SVS SB17-Ultra R|Evolution Subwoofer Review

The new SB17-Ultra R|Evolution is their most recent offering in the Ultra R|Evolution line replacing the SB16-Ultra which has been in production for about a decade. The Ultra R|Evolution line is the pinnacle in performance for SVS, and today, we are going to put its new flagship to the test.

During its quarter of a century history, SVS (the actual name of the company is SVSound but most still use the original name, which was SVS) has made a variety of products. These include ported cylinder subwoofers (which they still make), sealed box subwoofers, and ported box subwoofers. In 2004, they even produced a passive subwoofer with FOUR 12-inch drivers that looked like a nice table. This model was the B4, and we had one in our place for review (we purchased the review sample). I still miss that subwoofer. Our oak finish B4 had a cool factor that was unmatched while it was wreaking havoc in our home theater.

About 20 years ago, SVS launched their first “Ultra” line, which used a more potent 12-inch driver than their current offerings of the time utilized. The ULTRA designation has been SVS’s top-of-the-line offering ever since that initial product. The drivers have increased in size from 12 to 13 to 16 and now to 17 inches. SVS has spent as much time and energy in developing their subwoofer amplifiers and enclosures as they have the drivers. Putting all the parts together, the newest ‘Ultra’ might just have all the tools needed for a major step forward in subwoofer performance.

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When discussing the design of a sealed enclosure subwoofer, it might seem as if it is a simple concept: Build a box, put a woofer on the front and an amp on the back, bolt everything together, and fire it up. Of course, it is never that simple, and in the case of the SB17-Ultra R|Evolution, there is a WHOLE lot going on in that box.

We start with a driver that can move almost two inches peak to peak in a linear fashion (X-Max) and over three inches peak to peak total (X-Mech). This is a lot of throw in a driver, but this is only a start. Now we get into the other half of the equation: how do we get all the performance of which the driver is capable and deliver it to one’s room? SVS developed the new, dual mono amplifier to match up with the dual voice coil 17-inch driver.

Included in this amplifier is a 295 MHz DSP (Analog Devices) which matches the output of the amplifier to the maximum available excursion from the driver to ensure one can achieve 100 percent of the output while never allowing the driver to be pushed beyond its limits. This DSP is five times faster than its predecessors, and as we get further into the review, evidence of the performance will be easy for all to see. Put simply, the system in its entirety is designed to make the SB17-Ultra R Evolution bulletproof.

In testing, no matter how hard the attempt was, we could not get this new SVS subwoofer to make a bad sound. In real-world use, this is something to appreciate, so kudos to SVS for getting this right.

The cabinet itself is comprised of medium-density fiberboard with extensive internal bracing. SVS’s proprietary Iso-elastomer feet do an excellent job in terms of keeping floor resonances to a minimum.

SVS’s control app is excellent, allowing easy changes to volume, phase, polarity, parametric eq, room gain compensation, and low pass filter. The volume feature is especially useful for easy adjustments in volume between movie soundtracks (during which a few extra dB in bass adds to the fun) and music (during which a few less dB in bass adds to the accuracy) without having to adjust other parts of one’s system.

Taken as a whole, the SB17-Ultra R|Evolution is a turn-key subwoofer system that does everything one could want in a surprisingly user-friendly package.

The warehouse for SVS is about 90 miles from our Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram dealership in Northwestern Pennsylvania. We ordered on a Tuesday morning, and on Wednesday we received the shipping notice from SVS stating the subwoofer had shipped and would be there by Friday. Twenty minutes later, the driver was at our dealership with the subwoofer. Let’s call that fast service!

The SB17-Ultra R|Evolution was on a pallet (it shipped via truck), and encased in a brilliantly designed shipping box. The brilliance was the inclusion of a set of handles on each side of the box for easier lifting. My son helped me load it into the bed of a truck, and we were on our way to my place to unload it and set it up in our theater room.

The setup was straightforward. After un-boxing, the sub was placed in the back corner of our theater room. This corner has been the go-to place for single subwoofers for over 25 years and has delivered consistent results in terms of real-world, in-room performance.

The associated gear is a Definitive Technology five-channel system with Dymension DM70 tower mains, DM60 tower surrounds, and DM30 center channel. A Panasonic UB-9000 universal player and streaming via Roku was fed into the excellent Marantz AV10 pre-amplifier/processor with the matching AMP10 power amplifier. Audyssey XT-32 was applied, with the settings to flat. Before we get to the listening sessions, let’s look at the performance of this single subwoofer using the Dayton Audio Omni-mic system.

The listening position was four meters from the subwoofer. The crossover to the Definitive Technology speakers was set at 50 Hz. In the case of the SVS SB17-Ultra R|Evolution, it pounded out 110 dB from 13.2 Hz to 50 Hz in our room and was still hitting 104 dB at 10 Hz. Add to this the fact that the response curve was within a +/- 1 dB window from 13.2 to 50 Hz at this 110 dB level, and we are looking at a remarkable measured performance from this single subwoofer.

