otherwise would be. 

SVS PC-2000 Cylinder Subwoofer Sound Quality Tests

Finding a good spot for a single subwoofer is tricky in a typical room. After some trial and error, I managed to find a spot that ‘only’ had a 6 dB dip at 50 Hz in the sub’s frequency range, and I decided to stay with this response for most of the listening. The room correction equalization onboard the AVR I used (Pioneer Elite SC-05) did little to alleviate the situation, since it does not equalize below 63 Hz (not that equalization can do much to correct high-Q nulls). I normally use four subwoofers in this system with which I get a pretty decent in-room frequency response, even with no equalization. We at Audioholics have harped on the need for multiple subs for a good frequency response in the past in articles such as this one. The room has an enormous effect on how the bass is heard, and separating the sound of the subwoofer itself from the way the room ‘processes’ that sound is an essentially hopeless task, particularly if you are not intimately familiar with the subwoofer and the recording. Bottom line: the way this sub sounds in my room at my listening position is not going to be the way it sounds anywhere else for anyone else. Readers would do well to keep this in mind, not just for this subjective impression of the PC-2000 in this review, but the subjective impressions of any subwoofer in any review where the frequency response was not flat (ie. the vast majority of them).

Music Listening

Let’s begin with some recordings of natural instruments. One album with plenty of good-sounding bass is the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me Soundtrack. This album features well-recorded virtuoso upright bass on many of the tracks. The PC-2000 hit all the marks here: the transients of the plucked strings, the pitch definition of the slides, the quick attack and decay of the kick drums. In such albums when evaluating subwoofers, we have to be careful not to attribute upper frequency sound from the speakers to the subwoofer. To get a sense of how much the sub is actually doing, it is illuminating to mute the speakers but not the sub. I think it would surprise many bass aficionados to hear not only some of the subtle sounds the sub is making but also some of the sounds they thought the sub was making when it really wasn’t, such as much of the sound on the double bass, which is heard mostly as harmonics that lay above the conventional 80 Hz crossover. For what this reviewer heard in this recording, the PC-2000 gave the bass of the Twin Peaks movie soundtrack a palpable presence without being overbearing, and proved its musical chops.

      

Let’s shift our focus to another important bass instrument: the pipe organ. Outside of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, it is difficult to think of a better-known example of this instrument’s grandeur than the Interstellar soundtrack. Indeed, it is rumored to have been the death of some commercial cinema subwoofers! The recording studio stated, “The sound on Interstellar has been specially mixed to maximize the power of the low end frequencies in the main channels as well as in the subwoofer channel.” The pipe organ blazes through the Interstellar soundtrack, with long sustained deep notes taking up a major chunk of the recording’s dynamic range. Strong fundamentals can be seen reaching down to 20 Hz in spectrographs. The bass here is unrelenting, and at high levels, can be a severe strain on any single subwoofer. I am happy to report the PC2000 not only survived this ordeal, but acquitted itself well at these high drive levels. That isn’t to say it matched the sheer magnitude of bass of the Danley subwoofer system at the Imax theater where I was lucky to view Interstellar in 70mm—which no single 12” could ever hope to achieve—but the PC2000 lent the bass a sense of power without any signs of struggling. The PC-2000 kept its composure through one of the most the most taxing music scores ever conceived.      

Turning to electronic music recordings that tend to take more advantage of low frequency bass, I queued up Free System Projekt’s Pointless Remainder, released in 1999, which is reminiscent of the old school arpeggiation-heavy electronic music, a la Tangerine Dream. Swirling synths, pulsating bass sequences, and buzzing drone sweeps suffuse Pointless Remainder, and low frequencies are used on multiple levels throughout this album. I decided to use this album to evaluate the PC2000 not only because of the multitude of bass sounds, but also because the bass in this album is not used in an over-the-top manner unlike so much other contemporary electronic music. (I also used it because I enjoy listening to it!) The PC2000 had no troubles conveying the subtleties of the low-frequency content as well as the bolder bass lines of Free System Projekt’s music.

