NOTE: This evaluation originally appeared at another Forum in January 2005, where it was recently retired. I’m reviving it here at the request of The Management.
"Who, me?"
That was my reaction when I got an e-mail from Ron Stimpson of SVS a few months ago asking if I would be interested in evaluating SVS’ new entry-level subwoofer, the PB10-ISD.
Naturally I said yes. Wouldn’t you?
However, between the time I agreed and the time it was delivered, Ed Mullen and a few others had posted some excellent reviews on the sub. I’m talking outstanding reviews, from a technical/execution standpoint. Even better than what you usually see in the glossy magazines these days. So I’m thinking, "Well, gee. How am I going to top this?" I don’t have a laptop or high-tech software measurement programs, so I figured I’d have to come up with something that hadn’t been done yet.
SVS has openly claimed that their goal was to create a new deep-bass standard for the crowded $400 price range, so it made perfect sense: Why not see how the PB10-ISD stacks up to some of the competition?
![]()
Naturally SVS has what some might call an unfair advantage in that the company sells manufacturer-direct, so I considered pitting the PB10-ISD against some higher priced models to make the playing field more level. But in the end I decided the only thing that mattered was the "price of admission" – i.e., what the buyer gets for his money – so I elected to keep fairly close to the $400 range.
So, off I went to the local big-name electronics discounters in search of some contenders that I could shamelessly "borrow" for a few days (don’t look at me like that, I didn’t write their generous return policies! ).
At Circuit City I picked up an Infinity PS-12 for $449. They also had the Velodyne VRP-1200 priced at $399, so I asked the befuddled sales lady for one of those, too (I got the feeling she had been borrowed from some other department for the day). However, after she rang up the Velo I saw it was only $349, which was below my target price range. Oh well – must have been on sale or something...
At Best Buy I was torn between the JBL E150P and Klipsch KSW-10, both costing right at $400. But just the day before I had caught a thread at the Home Theater Forum about the KSW series, and the general consensus was that this model line from Klipsch is pretty much low end. So I went with the JBL. I figured these subs probably have their work cut out for them going up against the PB10-ISD – no sense wasting time with one that’s a known lost cause going in.
So now we have a few candidates drafted to take on this brazen Johnny-Come-Lately contender for the $400 crown. How will they fare? We’ll see. Buckle up and pour yourself a cold brew - we’re fully evaluating four subs here, and this ain’t the Readers Digest version.
With my contestants lined out, the first order of business was to dissect them for a build-quality inspection.
Published Specs/Description
Infinity’s PS-12 is a rear-ported design with a 12-inch driver. The owner’s manual gives frequency response as 25-150 Hz +/-3 dB, and amplifier output as 300 watts RMS.
On the rear panel, the variable crossover sweeps from 50-150 Hz, with excellent 24 dB/octave slopes. A "Normal/LFE" switch fully disables the crossover in the "LFE" position.
The back panel has the standard left and right RCA line-level inputs, with labeling instructing that either the left or right jack can be used for LFE from a Dolby Digital receiver.
The rear panel also includes speaker-level inputs, but curiously no corresponding outputs. The manual indicates these inputs are for a traditional stereo system, and instructs that the connections should parallel with the receiver’s speaker terminals.
That may seem peculiar, but this is actually a fairly clever design. It’s common knowledge that the passive crossovers associated with a sub’s speaker level connections can degrade the main speaker’s sound quality. With Infinity’s connection scheme, the high-level inputs function only to provide a signal for the sub. Pretty nifty. High-quality, gold-plated binding posts are provided, even though cheaper spring-loaded clips would have been more than adequate for this application.
What isn’t stated in the manual is that the mains will have no high pass filtering. However, there are good instructions for integrating the sub into a two-channel system, logically informing the user to set the crossover frequency lower for large speakers and higher for small.
Would that the manual’s instructions for setting the phase switch were as helpful. It simply directs the owner to use the position that "maximizes bass output at the listening position."
According to the manual, the PS-12 weighs in at 45 lbs. and comes with a 5-year warranty.