Tulsa King (Paramount Plus Streaming)

‘Tulsa King’ is half comedy, half drama, and all compelling in its plot line. Sylvester Stallone plays Dwight Manfredi (AKA The General), a New York mobster who spent 25 years in prison to protect the mob boss. The show opens with his release from prison and subsequent visit to the boss to get his reward for his loyalty. His ‘reward’ is banishment to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he is told to start a new life and new … business … in what he considers a form of purgatory. Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi not only survives, but he also builds a small empire in Tulsa while making everyone around him rich. We can call him a good mobster, the type who makes us an offer we like!

Props go to Paramount Plus for making the audio track one of excellence. Towards the end of season one, Dwight has built his own small army, and they end up in an old western-style shoot-out in a bar against mob guys, who, unlike our hero, really ARE bad guys. The gunfight is filled with tremendous bass spectaculars, with shotguns being quite deep and percussive. We are also treated to punches to the head and body which are felt as well as heard. The entire scene requires a subwoofer to be both agile and powerful, and the new SVS design is more than up to the task at hand.

Other portions of the show that are rife with frequent deep bass notes occur when The General is being driven to various meetings with either law enforcement in a police squad car or other ‘entrepreneurs’ in his Lincoln Navigator. A pulsing bass line is present during these scenes, which lesser subwoofers tend to deliver in a nondescript manner. One is aware of the bass, but it is subject to masking with many subwoofers. With the SVS, it reminded me a lot of the time we had a pair of Velodyne DD-18 plus in this position. Each pulse is distinct, punchy, and potent. There is no overhang or ringing. As each of those Velodynes is $6,000 today, this is no small achievement for a single $2,500 subwoofer to sound this good. Suffice it to say, the SB17-Ultra R|Evolution was off to a great start.

Stark’s exit from the caves in the first, crude Ironman suit is, through the ability of a single SB-17 Ultra to hit hard and deep, the stuff of which big grins are made. Each ‘thud’ is so powerful and percussive that the sheer size of the scene is magnified.

The entire two hours are filled with sonic wonders, and this original Ironman still proves itself to be one of the best ways to subjectively test out any subwoofer. The SVS flagship sealed subwoofer made this movie fresh again, and continues to earn our respect.

The gunfight itself was another smile-making effort on behalf of the SB17-Ultra R|Evolution. The pistols hit hard in that mid-bass region with speed, agility, and power. The sawed-off shotgun brought home the same thrill of two decades ago, but with a depth and shock factor that those ported subs could not match. We were getting 112 dB pulses at the listening position (and possibly higher) that shook the room and massaged the spine. The ability of this massive driver to start the blast with amazing speed and then let it go with no ringing made this scene a wonder to behold.

If the job of a subwoofer is to be fun, the SVS SB17-Ultra R|Evolution is a three-ring circus. It was after watching Open Range that I started thinking: at $2,500 each, what would a quad pack be like as an under $10,000 system??? The answer is EPIC.

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Containing both an inspiring musical score and powerful bass scenes, Phantom Menace added some more nostalgia to match Open Range.

The early scene in which the Trade Federation does battle with the Jedis allowed the SB-17 Ultra to again show its power, depth, and quickness. When the Federation invades Naboo, the starships entering the atmosphere plus the ground attack vehicles left our theater room shaking while the orchestral accompaniment of higher pitched mid-bass, the combination making for a most difficult test.

No audition of Phantom Menace is meaningful without reporting on the Pod Race. The SVS flagship sealed subwoofer (there is a ported version available called the SVS PB17-Ultra R|Evolution, with a review sample currently with our founder, John E. Johnson Jr.) was deep, powerful, and OH so tight during the race. Its ability to hit powerful notes and then let them go is definitely a step up from past-generation SVS subs. This is not a slight of the older subs, which were superb performers. Rather, this marked improvement is a testament to a company that is constantly working to improve one’s experience. Phantom Menace has sealed the deal in terms of proving the SVS SB17-Ultra R|Evolution is the best sealed SVS subwoofer yet. The next test is trying it on music tracks.

In other words, this makes for a great test of the SVS SB17-Ultra R|Evolution.

Morph the Cat starts with the title song and the bass drum and bass guitar track LEAP out of this system with a tautness and rich texture to the undertones that immediately brought a smile to my face. Here we had a 5.1 channel system that in total retails for just over half of what the pair of speakers in our high-end room retail for, and it was nothing short of sublime listening pleasure.

The 2^nd track, ‘H-Gang,’ brings back a Steely Dan vibe from their Gaucho days, and the bass, while not as extended as Morph the Cat, requires a deft touch to stay with the lead guitar, organ, and vocals. The sealed SVS relished its role here as well, demonstrating that SVS has continued to make its subwoofers more than just movie busters.

The entire disc is a terrific test of a subwoofer’s abilities in terms of achieving that elusive ‘musical’ presence. One additional track of note is ‘Mary Shut the Garden Door,’ with an almost reggae-style bass track. The SB17-Ultra R|Evolution sailed through this and every other track with ease.