      

Let’s now turn from subtlety in bass to something brazen. For this task I turned to Calyx’s No Turning Back, a now classic Drum’N’Bass album released in 2005. It is difficult to think of a genre that will give subwoofers as much of a workout as heavy-duty Drum’N’Bass; pounding, high-BPM breakbeat percussion and ceaseless growling bass lines make it their mission to destroy woofers. Would No Turning Back be able to make the PC-2000 break under pressure? I am happy to report the PC2000 brought rumble to the jungle and executed the task with panache. I did reach the upper limits of the subwoofer’s output abilities, but the subwoofer did not beg for mercy—mind you, this was at a very high loudness level, where I measured 115 dB peaks at my listening position with the sub about 5 feet away. This is much louder than most people would ever drive this subwoofer. The PC-2000 kept its cool until near maximum volume levels, although the bass did become somewhat indistinct when the sub was pushed to its limits, but this could have been due to signal clipping as well as distortion from the sub itself. Any driver when pushed to its limits will produce distortion that can muddy up the bass, so this should not be taken as a ding against the PC-2000, which retained its composure up to very loud levels. For No Turning Back played at loud levels, I found the PC2000 was able to hit surprisingly hard for a single 12” 500-watt subwoofer.

Movies

One film viewed with the PC-2000 was Jurassic World, which contains a soundtrack that is a great demo for any subwoofer system, as any movie about dinosaurs should be. It’s an especially appropriate choice seeing as how the first Jurassic Park film was the first to truly take advantage of high-level deep bass; a “ground-breaking” movie in more ways than one. The Blu-ray sound mix contains lots of strong deep bass content, sometimes reaching deep into the single digit frequencies. Roars, dinosaur stampedes, explosions, and collapsing structures give the subwoofer a continuous workout throughout Jurassic World. The PC-2000 brought life to the low end with aplomb. It was likely missing the ultra-deep frequencies, and it isn’t going to be hitting THX Reference levels by itself, but for most people, I do think a single PC-2000 would have adequate output. Films like Jurassic World are why subwoofers like the PC-2000 exist, therefore it should be no surprise that it excels in this kind of content.

      

Another film used to evaluate the PC-2000 was the 2012 science-fiction opus Prometheus. At times Prometheus can be dense with layers of low frequency sounds from things like spaceship landings, gooey monsters, rock blizzards, and a booming orchestral music track. However it does not overdo the LFE channel with constant noise that swamps the soundtrack and turns the bass into an indistinct continuous rumble as with some other major science fiction movies. As with Jurassic World, the PC-2000 proved itself capable of bringing the thunder when needed without becoming boomy and without drawing negative attention to itself. The climax in particular has a plethora of different low-frequency sound effects that were all energized by the PC-2000 while keeping the individual bass sounds distinct. 

SVS PC-2000 Cylinder Subwoofer Review Measurements and Analysis

 

Outdoor ground plane testing of the SVS PC-2000

The PC-2000 was tested using ground plane measurements with microphone at a 2 meter distance in an open setting with well over 100 feet from the nearest large structure. The sub was tested on its side with woofer facing the mic; keep in mind that the orientation of the sub with respect to the microphone will always affect measurement results. The subwoofer’s volume knob was set to maximum, and its low-pass filter was switched off.

 

SVS PC-2000 Frequency Response 

The frequency response is impressively flat, as usually is the case on SVS subwoofers. The PC2000 could easily be used in a system with a crossover as high as 200 Hz, if need be. The tuning point looks to be around 17 Hz. Our frequency response measurement is very close to SVS’s claim of +/- 3dB from 16 Hz to 260 Hz. Were the sub measured in an orientation with port and woofer equidistant from microphone or port facing microphone, the measurement would likely have fallen well within SVS’s claimed window of response. But near-ruler flat from 20 Hz to 170 Hz is nothing to sneeze at. This is a very linear subwoofer.

