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France, Paris
1 Level
470 Review
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Review on πŸ”Š SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer with Dual 8-inch Drivers - Piano Gloss Black (Fully Active) by Brittany Collins

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Great performance and great form factor

The SVS 3000 Micro is my first subwoofer and I recommend it. I consider myself a connoisseur of good sound, but by no means an "audiophile". I don't chase elusive colors and sonic flavors, but I do appreciate good soundstage and sonic detail. My system, set in a large family room, consists of a set of Totem Mite bookshelf speakers driven by a Cambridge Audio CXA60 with slightly boosted bass and treble EQ (V shape, I like it). I'm listening to Spotify/Netflix streamed via the optical input to the onboard DAC. My family and I use our system daily to listen to music and TV and very rarely to watch movies. We listen at relatively low volume, preferring not to feel explosions on the screen and shake the house. As a college student, I craved ticks for years before I pulled the trigger. Some time later I upgraded my amp to a CXA60 due to the significant headroom. However, when demonstrating the CXA60, I came across a pair of floorstanding speakers and noticed some nice bass that my bookshelf speakers didn't have. Since then I've been thinking about filling the bass hole with a subwoofer. Based on my preferred listening configuration, the Micro fits the bill perfectly. It easily adds weight to music with deep bass or kicks, and I love it. I'll concede that at low music volume this brings only a modest improvement. However, in action movies, seeing my family room really becomes a cinematic experience. When you turn it on it rocks the house and I'd say it can easily handle anything within the safe listening volume range. Personally, I could stand neither louder nor quieter. I chose Micro for several reasons. I liked the dual opposing driver design which eliminates cabinet resonance so it doesn't vibrate all over the floor and it works really well. It's also in a tiny form factor, about 1.5 times the size of a bookshelf speaker, so it doesn't show up in the corner of a room. I've read that the dual driver design makes room placement less picky. While I'm not sure if that's true, I can say that it's impossible to find the source of the sound while it's playing out of the corner of my room. The subwoofer has an 800w amp and I expect it handles it all with ease. The app is a big plus - it's easy to set up via Bluetooth and easy to customize. I didn't use the buttons on the subwoofer at all (not even to turn it on for the first time!). From my understanding, good subwoofers cost around $500, and cheaper offerings tend to be very underpowered and easily overdriven. A few hundred more I think the Micro is a really top notch subwoofer perfect for completing a stereo bookshelf. The clean, glossy aesthetic and small form factor make it ideal for most spaces. I am happy with him and look forward to the decades to come with him.

Pros
  • Home Audio
Cons
  • Protection