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Left to Right: Velodyne VPR-1200, Infinity PS-12, SVS PB10-ISD
To show relative size, the rear panels are aligned
Initial Impressions
Opening the Infinity’s box revealed adequate packaging, with thick Styrofoam top and bottom covers and ample space between the sub and box.
The PS-12 is an attractive sub, with the top and sides finished in a semi-gloss black-faux wood grain. Behind the plain-looking grille most of the front panel is finished in gray, with a large silver trim ring around the driver. Underneath are hard plastic feet, which may be a cause for concern with wood floors.
The 12-inch driver’s cone feels like plastic (although I’ve heard that it isn’t), with an aluminum dust cap. Tapping on the speaker resulted in considerable "after-ring" – not exactly the kind of thing that inspires confidence in a sub’s musical qualities.
Construction
Removing the PS-12’s speaker revealed plenty of internal insulation and a port tube flared at both ends. The Infinity’s driver is a medium-duty design with a stamped steel frame, and the electronics are housed in a fully enclosed metal box.
With the woofer removed, the PS-12 revealed some impressive-looking internal bracing, a wall-to-wall 1/2-inch MDF panel with three large symmetrically-placed square holes, and a forth round hole for the port to fit through. Which is a bit curious, since the hole is much larger than the port and is not used to support it – no reason it couldn’t have been square, like the others. Overall, the internal brace resembles a grid (or it would if all holes were square).
The Infinity’s front baffle is 1-inch MDF, with the rest of cabinet 1/2-inch. Rapping on the sides the PS-12 has the most solid-feeling cabinet of the four subs, testament to its internal bracing and overall excellent construction.
Published Specs/Description
As the pictures show, the JBL E150P is physically the smallest sub in this group, a 10-incher with a large down-firing port.
The manual vaguely gives frequency response as "27 Hz to whatever setting is used on the crossover," with no figure for +/- deviation listed. The crossover frequency is variable from 50-150 Hz, with no slope mentioned. Amplifier output is given as 150 watts RMS, 250 watts dynamic power.
The E150P’s rear panel is identical to the Infinity PS-12, which shouldn’t be a surprise – both JBL and Infinity are owned by Harman International Industries, a large conglomerate of consumer and professional audio companies. Therefore I won’t repeat a description of the E150P’s controls; readers can refer to the PS-12’s description above.
The JBL’s manual has good, fairly detailed explanations of the sub’s controls, much better than Cousin Infinity’s manual. Unfortunately, explanations on using the phase switch are as poor as with the Infinity.
The E150P is the lightest sub in this group, weighing a mere 33 lbs. As with the Infinity, JBL offers a 5-year warranty.
Initial Impressions
The E150P was well packaged with thick Styrofoam top and bottom pieces and adequate internal space between the box and the sub.
The 10-inch driver has a plastic cone, and it’s similar in appearance to other JBL woofers in both their consumer and professional speaker lines. The cone resonates at a very high 80 Hz when you tap on it – not exactly the kind of thing you want to hear from what’s supposed to be a subwoofer. As with Cousin Infinity, there was some lingering “after-ring” when the cone was tapped, although not as much. The bottom-firing port is huge, big enough to put your fist into. The cabinet sits on four impressive, hunky-looking plastic feet that have tapered rubber bottoms.
The front panel is a medium gray color, the sides a semi-gloss black-faux wood grain. The driver is flanked by a plastic trim ring that’s a lighter shade of gray, and the two are bolted to the front baffle with very cool looking chrome plated, hex-head wood screws ( boy, sure wish I could get some of those at the local hardware store!). Overall, the JBL is quite an attractive package.
On the top panel is a power status LED, right up front and center, that shows if the sub is active or in standby mode. Not a bad feature; the other subs have the status LED on the rear panel, which means it usually will not be seen.