SVS PC-2000 CEA2010 Maximum Clean Output Measurements (referenced to 2 meters ground plane RMS)
Test Frequency (Hz)	Max Passing Measurement (dB)	Total Harmonic Distortion (%)	Harmonic Threshold Limiting
10	No Passing Result
12.5	No Passing Result
16	95.6	26.2	3rd Harmonic
20	104.3	10.0
25	108.7	12.7
31.5	109.9	13.8
40	111.5	12.1
50	111.2	15.0
63	110.9	14.7
80	109.9	11.2	9th Harmonic
100	109.6	12.0	9th Harmonic
125	109.5	17.0	3rd Harmonic

The CEA-2010 measurements show the subwoofer’s clean peak SPL before heavy distortion sets in. Our measurements have been referenced to 2 meters RMS, which is 9 dB down from the standard, which requires them to be shown at 1 meter peak. However most publicly available CEA-2010 measurements are shown at 2 meters RMS, so we followed that convention. The PC2000 posts some very strong measurements, the highlight being the 20 Hz and 25 Hz measurements, not just because of the high output, but because of the low distortion at such high playback levels at the  such deep frequencies. The PC2000 was not able to be pushed past the CEA-2010 distortion thresholds from 20 to 63 Hz, which means that we pushed the subwoofer as hard as we could, and, in that frequency band, the PC2000 remained relatively clean, even at the very edge of its performance.

It should be noted that CEA-2010 measurements are not absolute measurements of a subwoofer’s output. Many factors can affect these tests, such as the positional orientation of the subwoofer. The measurements we choose were with the sub on its side with woofer facing the microphone, because we feel this would be most representative of the sub’s performance, without placing the port further from the microphone. Remember, the port produces most of the deep bass. When we tested the PC-2000 standing upright with port facing the microphone, the CEA-2010 measurements for most test frequencies did see a small drop from 40 Hz and up, but we gained measured output below that, with a recorded 99.4 dB measurement at 16 Hz and a 106.8 dB measurement at 20 Hz. Keep in mind that the changes in measured output from testing in different orientations does not mean one measurement is right and the other is wrong. There is no easy way to evenly record all of the acoustic energy coming out of a sub when that sub has multiple points of acoustic output.  

      

Frequency Breakdown of CEA-2010 Burst Measurements for the PC-2000

The above graphs show the frequency spectrum of the increasing CEA-2010 bursts as reproduced by the PC-2000. Essentially, it depicts the behavior of the subwoofer reproducing short burst tones at successively louder levels, with each test tone raised by boosting the input gain by 1 dB until either no more output was to be had from the subwoofer or the subwoofer started making too much mechanical stress noises for the tests to be safely continued. The frequency marked above the graphs note the fundamental tone being tested, and this can also usually (but not always) be discerned in the graphs by the horizontal axis frequency point of the “main ridge,” the highest levels on the vertical axis. The noise below the fundamental (that random spikiness to the left of the main ridge) should be ignored. It is difficult to tell what that is, but it seems to be generated by the subwoofer itself, and all of the subs tested so far seem to be having this effect, so this effect is not specific to the PC-2000. What should be looked at are the smaller ridges to the right of the fundamental. These are the distortion products of the fundamental, and it is here where we see how cleanly the subwoofer handles a given output level. These are mostly harmonics, which are whole number multiples of the fundamental.

A few interesting characteristics of the PC2000 emerge in these graphs. First, we see that the 10 Hz and 12.5 Hz burst testing produces mostly garbled noise, and this is to be expected since those frequencies are well beneath the tuning point of the subwoofer. We see that in the deep frequencies, from 16 Hz to 25 Hz, even-order harmonics dominate the distortion products, but above that, and especially in the mid bass realm, odd-order products become the chief offender. It should be noted that odd-order harmonics are more easily heard and are considered more offensive than even-order harmonics, but do not let this cause you any concern about the performance of the PC-2000; note the odd-order distortion products do not emerge until the subwoofer is driven to its loudest levels. These graphs show that the PC-2000 is very well-behaved until pushed to the bleeding edge, at which point distortion does arise, but that would happen to any sub when driven to maximum output levels. It is far more important to see what goes on at drive levels below that point, and here we see remarkably clean output from the PC-2000. For the vast majority of the dynamic range of the PC-2000, distortion is inaudible. One thing to keep in mind that just because distortion products can be seen in these graphs does not mean it can be heard. Most of this distortion will be totally masked by the fundamental; for those readers who want to know more about the audibility of distortion at bass frequencies, we point you to our article on The Audibility of Distortion. 

