SVS PC-2000 Pro Subwoofer Review & Comments

I really like the tube design as well and I had two of these in my living room. In my opinion it's way less invasive looking than a big box in a living room. It also doesn't look like a subwoofer which I really like. If you can tuck it in a corner -meaning if it sounds good there, which unfortunately it doesn't most of the times:) -it pretty much disappears. Sure you can hide away boxes way easier behind a sofa or next to a lowboard but the boxes themselves are still way bigger looking than the round trash can :D

Here are some comparisons with my Arendal Sub 1:
20171114_140511.jpg20171114_140519.jpg20171114_140614.jpg20171114_140546.jpg

The "relatively small" Sub 1 - which has significantly lower output in the deep bass than the SVS- looks pretty big in comparison
 
On 9th July in post #76 @Derek S-H said:
I know @SonOfSJ is perfectly happy with either black, white or silver as options, but is he single?
He most certainly is! Otherwise I probably wouldn't be allowed to have a large-ish television and a surround-sound system in each of my four main rooms.

Most British living rooms are fairly modest in size which you have to share with other furniture, plus your TV, AV rack and speakers (and possibly even a bed!). Unless you have a huge room and/or cubbyholes and/or flat panel speakers, then a Sub will nearly always dominate. I personally don't have a problem with that aesthetic and I would pursue it if I didn't have any neighbours, but I would still prefer a different finish other than black.
I don't know about dominating, but here's what my PC13-Ultra in the parlour looks like, amid everything else and with its LCD panel briefly illuminated. I certainly don't have a huge room, it measures 18' x 14' x 10'6".
GIMP of 20200711_152029 tennis.jpg


The subwoofer is 120cm high and 46 cm diameter, so it's bigger than the PC2000 Pro that's the subject of this review thread. I personally don't think that the subwoofer is too big, but I do remember that not long after I got it a visiting friend said; "What's that!" But to my mind, and I'm biased of course, given that I don't find the PC13-Ultra too big then a PC2000 Pro shouldn't be too difficult to accommodate, especially in the nice matt black finish (which if @Derek S-H had his way would be only one of a range of finishes!).
 
@Steve Withers Sabbath greetings, Mr Withers! I don't know if you are still following this thread, but here's hoping! First a minor quibble about the price - when I put "SVS PC2000 Pro subwoofer price" into google, I can find (from four retailers including Richer Sounds) only the £999 Black gloss option. I can't seem to find the cheaper £832 black ash finish mentioned in the review? I can find a £849 model from lots of places, but that turns out to be for the previous, non-pro, version.

That aside, the bigger question is, (now that SVS have discontinued my first SVS cylinder subwoofer, the PC12-Plus (which was my first SVS cylinder subwoofer) is, how close does the PC2000 Pro, at £999, get to the performance of the only other cylinder SVS subwoofer, the PC4000 at exactly twice the price, namely £1999? I notice that the frequency response of the PC2000 Pro is 16-290Hz (+/-3dB) in standard mode, whereas that of the larger PC4000 is 15-200 Hz ±3 dB (extended mode) . So the bigger model goes only 1 Hz deeper. I do realise that what can't be easily stated in specifications is a sense of scale, which I would expect (but I may be wrong!) the bigger model to deliver better than the smaller? SVS as a company are not frightened to have new lower models to close to the performance of older, but higher-up models. For instance, when the 3000 series was being developed, the chief designer called the SVS President Mr Gary Yacoubian and said "Are you sure you want to do this? It's so close to the 4000 series that it's probably going to cannibalise that world." I know that it's difficult to quantify, but I'm going to guess that overall the PC2000 Pro provides 80% to 90% of the performance of the larger PC4000, but at only half the price?
 
@Steve Withers Sabbath greetings, Mr Withers! I don't know if you are still following this thread, but here's hoping! First a minor quibble about the price - when I put "SVS PC2000 Pro subwoofer price" into google, I can find (from four retailers including Richer Sounds) only the £999 Black gloss option. I can't seem to find the cheaper £832 black ash finish mentioned in the review? I can find a £849 model from lots of places, but that turns out to be for the previous, non-pro, version.