Construction
Removing the E150P’s woofer revealed more similarities to Cousin Infinity. The electronics are housed in a similar if not identical metal box. Even the internal wiring looks the same; the speaker leads are the same colors, with the same quick-disconnect connectors covered with clear hear shrink. The driver is a medium-duty design with a stamped steel frame. The cabinet’s front baffle panel is 3/4-inch MDF, the sides 1/2-inch. There is no interior insulation or bracing; nevertheless the cabinet feels pretty solid when you rap on it.
Published Specs/Description
The SVS PS10-ISD is a ported design with a 10-inch driver and the only sub in this group with a front-firing port.
Curiously, the manual carries no performance specifications; you’ll have to be content to get them from SVS’ web site. The PB10-ISD page gives the sub’s frequency response as an astonishing 18-100 Hz +/- 3 dB. Amplifier power is given as 300 watts from a BASH digital amp.
Aside from the omission of performance specifications, the PB10-ISD’s manual is excellent and very detailed. It even lists numerous examples of specific passages from movies with scenes rich in low bass content. The manual comes shipped in protective plastic bag that includes a couple of spare fuses and an SVS pen.
Anyone perusing SVS’ website for specs on the PB10-ISD will notice there is no information on its crossover. This is because it doesn’t have one. SVS determined that probably 90% or more of home theater enthusiasts use the internal crossover in their receiver, not their subwoofer. Thus SVS eliminated the crossover and high-level speaker inputs as a cost saving measure.
The lack of an internal crossover and speaker level inputs means the PB10-ISD’s rear panel is fairly austere: A single RCA input jack, knobs for level and continuously variable phase, and a power switch. The continuously variable phase control is essentially an analog delay adjustment that helps time-align the subwoofer with the main speakers, better assuring smooth response through the crossover region. It’s a highly useful yet unusual feature for a sub at this price.
The PB10-ISD has a heavy duty detachable power cord, for those of you into such things – buy a better one and you’re sure to improve performance at least 30%!
The SVS weighs in at 60 lbs. – again, information culled from SVS’ website, not the PB10-ISD’s manual. The SVS was easily the heaviest sub in the group by a considerable margin; it was no problem picking up the others to move around for testing, taking pictures, etc. But with the SVS it was, "O-o-kay, where’s my dolly?"
The PB10-ISD comes with a 3-year warranty.
Initial Impressions
The PB10-ISD comes packaged in an oversized double-walled box. Instead of Styrofoam top and base insulators, there are large blocks at all corners to give ample space between the box and the sub. Suffice it to say, the SVS would have to sustain some serious abuse in transit to arrive at your door damaged. Inside the box was a large padded envelope with a SVS T-shirt – a nice perk.
In contrast to the other subs in this evaluation, the PB10-ISD has a no-nonsense, utilitarian appearance: No glossy panels, no faux wood grain finish, no high-contrast trim rings to dress out the driver. The only nod towards aesthetics are rounded corners for the side panels. The porous grille cloth is stretched over a sturdy 1-inch MDF frame with rounded front edges – which means that with the grille in place, all front-visible panels have rounded corners. Nice.
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Left to Right: SVS PB10-ISD, JBL E150P
The front port has visible screws, not nearly as clean looking as the other subs’ ports. Fortunately everything is black – screws and port – so it isn’t noticeable until you get up close and personal.
Rolling the SVS over reveals that it sits on six small, pointed rubber feet that screw into threaded sockets imbedded in the cabinet.
The basis of the PB10-ISD’s "strictly business" facade is its finish, an unusual vinyl coating that’s available in four colors, white, black, tan and gray. My sample came in the light gray color, reminiscent of office work-place décor, and looked quite attractive.
Construction
When I went to remove the PB10-ISD’s driver, I was pleasantly surprised to see it is secured with T-nuts and heavy-duty 1-inch machined 10-32 screws. Very impressive. This is the stuff of professional-grade sound reinforcement speakers, not speakers manufactured for the home market.
Like the other subs’ drivers, the one in the SVS has a stamped steel frame, but that’s where the similarity ends. As you can see from the pictures, the PB10-ISD’s 10-inch woofer is a heavy-duty monster, probably weighing close to 20 lbs.
