Customer Reviews: SB13-Ultra

I received my SB13-Ultra May14th of 2013, Just wanted to stop by and thank everyone at SVS for making a old mans dream come true. I have added my user review below

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/svsound/67619-svsound-sb13-ultra-user-review.html#post613892

This is a state of the art subwoofer suitable for use in any surround sound and/or music system. I did a lot of homework looking for a sealed sub (for their superior transient behavior) - my final choices were between the SB-13 Ultra and another sub costing $4,000 - yes, the SB-13 Ultra is that good! In the end, I opted for the SB-13 Ultra. Friends who listen to my surround system are astonished at the slam, clarity and dynamics of the bass (far better than almost any movie theater I've been to). I am so pleased with it that I will be buying a 2nd SB-13 in the near future. Recommended without qualification!

I have owned my sb13 for two weeks now and just wanted to add my experiences.....

It has taken 2 weeks for me to get this subwoofer set up right and has involved hours of frustration that i wasn't hearing the same performance as everyone else.
From reading the reviews and instructions i expected to have it set up in no time with a crossover set "no lower than 80 hz" as stated in the manual.

Advice to those who are not happy with performance.... persevere!!!! This sub WILL provide you with what you want, it just takes time!

Unfortunately i have discovered my room doesn't seem very bass friendly.

I have my crossover set at 50 hz, this was the main issue. With the manual and most reviews stating to set the crossover at 80+ i just couldn't make the sub disappear. Maybe this will change with correct equalisation. I do intend on getting an antimode eq to improve performance but at the moment i am very happy with my results.

What i have now is just what appears to be perfect deep bass coming from my floorstanders. With both music and movies!

I firmly believe that this sub produces so much powerful deep bass that it has to be set up perfect to sound right.
Any issues will most likely result in your ears locating the sub thus ruining your listening experience or the bass overwhelming the rest of the audio...

Set phase by playing a sine wave at your crossover freq and use a spl meter to find the loudest phase point.
Put in the time and you will get the results.

Thankyou svs great sounding and great looking sub!!

This subwoofer has a fantastic driver. The closed-box design is also unique, which is the primary reason why I bought it (it is fast).

At the same time, placement, as others stated it, is essential. The setup support I received was basically good for nothing (they told me to leave factory settings intact). SVS might want to consider renting out equipment for setup. Based on the price I paid, using a Harman Kardon 7550HD, I would expect a good sound, but there is none. When I asked SVS about the damping factor (essential for a good sub), I was told that that was a secret. Oh, well, that does not sound good, does it?

The class D amplifier in the unit corrects the throughput predestined by the small box, but mark it: it is class D (all digital).

At this point, I am unhappy with the sound and keep wondering where all the five-star ratings are coming from.

I have linked my full review at the bottom however I will say that the SVS SB13 Ultra was so good that I bought the unit for my home theater. It is an absolutely phenomenal subwoofer unmatched in it's class. http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/speaker-subwoofer-reviews/62796-svs-sb13-ultra-subwoofer-review.html

I've spent 30 years waiting for this subwoofer to come along and finally found It!

Well the SB13 Ultra is the GREATEST subwoofer by FAR in this class. You can HEAR/FEEL the base sound change up/down with the music.

The sound is so - clear - powerful - You feel the floor vibrating at certain frequencys. I love the POWER it loves to kick out.

- Most important the SB13 ELIMINATES the boring standard ported subwoofer, bang bang -

I lost count how many times it brought tears in my eyes. Sounds I never heard in low end. When placed and set up properly in your room the unit will go to work and really amaze you!, and sound like its coming from your speakers.

SIMPLY CLEAN HIGH HORSEPOWER!

PS: best customer service

Thank You SVS! Will never need another sub again.

BOBBY

Owned it for 4 months now.

Well, all I can say is WOW. The sub was very easy to integrate into my system. It literally disappears into the sound stage. The bass is tight and well defined. Bass solos now sound like notes, instead of a low undefined rumble. I have only had the SB13-Ultra for five days and all my spare time is being spent listening to the music that I have never known existed on my cds. It also looks beautiful in the high gloss finish.

