Review:

I think there are very few home theater connoisseurs who use the internet as a research tool that aren’t aware of the popularity of SVS. Started by Ron Stimpson and Tom Vodhanel who are without a doubt, “bass nuts” the company brought a rather new approach to mainstream subs, cylinders. Their cylinder subs made a huge impact in terms of pricing and sheer performance. In fact almost every hard core home theater fan I know has at least one if not two of these cylinders in their rooms.

But it was only a matter of time before SVS went more of a traditional route and brought to the market box style subs. Their first offerings included the mammoth BP4+ which I have still not experienced to this date, and to be honest I am a little scared of ever having that future encounter. They also offered the PB1. This little beast still earns raves continually from its owners and probably offers some of the most flexible performance on the market.

I was excited to be offered SVS’s newest box offering, the PB-2+ for review. Who could say no to the chance of having ANY SVS sub delivered to them for audition? Especially one that Ron was hyping as possibly one of their greatest achievements to date! Having heard quite a few SVS subs in my time that was an awfully bold statement.

Unfortunately for me, the demand for the PB-2 was immense. So my review unit took a backseat to the fortunate souls who plucked down their hard earned cash for these puppies. But I make no complaints in this manner. I applaud SVS and their continuing commitment to customer service and for putting the customer first and not the media. While I know reviews are important to a lot of you readers out there, I think the paying customer deserves the up most treatment and that is what SVS provided.

But once the waiting was over, I was elated to find quite a huge crate waiting for me in my garage when I arrived at home. Now I knew that the PB2+ was big, but I just don’t think you can prepare for just quite how big it really is. Think end table and you are in the ballpark. The packaging was excellent and the sub arrived without a scratch on it. Once unpacked, I enlisted the help of my neighbor to help haul the beast into my theater room. Once there I was scratching my head for quite sometime as to where I could possibly fit it.

This brings up a most notable suggestion; make sure you have room for this kind of sub before buying it. This is a sub that belongs in larger more accommodating rooms. I have read some posts on various forums suggesting two of these subs for a home theater. I cannot fathom how large a room you would have to have to need two of these things. I pity the walls and occupants of that neighborhood.

The sub has pretty much the same no frills look of SVS’s previous subs. It is a high tech black molded box suspended above a black base plate. Ron Stimpson at SVS said “We literally spent months perfecting it. The box sports a very fine textured black finish that’s very high tech and said to be impervious to just about any kind of abuse you might give it”. I didn’t mind this look at all since I am interested in performance and not profile. Some may not agree with it with their décor though. SVS has addressed this concern with the new PB-2 Ultra that will be launched soon. Not only does it add custom wood finishes, but they step up the drivers as well. I can only imagine what those puppies are going to do.

Unfortunately for me, the RTA (real time analyzer) I normally use for my room was on the fritz and I don’t know anyone else who has one. So I had to place the sub by ear. My room only had a few spots that could truly accommodate this sub but luckily for me one seemed to be perfect for it.

Now the PB-2+ offers quite a few different options in terms of setup. The PB-2+ features a custom made BASH amplifier delivering a room shaking 900 watts of power to the two 12” drivers. The control panel for the amplifier is a buzz with different knobs and connections. You will notice four RCA terminals; right and left channel inputs and outs. These allow you to use the sub as a crossover network for sub/sat configurations. This is also how one goes about hooking a normal line level connection from his processor or receiver. For those with older systems there is a set of speaker inputs that offer the same thing, but from an amplifier. This is rarely used nowadays though.

The crossover controls are very simple. A dial adjusts the desired low pass crossover and ranges from 40Hz to 120Hz; or it can be bypassed altogether with a switch. I disabled mine since my processor does all the crossover settings. You will also find a knob for phase and gain.

The last knob is for the subsonic filter. This can be bypassed or set to three separate settings; 16Hz, 20Hz or 25Hz. These are used in conjunction with the three massive ports on the sub and the two port blocks supplied for tuning it to specific frequencies based on your needs. During my setup I tried every possible configuration citing the advantages and disadvantages. SVS only recommends using this filter in conjunction with the port blocks as using it without may cause undue strain on the amp and drivers. My final configuration was both port blocks in and the subsonic filter set to 16Hz. My room is relatively smaller (14’x12’x8’) so this didn’t present problems as far as loss of SPL. Remember, as you tune the sub lower you are giving up overall SPL in exchange for low end extension.

Now I was able to use the test tones provided by my Anthem processor to get a rough idea of room response. I did have a bit of a peak at about 50Hz which I tamed using the Anthem’s notch filter. While my response still wasn’t totally flat, it was more acceptable. Then I began the critical listening phase, and easily the best part of reviewing!!