The weight and bulk of the woofer made it a little tricky to remove from the cabinet. Adding to the challenge were barely long enough speaker leads, which would strain and yank off of the flimsy-looking metal connection tabs, leaving them bent and twisted. After a few times doing this and bending the tabs back into position, I was concerned they were going to snap right off. Fortunately, this should never be an issue for the average user, who presumably won’t be dissecting his subwoofer in such a manner.
Removing the driver I found a small black screw stuck to the magnet. Hmm, not good! I got a flashlight and peered down inside around the rear-mounted electronics but couldn’t see any obvious place it might have come from. Hopefully it was picked up on a workbench during assembly.
Looking for the missing screw I couldn’t help but notice the amplifier and associated electronics. I don’t know how SVS did it, but I sure didn’t see anything in there that looked like it was capable of putting out 300 watts!
The internal speaker leads appear to be an adequate 16 gauge. That’s larger than the leads in the other subs, but I was disappointed to see that the female quick-disconnect terminals had yellow insulators, which is the size and color for 10-12 gauge wire (terminals with blue insulators would be correctly sized for 16 gauge wire). Fortunately, the crimped connections were secure, so it should never be a problem.
Inside the cabinet, the port is flared at both ends. There is insulation on all four sides, but no internal bracing. Like everything else about this subwoofer, construction is heavy-duty all the way, with a 1-inch MDF front baffle with 3/4-inch side and rear panels. However, rapping on top and sides of the cabinet brought the dreaded hollow sound, indicating that the PB10-ISD could benefit from some internal reinforcement, the extra-thick panels not withstanding.
Published Specs/Description
Like the Infinity, the Velodyne VRP-1200 is a 12-inch rear-ported design. The manual gives frequency response as 29-140 Hz +/-3 dB, and amplifier output as 130 watts RMS, 195 watts dynamic power.
The variable crossover frequency is adjustable from 50-200 Hz, but the manual gives no mention of the slope. There is no provision for bypassing the crossover, other than setting it to the highest frequency. The back panel has the usual left and right RCA inputs, and also present are speaker input and output connections with spring-loaded terminals. Interestingly, there is no power switch – the VRP-1200 is "auto on" only.
The owner’s manual says the Velodyne weighs 60 lbs., but my back tells me it weighs at least 20 lbs. less. It actually felt lighter than the 45 lb. Infinity.
The manual is fairly brief and cursory – for instance, the instructions for setting the phase switch read "play music and set it in the position that gets the most apparent low frequency output." For the crossover frequency it says essentially, "set it where you wish." Is it any wonder why people turn to the home theater forums for help with things like this?
Velodyne offers a 2-year warranty on the VRP-1200, the most parsimonious coverage in this comparison.
Initial Impressions
Opening the Velo’s box, it was immediately apparent that the packaging was not up to par with the other subwoofers. For instance, the VRP-1200 is comparable in size to the Infinity PS-12 yet comes in a significantly smaller box, reduced an inch or so all the way around. That translates to much less protective Styrofoam and internal space between the box and the sub. Consequently, I found the bottom Styrofoam insulator was cracked through, and the subwoofer had sustained minor damage to one of the lower rear corners.
The VRP-1200 is a nice looking sub, albeit more understated than the others. The side panels are the standard semi-gloss black faux wood grain. The Velodyne has a unique concave grille, and behind it the front baffle panel is a glossy piano black. Stick-on rubber feet are included in a plastic bag with the manual; they will probably come off about as easily as they go on.
Construction
Opening up the VRP-1200 revealed nothing overly impressive. There was no internal insulation or bracing, and unlike the other subs in this evaluation, the port tube was not internally flared. The driver is a medium-duty design with a heavy pulp cone and a stamped steel frame. The cabinet is 1/2-inch MDF for all panels, and it sounds hollow when you rap on it.
