Subwoofer Reviews

SVS's Merlin—a portion of the company's website that offers loudspeaker-specific recommendations on SVS subwoofers and settings—recommends low-pass filter settings of 60Hz (high-pass) and 40Hz, 12dB/octave (low-pass). Because the CR-1 couldn't use different slopes for high- and low-pass filters, I set its high-pass filter at 60Hz, 24dB/octave for the Quad ESL-989s, and the SB16-Ultra's internal low pass filter to 40Hz, 12dB/octave. I then used the SVS app's parametric equalizer to reduce peak room modes at 43 and 160Hz, and played the same recordings as before. The integration of the sub's and Quads' outputs now seemed seamless, and the soundstage was markedly deeper.

I checked the lowest-frequency bands of the half-step–spaced chromatic scale on Editor's Choice (CD, Stereophile STPH016-2). These sounded sharply defined, as did the 40, 31, and 25Hz 1/3-octave warble tones on that CD. The 20Hz band was not audible as such, though the track pressurized the room.

Other recordings confirmed this setup. Keith Jarrett's light, lyrical "True Blues," from his The Carnegie Hall Concert (CD, ECM 1989/90), revealed no discontinuities between subs and main speakers when he stamped his feet on the floor while playing high in the right hand. Using the JL Audio CR-1 crossover's bypass switch, it was easy to switch between the Quads run full-range alone and the combination of Quads and SVS. Either way, the soundstage depth remained unchanged, the highs were fully transparent, and there was no hardening of the sound.

I discovered the advantages of adjusting the subwoofer volume to optimize the sound of each recording. Reducing the SB16-Ultra's output removed a slight droning quality in the final organ-pedal note of Master Tallis's Testament without lessening the bass extension or the note's ability to pressurize my room. As I increased the sub's output while playing John Rutter's "Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace," with the Turtle Creek Chorale and Dallas Women's Chorus conducted by Timothy Seelig (CD, Reference RR-57CD), the pipe organ's deep pedal notes became more distinct, and the differences between the ranks of choristers were enhanced. Playing Don Dorsey's "Ascent," from Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops' Time Warp collection (CD, Telarc CD-80106), the SB16's imaging let me better distinguish the positions of the synth beats that move from side to side. The dynamic ranged from soft murmurs to a thunderous rumble as the synths blend into the sustained 31.7Hz organ-pedal note that begins the next track, the introduction of Richard Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra. Similarly, the 32' pipes in Gnomus, from Jean Guillou's recording of his own transcription for pipe organ of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (CD, Dorian DOR-90117), pressurized my room while delivering full, thunderous chords. When I played a digital file (AIFF, 24-bit/88.2kHz) of the Toccata of Widor's Organ Symphony 6, performed by Jonas Nordwall and recorded by John Atkinson, an unusual sense of the recorded space occurred as the sub reproduced the deepest pedal notes with mass and solidity. It was clear that a single SB16-Ultra could produce more than enough bass extension and slam in my large listening room.

The Quads and SVS sub rendered clean, solid, full bass reproduction of the sounds of many different instruments—kick drum, bass drum, timpani, and synthesizer. For a review I wrote for the October 1989 issue, I listened to Velodyne's ULD-18 subwoofer with a recording of John Williams's Liberty Fanfare, from Lowell Graham and the National Symphonic Winds' Winds of War and Peace (CD, Wilson Audiophile WCD-8823). The downfiring Velodyne remained silent for the first 55 seconds of this track, then burst into life with the bass drum's first notes. The bass-drum whack had no unnecessary overtones, no overhang, and disturbed no midrange or treble sounds. The SB16-Ultra delivered the same dense, solid punch with no added sustain, but revealed more of the bass drum's timbre.

Comparisons
I compared the SB16-Ultra ($1999.99) with three other subwoofers: SVS's own SB13-Ultra ($1599.99), Revel's Ultima Rhythm2 ($10,000, discontinued), and JL Audio's Fathom f212v2 ($7000). I used the same Quad ESL-989 speakers, and the JL Audio CR-1 crossover when appropriate.

I began with SVS's SB13-Ultra, which I reviewed in January 2015, and used the CR-1 crossover, as I had with the SB16-Ultra. Both SVS subs excelled at pitch definition, speed of bass, and the ability to suddenly halt the bass output when needed. The SB16's smartphone app made setting it up easier, and the sub delivered greater solidity, mass, and power, and did a better job of pressurizing the room with sustained pipe-organ pedal notes.

I reviewed the Revel Ultima Rhythm2 in February 2015, and I didn't need to use the CR-1 with it because the Revel has its own high-pass filter. At five times the SB16-Ultra's price, the Rhythm2 has a number of features the SVS lacks: a 2"-larger woofer cone, an internal system for blending the responses of the subs and satellites, and a parametric equalizer with seven more bands. However, the Rhythm2 wasn't controllable with an iPhone app via Bluetooth. As with the SB16, setup and calibration can be carried out from the listening seat, but the Revel must be connected to a computer via a USB link, and you can't make changes on the fly as easily as with the SB16.

What most impressed me about the Rhythm2's sound was its bass power, ability to pressurize the room, the quality and speed of bass, and pitch definition, each of which was somewhat superior to the SB16-Ultra's. Yet both subs were well able to fill my large room with deep bass and slam, and pressurize it during long-held bass notes. The Revel Rhythm2's internal crossover did a better job of smoothing the integration of the satellites' and sub's outputs, perhaps due to its ability to match the sub and the satellite speakers to a pre-determined room-response curve. But, again, the Revel costs five times the SVS's price.

Turning to JL Audio's Fathom f212v2 ($7000), which I reviewed in the November 2016 issue, I found similarities in its heavy cabinet and front-panel controls. Its two 12" drivers offer more driver area than the SB16-Ultra's single 16" cone. However, it costs three-and-a-half times as much and weighs 100 lbs more. For its higher price, the Fathom f212v2 offers more: auto-optimization to smooth room modes, a calibration microphone, white gloves, and a built-in test-tone generator. The SB16 came close to matching the f212v2's deep-bass extension, solidity of bass, and ability to pressurize my room with sustained pipe-organ chords. Two Fathom f212v2s ($14,000) and JLA's CR-1 electronic crossover ($3000) let my Quads deliver a much wider, more three-dimensional soundstage and deeper bass in my large room than could a single SB16-Ultra—but at more than eight times the cost. And, as with all of the other comparison subwoofers, the JL Audio's level couldn't be adjusted on the fly from my listening seat.

Conclusions
Once I'd identified its optimal placement and crossover settings and experienced on-the-fly subwoofer control, I became convinced that the SVS SB16-Ultra is one of the finest, fastest, best-controlled, most powerful subwoofers I have reviewed in my large listening room. Like the SB13-Ultra, it delivered pitch-perfect, detailed, fast bass, but with greater deep-bass extension, and enough power to function within my large listening room. It doesn't offer auto-equalization, doesn't come with a free calibration microphone or white gloves, it has no internal high-pass filter, and it's heavy for its size, requiring Super Sliders under it for easy movement. But it's the first subwoofer to come with its own Bluetooth smartphone control app. And its on-the-fly control of output level from the listening seat has opened for me a new door that goes way past the awkwardness of having to set up a sub by darting back and forth between its front and/or rear panels and my chair. A Class A component if ever there was one.