Just got this one a few days ago. Had two PB12-NSDs before. The SB13 Ultra is amazing!!

Even with just one, it has more power than the 2 PB12s. Also the bass output is not too boomy, just loud and heart thumping. After a test run of "War of the Worlds", I was amazed how effortlessly this sub performed. Highly recommend it.

I’ve been a proud owner of the SB13-Ultra for over 2 months now and felt that I finally had enough time to express my opinion on it. My previous sub was a SVS PB12-NSD (older down firing model with 325W Bash Amp). My motivation in getting a new sub was initially to get more accurate bass in a more compact and aesthetically pleasing form factor. That naturally led me to look at some of the quality sealed subs out there like the Hsu ULS-15, JL Audio Fathom F113, Def Tech Supercubes, Velodyne DD+ series, Paradigm SUB 12/15, etc. However, when looking at the cost of many of those subs, I become sold on the SVS mainly due to value and previous experience with their quality. In addition, I recently discovered that my PB12 had an issue with the driver (I think) where it just flutters horribly at frequencies below 35hz creating nasty audible distortion (I may not be able to sell it after all). Thus, I guess it was time to upgrade and get something where I can add a 2nd sub to my system for a reasonable cost and size investment in the future. I got the piano gloss finish and it is gorgeous. Even my fiancé was impressed compared to the pedestrian look of the old PB12. The sub is solid, heavy, and sturdy exhibiting the excellent build quality SVS is known for. The driver is impressive and I was really taken by the material used and it's sturdiness. The first thing I did when I got it out the box was place it in my main listening position, crawl around the front of my room, and compare the two front corner positions to see which one worked best. I decided to place it in the front right corner, set the Sledge volume to -5dB, run Audyssey on my Marantz AV7005, and get to listening.

My initial impression when first listening was..."where is the bass?". The bass was not very powerful or impactful with various music I tried spanning Hip-Hop, Jazz, Classical, and Pop. Granted, I wasn't able to really turn the volume up beyond -25dB on the Marantz due to the time of day but it was extremely difficult to discern the contribution of the sub to the overall sound. I tried turning off the mains several times to evaluate the sub's sound alone and still found the sound kind of "empty". The next day I gave SVS a call and they gave me some things to try to isolate the issue. I verified that it was not an issue with the Marantz by sending a signal directly from my Oppo-93 player. The levels were still roughly the same. The SVS rep suspected it may just be room issues but I was initially reluctant to believe that for two reasons: 1) The sound from the SB13 did not sound as full as the PB12 throughout the audio band in the same room, and 2) playing some test tones revealed that the levels decreased dramatically in my room below 60hz (we're talking like -15-20db and stayed down to the limits of the sub around 22hz). After several more days of evaluation, I resolved both concerns. The most recent location for my PB12 was on the opposite front corner of my room, so it wasn't really an apples to apples comparison. At one point, I did have the PB12 on the same side as the SB13, but found the sound thin and moved it to the opposite side. I wanted to leave the SB13 on the right side for room aesthetics so I was going to try the get satisfactory performance in that location. Furthermore, I obtained some new test tones that worked better than the initial ones which apparently weren't recorded at the same levels thus invaliding my frequency response data.