SVS Takes on the Industry Giants
Subwoofers evaluated:
Infinity PS-12 $449
JBL E150P $402
SVS PB10-ISD $429
Velodyne VRP-1200 $349
INTRODUCTION
Subwoofers evaluated:
Infinity PS-12 $449
JBL E150P $402
SVS PB10-ISD $429
Velodyne VRP-1200 $349
INTRODUCTION
"Who, me?"
That was my reaction when I got an e-mail from Ron Stimpson of SVS a few months ago asking if I would be interested in evaluating SVS’ new entry-level subwoofer, the PB10-ISD.
Naturally I said yes. Wouldn’t you?
However, between the time I agreed and the time it was delivered, Ed Mullen and a few others had posted some excellent reviews on the sub. I’m talking outstanding reviews, from a technical/execution standpoint. Even better than what you usually see in the glossy magazines these days. So I’m thinking, "Well, gee. How am I going to top this?" I don’t have a laptop or high-tech software measurement programs, so I figured I’d have to come up with something that hadn’t been done yet.
SVS has openly claimed that their goal was to create a new deep-bass standard for the crowded $400 price range, so it made perfect sense: Why not see how the PB10-ISD stacks up to some of the competition?
Naturally SVS has what some might call an unfair advantage in that the company sells manufacturer-direct, so I considered pitting the PB10-ISD against some higher priced models to make the playing field more level. But in the end I decided the only thing that mattered was the "price of admission" – i.e., what the buyer gets for his money – so I elected to keep fairly close to the $400 range.
So, off I went to the local big-name electronics discounters in search of some contenders that I could shamelessly "borrow" for a few days (don’t look at me like that, I didn’t write their generous return policies!
).At Circuit City I picked up an Infinity PS-12 for $449. They also had the Velodyne VRP-1200 priced at $399, so I asked the befuddled sales lady for one of those, too (I got the feeling she had been borrowed from some other department for the day). However, after she rang up the Velo I saw it was only $349, which was below my target price range. Oh well – must have been on sale or something...
At Best Buy I was torn between the JBL E150P and Klipsch KSW-10, both costing right at $400. But just the day before I had caught a thread at the Home Theater Forum about the KSW series, and the general consensus was that this model line from Klipsch is pretty much low end. So I went with the JBL. I figured these subs probably have their work cut out for them going up against the PB10-ISD – no sense wasting time with one that’s a known lost cause going in.
So now we have a few candidates drafted to take on this brazen Johnny-Come-Lately contender for the $400 crown. How will they fare? We’ll see. Buckle up and pour yourself a cold brew - we’re fully evaluating four subs here, and this ain’t the Readers Digest version.
OVERVIEW
With my contestants lined out, the first order of business was to dissect them for a build-quality inspection.
Infinity PS-12
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Published Specs/Description
Infinity’s PS-12 is a rear-ported design with a 12-inch driver. The owner’s manual gives frequency response as 25-150 Hz +/-3 dB, and amplifier output as 300 watts RMS.
On the rear panel, the variable crossover sweeps from 50-150 Hz, with excellent 24 dB/octave slopes. A "Normal/LFE" switch fully disables the crossover in the "LFE" position.
The back panel has the standard left and right RCA line-level inputs, with labeling instructing that either the left or right jack can be used for LFE from a Dolby Digital receiver.
The rear panel also includes speaker-level inputs, but curiously no corresponding outputs. The manual indicates these inputs are for a traditional stereo system, and instructs that the connections should parallel with the receiver’s speaker terminals.
That may seem peculiar, but this is actually a fairly clever design. It’s common knowledge that the passive crossovers associated with a sub’s speaker level connections can degrade the main speaker’s sound quality. With Infinity’s connection scheme, the high-level inputs function only to provide a signal for the sub. Pretty nifty. High-quality, gold-plated binding posts are provided, even though cheaper spring-loaded clips would have been more than adequate for this application.
What isn’t stated in the manual is that the mains will have no high pass filtering. However, there are good instructions for integrating the sub into a two-channel system, logically informing the user to set the crossover frequency lower for large speakers and higher for small.
Would that the manual’s instructions for setting the phase switch were as helpful. It simply directs the owner to use the position that "maximizes bass output at the listening position."
