SVS 3000 Micro

SUBWOOFER

- HERB REICHERT

My incommodious room favors small stand mount and panel speakers that some audiophiles would say require a subwoofer. But I was never inspired to try one until a new category of subwoofer appeared: the “micro” (aka soccer-ball) subwoofer. The minute I saw the little KEF KC62, a 10 cube, I imagined it could do 0–100Hz and back to zero in record time. I reported on the KEF micro sub last month, in Gramophone Dreams #49.

Just after I completed that report, I spied the SVS 3000 Micro. It, too, looked like a well-tuned, high-revving four-cylinder racer. When my request for a review sample was approved, my mind began to ask itself: What makes one subwoofer better than another? What does it actually mean for a subwoofer to be “fast”? Do some subs sprint like greyhounds while others drag their hind paw?

I asked Technical Editor John Atkinson to define the word fast as it applies to subwoofers. His answer was perfect: “As a subwoofer reproduces a narrow frequency band, its drive-unit alignment should be overdamped if it is not to sound boomy or blurry.” Then I called Sound & Vision Technical Editor Michael Trei, my old friend, and an experienced subwoofer reviewer, and asked the same question. I got the same answer though in different words. “It’s more about stopping than starting,” Mike said. “Lack of overhang is key.” He added that, in this respect, sealed boxes are usually best.

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