After obtaining new test tones I manually charted the frequency response at my main position and discovered I have a large null at 45hz and a peak from 75-90hz. I then used the P-EQ to flatten those out best I could. Finally, I moved my couch back about a foot from the center of my room which has a null and did some listening. Now that is more like it. Music tracks that should have full booming bass do now and I can hear it with much more impact at my listening position. The bass is certainly tighter than my PB12-NSD with much less distortion that reduces unwanted noises such as shuffing and rattling.
The real unexpected highlight for me has been movie performance. Some of the standouts since I’ve had the sub have been Brave, Men In Black III, and Looper on Blu-Ray. After several weeks of tweaking and the sub getting “broken in”, I cannot believe I once thought the sub lacked output. This sub can definitely bang and rock the house! I've never been one to believe in break in from speakers, amps and other electronics but that is the only thing I can think of explain the stark difference in perceived output from my first week. The soundtrack on Brave was extremely impressive with plenty of bass and thump when it needed to be. MIB III was actually an extremely bass heavy track and the SB13-ultra delivered it with plenty of authority. The part towards the end where the space shuttle was about to launch made my house (and probably my neighbors) cry. When watching Looper, many of the slow-mo scenes hit my chest hard with powerful yet amazingly controlled bass. The bass never sounded “sloppy”, loose, or uncontrolled and the SB13-ultra never seemed to struggle to deliver a particular effect. Considering how open my space is and that the sub is not in a fully corner loaded position, it's really impressive just how much power it has and how much bass it can deliver. Given the room size and acoustics, it isn't able to pressurize the room, but neither could my PB12-NSD for the same reasons.

Overall I'm very happy with the performance now and I can say without a doubt it is a very solid sub, especially for the price (a fraction of the cost of many of it's competitors). Music is tight and punchy and movies are a real delight even in my large room of over 5000cu ft. I definitely intend to add a second one down the line once I move into a more optimal space. If you want a powerful accurate sub with performance on par with many other subs costing $2000+, than the SB13-ultra is your sub. Highly recommended!

Summary
Pros:
- Tight controlled bass
- Low distortion makes listening more pleasant and louder levels less disruptive
- Great aesthetics and finish
- Flexible with lots of DSP controls for tweaking

Cons:
- Difficult to get sounding up to it's potential in my room
- Lacking in the ultra-low end (sub-25hz region) when compared to ported subs like the PB12

I had an old used ACI Titan that finally crapped out after a long productive life. When it was time for a new sub, I searched the net for advice and was impressed with the consistent stellar reviews for SVS. But my wife was never having any of that cylinder stuff... and footprint/WAF was a real issue - in fact the top of my priority list.

First I bought a SB12NSD (after a brief but unhappy fling with a Def Tech super cube). I was really happy with the SB12NSD however I was able to see that it was going into protection on certain scenes at the desired SPL in my 3000 cubic foot space. I could have lived with it, but.. you only live once.

I decided to take a flyer at the SB13 Ultra knowing I could return it if it did not give me a thousand dollars worth of improvement over the SB12NSD.

I was very happily blown away by the SB13 Ultra. It is all I could ever want. And I find the PEQ very handy... using REW I found that I have a bit of a peak at 63hz which is tamed very simply with the sub's onboard EQ.

I love loud music and loud movies. This sub gives me both perfectly. And the box is super classy looking (I have black oak which matches my black PSB Synchrony 2 speakers really well).

couldn't be happier - highly recommend. If $ is a factor I also recommend the SB12NSD if a really high quality high WAF sub. But if you can spend $1600 on yourself, this is a nice nice way to do it.

Way to go SVS. thanks!

I rarely write reviews and don't consider myself an audiophile - however I do enjoy crystal clear sound at wide range of volume levels for music and home theater. I've tried several different "mass-market" subs in the $800-$1,500 range that just didn't meet my expectations for sound quality and appearance.

I saw the SVS brand in a lot of positive reviews on Web - SVS build quality and customer service were consistently praised. After a week of reading & shopping on the Web, I decided to order the SB13-Ultra. What a great experience - painless ordering, free shipping, arrived in 3 days well packaged and easy to get setup.

First impressions of the SB13-Ultra in my house - beautiful cabinet and a size that is perfect for rooms where you don't want the sound equipment to visually dominate. The grill is a bit industrial looking - but never rattles and will protect your investment.

The sound - right out of the box (just ran my AVRs auto-speaker adjust tool) is amazing. I'm sure all the adjustments built into the SB13-Ultra provide flexibilty but that's not what I was looking for. Buy it, install it, tune it once and then just enjoy the sound and seemingly unlimited headroom.

