The SB-3000's newly designed 13" driver has a vented aluminum cone, an injection-molded gasket and surround, and a polyimide-impregnated fiberglass former, surrounded by two 15lb toroidal ferrite magnets. Its new 2" split-wind voice-coil has a lower…
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SVS's recently introduced SB-3000 is a compact powered subwoofer that's $600 cheaper, a few cubic inches smaller, and 37lb lighter than the model it replaces, the SVS SB13-Ultra. Its amplifier is less powerful (800W vs 1000W), but its rated frequency response extends lower: a stygian 18Hz, compared to the SB13-Ultra's merely stentorian 20Hz.
Once SVS's free subwoofer control app was downloaded from iTunes, installed on my iPhone 6, and its Bluetooth functions switched on, the control app quickly found both SB-3000s and paired with them. The app enabled me to adjust all subwoofer control functions from my listening chair. Measurements were made and graphed with another smartphone app, the SPL Meter function in Studio Six Digital's AudioTools (version 10.5.6), in conjunction with the company's iTestMic microphone.
Optimally positioning the SB-3000 subs in my room was critical for attaining smooth integration of its output…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Sealed-box powered subwoofer. Drive-unit: 13" vented aluminum cone with 2" split-wound voice-coil and two toroidal ferrite magnets. Inputs: 1 pair unbalanced (RCA); USB-A for firmware update. Outputs: 1 pair unbalanced. (RCA). Frequency response: 18–270Hz, ±3dB. Amplifier output power: 800W RMS, 2500W peak. Input impedance: 16k ohms. Frequency response: 18–270Hz, ±3dB.
Dimensions: 15.6" (39.7cm) H by 15.2" (38.5cm) W by 15.7" (45.1cm) D. Weight: 54.5lb (24.7kg).
Finishes: Black ash or Piano Black.
Serial numbers of units reviewed:…
Sidebar 2: Using the SVS SB-3000 with an External Crossover
During these tests, the high-pass filter of my JL Audio CR-1 crossover was set to 70Hz, 24dB/octave (Quads) or to 50Hz, 24dB/octave (KEFs). Alternatively, I set the CR-1's high-pass filter down to 20Hz to allow the LS50s to run full range with SB-3000 reinforcement. For all satellite setups, the SB-3000's filter remained at 70Hz, 24dB/octave and its built-in room compensation filter was set to 25Hz, 24dB/octave to reduce room overload.
For all measurements, I used the SPL Meter module of Studio Six Digital's AudioTools (…
Sidebar 3: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply & Ittok tonearm, Spectral MC cartridge; Day-Sequerra 25-year Anniversary FM Reference FM tuner.
Digital sources: Bryston BCD-1 CD player, BDP-3 media player with IAD sound board and Glider MPD Control, BDA-3 DAC; Oppo BPD-103 universal BD player; Lenovo P50 ThinkPad computer running Windows 10 Pro (64-bit); Bryston Windows USB driver; JRiver Media Center 25; Roon Nucleus with Core V.1.4 (build 300) stable (64 bit).
Preamplifiers: Bryston TP-2 30 step-up transformer; BP-26, BP-173…
A divine amalgam of joy and solemnity and one of Mozart’s most spiritually elevated creations, Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) brings each generation's finest conductors and singers to the microphone. Now, Metropolitan Opera conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and tenor-cum-baritone Rolando Villazón and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe add to their series of Mozart recordings for Deutsche Grammophon with a star-studded version that includes some of the best young and veteran artists of our time.
The lively overture's carefully judged dynamic swings attest to the care that Nézet-…
Years before I moved to Santa Fe, where I eventually became Stereophile's copyeditor, assistant editor, and first music editor, I lived in Boston, Massachusetts. There, I'd spent a year as the in-house typesetter, copyeditor, and book-review editor of East West Journal, an eclectic monthly magazine devoted to nutrition, spirituality, cooking, gardening, conservation, and other subjects. Two years after I'd left EWJ, managing editor Meg Seaker called to ask if I wanted to interview Keith Jarrett for the magazine.
On March 20, 1981, Meg and I and EWJ's art director, Merridee Shaw, met with…
EWJ: How do you feel your music may be in terms of healing qualities? More and more musicians seem to be getting involved in that. They talk about it anyway.
Jarrett: Those are the people who will never heal anybody. If you look—and it would take a lot of looking—the music most capable of healing, the sounds that seem to be most enlightening and healthy and vital, are sounds that come from people who just make music and consider it a responsibility. There are no extra-curricular considerations such as "I can do this with this" or "I'm sure this will happen with this." These are all…
Back in the days of pre-stereo high fidelity, when a 6-gram phono pickup was considered to be "featherweight," the best universal-type tonearm we knew of was a bulky, very professional-looking device made by Gray Labs and designated the Model 108. One unusual thing about it was that, instead of using sleeve or cone-face bearings, it had a single up-ended needle—a so-called unipivot—for both the vertical and lateral modes of motion. The other unusual thing about it was that the pivot system was viscous-damped, and it was this, we suspect, that was largely responsible for the arm's ability to…
Manufacturer's Comment
We are gratified to note that The Stereophile observed the same improvements when using the A&D tonearm that we observed.
As for the minor criticisms aimed at the arm that was tested, we should emphasize the point that nothing is perfect. The arm was put into production simply when it was because even with its "faults," it had proven to be better than any other arm that was available and it was felt that such an improvement in pickup performance was more than adequate justification for putting the arm on the market.
The aim that The…