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Wouldn’t it be great if you could make that hulking subwoofer sitting in the corner of your room all but disappear yet still enjoy kick-ass bass? Impossible? Not at all. With 25 years of serious subwoofer experience under their belts, subwoofer kings at SVS have taken on what may be their most challenging design ever — a subwoofer designed to be mounted in the wall. The new 3000 In-Wall Subwoofer features two beefy 9-inch drivers mounted on a solid aluminum baffle that’s part of a shallow, narrow enclosure designed to fit between standard wall studs.

The structure uses internal bracing to keep it inert and is powered by a separate Class D amplifier/digital controller that can be mounted in your rack: SVS’s impressive Sledge STA-800D2C, which is rated to deliver 800 watts RMS and 2,500 watts of peak power. The amp’s DSP section provides a variable crossover, phase control, room gain compensation, and a three-band parametric equalizer, all of which can be conveniently set using the SVS Subwoofer Control Smartphone App. Once secured to the studs, the woofers are concealed by a magnetic grille that can be painted so it blends in with the wall. It’s not completely invisible but pretty close.

The system is meticulously engineered for optimal acoustic output and thermal efficiency (a necessity due to the mounting location) and requires a fair amount of effort to install so hats off to our resident bass guru David Vaughn for using the 3000 in his den to provide bass support for an all-in-wall home theater speaker system. Talk about commitment: once he choose a location (a process unto itself) and cut into the drywall, there was no turning back. With the installation complete, Vaughn followed on his usual setup/calibration routine.

So how’d it perform? Starting with one of his go-to test music tracks, The Eagles’ live performance of “Hotel California” from 1994’s “Hell Freezes Over,” Vaughn was immediately impressed with the 3000’s “quick, clean and precise” performance and remained so as he continued the audition with a variety of lossless audio tracks stored on a local server, including “Brass Monkey” by The Beastie Boys, which (not surprisingly) rattled dishes in the adjoining dining room. The quick, non-lingering bass on Regina Spektor’s “Fidelity” was a standout: “This sub reminded me of the performance of the SVS SB-3000, one of the best subs I’ve ever reviewed at any price.”

Moving on to movies, Vaughn fired up Sonic the Hedgehog, which features a stunning Dolby Atmos soundtrack that “showcased the sub’s ease in handling LFE-heavy scenes before indulging in the sonic excesses of Godzilla vs. Kong at reference levels. “I really thought I would damage the sub by playing it at such an insane volume. But I’m happy to report that we both survived. In fact, the sub impressed me with its ability to dig deep.” Sure, there are standalone subs that can play lower and louder with more authority than the 3000, but as Vaughn put it, “they are larger than a mini-fridge and don’t have the aesthetic appeal that the 3000 In-Wall provides.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Tight and fast bass response
Adjustable tuning controls via app
Frees up floor space
Minus
Installation limitations based on room construction
In-wall convenience comes with a steep price

Full Review Here (posted 5/31/23)

Rythmik FV15HP2 15" Ported Subwoofer: $2,189

If you’re a stickler for deep, gut-massaging bass, you need to add Rythmik Audio’s FV15HP2 subwoofer to your audition list. The sub is different than most in that it uses patented Direct Servo technology to create a feedback loop that continuously monitors and adjusts the subwoofer’s output in an effort to reproduce low frequencies as accurately as possible. The system not only works but kills it, enabling the sub’s 15-inch aluminum woofer/900-watt (RMS) amp combo to play loud and clean without breaking a sweat.

Running through a battery of his treasured torture tests, including “Bass I Love You” by Bassotronics, David Vaughn was blown away by what he heard — and felt. “The notes dig as low as 7 Hz, a frequency you can't hear unless you're a pigeon, but you can certainly feel it. In fact, at –10 dB from reference, I think I dislodged a filling from the vibrations. I’ve heard this track countless times the past 10-plus years and this is the first time I’ve felt this type of visceral reaction.” The FV15HP2 is equipped with a full complement of connections and controls, including a parametric EQ, so it can be integrated into any system. Downsides? Rythmik doesn’t include an app, which would greatly simplify control, and the sub is a 130-pound beast that requires a bit of effort to move around. But once it’s in place, prepare to experience bass like never before.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Foundation-shaking bass
Outstanding build quality
Servo-control is the real-deal
Minus
Very Heavy
Large footprint can make room placement challenging

Full Review Here (posted 8/3/23)

ELAC DS1200 12" Dual-Opposed Subwoofer: $2,999

Since returning to the U.S. market in 2015, Germany’s Elac (short for Electroacoustic) has introduced a steady stream of impressive speakers but those who have followed the brand may not be aware that it also makes a line of equally impressive subwoofers. The DS1200 exemplifies this with authoritative output, tank-like construction, and unique (some will say weird) 12-inch woofers — one in the front and one in the back. Weird because the drivers’ patent-pending HEX surrounds are dimpled and much thicker than usual — a feature designed to reduce distortion and improve the audio reproduction.

The sub packs a 1,200-watt BASH amplifier and has an intuitive, app-controlled AutoEQ system that compensates for room acoustics; it also puts every imaginable bass control, including a parametric EQ, at your fingertips. Reviewer Jim Wilson pushed the DS1200 hard as he ran through a battery of tests and was rewarded with clarity, definition, and exceptional dynamics as the sub worked its way through the aural mayhem that defines the soundtracks of Underworld: Awakening and Black Hawk Down, never once faltering. The same sonic virtues applied to the selection of “aggressive music” Wilson used for the demo. All in all, the DS1200 performed extremely well for its size, which would be considered reasonably compact in the world of subwoofers.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Rock solid build quality
Full featured, intuitive app
Compact and decor friendly
Minus
Amp gets warm when pushed
Warranty is only 1 year
On the expensive side

Full Review Here (posted 9/13/23)

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