This sub is not overkill for medium sized rooms - if you never want to worry about hitting the limits of lesser subs - this is the way to go. I like to listen to movies at real movie theater sound levels, and I've yet to sense any strain from the SB13-Ultra. Across all my criteria - SVS has met or exceeded my expectations. Based on my experience so far, I plan to look at upgrading my speakers the new Ultra Speakers (just released).

Think what you may about "Made in China" but be in no doubt this is one heck of a well built sub. My first impression, apart from the enormity and weight, is of a piece that oozes quality and flawless finish, from every angle. The aesthetics of the piano gloss are a seamless match for my other speakers and the sub looks perfectly at home, despite being a different brand to everything else I have here.

I have owned the SB13U for just over a month now. At the moment, regrettably, the sub has been relegated to just "eye candy" status in my room. Despite what the Audyssey MultEQ Pro is telling me, being an impressive laser level flat response, I just can't get it to fit acoustically in my room. The kids tell me "Daddy the sound is not right", and it's because of the bass. Obviously I have more work to do to integrate the SB13U properly into my setup, but I am limited to where I can sit the sub on my floor (basically I only have one spot where it fits). So with the limitation of location, the fact that Audyssey Pro has weaved it's EQ magic as much as it can, and my limited time to devote to such things, the easiest option was just to do without it.

So my installation has reverted back to the way things were prior to the SB13U, except I have swapped out my monitor size main speakers for a 20Hz capable full-range main speaker and dispensed with the sub altogether.

I am disappointed that the SB13U didn't work for me "out of the box" so to speak, but I do know these things can take some time and effort to get dialed in right. When I find the time and motivation I'll revisit the whole question again, and hopefully I'll be able to get the SB13U to work as good for me as I know it can.

I recently upgraded from a 12" ultra svs cylinder that I absolutely love and still use in a different application to the new sb13-ultra. I use my subs almost solely for watching movies. The 12" cylinder gave me big boomy base that really growled for five years. I wanted to upgrade to see if it was possible to have even better base so I was advised to go with the SB13-ultra. I was hesitant because it was smaller in size that the other flag ship models (and much smaller than my cyclinder), but my room is small to medium size and the sales rep said this sub was their most accurate that they have made. Needless to say, after watching quite a few movies with this 13" cube, it absolutely blows my 12" cylinder away. Before I couldn't feel the base much because of a cement floor and walls in the basement. I had to add a base shaker to my recliner to the desired affect. This new sub changes all of that and I feel it so hard sometimes it just blows me away. I don't know if this is the difference of the cyliner being down fireing while this boxed sub is front firing, but boy, this is what I was longing for. Base is highly enhanced in my movies to where when things hit hard, it actually sounds like someone punches my wall. Deep sounds seem to go deeper and then when I think it hit the bottom, it goes deeper yet and astonishes me each time. The only drawback I can find is that my light fixture starts ratteling loudly to where I might have to swap it out with something more solid! I whole heartedly recommend this smaller sub for the sheer sound quality it provides without any apparent compromise in base quantity. An added benefit is that the sub is also more noticable in lower listening levels than my other one was so now I can enjoy movies better while the wife sleeps!

SVS:

It is always difficult to buy something online without actually having heard it. But there good reviews and your made in the USA product looked so good that I thought I would take the risk.

I don't have an automatic room-correction component, so it took a little while to set up, but the results are well worth it, and your sound shaping controls make it possible. It's added a whole new dimension of sound--auditory and tactile. I can follow the bass lines and pick out the kick drum now without boominess. It complements my Martin Logan electrostatic speakers very well.

I have a 21' x 21' great room with 11' ceilings subdivided by 3.5' counters . Sub is in the right corner, Center channel speaker is Martin Logan Theater i under the TV. Surround speakers are B&W DM602 in a 5.1 setup

here's the before and after using the PEQ -- look at the red trace, ignore the green: crossover is set to 60hz (I had very similar results at 40hz)

http://markwilson.zenfolio.com/p920669287/e4f71d6fc

Bass initially was very boomy and muddy:


I set the phase by playing a 60hz tone to excite both woofers and sub, and adjusting for maximum amplitude.

