The SVS 3000 Micro subwoofer is the latest product from the Youngstown, Ohio company that has earned fame by manufacturing speakers and subs that are praised from every corner of the audiophile and home theater enthusiast markets.

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer

Just a few weeks after announcing the release of their new and improved SVS 1000 Pro series, the company announced some BIG news. The all-new SVS 3000 Micro is the smallest, most compact subwoofer they have ever developed. In a cube that is roughly 10 inches square, they have managed to place back-to-back eight-inch active drivers. As intriguing as this micro design concept seems, it will still have to go deep if it is to be called a real subwoofer. Can SVS break the laws of physics?

Highlights

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer

  • Small footprint in a sealed enclosure
  • Dual opposed, active eight-inch drivers
  • 800-watt RMS (2,500-watt peak power) Sledge STA-800D2 amplification with discrete MOSFET output
  • Beautiful gloss (black or white) finish
  • Total control via SVS smartphone app with advanced tuning and DSP
Introduction

SVS has been making subwoofers for years that have won praise from many audiophile magazines and websites. They have a huge fan base that makes their presence known online and during live events on YouTube and Facebook. From a performance-to-cost ratio point of view, their products deliver tremendous bang for the buck. Their top-of-the-line sub is the SB16 and PB16 Ultra series; PB being ported and the SB being a sealed box design, with 16-inch drivers and 1,500-watt Class D amplifiers. With DSP control, they produce prodigious amounts of clean bass output for even the largest home theater setup. Much of the technology that went into the design of their top-performing subs has trickled down into the other series, the 3000 Micro is no exception.

SVS 3000 MICRO SUBWOOFER SPECIFICATIONS
Type:

Dual active driver sealed subwoofer

Drivers:

2x 8-inch, aluminum cone

Amplifier:

800-watt RMS, 2,500-watts peak Sledge STA-800DM with discrete MOSFET output

Frequency response:

23-240Hz +3dB

Available finishes:

High gloss piano black or white

Dimensions:

10.9” (H), 11.7” (W), 10.7” (D)

Weight:

22.5lbs

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer Price:

$799.99

Website:

Company Site

Company:

SVS

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svs, 3000 micro subwoofer, subwoofer, home theater, Subwoofer Review 2021

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Design and Setup

Out of the box, the SVS 3000 Micro comes with a detachable power cord and a quick start guide with five easy steps to get your bass going. They even provide several tips on the best placement. They offer 24/7 help from their customer support line, too. They seriously want you to enjoy your new sub. The SVS 3000 Micro is not the first small subwoofer ever invented. In fact, when I first saw it, it reminded me of Bob Carver’s incredible small subs from the ’80s. The Carver True Subwoofer was an engineering marvel. Small, heavy, and massively powerful, the driver would flap wildly during explosive movie scenes with output that would leave you slack-jawed. Sure, it tended to move about the floor, but if you had a deep pile carpet, it would usually stay put… most of the time. KEF has also recently come out with a small dual-driver sub (which I have not heard), but it costs almost twice as much as the SVS 3000 Micro.

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer breakdown

The SVS 3000 Micro weighs less than the True Subwoofer, but the dual active drivers are opposed, which keeps cabinet vibration to a minimum. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”, as my science teacher (and Isaac Newton, ed.) used to say. Indeed, I would place my hand on the top of the 3000 Micro during a John Wick movie and often thought it had gone to sleep because I felt no vibrations at all. Only when I placed my hand on the grille did I feel air movement that let me know it was working. The cabinet is also incredibly inert. The multi-layered lacquer paint job leaves no seams visible on the surface. The amplifier was designed to wrap seamlessly from the back to the underside. The non-removable grilles have an unusual concavity in the center which helps to break up the sub’s squareness and is also designed to prevent the high excursion driver with inverted rubber surrounds from hitting the grille during loud bass sequences. The small feet are adequate, but I prefer to place my subs (my other subwoofer is an RSL Speedwoofer 10S) on a foam cushion to uncouple the sub from directing its mechanical energy down into my oak hardwood floors. My wife said that during my listening sessions, she rarely heard the rumble of bass as she sat knitting directly under my second-floor media room. Happy wife, happy… audiophile.

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To produce deep bass, you need to have a lot of cubic internal volume or massive amounts of power, or both. The designers at SVS use amplification technology from the Ultra series. This new amp had to be designed to fit into a 10-inch cube with two eight-inch drivers occupying most of the internal real estate. The Sledge STA-800D2 amp with discrete MOSFET outputs was engineered to fit into that compact space and the amp backplate wraps underneath to make a near seamless fit.