 

SVS PC2000 Long-Term Output Compression

Testing for long-term output compression was done by first conducting a sweep tone where 50 Hz hit 90 dB, and then we conduct further sweeps by raising the gain by 5 dB until no more output could be squeezed out of the subwoofer. We then went back and measured a sweep with the 90 dB at 50 Hz gain level again to see how the recent strain of such a rigorous exercise affected the frequency response. We can see the PC2000 keeps its base frequency response intact at all but the highest sweep. While a slight bump emerges at 35 Hz at the highest output level—the absolute most output the PC-2000 can give—it still retains a fairly flat response. This is very good compression behavior, and a tribute to the digital limiting of the Sledge amplifier. We see a slight drop in the final post-stress 50 Hz/ 90 dB sweep compared to the first 50 Hz/ 90 dB sweep, and this is due to the lower resistance in the driver’s voice coil as a result of the lingering heat from the maximum output sweeps, but such a small difference would scarcely be audible. Some chuffing was present in the very deep frequencies in the highest output sweeps, but the PC-2000’s port kept turbulence in check for the most part. The frequencies where the chuffing occurred were mostly below the tuning point, where it is not a good idea to throttle any ported sub. The advantage of having chuffing kept in check until nearing the sub’s performance limits is it lets you know when more sub is needed without damaging the sub itself. Chuffing itself does not damage the subwoofer, but running the sub at its limits for long durations can.

 

SVS PC-2000 Total Harmonic Distortion levels for output levels as percentages

The total harmonic distortion measurements in the above graphs correspond to the long-term compression sweeps; they are the harmonic distortion measured during those sweeps. The distortion is presented here as a percentage of the fundamental, or how much of the sound produced by the subwoofer was distortion versus intended test tone reproduction. The most obvious feature of the graph is the skyrocketing distortion below port tuning, especially at high drive levels. This is characteristic of any ported subwoofer and should not be held against the PC-2000. If you want distortion-free infrasonic frequency playback, you will want sealed subwoofers- and a lot of them! Something else to note is the bulge of distortion reaching 20% THD centered around 30 Hz in the 115 dB sweep level. 20% may seem like a lot, but that is at the subwoofer’s maximum drive level, and it very likely would not be audible during program material. However, while it isn’t likely to intrude on your enjoyment of whatever content is being played back, if you are pushing the sub that hard, it is time to get a more powerful sub or more subs. Regularly throttling the subwoofer to it limits certainly constitutes abuse, and the sub will not last under those conditions.

The real star of these distortion measurements is the very low distortion at nominal to high drive levels. At the 111 dB sweep, the PC-2000 basically stays below 10% THD to well under 20 Hz. At nominal levels for the 106 dB sweep and under, the PC-2000 is, for practical purposes, distortion-free. This is consistent with what is seen in the burst tests; the PC-2000 remains very clean, and only runs into any significant distortion at the very edge of its performance envelope.

      

    

SVS PC-2000 Component Harmonic Distortions as percentages

The above graphs break down the composition of the harmonic distortion into individual harmonics. One interesting feature is, much like the burst tests showed, that the odd-order harmonics seem to outweigh the even-order harmonics, but they are mostly only kicking in at the maximum output level, and they are respectively more prevalent than even-order products in upper bass frequencies. We can also see that the distortion below the subwoofer’s tuning frequency is comprised of all measurable harmonics. Higher-order harmonics arise as the PC-2000 attempts to reproduce deeper frequencies.

 

SVS PC-2000 measured group delay

Group delay is the measurement of how much time it takes for individual frequency bands of an input signal to be produced by the speaker. It can indicate that some frequency components are developing slower than others or are taking longer to decay. Group delay measurements of the PC-2000 show nothing to be concerned about. As with most other ported subs, we see some stored energy around port tuning, but it doesn’t even come close to anything audible. Generally speaking, we want group delay to be below 1.5 cycles for mid-bass frequencies, although deep bass frequencies can tolerate greater amounts of group delay before becoming audible. As with many other metrics, the PC-2000 demonstrates very good control over group delay. In conditions where overhang is heard with the PC-2000, it’s likely due to room acoustics, not to any kind of sluggishness of the subwoofer itself.