With a lot of tweaking, I finally settled on the following parameters:
PEQ1= 31hz q2.0 -10dB
PEQ2 63hz q5.7 -6dB, and so: (red trace again)

http://markwilson.zenfolio.com/p920669287/e4f71d704

Viola! Bass is much better, not boomy. I think the trough at 50 hz is a room node, as I could not adjust for it.
There is an audible suck-out around 30 hz when playing a sweep tone, but it is not audible on music.

Here's a full-range sweep: No octave smoothing! The main speakers internal cross-over is 350hz

http://markwilson.zenfolio.com/p920669287/e4f71dd66

The impulse is a little off, I might have to adjust the time delay for the sub

Here's the same graph, looking at the 0-150hz:

http://markwilson.zenfolio.com/p920669287/e4f71dd70


A well-tuned machine, indeed!

I have been falling asleep listening to music for the last two weeks--it sounds too good to turn it off and go to bed.

Congratulations on a great product.

Next step: movies

Mark

P.S. My only suggestion would be the addition of a remote control--but at this price who is complaining?

Edit: one month update:

Dear SVS,

I could not be happier with the sub. It far, far exceeds my expectations.

I had a respectable sub before, (xxxxxxx) a performance/value leader of its time with a solid output at 20hz, so I was no stranger to subs.

This made the SVS sub even more of a delightful surprise. It has literally added a whole new dimension to my listening pleasure.

I use it with some Martin-Logan electrostatic panels (Aeon i). After tuning, it adds a texture and richness to the sound I had no idea I was missing.

I can actually feel the percussive effect of someone's fingers striking guitar strings as they play. I can now follow (and often feel) the bass line and the kick drum on almost any recording without the bass being boomy or bloated. I feel the sensual texture of the music as well as hear it.

In fact the bass is exceptionally taut and quick, and has no problems seamlessly complementing the electrostatic speakers.

It's by far the best hi-fi investment I've made in many years. I still frequently fall asleep in my listening chair listening to music.

Bravo!

Mark W,
Baton Rouge, LA

I'm running a dual setup with these sb13's and they are scary loud. I had of the to turn the gain down quite a bit and with 2 of them the sound is phenomenal. The whole room fills with enough bass which makes it appear as if the bass is radiating from all of the speakers in my system. Running both at low volumes makes me feel good that I am not overextending them.

The build quality of the SB13-Ultra is outstanding! Looks great in the Black Oak finish and is heavier than this relatively compact box looks.

I still haven’t watched a full bass-quality movie yet with my new SB13-Ultra nor have I had the chance to run REW. So far I’ve watched scenes of a few movie clips that I’m familiar with (War of the Worlds, Master & Commander, and Ironman 2) to do a quick evaluation of its abilities with just a quick set-up.

On this material, the extension, headroom, and clarity are amazing! Though I know the PB13-Ultra has more output down low, I seriously can’t say I would need more than the single SB13-Ultra already provides. There are fine details heard in some bass sections and sound effects that I don’t remember hearing before being presented with great definition!

Music has always been very important to me as well and is one reason that I’ve been waiting for a SB version of the Ultra. Ported subs, especially large ones, tend to do less well with music.

This is the most articulate sub I’ve ever had the pleasure to listen to! in terms of musicality, the SB13-Ultra is absolutely wonderful. On jazz, you can actually hear the sounds of a double bass player’s fingers pluck the strings, and the nuances in the way the notes are played are easily heard. Playing bass heavy music like “Woofer Cooker” which has serious amounts of deep bass, the SB Ultra more than stands up to the task. This sub is an out-standing subwoofer for music! I had a fellow audiophile over the other day to listen- he has a set of high-end Tetra 505 speakers and is now thinking of adding a SB13-Ultra to his system. The ultra low end bass, quickness, out-put, definition and pure musicality really blew him away.

