SB-2000 Pro vs PB-2000 Pro vs SB-3000

thecookiebutter

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Going to pre-face this by saying I'm open to other subwoofer suggestions. I currently have a Q Acoustic 3060s in a 5.1 setup and have a 2.0 that could benefit from being 2.1. So great time to upgrade!

I'm currently in a very small office room that's 3.5x3x2.7m (WLH) so ~1000 cubic feet. It's very likely I'll move within a year or two and move and into a livingroom instead of an office (so presumably a bigger space). All versions will fit (snugly, PB very snug) next to my main listening position, though I'm likely to end up in a bigger space in a year or two so not

70% of my use will be movies/tv, 15% games 15% music. I also have people living with me and thin walls so less they feel is a bonus. The movie-centric use is what's pushing me to the PB-2000 Pro despite it being the largest.

SB-2000 Pro: £900
PB-2000 Pro: £1000
SB-3000 : £1250

Budget (<£1500) isn't a huge issue if worth it but I intend to buy once and eventually add a second if needs be. I was pretty settled on the SB-3000 but that ugly, ugly metal grill and the greater price disparity compared to US prices ($800 vs $900 vs $1000) making me question if it's worth the extra anyway.

Basically any nudges or guidance is appreciated because I'm just going in circles now.
 
AV Online regularly have healthy discounts on ‘graded’ SVS subs. Many forum members have purchased these graded units (myself included) and found them to be pristine - and they come with the full 5 year warranty. Best of all, if you sign up to their ‘AV Club’ (free) at the moment you get an additional 10% off. If you can squeeze it in that makes the PB3000 in particular an incredible deal at £1079, although your other choices are also available at a similar discount.

The SB3000 that I went for is also a staggeringly good sub, and I personally don’t find the grill so bad, but received wisdom is that ported is where it’s at for movie use, especially if your room will be larger in future.
 
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AV Online regularly have healthy discounts on ‘graded’ SVS subs. Many forum members have purchased these graded units (myself included) and found them to be pristine - and they come with the full 5 year warranty. Best of all, if you sign up to their ‘AV Club’ (free) at the moment you get an additional 10% off. If you can squeeze it in that makes the PB3000 in particular an incredible deal at £1079, although your other choices are also available at a similar discount.

The SB3000 that I went for is also a staggeringly good sub, and I personally don’t find the grill so bad, but received wisdom is that ported is where it’s at for movie use, especially if your room will be larger in future.
I just stumbled upon AV Online 2 minutes ago after being jealous of the SVS outlet deals, already brings the SB-3000 down to near £1000. Definitely will consider it since I'd probably mark it up on my own quick enough.

Being England and on a Graduate salary I'm not convinced it'll be a massive space in future. Also a touch concerned about ported travelling through the wall more with those lower frequencies. I don't exactly listen loud though.

The PB-3000 could fit but I'd have to inch my seat a little and it may be touching which would be quite distracting I imagine :p I could always remove the second seat since 95% of the time only I am watching and the office chair will do in a pinch, though replacing it with a giant sub in such a small space may look a bit off.


EDIT: I'm very seriously tempted by the PB-3000 now. £1100 seems a steal.
 
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What a great post and great timing.

My current SVS sub seems to have lost its punch and I hardly get any bass from it. Not sure what is going on but maybe its days are numbered It is about 10 years old after all, funny enough I purchased from a chap on these great forums.

I have been considering upgrading the sub for a while and previously looked at the 3000 range so I decided to look at what’s available this morning, at which point I found this post.

so an extra 10% on top of the 23% off warehouse deal made the decision easy for me. 33% whoop whoop.

Not sure how many they have but I just purchased the PB3000. Seems like a great price at 1079.10 all in, also looks like they have another in stock if you decide to do the same.

Shout out to Gilbers for mentioning the club deal, I would have forgot about that.
 
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Congratulations @R1Stan you certainly won't be disappointed. Great to see they are still putting out stock at this incredible price. I posted this deal last month here:

PB-3000 £1079.10 or less delivered.

@thecookiebutter - If you go via the Top Cashback website there is a further 1.7% rebate to be had which effectively makes your outlay just £1060. Go on, pull the trigger! In the words of the Borg "Resistance is futile" :D
 
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I just stumbled upon AV Online 2 minutes ago after being jealous of the SVS outlet deals, already brings the SB-3000 down to near £1000. Definitely will consider it since I'd probably mark it up on my own quick enough.

Being England and on a Graduate salary I'm not convinced it'll be a massive space in future. Also a touch concerned about ported travelling through the wall more with those lower frequencies. I don't exactly listen loud though.

