SVS SB12-Plus 12-Inch Front Firing Powered Subwoofer

The SVS SB12-Plus Powered Subwoofer is not just a powerful subwoofer. Housed in very compact sealed cube, just over a foot long in each demension, this subwoofer delivers power, clarity, tightness, and undistorted deep bass response that you find on more expensive subs. In addition, the SB12-Plus offers an extensive array of controls that allow the user to tweak performance parameters to specific room environments and listening tastes. For more details, check out my the rest of my review.

Here are the specifications and features for the SVS SB12-Plus:

1. Frequency response 22Hz-150Hz +/- 3dB. This means that extreme low frequencies are reproduced accurately.

2. Power handling: 450 watts RMS continuous. This means that, based to standardized measurements, the SB12-Plus has a consistent high-power output capability.

3. Crossover - Low Pass continuously variable from 40Hz-120Hz. High Pass - Low level inputs: 80Hz - High level inputs: 100Hz. The Crossover adjustment determines the point at which frequencies are reproduced by the subwoofer and which frequencies are discarded or sent to the other speakers in the home theater system. In addition, if your receiver has its own internal subwoofer crossover control, you can disable the control on the subwoofer. This allows the subwoofer to opt for the LFE frequencies that are being sent from the receiver, without further modification.

4. The Subwoofer cone is 12-inches in diameter.

5. The SB12-Plus is continuously Phase variable from 0-180 degrees. This is used to match the in-out motion of the subwoofer speaker to the in-out motion of the rest of the speakers in a home theater system.

6. Enclosure type Sealed/Acoustic Suspension - Front 12-inch Firing-firing main Driver.

7. Input/Output connections - Two line level/RCA phono jacks, Two line level XLR jacks, and two sets of stereo high level speaker in/out terminals.

8. Adjustment Controls

Gain: Analogous to volume. See Photo

Phase: Phase matches the in/out subwoofer driver motion to the satellite speakers. This control is continuously variable. See Photo

Crossover: The crossover control sets the point at which you want the subwoofer to produce low frequency sounds, against the ability of the satellite speakers to reproduce low frequency sounds. This control is defeatable if using the subwoofer crossover control on a Receiver. See Photo

Auto-On: This function detects when audio signals are present, thus activating the subwoofer amplifier. See Photo

PEQ (Parametric Equalizer): This function can adjust for the response characteristics of a room. This function is defeatable if not desired or needed. See Photo

Room size Compensation: This control helps determine the lowest frequencies that can be produced accurately in a specific size room. See Photo

9. Dimensions - 13.5 inches H x 13.5 inches W x 13.5-inches D (w/o Grill) 14.5 Inches D with Grill

10. Weight 40 lbs.

Set-up and Installation

The SB12-plus can be connected in three ways. The easiest way is to connect the subwoofer line output from a home theater receiver.

However, other options include using left/right speaker connections from receivers or amplifiers that do not have a dedicated subwoofer line output. In this type of setup, the subwoofer accepts the entire signal that goes to the main left and right channel speakers, but but only utilizes the low frequencies for itself and passes the remaining frequencies to main speakers via traditional speaker output connections. See Photo.

A third connection option is via XLR connections, which is a type of connection used in professional audio setups. See Photo.

For this review, I opted for the common subwoofer pre-out connection from several Home Theater Receivers (see Hardware section of this review) used in the vast majority of home theater setups. See Photo Illustrations: Rear panel Connectors, Subwoofer cable from receiver.

In addition to connecting a receiver to the subwoofer, I placed the subwoofer in the front of the room, just to the right of the right channel speaker of the home theater systems used.

The SB12-Plus was tested in two rooms with the following dimensions: 20ft x 15ft, and 12ft x 12ft.

The next step was to hear how the subwoofer sounded in its "straight-out-of-box" default settings. Although I was getting strong bass, it was apparent that futher adjustment was needed, as outlined in the SB12-Plus user manual.

Hardware Used

Home Theater Receivers used included, the Yamaha HTR-5490 (6.1 Channels) , Yamaha RX-V2700 (7.1 Channels) (On loan from Yamaha), Onkyo TX-SR304 (5.1 Channels), and a Sherwood RV-5050R Dolby Pro-logic Receiver

DVD players included: OPPO Digital DV-981HD DVD/SACD/DVD-Audio Player, and Helios H4000, as well as a Toshiba HD-XA1 HD-DVD player and a Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray Player and LG BH100 Blu-ray/HD-DVD Combo player.

Loudspeakers used in different setups included: Klipsch B-3s, Klipsch C-2, Optimus LX-5IIs, Klipsch Quintet III 5-channel speaker system, a pair of JBL Balboa 30's, JBL Balboa Center Channel and two JBL Venue Series 5-inch Monitor speakers as rear surrounds.

Powered Subwoofers used for comparison: Klipsch Synergy Sub10 and Yamaha YST-SW205.

Video displays used: A Westinghouse Digital LVM-37w3 1080p LCD Monitor, Syntax LT-32HV 32-inch LCD TV, and Samsung LN-R238W 23-inch LCD TV.

Audio/Video connections between components were made primarily with Accell, Cobalt, and AR Interconnect cables.

16 Gauge Speaker Wire was used in all setups.

System levels for both main speakers and subwoofers were calibrated using a Radio Shack Sound Level Meter

Software Used

Blu-ray Discs included: Alien vs Predator, Superman Returns, Crank, Stealth, and Mission Impossible III.

HD-DVD Discs included: Sleepy Hollow, Heart - Live In Seattle, King Kong, Batman Begins, Smokin' Aces, and Serenity

Pre-recorded standard DVDs used included scenes from the following: Serenity, The Cave, Kill Bill - Vol1/2, Pirates Of The Caribbean 1/2, V For Vendetta, U571, Lord of Rings Trilogy, Godzilla (1998), and Master and Commander.

For audio only, various CDs included: HEART - Dreamboat Annie, Nora Jones - Come Away With Me, Lisa Loeb - Firecracker, Blue Man Group - The Complex, Eric Kunzel - 1812 Overture.

DVD-Audio discs included: Queen - Night At The Opera/The Game, Eagles - Hotel California, and Medeski, Martin, and Wood - Uninvisible.

SACD discs used included: Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon, Steely Dan - Gaucho, The Who - Tommy.

In addition, music content on CD-R/RWs was also used.

Proceed to Page 2 - Evaluation, Pros, Cons, and Final Take