According to the manual, the PS-12 weighs in at 45 lbs. and comes with a 5-year warranty.
Left to Right: Velodyne VPR-1200, Infinity PS-12, SVS PB10-ISD
To show relative size, the rear panels are aligned
Initial Impressions
Opening the Infinity’s box revealed adequate packaging, with thick Styrofoam top and bottom covers and ample space between the sub and box.
The PS-12 is an attractive sub, with the top and sides finished in a semi-gloss black-faux wood grain. Behind the plain-looking grille most of the front panel is finished in gray, with a large silver trim ring around the driver. Underneath are hard plastic feet, which may be a cause for concern with wood floors.
The 12-inch driver’s cone feels like plastic (although I’ve heard that it isn’t), with an aluminum dust cap. Tapping on the speaker resulted in considerable "after-ring" – not exactly the kind of thing that inspires confidence in a sub’s musical qualities.
Construction
Removing the PS-12’s speaker revealed plenty of internal insulation and a port tube flared at both ends. The Infinity’s driver is a medium-duty design with a stamped steel frame, and the electronics are housed in a fully enclosed metal box.
With the woofer removed, the PS-12 revealed some impressive-looking internal bracing, a wall-to-wall 1/2-inch MDF panel with three large symmetrically-placed square holes, and a forth round hole for the port to fit through. Which is a bit curious, since the hole is much larger than the port and is not used to support it – no reason it couldn’t have been square, like the others. Overall, the internal brace resembles a grid (or it would if all holes were square).
The Infinity’s front baffle is 1-inch MDF, with the rest of cabinet 1/2-inch. Rapping on the sides the PS-12 has the most solid-feeling cabinet of the four subs, testament to its internal bracing and overall excellent construction.
JBL E150P
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Published Specs/Description
As the pictures show, the JBL E150P is physically the smallest sub in this group, a 10-incher with a large down-firing port.
The manual vaguely gives frequency response as "27 Hz to whatever setting is used on the crossover," with no figure for +/- deviation listed. The crossover frequency is variable from 50-150 Hz, with no slope mentioned. Amplifier output is given as 150 watts RMS, 250 watts dynamic power.
The E150P’s rear panel is identical to the Infinity PS-12, which shouldn’t be a surprise – both JBL and Infinity are owned by Harman International Industries, a large conglomerate of consumer and professional audio companies. Therefore I won’t repeat a description of the E150P’s controls; readers can refer to the PS-12’s description above.
The JBL’s manual has good, fairly detailed explanations of the sub’s controls, much better than Cousin Infinity’s manual. Unfortunately, explanations on using the phase switch are as poor as with the Infinity.
The E150P is the lightest sub in this group, weighing a mere 33 lbs. As with the Infinity, JBL offers a 5-year warranty.
Initial Impressions
The E150P was well packaged with thick Styrofoam top and bottom pieces and adequate internal space between the box and the sub.
The 10-inch driver has a plastic cone, and it’s similar in appearance to other JBL woofers in both their consumer and professional speaker lines. The cone resonates at a very high 80 Hz when you tap on it – not exactly the kind of thing you want to hear from what’s supposed to be a subwoofer. As with Cousin Infinity, there was some lingering “after-ring” when the cone was tapped, although not as much. The bottom-firing port is huge, big enough to put your fist into. The cabinet sits on four impressive, hunky-looking plastic feet that have tapered rubber bottoms.
The front panel is a medium gray color, the sides a semi-gloss black-faux wood grain. The driver is flanked by a plastic trim ring that’s a lighter shade of gray, and the two are bolted to the front baffle with very cool looking chrome plated, hex-head wood screws ( boy, sure wish I could get some of those at the local hardware store!). Overall, the JBL is quite an attractive package.
On the top panel is a power status LED, right up front and center, that shows if the sub is active or in standby mode. Not a bad feature; the other subs have the status LED on the rear panel, which means it usually will not be seen.