SVS PC-2000 Cylinder Subwoofer Review Conclusion

There is a lot to like about the PC-2000. Its two greatest distinctions are the light weight and the very clean and linear performance. I would bet that with respect to deep bass in the 16 to 30 Hz range, the PC-2000 might be the market champion in a performance vs. weight and footprint ratio. You might think to yourself that weight is not a big deal in a sub, and that it is something too seldom dealt with to be a serious advantage since subs are mostly just plopped down in a corner and left alone. However, allow me to make a case for the usefulness of light weight in a subwoofer. Yes, many times the subwoofer is simply plopped into the corner and left alone, but a reason why it is not often moved afterward is because of the weight: it is a daunting task to move around a 70+ lbs object, so we will tend to find reasons not to. The PC2000 is different, because moving it around is a cinch. It is very easy to pick up and its small footprint allows it to be placed in many more spots than most subs. The relative mobility of the PC2000 holds a real set of advantages: it is easier to find the optimal location for the sub, it is easier to adjust the low frequency response for specific listening positions since it’s so easy to move the sub and thus change the response, and its portability makes it a simple matter when moving homes, selling, or just bringing it over to a friend’s place to demo. 

Speaking of demoing a sub, the PC-2000 is a good choice for that, since it has a combination of very good performance and excellent built-in protection against very rough use. The Sledge amplifier does a great job in shielding itself from overheating and protecting the driver from over-excursion. Some of the testing we did on the PC2000 is the most difficult that can be given to a subwoofer: continuous, high signal level sine-waves. In the multiple times that we took it out for testing, not once did we bottom the driver, even when pushing it as hard as we could. This is more than we can say for some other subs we’ve tested, which we managed to produce that cringe-inducing hammering sound, where we prayed the driver still functioned afterward.

There was just one instance in running a battery of repeating CEA-2010 bursts where the amplifier overheated. The subwoofer had been subjected to prolonged heavy-duty test tones and the plate amplifier had been left in a position where it was directly exposed to the sun on a warm, cloudless day, so this was a worst case scenario. Instead of dying from excessive heat, the amplifier was smart enough to switch itself off, which was indicated by the blinking status light. After 20 minutes or so, it had cooled enough to begin operation again. A less sophisticated amplifier might have run itself into a heat death. What these layers of protection add up to is that you can really crank the PC-2000 and not have to worry about damaging it. However, as we mentioned before, you do not want to leave it or any subwoofer running at the edge of its performance limits in regular use, because that surely will kill it eventually.

The shape and appearance of the PC2000 will doubtlessly be a liability to some subwoofer shoppers. However, if one isn’t put off by its appearance, there is no reason to go with its more traditionally-styled PB2000 sibling. The PC-2000 has all the performance of its box-shaped counterpart yet has a much smaller footprint and lighter weight; in other words, all the advantages without the disadvantages. The PC-2000’s good CEA-2010 showing nets an Audioholic’s Bassaholic Large Room rating, signifying that it should be able to provide satisfying bass levels in rooms of 3,000 cubic feet to 5,000 cubic feet (read about our Bassaholics Room Size Rating System). If you can afford it, I would still go for multiple subwoofers, regardless of room size, for the sake of smoothing out the low-frequency response. The extra dynamic range doesn’t hurt either, and the small footprint makes it easier to fit multiples, which is certainly an advantage in small rooms.

It’s worth mentioning that USA customers can get a 45-day in-home free trial with free return shipping when ordering from SVS directly, and SVS carries an above-average warranty of 5 years for all parts. SVS also carries a reputation for superb customer service, which heightens the value of their subwoofers. There are some comparably-priced subwoofers that get louder, some that dig deeper, and some that have a more elegant appearance, but the PC-2000 does an awful lot well, and in terms of light weight and small footprint vs. performance, I would characterize it as the market leader in that respect. It is a solid contender in the sub $1k subwoofer field.

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

• — Excellent
• — Very Good
• — Good
• — Fair
• — Poor

Metric	Rating
Bass Extension
Bass Accuracy
Build Quality
Fit and Finish
Ergonomics & Usability
Features
Dynamic Range
Performance
Value