The PB-3000 could fit but I'd have to inch my seat a little and it may be touching which would be quite distracting I imagine :p I could always remove the second seat since 95% of the time only I am watching and the office chair will do in a pinch, though replacing it with a giant sub in such a small space may look a bit off.


EDIT: I'm very seriously tempted by the PB-3000 now. £1100 seems a steal.

Which av-receiver you have?

The PB3000 price is superb, but perhaps bit too much if you a) don`t listen loud in first place b) you have thin walls and are afraid others will hear it c) you have very small room and the PB3000 is not small box (do cardboard mock up to understand the size better!). Sure you can think ahead as you mentioned you are moving to larger room in 1-2year time.

If you were to ask from SVS i would almost guarantee that they would recommend sealed model due to your room size and listening levels. You will get good amount of room gain and something like SB3000 would be still mental if needed. Even the older SB2000 which was tested in 5000cuft and 1200cuft room reviewer David Vaughn said "Wow, what a difference! In the much smaller space, each sub reproduced deeper bass response that I could feel in my sternum; it shook the house."

If you specifically want ported sub consider also the new PB1000 Pro which you should be able to get under 600£ after some discount. It would be MORE than plenty for that room/your listening levels as it can fill larger spaces too!

From more compact sealed woofers Arendal 1961 1S would be one to look. It costs about 700-750£ (some small extra fees due to Brexit?) where as SB2000 Pro is 900£ and these two should perform very similar from what i have seen (data). We have members using these on dedicated cinema room and they aren`t complaining.
 
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Which av-receiver you have?

The PB3000 price is superb, but perhaps bit too much if you a) don`t listen loud in first place b) you have thin walls and are afraid others will hear it c) you have very small room and the PB3000 is not small box (do cardboard mock up to understand the size better!). Sure you can think ahead as you mentioned you are moving to larger room in 1-2year time.

If you were to ask from SVS i would almost guarantee that they would recommend sealed model due to your room size and listening levels. You will get good amount of room gain and something like SB3000 would be still mental if needed. Even the older SB2000 which was tested in 5000cuft and 1200cuft room reviewer David Vaughn said "Wow, what a difference! In the much smaller space, each sub reproduced deeper bass response that I could feel in my sternum; it shook the house."

If you specifically want ported sub consider also the new PB1000 Pro which you should be able to get under 600£ after some discount. It would be MORE than plenty for that room/your listening levels as it can fill larger spaces too!

From more compact sealed woofers Arendal 1961 1S would be one to look. It costs about 700-750£ (some small extra fees due to Brexit?) where as SB2000 Pro is 900£ and these two should perform very similar from what i have seen (data). We have members using these on dedicated cinema room and they aren`t complaining.
I have a Denon x1600h (speakers are: Q acoustic 3030i, 3010i, 3090ci, 3060s)

I have looked at the Arendal speakers, they do look like a good alternative. Significantly better fit and better look but the side firing driver would be smooshed against the angled wall. Though even the 1961 1V would fit better than any SVS ported.

I made a quick soggy cardboard cutout of the PB-3000 and it is gigantic (attached photo). I've also drawn some comparison pencil marks for PB-2000 Pro, PB-1000 Pro, SB-2000 Pro, SB-3000, 1963 1s, 1v.

I think the reality is sealed will be better for me but it's the fear of missing out when it comes to those lowest rumbles, especially since ported can be bunged but sealed can't be vented.

For the sake of size (mainly width) options are now
  • PB-1000 (£640)
  • SB-2000 Pro (£900)
  • SB-3000 (£1150)
  • 1961 1s (~£1150 / 1300 euros)
 

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Have you considered the PC2000 - pretty much the same performance as the PB2000 but only 42cm wide?
 
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Have you considered the PC2000 - pretty much the same performance as the PB2000 but only 42cm wide?
It is a possibility, but width is the most important thing space-wise and it's only a couple cm less than the PB-2000 Pro. downward firing doesn't sound bad given the cramped space it'll be in though.
 
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I have a Denon x1600h (speakers are: Q acoustic 3030i, 3010i, 3090ci, 3060s)

I have looked at the Arendal speakers, they do look like a good alternative. Significantly better fit and better look but the side firing driver would be smooshed against the angled wall. Though even the 1961 1V would fit better than any SVS ported.

I made a quick soggy cardboard cutout of the PB-3000 and it is gigantic (attached photo). I've also drawn some comparison pencil marks for PB-2000 Pro, PB-1000 Pro, SB-2000 Pro, SB-3000, 1963 1s, 1v.