Construction
Removing the E150P’s woofer revealed more similarities to Cousin Infinity. The electronics are housed in a similar if not identical metal box. Even the internal wiring looks the same; the speaker leads are the same colors, with the same quick-disconnect connectors covered with clear hear shrink. The driver is a medium-duty design with a stamped steel frame. The cabinet’s front baffle panel is 3/4-inch MDF, the sides 1/2-inch. There is no interior insulation or bracing; nevertheless the cabinet feels pretty solid when you rap on it.
SVS PB10-ISD
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Published Specs/Description
The SVS PS10-ISD is a ported design with a 10-inch driver and the only sub in this group with a front-firing port.
Curiously, the manual carries no performance specifications; you’ll have to be content to get them from SVS’ web site. The PB10-ISD page gives the sub’s frequency response as an astonishing 18-100 Hz +/- 3 dB. Amplifier power is given as 300 watts from a BASH digital amp.
Aside from the omission of performance specifications, the PB10-ISD’s manual is excellent and very detailed. It even lists numerous examples of specific passages from movies with scenes rich in low bass content. The manual comes shipped in protective plastic bag that includes a couple of spare fuses and an SVS pen.
Anyone perusing SVS’ website for specs on the PB10-ISD will notice there is no information on its crossover. This is because it doesn’t have one. SVS determined that probably 90% or more of home theater enthusiasts use the internal crossover in their receiver, not their subwoofer. Thus SVS eliminated the crossover and high-level speaker inputs as a cost saving measure.
The lack of an internal crossover and speaker level inputs means the PB10-ISD’s rear panel is fairly austere: A single RCA input jack, knobs for level and continuously variable phase, and a power switch. The continuously variable phase control is essentially an analog delay adjustment that helps time-align the subwoofer with the main speakers, better assuring smooth response through the crossover region. It’s a highly useful yet unusual feature for a sub at this price.
The PB10-ISD has a heavy duty detachable power cord, for those of you into such things – buy a better one and you’re sure to improve performance at least 30%!
The SVS weighs in at 60 lbs. – again, information culled from SVS’ website, not the PB10-ISD’s manual. The SVS was easily the heaviest sub in the group by a considerable margin; it was no problem picking up the others to move around for testing, taking pictures, etc. But with the SVS it was, "O-o-kay, where’s my dolly?"
The PB10-ISD comes with a 3-year warranty.
Initial Impressions
The PB10-ISD comes packaged in an oversized double-walled box. Instead of Styrofoam top and base insulators, there are large blocks at all corners to give ample space between the box and the sub. Suffice it to say, the SVS would have to sustain some serious abuse in transit to arrive at your door damaged. Inside the box was a large padded envelope with a SVS T-shirt – a nice perk.
In contrast to the other subs in this evaluation, the PB10-ISD has a no-nonsense, utilitarian appearance: No glossy panels, no faux wood grain finish, no high-contrast trim rings to dress out the driver. The only nod towards aesthetics are rounded corners for the side panels. The porous grille cloth is stretched over a sturdy 1-inch MDF frame with rounded front edges – which means that with the grille in place, all front-visible panels have rounded corners. Nice.
Left to Right: SVS PB10-ISD, JBL E150P
The front port has visible screws, not nearly as clean looking as the other subs’ ports. Fortunately everything is black – screws and port – so it isn’t noticeable until you get up close and personal.
Rolling the SVS over reveals that it sits on six small, pointed rubber feet that screw into threaded sockets imbedded in the cabinet.
The basis of the PB10-ISD’s "strictly business" facade is its finish, an unusual vinyl coating that’s available in four colors, white, black, tan and gray. My sample came in the light gray color, reminiscent of office work-place décor, and looked quite attractive.
Construction
When I went to remove the PB10-ISD’s driver, I was pleasantly surprised to see it is secured with T-nuts and heavy-duty 1-inch machined 10-32 screws. Very impressive. This is the stuff of professional-grade sound reinforcement speakers, not speakers manufactured for the home market.