The only thing I would suggest is that SVS throw in a small mirror as this would make it much easier to set the dial and make the adjustments after it’s set in place. Even better, maybe make a way to reverse the display to use with the small hand-held mirror, however this is minor as it’s still easily read. Would probably only require a small change in the display programming to accomplish.

I have no reservations recommending the SB13-Ultra for HT, and even more importantly, for music. This is a truly superb sub for both audiophiles and Home Theatre buffs.

I’m looking forward to seeing how it does after I tweak it a bit more using REW and make some adjustments with its dual band Parametric EQ.

I've never had a separate sub before, only the 10" woofers on the sides of my towers. The difference with this little beast is nothing short of amazing. The leap in dynamics is at least as great the leap I noticed going from a receiver to pre-amp + power amp. The sound stage is not now only MASSIVE but significantly more DETAILED. Last week we watched "Unstoppable" on Blu Ray - I couldn't help but think I have finally realized the dream of having a true home theater.

Customer service is very patient and helpful as well, Doug guided me through the tuning process. Appearance-wise I would describe it as sculptural and gorgeous - the finish matches my NHT piano black, and the architectural metal grill looks awesome hinting at the power within.

My only beef is with TV broadcasts - the people who mix sound do an awful job. With the exception of movie channels (HBO, Starz, etc.) commercials and TV programs cause me to turn the sub down from -5 to -8.

This is clearly not the fault of SVS, because with sources like Blu Ray and Movie channels it's pure bliss.

Very well composed, superb accuracy, and beautiful black Oak finish and construction. You can't find this quality anywhere else for this price. May see high for a subwoofer but when you listen to the reproduction, nothing was spared in terms of engineering and build quality. I positioned the subwoofer just a few extra inches for the wall so I can easily access the knob for the amp - works extremely well. This is truly an outstanding product in a small foot print. Highly recommend and last subwoofer you will need to buy.

I received my SB13-Ultra on Monday October 1. The team at SVS was not only informative but helpful with the questions I had with selecting a subwoofer.

I was trying to choose between the PC13-Ultra, the PB13-Ultra and the SB13-Ultra. After installing and hearing the bass from my new SVS sub, I have no doubt that any one of the three would have sounded amazing but the smaller footprint of the SB13 was a deciding factor me.

The SB13 combined with my Integra receiver, B&W CCM7.4 in celling speakers for the center, left and right paired with the B&W rear speakers sounds well worth the investment.

When we were calibrating the sub, my wife came in from the other side of the house because she thought there was severe weather or a "Thunder Storm" outside!!

The packing could have probably withstood a drop from a 5 story building but I wasn't willing to take the risk.

My only complaints are 1) If I hadn't contacted the team at SVS with questions, I would have purchased a subwoofer elsewhere because this one was not listed in August when I was doing my research. 2) The only paperwork included with my sub was 3 pages and only after contacting SVS, did I realize I was missing the CD with the owner’s manual. The team did send me an email with the manual or I could have gone to the website to download it.

Movies, music and regular TV all sound great. Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase and would recommend this sub to any of my friends!

Background: My first SV sub was the PC12-Plus, and I’ve upgraded to the SB13-Ultra.

-The “musicality” of this sub is impressive and cannot be over-stated. While the PC12 “roars” on low end movie scenes as in Transformers, Iron Man 2, and Jurassic park; the powerful yet nimble SB13 has a much more detailed bass response. On music, the tight response of the SB13 made everything from symphonies to rock to electronic sound amazing. On movies like Tron Legacy, the SB13 flawlessly reproduces the detailed Daft Punk score and low frequency effects. I’m blown away by this sub’s detailed bass response on the disc battle and light cycle scenes. Audessy has calibrated the SB13 to -8db, and it still shakes my entire living room (2223 cubic feet with a wide opening into a 1500 cubic feet dining room).

- Versatile placement options: The SB13 has a similar footprint to PC12/PC13, but it looks better out in space and so can be placed in more conspicuous locations. In addition, I have another degree of freedom in rotation angle which is not possible with the cylinders. And in terms of avoiding the doghouse, my female counterpart prefers the look of the SB13 over the cylinder.