Just for some background, I have two SVS CS 25-31’s with a Sampson 700 amp in my own setup. Just before I received the PB-2+ I was using Paul’s dual SVS CS Ultras as well as an M&K THX 350. Needless to say, I knew what great bass sounded and felt like. Once I got the PB-2+ in I wasn’t really expecting to have quite the same impact as the Ultras coupled with the M&K, but what I got was damn close.

Like every SVS I have heard before it, the PB-2+ is a monster. For anyone who doesn’t think this beast would be enough think again. SVS employed the same “db-12” drivers found in their other “PLUS” lines. These drivers were killers before they ever met the PB-2+, but I think SVS stepped their performance up a notch with this new amp. The PB-2+ easily matched the Ultras in terms of pure performance. In fact on an infrasonic level, it bested them. The PB-2+ exhibited the same tight performance but managed to “shake” things up a bit more. I would almost say it was like getting a pair of Ultras and a tactile transducer to boot!

I always start my relationship with a subwoofer with grueling film soundtracks. I don’t use any of the wimpy stuff either. I go right for the stuff that will make great subs shine and bad subs break. My first bout was with the heavyweight champ in my opinion, Titan A.E. The ice field scene toward the end of this film will test the upper and lower extension of any sub. The PB-2+ handled it with ease. I was getting the same pronounced tight extension I came to expect from the Ultras, but an amazing tactile sensation that was plaster threatening. After getting some rather discomforting looks from the wife a few times during this barrage, I switch to some other classic tests.

I threw the infamous pod race scene, the depth charge attack, the storming of Omaha beach, and a hearty knock at the door at it and it didn’t even budge. I can tell you what each of these movies was, but I expect you know already. Playing at or near reference level was never an issue for the sub itself, but the room didn’t hold up quite as well. I discovered that this huge tactile terror not only rattled my gut, but it would start my ceiling mounted projector a shaking. No sub has done that before. This only came into play around -3db or higher though which isn’t my accustomed listening level. Needless to say the PB-2+ will easily handle the best film soundtracks have to offer in medium to large rooms. In small rooms, you may not be able to handle what it has to offer.

After putting the sub through its paces for a few days with movies I did some music testing. Now the PB-2+ was very tight and focused with soundtracks so I pretty much expected the same for music. I can usually tell even with movie soundtracks if a sub is going to sound bloated with music. This sub didn’t really show any signs of that. My expectations were dead on too. Just like the Ultras, the PB-2+ blended perfectly with my mains and produced exceptional bass without ever calling attention to it. Most people that come over always mention this. They can’t believe that a sub that big that produces such rich bass never once points itself out. The sub is placed just to my side and back some but everyone swears I have it front and center in the room. This is what a good sub should do; effortlessly blend itself into the soundstage so that it sounds like the natural extension of your other speakers.

I can go on and on about the countless titles I listened to on CD, DVD-A and SACD but I won’t bore you. I will say that it did on occasion point out issues that only certain subs before it could do. Take for example Linkin Park’s Re-Animation DVD-A disc. This disc delivers some of the most exciting bass tracks I’ve heard yet on high resolution formats. But for some reason a few of the tracks break up on the lowest notes. This wasn’t apparent with my CS 25s though since they weren’t going low enough. The only subs that have ever been able to resolve the lowest notes of this disc that I’ve heard are the Krell Master Reference sub, the Martin Logan Descent and the Wilson Watchdog. Now I am sure there are many more that can go this low, but I have only had experience with these. Now that is a very tall list with even steeper prices, but the PB-2+ adds itself to these ranks easily. Pound for pound I found the PB-2+ to actually outperform the Descent, especially with movie soundtracks. The Descent is no slouch, but the PB-2+ seems like it takes much less effort resulting in a cleaner sound.

Now for the only downside I found in my time with the PB-2+. This is a problem with larger subs, tactile pressure. Paul and I ran into this same thing when we first hooked up his Ultras in his room. See both Paul and I have small rooms for theater. So when you concentrate a lot of drivers in one area they seem to “press” upon you. Having the PB-2+ near me didn’t make the sub omni-directional from an aural point of view, but rather from a room pressure point of view. It was like the air was pressing against the side of my face. This is another reason that I recommend this sub for larger rooms only. A room like mine would probably benefit more from two separate PB-1s instead of the grouping of drivers the PB-2+ offers.

Well as you can see I was quite fond of this sub. There is no doubt that adding one of these to your setup will definitely give you some of the best bass performance out there. What amazed me the most is how little money it costs to get it. While the list price may be steep to some, to get a sub that would match this kind of performance elsewhere to cost anywhere from 2 to 4 times the price. But be warned, this kind of power can be abused and walls and artwork can be sacrificed. But like Ferris said, “If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”

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