SVS is known for being a speaker company that doesn’t mess around when it comes to high-powered audio. So it’s no surprise that the company’s first micro subwoofer is a doozy. The SVS 3000 Micro, which goes on sale today for $800, is a tiny, 10-inch cube with 800 watts of low-end power on tap.
Available in gloss black or white, the 3000 Micro uses a pair of 8-inch, horizontally opposed active drivers. SVS claims that because they fire in opposite directions in unison, the mechanical energy transferred to the cabinet is effectively canceled out. That bears fruit acoustically through reduced vibration, but it also deals with what SVS calls the curse of micro subwoofers: Their tendency to dance around a room due to the unbalanced nature of a single, high-power driver in a lightweight enclosure.
“For too long, micro subwoofers have been impostors in the category,” said Gary Yacoubian, SVS president, “with disappointing output, compromised sound quality, flawed engineering, and other performance issues. In the world of subwoofers, the 3000 Micro is like a magic trick. Its massive output, impressive extension, and pinpoint accuracy from such a small enclosure is unprecedented.”
We’re not sure it’s exactly unprecedented. KEF’s KC62 sports a very similar size and design, and channels even more power, at 1,000 watts RMS. But even if the 3000 Micro isn’t quite as original as SVS suggests, it’s hard to argue with its price. At $800, it’s $700 less than the KC62.
Powering the 3000 Micro’s dual drivers is a new amplifier that SVS built just for this subwoofer — the Sledge STA-800D2. Based on the technology it has used in its full-size subs, the amp combines the high current output of MOSFET transistors with Class D efficiency, SVS says. MOSFET stands for metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor.
Mated to that custom amp is a 50 MHz Analog Devices Audio DSP with 56-bit filtering, which SVS claims is the most sophisticated DSP engine available in a home audio subwoofer. What’s more impressive is that you can access all of that processing power via a Bluetooth connection to your phone. Using the SVS subwoofer app, you can control a huge number of parameters like volume, multiple DSP functions, programming of custom presets audio genres such as music, movies, and gaming, and more. Crossover frequencies can also be adjusted, as well as polarity and room gain. There’s even a three-band parametric EQ. Cleverly, there’s two-way communication between the sub and the app, so any changes made using the 3000 Micro’s rear panel are reflected in the app, and vice versa.
Speaking of the rear panel, there are wired inputs for a single LFE connection, or stereo from a preamp, as well as stereo outputs. However, SVS has also included a USB port for use with the company’s optional Wireless Audio Adapter, should you want to place the subwoofer in a location that makes a wired connection difficult.
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