Like the other subs’ drivers, the one in the SVS has a stamped steel frame, but that’s where the similarity ends. As you can see from the pictures, the PB10-ISD’s 10-inch woofer is a heavy-duty monster, probably weighing close to 20 lbs.
The weight and bulk of the woofer made it a little tricky to remove from the cabinet. Adding to the challenge were barely long enough speaker leads, which would strain and yank off of the flimsy-looking metal connection tabs, leaving them bent and twisted. After a few times doing this and bending the tabs back into position, I was concerned they were going to snap right off. Fortunately, this should never be an issue for the average user, who presumably won’t be dissecting his subwoofer in such a manner.
Removing the driver I found a small black screw stuck to the magnet. Hmm, not good! I got a flashlight and peered down inside around the rear-mounted electronics but couldn’t see any obvious place it might have come from. Hopefully it was picked up on a workbench during assembly.
Looking for the missing screw I couldn’t help but notice the amplifier and associated electronics. I don’t know how SVS did it, but I sure didn’t see anything in there that looked like it was capable of putting out 300 watts!
The internal speaker leads appear to be an adequate 16 gauge. That’s larger than the leads in the other subs, but I was disappointed to see that the female quick-disconnect terminals had yellow insulators, which is the size and color for 10-12 gauge wire (terminals with blue insulators would be correctly sized for 16 gauge wire). Fortunately, the crimped connections were secure, so it should never be a problem.
Inside the cabinet, the port is flared at both ends. There is insulation on all four sides, but no internal bracing. Like everything else about this subwoofer, construction is heavy-duty all the way, with a 1-inch MDF front baffle with 3/4-inch side and rear panels. However, rapping on top and sides of the cabinet brought the dreaded hollow sound, indicating that the PB10-ISD could benefit from some internal reinforcement, the extra-thick panels not withstanding.
Velodyne VRP-1200
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Published Specs/Description
Like the Infinity, the Velodyne VRP-1200 is a 12-inch rear-ported design. The manual gives frequency response as 29-140 Hz +/-3 dB, and amplifier output as 130 watts RMS, 195 watts dynamic power.
The variable crossover frequency is adjustable from 50-200 Hz, but the manual gives no mention of the slope. There is no provision for bypassing the crossover, other than setting it to the highest frequency. The back panel has the usual left and right RCA inputs, and also present are speaker input and output connections with spring-loaded terminals. Interestingly, there is no power switch – the VRP-1200 is "auto on" only.
The owner’s manual says the Velodyne weighs 60 lbs., but my back tells me it weighs at least 20 lbs. less. It actually felt lighter than the 45 lb. Infinity.
The manual is fairly brief and cursory – for instance, the instructions for setting the phase switch read "play music and set it in the position that gets the most apparent low frequency output." For the crossover frequency it says essentially, "set it where you wish." Is it any wonder why people turn to the home theater forums for help with things like this?
Velodyne offers a 2-year warranty on the VRP-1200, the most parsimonious coverage in this comparison.
Initial Impressions
Opening the Velo’s box, it was immediately apparent that the packaging was not up to par with the other subwoofers. For instance, the VRP-1200 is comparable in size to the Infinity PS-12 yet comes in a significantly smaller box, reduced an inch or so all the way around. That translates to much less protective Styrofoam and internal space between the box and the sub. Consequently, I found the bottom Styrofoam insulator was cracked through, and the subwoofer had sustained minor damage to one of the lower rear corners.
The VRP-1200 is a nice looking sub, albeit more understated than the others. The side panels are the standard semi-gloss black faux wood grain. The Velodyne has a unique concave grille, and behind it the front baffle panel is a glossy piano black. Stick-on rubber feet are included in a plastic bag with the manual; they will probably come off about as easily as they go on.
Construction
Opening up the VRP-1200 revealed nothing overly impressive. There was no internal insulation or bracing, and unlike the other subs in this evaluation, the port tube was not internally flared. The driver is a medium-duty design with a heavy pulp cone and a stamped steel frame. The cabinet is 1/2-inch MDF for all panels, and it sounds hollow when you rap on it.