That aside, the bigger question is, (now that SVS have discontinued my first SVS cylinder subwoofer, the PC12-Plus (which was my first SVS cylinder subwoofer) is, how close does the PC2000 Pro, at £999, get to the performance of the only other cylinder SVS subwoofer, the PC4000 at exactly twice the price, namely £1999? I notice that the frequency response of the PC2000 Pro is 16-290Hz (+/-3dB) in standard mode, whereas that of the larger PC4000 is 15-200 Hz ±3 dB (extended mode) . So the bigger model goes only 1 Hz deeper. I do realise that what can't be easily stated in specifications is a sense of scale, which I would expect (but I may be wrong!) the bigger model to deliver better than the smaller? SVS as a company are not frightened to have new lower models to close to the performance of older, but higher-up models. For instance, when the 3000 series was being developed, the chief designer called the SVS President Mr Gary Yacoubian and said "Are you sure you want to do this? It's so close to the 4000 series that it's probably going to cannibalise that world." I know that it's difficult to quantify, but I'm going to guess that overall the PC2000 Pro provides 80% to 90% of the performance of the larger PC4000, but at only half the price?

I went from a 20-39 PC Plus to PC Ultra 13. Didn't cost that much to upgrade. PC Ultra 13 and PC-4000 are pretty similar.

The upgrade was noticeable. Certainly far more guts when called upon
 
@Steve Withers Sabbath greetings, Mr Withers! I don't know if you are still following this thread, but here's hoping! First a minor quibble about the price - when I put "SVS PC2000 Pro subwoofer price" into google, I can find (from four retailers including Richer Sounds) only the £999 Black gloss option. I can't seem to find the cheaper £832 black ash finish mentioned in the review? I can find a £849 model from lots of places, but that turns out to be for the previous, non-pro, version.

That aside, the bigger question is, (now that SVS have discontinued my first SVS cylinder subwoofer, the PC12-Plus (which was my first SVS cylinder subwoofer) is, how close does the PC2000 Pro, at £999, get to the performance of the only other cylinder SVS subwoofer, the PC4000 at exactly twice the price, namely £1999? I notice that the frequency response of the PC2000 Pro is 16-290Hz (+/-3dB) in standard mode, whereas that of the larger PC4000 is 15-200 Hz ±3 dB (extended mode) . So the bigger model goes only 1 Hz deeper. I do realise that what can't be easily stated in specifications is a sense of scale, which I would expect (but I may be wrong!) the bigger model to deliver better than the smaller? SVS as a company are not frightened to have new lower models to close to the performance of older, but higher-up models. For instance, when the 3000 series was being developed, the chief designer called the SVS President Mr Gary Yacoubian and said "Are you sure you want to do this? It's so close to the 4000 series that it's probably going to cannibalise that world." I know that it's difficult to quantify, but I'm going to guess that overall the PC2000 Pro provides 80% to 90% of the performance of the larger PC4000, but at only half the price?

I think I've found this with my AV, Stereo equipment, the more expensive equipment you get, when you keep on the upgrade path, you have to start spending ££££ to gain little improvement over what you have.
 
the bigger question is, (now that SVS have discontinued my first SVS cylinder subwoofer, the PC12-Plus (which was my first SVS cylinder subwoofer) is, how close does the PC2000 Pro, at £999, get to the performance of the only other cylinder SVS subwoofer, the PC4000 at exactly twice the price, namely £1999? I notice that the frequency response of the PC2000 Pro is 16-290Hz (+/-3dB) in standard mode, whereas that of the larger PC4000 is 15-200 Hz ±3 dB (extended mode) . So the bigger model goes only 1 Hz deeper. I do realise that what can't be easily stated in specifications is a sense of scale, which I would expect (but I may be wrong!) the bigger model to deliver better than the smaller? SVS as a company are not frightened to have new lower models to close to the performance of older, but higher-up models. For instance, when the 3000 series was being developed, the chief designer called the SVS President Mr Gary Yacoubian and said "Are you sure you want to do this? It's so close to the 4000 series that it's probably going to cannibalise that world." I know that it's difficult to quantify, but I'm going to guess that overall the PC2000 Pro provides 80% to 90% of the performance of the larger PC4000, but at only half the price?
One member bought PC4000 yesterday for 1600£. :) AVO has open box products often.

PC4000 is different beast with larger driver and more power in larger cab. We can compare the old PC2000 and PB4000. While the PB4000 is going to have small edge to PC4000 due to cabinet, it shouldn´t be big what SVS has said. PC4000 has 3ports and that extension mode which is going to make all the difference if one wants that low earthquake bass!

Just compare the max output these two and the total harmonic distortion. PC2000 can put out something at 16hz but with LOT higher distortion. It has great output at 20hz (104,3db), but PB4000 puts out 109-112db so you are going to need few PC2000 to match it there. The gains will continue all the way up with lower distortion. Now the Pro model is slightly better than PC2000 (1-1,5db with bit lower distortion SVS reply).