-The black oak finish is absolutely beautiful, it looks way better than I had expected.

-This is the most economical way to get into 13” sub and 1000W RMS from SV sound.

-Manageable “1 person” size, but enough heft for serious output.

-A great company with outstanding customer service.

Well, my new SVS SB13-Ultra arrived on Monday. Customer service with SVS is outstanding. I had several questions as I considered going with two SB-12nsd subs or with one SB 13-ultra. After considering my listening environment, sub location and what I was trying to achieve, I pulled the cord and went with the one SB 13. The sub was packed well and a beast to carry down to my basement man cave. At 105 lbs. shipping weight and 92 lbs. for the actual sub a real workout! But, worth the labor. Upon opening I was immediately impressed by the piano black finish. I have definitive tech mythos ones...etc which are also a gloss back finish...what a great look! I am not a big fan of the study metal grill and would have rather had a cloth covering, but there is no way this woofer is going to get damaged. The grill is growing on me. I am replacing a def tech supercube II. This is a massive jump forward in the world of subwoofers! The supercube II is a nice little 12 inch cube which is not a bad bag for the buck and was a pleasant piece in my 7.1 system. Not, bad at all...but wow I entered a whole new world of bass with the SB 13-ultra.

I connected the SB 13 via a Cobalt Cable (now out of business) RCA to the LFE input of my Integra receiver. I backed the digital volume control on the SVS sub to -20 and ran Audyssey (8 spots on setup). Then I started my listening tests. Right out of the jump there was a big difference from my previous supercube setup. The integration into the system was seamless with little or no localization of the sub. In my listening I went from simple to more complex tests. I started with a Jack Johnson, "Banana Pancakes" piece played through my OPPO-93. Jackson plays a lot of acoustic guitar with very catchy well defined bass lines. I couldn't believe that a 17.5 inch sealed cube could produce such deep, accurate bass. I went to some classical viola SACD samples and then to my blu-ray and hd-dvd collection. I started with Sherlock Holmes blow-up scenes and then to a couple of Fast and Furious car scenes. Effortless, Deep, Not Boomy! Well, I am sure the sub is just breaking in, but I am already enjoying to the max what seems to be a great sub purchase!

I was one of three lucky members of the Audioholics.com forum that was able to audition this sub before it was released. Thanks to SVS and Audioholics! You can see three user reviews (including videos and measurements) at the following link: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/subwoofers/81418-svs-sb13-ultra-subwoofer-contest-review-thread.html. There's a lot of good info in those reviews, I think, and I encourage you to go check them out. I'll provide my overall summary below.

In short, I think that this is a _spectacular_ sub and a good value. I've owned a PC13-Ultra for five years, and this new SB13-Ultra provided me with the same level of performance (in my ~3800 ft² great room, and with my listening habits) as the much larger PC13. I was a bit surprised that the sealed design with significantly less volume could hold its own against my PC13-Ultra, but it did. It did on everything that I threw at it. It was great for movies with deep and loud bass, and it also blended perfectly with my speakers on music.

Five years ago, I chose the PC13-Ultra over the PB13-Ultra for three main reasons: smaller footprint, lighter weight, and lower cost. I couldn’t fit the PB13 where I wanted it, I almost surely wouldn’t be able to move it (it weighs more than I do), and it costs a good bit more. The new SB13-Ultra has the same weight advantage and nearly the same footprint advantage as the PC13, and it’s not nearly as tall, _and_ it’s less expensive. Had it existed back in 2007, it might very well have been my choice.

While the slightly limited number of finishes (two, textured black oak and polished black) and lack of grille options (no flush-mount or fabric options) make the SB13-Ultra less than perfect for me, the fact that those are the only negatives that I can think to mention about a $1500 (preorder price) subwoofer should speak volumes about this design. $1500 isn’t chump change, but it just might be one of the best bargains around. I highly (and I’ll repeat – highly) recommend that you consider this sub if you are in the market for a sub at this level.

Customer Reviews: Dual SB13-Ultra