I think the reality is sealed will be better for me but it's the fear of missing out when it comes to those lowest rumbles, especially since ported can be bunged but sealed can't be vented.

For the sake of size (mainly width) options are now
  • PB-1000 (£640)
  • SB-2000 Pro (£900)
  • SB-3000 (£1150)
  • 1961 1s (~£1150 / 1300 euros)

The price is wrong with Arendal in your list. As i said it`s roughly 800€ / 700£. For the 1S driver you need to leave about 10cm to wall/object, but it`s quite narrow.

PB1000 Pro is your best bet if you want the ported model for small room (size wise), also considering how close it will be of the PB2000 Pro and the fact that you wouldn´t be using the extra headroom 2000/3000 range offers it would make even more sense and it`s quite cheap to add second later. Buying it from AVF advertisers you get 5-10% member discount. Ability to run ported/sealed is nice and you get the app.
 
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The price is wrong with Arendal in your list. As i said it`s roughly 800€ / 700£. For the 1S driver you need to leave about 10cm to wall/object, but it`s quite narrow.

PB1000 Pro is your best bet if you want the ported model for small room (size wise), also considering how close it will be of the PB2000 Pro and the fact that you wouldn´t be using the extra headroom 2000/3000 range offers it would make even more sense and it`s quite cheap to add second later. Buying it from AVF advertisers you get 5-10% member discount. Ability to run ported/sealed is nice and you get the app.
My mistake, you are right. I may have listed the 1723 1S price.
The extra 10cm gap would make it almost the same width as a PB-2000 Pro and would defeat the purpose of a smaller sub for my current space :/

Is the ported 1000 pro still going to outcompete or go toe-toe against a sealed 2000pro/3000 in movies (in terms of extension and midbass) given it's half the price? Price isn't a massive concern between the three and whatever I buy the next step would be a second sub later, just hesitant to pigeon myself into a lesser setup down the line.
 
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My mistake, you are right. I may have listed the 1723 1S price.
The extra 10cm gap would make it almost the same width as a PB-2000 Pro and would defeat the purpose of a smaller sub for my current space :/

Is the ported 1000 pro still going to outcompete or go toe-toe against a sealed 2000pro/3000 in movies (in terms of extension and midbass) given it's half the price? Price isn't a massive concern between the three and whatever I buy the next step would be a second sub later, just hesitant to pigeon myself into a lesser setup down the line.

SB3000 should be killer in such small room, but we don´t know what type of room you will get future. Of course you can buy the PB3000 but it`s way more than you need and the low end is going to be bloated without good eq. I`m all about going for bigger/better sub, but you have so small room and you are afraid the other family hearing it. So is it worth the large size then? Sure you can drive it sealed and low volume until you move out and pray that you get dedicated room which you can soundproof.

SB3000 is well known from the "slam" and in small room you should have strong low end too. Night and day difference to QA 3060S shoebox no question on that! The front mask isn`t pretty, but you could just run it without the mask like many people does here. The compact size is ideal in smaller room giving you perhaps more options with the subwoofer placement! There is no knowing is that spot best in your room. Optionally moving the seat may be required. You could play with REW program, it`s free to download. It has "Room Simulation" where you add room dimensions and where you sit. Then you can add woofers and move things around to see what type of response you get. Mainly it`s used to see that you don`t have big nulls and get the best low frequency extension.

Your Denon has the weaker sub eq which may leave the sub sounding bit boomy/bloated. You may have to consider adding Antimode 8033 Cinema if you aren`t intrested of manually tweaking (then miniDSP 2x4HD), but of course first see how it sounds after running Audussey.

Below SB3000 compared to "forum favourite" budget woofer BK XXLS400. It`s so damn small but performance/sound wise anything but small. @DodgeTheViper can confirm this as he runs two and has owned subwoofers with 15-18" drivers also! :)

9cd2748a-3065-452a-b2a9-7e79bd8983df-jpeg.1441650



SB3000 has won so many awards that i have lost count. Outperforming some 2k£ products (example JL E110)!

4afed680ae48796e3b4c683282e2890f.jpg
 
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The SB3000 is a fantastic sub. Delivers in spades, nervermind for it's size. Tight, compact and loads of "chest slam".

Best, Tom
 
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SB3000 should be killer in such small room, but we don´t know what type of room you will get future. Of course you can buy the PB3000 but it`s way more than you need and the low end is going to be bloated without good eq. I`m all about going for bigger/better sub, but you have so small room and you are afraid the other family hearing it. So is it worth the large size then? Sure you can drive it sealed and low volume until you move out and pray that you get dedicated room which you can soundproof.