PC2000 - 16hz - 95,6db - 25,6% THD

PB4000 - 16hz - 107,1db - 14,7% THD

PS. You can get the CEA 2010 figures from @Ed Mullen if you email to SVS. Then you can compare them more carefully. But this gives you some idea comparing the two below. They are both done by Audioholics with the standard CEA 2010 method ground plane 2meter RMS.


image




SVS PC-2000 CEA2010 Maximum Clean Output Measurements (referenced to 2 meters ground plane RMS)
Test Frequency (Hz)Max Passing Measurement (dB)Total Harmonic Distortion (%)Harmonic Threshold Limiting
10No Passing Result
12.5No Passing Result
1695.626.23rd Harmonic
20104.310.0
25108.712.7
31.5109.913.8
40111.512.1
50111.215.0
63110.914.7
80109.911.29th Harmonic
100109.612.09th Harmonic
125109.517.03rd Harmonic
 
@Steve Withers Sabbath greetings, Mr Withers! I don't know if you are still following this thread, but here's hoping! First a minor quibble about the price - when I put "SVS PC2000 Pro subwoofer price" into google, I can find (from four retailers including Richer Sounds) only the £999 Black gloss option. I can't seem to find the cheaper £832 black ash finish mentioned in the review? I can find a £849 model from lots of places, but that turns out to be for the previous, non-pro, version.

That aside, the bigger question is, (now that SVS have discontinued my first SVS cylinder subwoofer, the PC12-Plus (which was my first SVS cylinder subwoofer) is, how close does the PC2000 Pro, at £999, get to the performance of the only other cylinder SVS subwoofer, the PC4000 at exactly twice the price, namely £1999? I notice that the frequency response of the PC2000 Pro is 16-290Hz (+/-3dB) in standard mode, whereas that of the larger PC4000 is 15-200 Hz ±3 dB (extended mode) . So the bigger model goes only 1 Hz deeper. I do realise that what can't be easily stated in specifications is a sense of scale, which I would expect (but I may be wrong!) the bigger model to deliver better than the smaller? SVS as a company are not frightened to have new lower models to close to the performance of older, but higher-up models. For instance, when the 3000 series was being developed, the chief designer called the SVS President Mr Gary Yacoubian and said "Are you sure you want to do this? It's so close to the 4000 series that it's probably going to cannibalise that world." I know that it's difficult to quantify, but I'm going to guess that overall the PC2000 Pro provides 80% to 90% of the performance of the larger PC4000, but at only half the price?
I wouldn't get hung up on the suggested pricing in the review, it's just based on what I found online at the time. Officially it's £899 for the black ash version and £999 for black gloss version, but what's currently available might be impacted by Covid19.

I'd say the PC2000 Pro can hold it's own against the PC4000, and I doubt you noticed one more dB. As someone else pointed out, at a certain point the law of diminishing returns kicks in, and the PC2000 Pro definitely delivers most of the PC4000 at half the price.
 
Ta, Mr Withers! Yeah, one extra Hz isn't much. So given the benefits of dual subwoofers in giving a more even spread of bass throughout the room than a single subwoofer and also in balancing out peaks and troughs in frequency response, it definitely sounds as if someone with £2K to spend on subwoofer power should get two SVS PC2000 Pro's rather than one PC4000.
 
Ta, Mr Withers! Yeah, one extra Hz isn't much. So given the benefits of dual subwoofers in giving a more even spread of bass throughout the room than a single subwoofer and also in balancing out peaks and troughs in frequency response, it definitely sounds as if someone with £2K to spend on subwoofer power should get two SVS PC2000 Pro's rather than one PC4000.
If you've got the budget that's what I'd do.
 
Yeah, one extra Hz isn't much. So given the benefits of dual subwoofers in giving a more even spread of bass throughout the room than a single subwoofer and also in balancing out peaks and troughs in frequency response, it definitely sounds as if someone with £2K to spend on subwoofer power should get two SVS PC2000 Pro's rather than one PC4000.

The FR specs won´t tell you the whole truth as i pointed in the measurements. PC4000 in extended mode will have lot more output potential under 20hz with lower distortion. Lot of people are looking high SPL in that region!! Another thing speaking for 3000 & 4000 serie (or higher) is better bass (sound) quality which has been reported by owners (AVSF) over 2000 serie. The same should apply Ultra serie vs. lower ones. Has the Pro model made jump in this regard it`s too early to say. But yeah there is certainly benefits with the dual route too. Depends what one is after and is there option to add one later... :)

To give you idea what the 95,6db vs. 107,1db (11,5db) difference at 16hz (also much cleaner!) means if one is pushing he`s system, Ed Mullen from SVS quote:

While our audibility threshold is higher (i.e., worse) for deep bass frequencies, once that threshold is crossed - our ability to detect changes in perceived loudness is actually better at deep bass frequencies than compared to midrange frequencies.