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer Back

On the back are unique touch controls which allow the user to select crossover, phase, and volume. A LED light bar provides a visual as you make the adjustments. If you leave the 3000 Micro on standby, a light turns amber or shines blue if it stays powered on all the time. You can also use the 3.5mm trigger to allow your receiver to turn the sub on/off when it powers up. There are RCA line-level inputs and outputs along with an LFE input. For maximum placement options, SVS sells an optional wireless kit which I highly recommend getting as it provides you with nearly limitless placement options. The proverbial icing on the cake is the SVS Subwoofer app which you can download for free on an Apple or Android phone. The app does everything you can do manually on the back of the sub, plus it provides parametric EQ, room gain compensation, and programmable presets. If you mess with the presets, just remember to hit SAVE, or else they will not “stick” when you leave the app. At this price point, having an app is a real plus! Only a few other companies offer this type of tool and it works well and is easy to use. That said, when I paired my RSL sub with the SVS, I EQ’ed everything via my Marantz SR 1650 receiver with Audyssey MultEQ XT32. With the Audyssey Editor app ($19), I was able to EQ each sub separately and then sum them together. I placed the subs on opposite sidewalls with the RSL one-third of the way down the left wall and the SVS two-thirds of the way down the right wall.

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer Back Closeup

One of the biggest advantages of having a small sub is the ability to place it where a bigger sub won’t fit. The SVS 3000 Micro, especially when used wirelessly, can be placed almost anywhere, and even if you put it out in the open, it does not draw attention to itself. Black or white, the glossy finish is handsome and should not clash with any interior decor. I would gladly take two of these over a single large black box, both for flatter bass frequency and more output over a larger listening area, and their ability to stay hidden.

In Use

I initially set the 3000 Micro up near the front two main speakers and dialed it using the app. Ultimately, I found placing it near the right front corner of my room allowed it to load the corner, which gave me more extension at the price of being a bit too loud and boomy. I was able to reduce the boominess by dialing down a hump at around 35Hz with the app. I got to where it sounded powerful, but not overpowering during movies and music. I know there is not a lot of musical content in most recordings below 40Hz or so, but I could feel the extra dig in classical pipe organ music, such as Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor (BWV 582). This ingenious work starts with a bass line melody that builds throughout 21 variations to an exciting climax, which then launches into a fugue based on the original bass theme.

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer Methuen Organ

The Methuen Memorial Music Hall organ used to sit in Boston’s Symphony Hall where it was later bought by an individual who built a building just to house it. An organ’s character is directly tied to the acoustical space it resides in and this hall was designed in the Gothic cross shape, which gives the organ some wonderful resonance. The 3000 Micro easily played the fundamental 32-foot principal and contre bombarde stop with grace and authority.

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer Methuen Organ Closeup

Using a test tone album, I found on Qobuz, I was able to hear some good output down to 25Hz. This is impressive performance for not just the 3000 Micro, but most 12-inch subs too. The 3000 Micro will not shake the foundation as much as its bigger siblings, but it was no slouch either.

Later, I placed the 3000 Micro along my sidewall and ran Audyssey MultiEQ XT32 with the RSL sub on the opposite sidewall. They played well with each other and the resulting combo took my music and movies to another level of height and dynamics. I know some insist that both subs should be from the same company and make, but I find matching bass to be far more forgiving than mixing your mains, center, and surrounds. With this setup, I was able to toggle the RSL on and off for some comparison listening.

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For music, I turned to The Nordic Sound (2L Records) and listened to some well-recorded samples in 5.1 surround sound. The 3000 Micro filled in the sound which helped give the music some dimension and a sense of weight and space. By using a sub, even in stereo, you take some of the heavy lifting away from your main’s amplification, allowing it to produce just midrange and treble while the sub does the heavy lifting at the bottom end. This effect can make your speakers sound less restrained and open. My Sonus faber Sonetto V speakers can easily play down into the 35Hz range, but a sub still made them sound fuller. Thus, I fall squarely into the “sub for music” camp, but YMMV.

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer John Wick
Movie-wise, I picked John Wick Chapter 3, because the guns are bigger and more frequent and in the final act, Mr. Wick uses some shotguns that punch you in the gut when they go off. The visceral punch from the 3000 Micro was almost astonishing, The DSP prevents the Micro from distorting, so as the volume goes up, there is no ugly clacking or burping. All the while, the tiny sub barely vibrated as the two drives pushed and pulled as one.

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer Hans Zimmer

Obviously, I played other films during my time with the SVS 3000 Micro, like Mad Max Thunder Road, Top Gun, La La Land (hey, some great music here), and Hans Zimmer, Live in Prague, and Yello’s Toy. Many of these programs produced prodigious amounts of bass energy and I never felt shortchanged by the SVS 3000 Micro. Sure, you could almost get two of SVS’s 1000 Pro subs for the price of the 3000 Micro but if making the sub disappear in your listening space is a priority, it is a great choice. If you have a larger room, I recommend getting two.

Conclusions

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer White

The SVS 3000 MICRO SUBWOOFER is diminutive in size, but it belts out deep, realistic bass at high volumes and disappears into your room.

Likes
  • Tight and controlled bass
  • Easy setup and control with an app
  • Premium fit and finish
Would Like To See
  • No flaws of consequence

Though others have tried to make small subwoofers in the past, SVS has produced one that is well worthy of the SVS linage. They did not break the laws of physics but bent the rules a bit. In fact, they put the dual active drivers to work using physics. The result is a compact subwoofer that is built like a tank and can dig deep enough to put a smile on any bassophile. With its top-notch customer support and quality build, the SVS 3000 Micro is an easy recommendation as it performs well, not only as a micro sub but as just a sub. If you can get your foundation right, everything else will fall into place. Embrace the bass!