SB3000 is well known from the "slam" and in small room you should have strong low end too. Night and day difference to QA 3060S shoebox no question on that! The front mask isn`t pretty, but you could just run it without the mask like many people does here. The compact size is ideal in smaller room giving you perhaps more options with the subwoofer placement! There is no knowing is that spot best in your room. Optionally moving the seat may be required. You could play with REW program, it`s free to download. It has "Room Simulation" where you add room dimensions and where you sit. Then you can add woofers and move things around to see what type of response you get. Mainly it`s used to see that you don`t have big nulls and get the best low frequency extension.

Your Denon has the weaker sub eq which may leave the sub sounding bit boomy/bloated. You may have to consider adding Antimode 8033 Cinema if you aren`t intrested of manually tweaking (then miniDSP 2x4HD), but of course first see how it sounds after running Audussey.

Below SB3000 compared to "forum favourite" budget woofer BK XXLS400. It`s so damn small but performance/sound wise anything but small. @DodgeTheViper can confirm this as he runs two and has owned subwoofers with 15-18" drivers also! :)

9cd2748a-3065-452a-b2a9-7e79bd8983df-jpeg.1441650



SB3000 has won so many awards that i have lost count. Outperforming some 2k£ products (JL E110)!

4afed680ae48796e3b4c683282e2890f.jpg
Thanks for the insight. I've actually been doing the unthinkable and looking cheaper and smaller in price as the day passed. SB-3000 is still a major consideration but on AV Online I can get an SB-2000 Pro for £730 or PC-2000 Pro for £760 compared to the SB-3000 for £1030 (and unwanted piano gloss due to pets and reflections, or £1275 for wood).

After better box measurements all would fit (SB-3000 would fit an absolute treat in my space) and I've repeatedly seen how it's praised. Price isn't a major holdback considering I went in with a ~£1500 budget but would you say the SB-3000 is worth the additional ~£300 over the SB-2000 and possibly waiting for a wood version?

Regardless of version I'll probably see if it sounds good enough first, I'll try and save the perfect frequency rabbit hole until I'm out of this awful room if possible :p

PS: Looking at my black and slightly shiny furniture maybe the piano gloss wouldn't be so out of place, just those potential reflections next to the main seat, cat hair, hoover bump scratches etc.
She's already starting with the box mockups (that is far bigger than the SB-3000 as you may have guessed)!
cat-in-the-sub.jpg
 
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Thanks for the insight. I've actually been doing the unthinkable and looking cheaper and smaller in price as the day passed. SB-3000 is still a major consideration but on AV Online I can get an SB-2000 Pro for £730 or PC-2000 Pro for £760 compared to the SB-3000 for £1030 (and unwanted piano gloss due to pets and reflections, or £1275 for wood).

After better box measurements all would fit (SB-3000 would fit an absolute treat in my space) and I've repeatedly seen how it's praised. Price isn't a major holdback considering I went in with a ~£1500 budget but would you say the SB-3000 is worth the additional ~£300 over the SB-2000 and possibly waiting for a wood version?

Regardless of version I'll probably see if it sounds good enough first, I'll try and save the perfect frequency rabbit hole until I'm out of this awful room if possible :p

PS: Looking at my black and slightly shiny furniture maybe the piano gloss wouldn't be so out of place, just those potential reflections next to the main seat, cat hair, hoover bump scratches etc.
She's already starting with the box mockups (that is far bigger than the SB-3000 as you may have guessed)!View attachment 1509081

For sure i would pay the extra 300£ also cause you are possibly moving to larger space and perhaps you could blast louder? Of course if only thinking your situation now then SB2000 Pro / 1961 1S would be fine. SB3000 gloss would look gorgeous, but probably dust magnet so weekly cleaning is a must. The black ash is more basic looking. Would need to make sure the cat won´t go on top of the gloss sub as every scratch will be seen..

PC2000 Pro is very cheap too with small footprint! If you want earthquake in your room when wife is away then this is good choice. 😅 Would the cat use it a scratching tree? That is what most people think first, but reading from cat owners they haven`t touched it. Would your cat be same then.. The cylinder shape is very clever, same performance to PB2000 Pro without the bulky black box.

Usually members have commented the sealed versions sounding bit more dynamic with greater chest slam, but the ported models will be very strong in the 18-36hz octave and give you more physical impact/rumble in the deep bass range. Although it would be very hard to imagine that SB3000 wouldn´t satisfy you in your ~10sqm room.