Depending on the SPL, at 20 Hz an increase of ~4 dB is subjectively perceived as 'twice as loud' - as compared to the more commonly referenced '10 dB is twice as loud' at 1 kHz.
 
@Gasp3621 I was keen to get Mr Withers's opinon on the comparative strengths of this PC2000 Pro and the earlier PC4000 because he has tested both of them in his home cinema room, so he is an ideal person to know.
 
@Gasp3621 I was keen to get Mr Withers's opinon on the comparative strengths of this PC2000 Pro and the earlier PC4000 because he has tested both of them in his home cinema room, so he is an ideal person to know.

Yes, i know he would answer. I just wanted to add certain things which may help you/others if they are considering how/where they differ. :)
 
There's more to difference between pc plus and ultra 13 series than simply one going louder.
 
There's more to difference between pc plus and ultra 13 series than simply one going louder.
I've been trying to tease out the differences between the PC2000 Pro that is the subject of the review, and the slightly earlier and still current PC4000. Not between any other two randomly chosen and discontinued cylinder subwoofers, even though I myself own both of the discontinued ones.
 
I actually went to buy s BK Monalith, I couldn't believe the size of it, it was absolutely huge, I then seen this whilst there and listened to both. One winner.

What was your opinion on the differences? What sort of room did you compare in, what eq was used if any? If you don't mind.

I'm either looking for a second monolith or recently a couple of SVS CS Ultras appeared for sale locally, on paper they seem similar spec to the PC2000 so I'm interested in comparisons. I can probably get the CS Ultras for the same money as I can sell my Monolith and a couple of quakes I still have.

I'm thinking the SVS might be a step up, while old and passive I don't mind some amp maintenance if the end result is worthwhile.
 
What was your opinion on the differences? What sort of room did you compare in, what eq was used if any? If you don't mind.

I'm either looking for a second monolith or recently a couple of SVS CS Ultras appeared for sale locally, on paper they seem similar spec to the PC2000 so I'm interested in comparisons. I can probably get the CS Ultras for the same money as I can sell my Monolith and a couple of quakes I still have.

I'm thinking the SVS might be a step up, while old and passive I don't mind some amp maintenance if the end result is worthwhile.

If those are passive Cs ultra with the amp, one has different driver, and damage to the other
 
If those are passive Cs ultra with the amp, one has different driver, and damage to the other
Yes those are the ones, I'm only considering it if they accept a silly offer and I would probably replace the damaged driver too.

They have been advertised on Gumtree before at £595, no interest over a month.

I'll probably just go back to looking for another Monolith...
 
Each to there own, I was really against the cylinder shape, but when you see hundreds of large square boxes with holes in them in the corners, or between TV's and speakers, then the cylinders suddenly become appealing. Also, the sheer low end they give, you just can't help but love them.


Totally agree with you Stefan. I too had ordered the previous model PB 2000 but changed my mind to the PC 2000. The form factor is subjective & I preferred the cylinder with a smaller foot print & no regrets. Its just great in performance too & brings a smile on your face.

Also was curious how does the PC 2000 pro compare in sound with the earlier model minus the app features.
 
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would this sub be a huge upgrade to my current one (Mission M5AS) which is pretty old?
 
If you've got the budget that's what I'd do.

Hi Mr. Withers,

Leaving aside the app features & port tuning, is there a significant difference in bass quality & loudness between the old PC 2000 & the PC 2000 pro. Thanks.

Best Regards.
 
Hi Mr. Withers,

Leaving aside the app features & port tuning, is there a significant difference in bass quality & loudness between the old PC 2000 & the PC 2000 pro. Thanks.

Best Regards.
I obviously haven't done a side-by-side comparison, but from memory I'd say there aren't any significant differences. The PC-2000 remains an excellent cylindrical subwoofer.
 
I obviously haven't done a side-by-side comparison, but from memory I'd say there aren't any significant differences. The PC-2000 remains an excellent cylindrical subwoofer.

Thank you Sir for your insightful reply.

Best Regards.
 
