SVS has a reputation in the subwoofer space that reflects its strong offerings over the years and is boosted by generous, customer service-centric policies on shipping, returns, and trade-ins. It’s fair to say the company’s Internet direct sales model, combined with the capability of its bass-making products, figuratively shook things up in the subwoofer market. Now the company has a presence online, in retail, and in the CI channel. That’s why the news here is the company showed its first custom installation-friendly sub at CEDIA.
I stopped by both to see what was new and because I’ve known them all for a long time, but have not seen them for three years due to circumstances beyond all our control. So, first of all, the booth itself is new. Their presence at CEDIA is new (usually we connect at CES in Las Vegas). And the visit paid off because while there was no demo room set up, there was a pair of prime bookshelf speakers and the 3000 In-Wall playing away, making sweet music right out in the open air of the convention hall.
The speaker system was out in the open, in a convention center. So, by no means did I even attempt to judge the overall Fidelity of the system, the noise floor alone prevents it. But a good sub is a good sub, and this svelte in-wall makes its presence known, even in this tough circumstance. According to SVS, it provides a little bit more output than the 3000 Micro that has similar 9-inch drivers.
The SVS 3000 In-Wall subwoofer is all about delivering high-quality bass while taking up minimal space. It costs $1299 and comes with an external 800-watt RMS subwoofer amp that includes a built-in DSP, as well as a crossover and other settings that you can control with the SVS app. It is essentially the same power plant and processing that the 3000 Micro has, just separated so you can put it in a rack and run wires to the sub. The main thing is the new SVS sub goes a step beyond the 3000 Micro’s non-intrusiveness. It disappears almost completely by fitting between standard studs, in a standard depth wall space.
The 3000 In-Wall may not be a big sub, but it is a big deal for custom installers because its compactness allows great flexibility in installation and the SVS name speaks for itself. And if you need more output you can use multiple subs because they’ll all be just about totally hidden.