If we look the Bassaholic ratings which Audioholics has calculated after measuring each sub.

PB1000 Pro - earns a 'Large Room' Bassaholic rating which indicates that it should be adequate for a room of 3,000 cubic feet to 5,000 cubic feet

The PB-2000 Pro (also PC2000 Pro) earns Bassaholics Room’ rating of ‘Large’ meaning that it should be able to handle a room of up to 5,000 cubic feet in size.

Performance metrics of the PB-3000 earns it our ‘Extreme Room’ Bassaholic room rating.

+5,000 ft^3

The SB-3000 earns our ‘Medium Room’ rating, however I do feel that for the purposes of music that it would suffice for a large room on account of its very good mid-bass performance. 1,500 ft^3 to 3,000 ft^3
 
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For sure i would pay the extra 300£ also cause you are possibly moving to larger space and perhaps you could blast louder? Of course if only thinking your situation now then SB2000 Pro / 1961 1S would be fine. SB3000 gloss would look gorgeous, but probably dust magnet so weekly cleaning is a must. The black ash is more basic looking. Would need to make sure the cat won´t go on top of the gloss sub as every scratch will be seen..

PC2000 Pro is very cheap too with small footprint! If you want earthquake in your room when wife is away then this is good choice. 😅 Would the cat use it a scratching tree? That is what most people think first, but reading from cat owners they haven`t touched it. Would your cat be same then.. The cylinder shape is very clever, same performance to PB2000 Pro without the bulky (uglyish) black box.

Usually members have commented the sealed versions sounding bit more dynamic with greater chest slam, but the ported models will be very strong in the 18-36hz octave and give you more physical impact/rumble. Although it would be very hard to imagine that SB3000 wouldn´t satisfy you in your ~10sqm room.

If we look the Bassaholic ratings which Audioholics has calculated after measuring each sub.

PB1000 Pro - earns a 'Large Room' Bassaholic rating which indicates that it should be adequate for a room of 3,000 cubic feet to 5,000 cubic feet

The PB-2000 Pro (also PC2000 Pro) earns Bassaholics Room’ rating of ‘Large’ meaning that it should be able to handle a room of up to 5,000 cubic feet in size.

Performance metrics of the PB-3000 earns it our ‘Extreme Room’ Bassaholic room rating.


The SB-3000 earns our ‘Medium Room’ rating, however I do feel that for the purposes of music that it would suffice for a large room on account of its very good mid-bass performance. 1,500 ft^3 to 3,000 ft^3

Just bought the SB-3000 black gloss for £1090 (AV Online, £60 extra said "may have minor marks" instead of "Has minor marks") and some doughnut feet to help the room handle that big beautiful bass.

Away for work until Friday so going to be agony waiting to try it out!

Thanks for all the help, knew I could count on AVforums for the upsell ;)
 
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Great choice - you're going to love it!
 
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It would be good to provide a user review as I'm looking at the same model. Will be replacing my trusty bk monolith
 
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Another more than happy owner of dual SB3000s here - I don't know anyone who has bought one and not been ecstatic.
Other than wishing they'd bought two.
And you're future-proofed as that's an option for a bigger room.
Personally I can't see me ever buying another sub.
Which I'm sure the DPD delivery man will greet with a sigh of relief.

unless the wife is reading this over my shoulder, in which case all bets are off
 
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Right, some long delayed (thanks to work) impressions. Straight away it was noticeably more powerful and "thick" than my teeny 3060s as expected. There was a lot of booming though. Today I committed to a sub crawl and at the cost of appearance have found a much better spot for the SB-3000. Removed the second (only used by cats) chair and now placed the sub there.

Moved the sub, ran the LFE cable under the door frame and along the other skirting board and re-ran audeyssey. A MASSIVE improvement. The booming loose bass is gone, bass is very apparent but not overpowering, still very close but a little harder to localise. Very happy with the results.

Thank you all for the help, glad I went with sealed, don't think I needed ported for this room and I'm much more preference tight bass which this supplies plenty of while getting looow in this small room. Glad I bought those little SVS doughnut feet too for these wooden floors between them and the new sub location there is no rattling.
 
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Glad you're pleased with it mate - give it a month or so and you'll be doing the subwoofer crawl again working out where to put your second 😉
 
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Not sure if it was my imagination but my SB3000 took a few weeks to really loosen and perform at it's best.
 
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I was thinking how a second sub would really balance the room out visually 😅 I'll leave that until I get a bigger space though.

And if it does loosen out and get even better then wowee.
 
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