One commonly held belief in many audio circles is that subwoofers that can hit below 20 Hz are ‘not musical.’ This is not the case with well-designed subwoofers. JL Audio, REL, Velodyne, and others have been making talented music-maker subwoofers for over two decades. SVS has elevated its performance in line with the ‘cost no object’ subwoofers in terms of musical performance on which these three companies have built their excellent reputations, and the team at SVS has done so for a price that is hard to beat.

Dire Straits, “Brothers in Arms”

‘Brothers in Arms’ has been a worthy subwoofer test disc for decades, especially the SACD version we have available here. The opening track is ‘So Far Away,’ and it has a kick drum with a synthesized bass note that will show off any subwoofer’s ability to be deep, powerful, and tuneful. When a subwoofer gets it right, and one hits the volume control with some gusto, each ‘thwack’ is felt in the chest as well as being heard. The SB17-Ultra R|Evolution continued to impress with its ability to hit every note with perfect timing.

‘Money for Nothing’ was no different, with all the agility and tuneful bass that this 40-year-old rock anthem deserves. ‘Ride Across the River’ has the most sublime bass track of all on this disc, with a synthesized bass that feels as if it plunges to the deepest black pulse around. The extension combined with the agility of the SVS was the final proof needed to decide that adding the ‘R|Evolution’ designation for the latest SVS products was a logical decision on the part of the company. The SB17-Ultra R|Evolution is not only an evolution from previous SVS subwoofers but also a revolution, as it puts the musical abilities of this subwoofer into the same arena as some other subwoofers with price tags from $5,000 to $10,000 per unit.

Casual listening and a Revelation

For the last seven weeks, the SB17-Ultra R|Evolution has done more than act as a review sample. It is also being used as our everyday subwoofer, including unwinding with an adult beverage while watching various shows and movies. These include the series ‘Chicago Fire,’ the movie ‘Reagan,’ the latest ‘Deadpool- Wolverine’ movie, and a host of others.

Each of these has different levels of bass, with ‘Chicago Fire’ being the surprise of the bunch. Every time the team responds to a fire, some powerful bass effects add to the experience. The sealed SVS sub handled all these effects with a tight, tuneful quality that added a lot to the experience. This was also true with ‘Reagan,’ which has this somber bass background rumble during scenes in which various weapon systems were shown during negotiations between President Reagan and his Soviet counterparts. ‘Deadpool-Wolverine’ was not included as a featured movie for this review, as it was the first time watching it, meaning there was no reference from earlier auditions. It is a total bass-fest for the ears, and the SB17-Ultra R|Evolution shook the room with the same ease that it did with the tried-and-true older movies.

The SVS SB-17 Ultra R|Evolution is a subwoofer offering that makes ‘normal’ listening a more enjoyable experience. This is an elusive quality for a subwoofer, that ability to disappear until it is needed.

Random Thoughts

SVS has this to say about their new ‘Ultra’ line of subwoofers: “A quantum leap forward in design with multiple groundbreaking innovations.” The SVS website lists a variety of reasons for this claim that this is a major improvement over their previous designs. There is talk about the speed of the new DSP, the powerful amplifier, the strength of the 17-inch driver, and even the cabinet.

If one digs into the description of this 17-inch diameter masterpiece, one will find this claim: the 17-inch driver can “achieve chest-compressing sound pressure levels with flawless tonal accuracy.” Earlier in this review, a high output response curve was posted which showed the SB17-Ultra R|Evolution delivering 110 dB from 13.2 Hz up to the 50 Hz crossover. This was measured at four meters from the subwoofer, which is my primary listening position. The ‘curve’ is within a +/- 1 dB window across that two-octave bandwidth.

That graph is a visual affirmation with objective data that aligns with the listening experience with the SVS SB-17 Ultra subwoofer. This is a subwoofer that can be the building block for an Edge of the Art loudspeaker system. A single unit can drive even our large theater room with rich, deep, tight bass. A pair or quad pack would be everything a home theater buff could ever ask for in a subwoofer system.

This new Ultra subwoofer from SVS would also be at home as the bass foundation for any number of ultra-high-end speakers. SVS has its own, equally new Ultra R|Evolution Tower speakers at $5,000 per pair, which would mate well with the SB17-Ultra R|Evolution.

The applications for this new subwoofer system don’t stop with SVS’s speakers. This subwoofer is so powerful, linear, and tuneful that one can add SVS as a go-to subwoofer for speakers from Magnepan, B&W, Sonus faber, and a host of other high-end speaker companies. SVS was also recently chosen as the official subwoofer partner for luxury HiFi brand Metaxas & Sins, and their upcoming Electrostatic loudspeakers. A pair of SB-17 Ultras for under $5,000 could elevate a lot of wonderful speakers (which do everything except the bottom two octaves of bass) up to world-class performers. Yes, this new Ultra subwoofer is that good.

SVS’s SB17-Ultra R|Evolution is one of the finest subwoofers available, at any price. That it costs just $2,499 is the icing on the cake.

SVS has delivered on the promise that the new Ultra line of subwoofers represents a quantum leap forward in subwoofer performance.