SVS 3000 Micro

Verdict

An expensive but effective way of adding some low-end oomph to smaller surround set-ups, the SVS 3000 Micro punches hard but isn’t a one-note brute when it comes to delivering an explosive home cinema experience.

Introduction

There are all manner of ways to improve your home cinema sound situation, but if you want that cinematic sound, a subwoofer is a must and SVS is arguably the premier brand when it comes to subwoofers.

Big or small, SVS doesn’t discriminate and trades in all sizes for different sound systems. The 3000 Micro launched a few years ago but is still available in their current line-up that has over a dozen different options.

It still commands a significant price but if it provides the performance you need, then it could be worth the cost. Let’s dive in.

Design

• Piano gloss finish
• Reinforced MDF cabinet
• Compact size

Measuring 278 x 297 x 278mm (HWD), the 3000 Micro is almost a perfect cube in shape but its size lends itself to being used with smaller-sized speakers or in smaller surround sound systems. For the purposes of this review it’s partnered with four Q Acoustics’ 5020 standmount speakers and 5090 centre, but you could also consider adding it to a stereo system for added bass.

The piano gloss finish (available in either black or white) gives it a striking look for a speaker that, for most people, would probably end up out of the way. It is a magnet for fingerprints though and if you are fazed by smudges you may want to break out the white glove treatment when moving this sub.

At 10.2kg it is a densely packed subwoofer, the cabinet constructed out of reinforced MDF to cope with the low frequency rumble and standing waves. Isolating elastomer feet (rubbery material) are included, and the power cable is a detachable kettle plug supplied but there’s no RCA cable.

And in terms of placement within a room, the advice from SVS would be to hold fast to a wall. Having experimented myself with the position I find there’s more power and explosiveness to the 3000 Micro when placed nearer a wall than out in the open.

Features

• App support
• 800W of power
• Dual opposing 8-inch drivers

You wouldn’t necessarily think of a subwoofer as one that comes with a range of features. The SVS 3000 Micro turns that thought on its head.

On its rear panel are an array of inputs and switches that includes a stereo RCA input and output – for whether you want a single ended connection to an amplifier, or if you’re considering left/right channels into a preamplifier. The blue LED bar above covers volume, low pass frequency, and phase settings that are customisable by pressing one of those buttons and adjusting it through the plus and minus buttons.

You can calibrate the Micro 3000 if you have a mic to hand, and you can also calibrate via the app. Yes, there’s an app too.

Connecting to the 3000 Micro over Bluetooth, the SVS Mobile App can be downloaded through Android, iOS or Amazon Appstore (for whoever uses that) and offers more scope over the 3000 Micro’s performance.

There are presets, EQs, volume control: the adjustment of polarity, room gain, crossover and more, much of which is more of a concern for hardened home cinema users than anyone simply looking to generate some killer bass. Any adjustments are quickly received by the subwoofer, and usefully, settings come with explanations in case you lose your way or want to learn more about what each feature does.

The sub can summon 800W of power with a 2500W peak output from the Sledge STA-800DM amplifier inside that drives the dual opposing 8-inch drivers, with a frequency response that covers 23Hz to 240Hz (+/- 3dB)

Performance

• Powerful, clean bass
• Balanced performance

In Hollywood terms, the subwoofer is a supporting character rather than the star, and the SVS 3000 Micro understands this. Its intent is not to hog the glory but to assist.

Starting with the opening of John Wick: Chapter 4 as the titular character pummels a wooden post with his hand, the 3000 Micro delivers a big, powerful bass performance but without overdoing it. It describes the thunder of the shots, but cleanly and without distortion.

This scene is the one I used to place the sub and it’s noticeable how flatter the 3000 Micro sounds out in the open, with less depth and richness that’s audible compared to its position next to a wall. The test room is a bigger one than I’d expect the 3000 Micro to be in, but the performance is still room-shaking.

A volume level of -12 to -16 is the sweet spot for most films. Darren Aronofsky’s mother! features an excellent surround soundtrack, but the 70s-esque jump scares and startles make good use of the low frequencies, and the 3000 Micro is alert and responsive to provide that attack and snap to those scares.

It’s in the film’s latter half where bass becomes more of a constant presence, whether it’s group of people stamping on the ground, explosions being set off or mother’s panic attacks – there’s a solid balance derived in terms of the low frequency depth and clarity.

The explosion that kicks off The Hurt Locker is powerfully conveyed, as is a sniper battle later in the film where every shot explodes forth from the barrel in a punchy, snappy manner. If there is a quibble – something I notice more with mother! than other films – is that the 3000 Micro doesn’t go down the depths for out and out power. But it is a compact subwoofer and isn’t going to deliver the same sense of depth as a 10- or 12-inch model.

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is an excellent disc to test for bass, and the Trinity explosion would be an obvious scene to demo, but what strikes me here is the control the subwoofer exerts. The stop/start nature of the low frequencies is handled well, clean and precise without sounding boomy, but it’s the decrease in bass as the explosion is heard from further away that shows the 3000 Micro isn’t a blunt tool but a subtle one.

With more usual action scenes from films such as Tenet or 13 Hours, gunshots are sharp, punchy and powerful in the opera siege from the former film, while the backs-to-the-wall defence of a US outpost in Benghazi features nice, weighty gunshots described with excellent clarity, attack, and detail.

The surround speakers help in terms of immersion, but it’s the sub’s control over the low frequencies adds excitement. Without the 3000 Micro, these films would be a duller and less enjoyable experience.

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