I haven't done a comparison either but I think one can guess pretty good how the new series performes against the old sub. The size of the driver and the cabinet stayed the same so I would not expect a significant difference in output capabilities (assuming SVS didn't change the tuning). It's a new driver but to me it looks more like a more cost effective driver (own production vs peerless XXLS), so I don't think it's "better" as in more capable driver in terms of output since the peerless is already a really good longthrow driver. It could sound different (maybe punchier) though...
The 50W more of the newer are also negligible. The App is pretty neat if you don't already have another Subwoofer EQ system. The newer amps have a bigger failure rate though it seems. I had two PC 2000 and I never had a problem with them nor did I read a lot about failures of the old 2000 series amps, whereas there are quite some complaints about the new 4000- and 16 series amps.

So I think there is not much reason to get the new one if you can get the old one for a really good price. That being said; there is one feature we haven't touched on yet. The new amp allowes to seal the sub up to get a sealed subwoofer sound. This is probably very useful for some users. Sure; it's better to buy a sealed sub in the first place if you want one but to experiment with the sound and determine what you like more is pretty cool in my opinion. I would have loved to try this with my PC 2000's.
 
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I haven't done a comparison either but I think one can guess pretty good how the new series performes against the old sub. The size of the driver and the cabinet stayed the same so I would not expect a significant difference in output capabilities (assuming SVS didn't change the tuning). It's a new driver but to me it looks more like a more cost effective driver (own production vs peerless XXLS), so I don't think it's "better" as in more capable driver in terms of output since the peerless is already a really good longthrow driver. It could sound different (maybe punchier) though...
The 50W more of the newer are also negligible. The App is pretty neat if you don't already have another Subwoofer EQ system. The newer amps have a bigger failure rate though it seems. I had two PC 2000 and I never had a problem with them nor did I read a lot about failures of the old 2000 series amps, whereas there are quite some complaints about the new 4000- and 16 series amps.

So I think there is not much reason to get the new one if you can get the old one for a really good price. That being said; there is one feature we haven't touched on yet. The new amp allowes to seal the sub up to get a sealed subwoofer sound. This is probably very useful for some users. Sure; it's better to buy a sealed sub in the first place if you want one but to experiment with the sound and determine what you like more is pretty cool in my opinion. I would have loved to try this with my PC 2000's.

PB2000 Pro got new cabinet and new port design (two ports against one), i guess no changes for PC.
The old driver was custom made Peerless, not shelf unit. They tested 17 different ones to find the best one. I think it was mentioned that new driver has higher excursion and example 3000 serie driver does not look any special either, but the performance is quite mental if looking the data! Ed M. said Pro has ~1-1,5db more output in the working range with lower distortion. PC2000 & PB and Pro was compared in some tube clip and they noticed Pro range sounding better. It wouldn`t suprise me as the 3000 range made huge step up already in performance and bass quality with the new driver & amp combo. Hope we get to see new 1000 range soon! :)

The new amp has +400w higher peak wattage so bit more juice for short bursts. What is cool though is they have added the Room Gain Compensation so this should work great in smaller rooms. It could be more useable than sealing the ports.
 
I haven't done a comparison either but I think one can guess pretty good how the new series performes against the old sub. The size of the driver and the cabinet stayed the same so I would not expect a significant difference in output capabilities (assuming SVS didn't change the tuning). It's a new driver but to me it looks more like a more cost effective driver (own production vs peerless XXLS), so I don't think it's "better" as in more capable driver in terms of output since the peerless is already a really good longthrow driver. It could sound different (maybe punchier) though...
The 50W more of the newer are also negligible. The App is pretty neat if you don't already have another Subwoofer EQ system. The newer amps have a bigger failure rate though it seems. I had two PC 2000 and I never had a problem with them nor did I read a lot about failures of the old 2000 series amps, whereas there are quite some complaints about the new 4000- and 16 series amps.

So I think there is not much reason to get the new one if you can get the old one for a really good price. That being said; there is one feature we haven't touched on yet. The new amp allowes to seal the sub up to get a sealed subwoofer sound. This is probably very useful for some users. Sure; it's better to buy a sealed sub in the first place if you want one but to experiment with the sound and determine what you like more is pretty cool in my opinion. I would have loved to try this with my PC 2000's.

Thanks a lot Fzst for the insightful reply. I already have the earlier model of PC 2000 with which I am very happy with. You have aptly pointed out that the earlier PC 2000 has the Peerless XXLS driver which is very well-reviewed. I was curious as to how the new pro series would perform against the earlier 2000 series. The port flexibility in the pro series is a feature that is really worth looking at though. Thanks once again, I got my answer.:)

Best Regards.
 

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