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SVS has been building subwoofers for decades, and have won more industry awards for subs than any brand we know of. SVS says their newest subs, the sealed box SB17 Ultra Revolution and ported PB17, are A Quantum Leap Forward in Subwoofer Design & Performance, at the same cost as SB16 / PB16. Are they right? 

If you have the room for a good-sized subwoofer, (a roughly 20” x 20” x 21” cabinet), this performance is amazing for $2,499. SB17-Ultra Revolution, and the ported PB17 are the most powerful subwoofers in SVS history. They play louder and go deeper than SB16 and PB16, out-performing them in every way you can measure, from the same cabinet size as their 16” subs. 

What did we hear when we demo’d SB17 with music?

Hans Zimmer Live in Prague, Mombassa; the drums and synthesizers were shaking the floor, and we weren’t even playing that loud! The bass sounded clean and tight.

Dada’s album Puzzle; Dorina; a strong bass line sounded great, but not overly strong or bloated - very musical.

Polyphia’s All Falls Apart; lots of bass energy, so much that the screen in our theater was visibly moving - but again, not boomy or bloated, just impactful.

How did SVS do it? Here are 8 upgrade steps they took: 

1. Driver: a 17” driver has a glass fiber composite cone, 55 lbs. 4-piece motor structure, and SBR rubber surround, for better control & longevity over time.

2. Voice coils: How do you keep a big 17” driver under control?  Partly by having dual 8” voice coils, each powered by its own mono-block amp. One 8” voice coil could not keep this driver under control; the second gives a total 16 inches of voice coil.

3. Monoblock amps: You can only get so much current from a 15-amp circuit, so SB17’s twin voice coils, each driven by its own amp, on a fully regulated power supply, are extremely efficient. Both are Class D amps, as they’ve got to run cool, and feature discrete MOSFET output stages, not those cheaper IC’s used in so many Class D amps. SB17 sounds controlled and tight, more like an A/B amp.

4. Amps must be powerful: The twin amplifiers are each rated at 2,800 w RMS, vs a 1,500w amp SB16. Big power is needed to keep a 17” driver accurately creating bass with linear movement, to minimize cone flexing  and distorting. The power supply has built-in line conditioning, to ensure clean power.

5. DSP; SB17 has a 295 MHz DSP engine to manage the current delivery: To keep these amps from clipping and heat low. Every subwoofer is a complete system; amp, driver, voice coil, crossover network, EQ, cabinet.  The Analog Devices 295 Megahertz DSP engine is 6 X more powerful than the one in the SB16!  

6. Auto EQ room correction: That huge upgrade in DSP processing power enabled SVS to create a new auto-EQ calibration system to help overcome room issues. It works easily from your smart phone, with 6 EQ frequencies instead of 3. Your room always influences your sound. The auto-EQ calibration customizes SB17 to sound it’s best in your room, and it can be further tweaked / adjusted by you to your taste.

7. There is a full-featured app for SB17, and all their subs:

• Controls volume
• presets are already done for you, including a custom preset you can set any way you want 
• low pass filter from 30 Hz - 200 Hz; 
• Room gain compensation to eliminate boominess, 
• Crossover slope, steep or more gentle, for blending with whatever main speakers you have … and more!

8. Acoustically inert cabinet is same size as SB16: So they get all this extra clean output from the same size box. They upgraded and reinforced the internal bracing, so this cabinet won’t flex, even when you’re pounding bass. They also removed the front top display, creating a bit more room

What we heard when we demo’d the SB-17 with movies:

• John Wick 4, intro: It has strong bass energy, and when we looked at the sub, we could barely see the cone move - a sign of how tightly controlled it is, even when playing loud.

• The Dark Knight: The Joker is dressed in a nurse’s outfit, and is blowing up the hospital.  Again there was so much bass energy you felt it coming up your legs - wow! 

SB17 significantly exceeds the prior SB16 in deep bass performance, at the same cabinet size and price as the SB16.  Are you better off with its sibling, the ported PB17? The comparison is simple: the PB17 will play even deeper and louder than SB17, but it is a larger cabinet and is an additional $500. If you have the room and the cash, go for it. In our view, you can’t go wrong with either sub. 

The SVS SB17-Ultra Revolution sub retails for $2,499. If you want a powerful subwoofer for music and movies, SB17 Ultra Revolution redefines what deep, accurate bass means. You’ll easily customize its sound to your room with the new auto-EQ, and it looks great too. We think you’ll love it!