Amazingly tight and punchy bass. Plays very loud and very low without the slightest hint of distortion or boominess. Resistant to "bottoming."

Nothing in terms of performance in a moderatley sized room. This is a big and heavy subwoofer compared to the Polk (18" x 21" x 20", 78 lbs. vs. 17.5" x 15" x 19", 45 lbs., respectively).

The SVS PB1-ISD is a MUCH better subwoofer than the Polk PSW450 I previously owned, so much so that I don't really consider them comparable. The PB1 can reach far greater volume levels and play lower than the Polk. This is very noticeable in high budget movies like "The Matrix" or "Apocalypse Now" that contain sound effects that the Polk simply couldn’t produce. For example, thunder from The Matrix sounds well defined and startlingly real with the SVS, with a brief, heart pounding initial clap followed by a rich, reverberating roll; bass that can be felt as well as heard. The PSW450 could produce the rolling portion (albeit at a lower volume level) but the initial clap was completely missing. What I’m most thrilled about, though, is the fantastic accuracy and tightness the PB1 exhibits. Bass drums sound punchy and quick with this subwoofer even at remarkably high volume levels. The PSW450 was anemic by comparison; I always had to turn up my front main speakers to get more punch and eliminate boominess. No more! Every slap of a well produced bass or tom-tom drum, of which there are plenty of in, for example, Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” from the Brothers in Arms album, comes through as clean and tight as I’ve ever heard. Furthermore, I have not yet heard the PB1 bottom out. The PSW450 bottomed out several times while I owned it, even though I drive the SVS much harder than I did the Polk. However, if you play movies/music very loud in a large room (4000 cubic feet and up) you might need a more powerful subwoofer than the PB1 to avoid this problem. No doubt there are other subwoofers that sound as good as or better than this one, but they will most likely cost a lot more. Based on what I've read, the only other subs that approach the SVSs in terms of price to performance ratio are the Hsu subs. While I’ve never had the pleasure of auditioning either, the Hsu STF-3 or VTF-3 should offer about the same performance for approximately the same price. The bottom line: if you are considering a sub in the $500-$700 (and up) price range it would be a huge mistake to ignore this one!

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Polk Audio PSW450

Fast, accurate, tight, and very responsive bass. Hits very low frequencies. Seamless integration.

None at all!

I purchased the Velodyne SPL 1200 before purchasing the PB1-ISD. Although I was pretty content with my Velo, I wanted to give SVS a shot. After reading numerous positive reviews and postings on different HT forums, I wanted to see what the hype was all about. Before this review gets all long winded like others, lets just say this sub is AMAZING! I am a die hard Velodyne fan, but I have to give credit where credit is due! This thing only pushes 320 watts, but yet it can stand it's own against my SPL 1200. It's hard for me to say which one is better, but if you go by just price, I'd have to go with the PB1! I will be running both subs with my setup.

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Velodyne SPL 1200

Seamless integration Very clean and accurate bass Just as powerful as subs that push 1,000 watts plus

None at all!

I am quite happy with my purchase of this sub. It has definitely made Home Theater much more exciting to experience in my home. My kids and wife feel as though they are in a movie theater. This sub from SVS has completed my current HT setup. I am running the Denon 4082, and the Denon DVD 9000. I have the B&W 703's for my mains and my surrounds. I can now say that I now have the ULTIMATE setup!

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I auditioned some of the Velodyne high end and entry level subs.

Clean bass Very powerful Nice looking enclosure Easy to integrate into your setup

Doesn't have any so far! I'll report back if any come up.

I was a little hesitant in purchasing a sub that is only offered on the internet. But after doing thorough research, and going back and forth with e-mails to Ron S. (co-founder) it became a no brainer. This sub ROCKS! What is impressive is that it's under $1,000!!!! The reason I say this is because a buddy of mine purchased a high end sub for around $2,000, and he stated that my PB1 sounds just as good as his! Now that is a compliment! One thing to keep in mind is that you get 45 days to figure out if it's worth it or not. I figured it out in 1 day!

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HSU VTF3

Good clean bass for music and movies Nice looking enclosure Built in the US! Low to NO distortion at high volume Easy setup

NONE so far!

I've had this sub for around 6 months or so. This thinng is AWESOME! I listen two music 50% of the time, and the other 50% I watch alot of sci-fi movies. At first I didn't think a sub under 500 watts could make things move in my room, but was I wrong! The bass from this sub is so deep and strong it makes me queesy. Long story short, I am completely happy with this investment!

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Pinnacle Sub 600

Pretty good boom for the buck

Falls a little bit short of some other offerings in the price range. Most notably, Hsu STF-3 and VTF-3.

This sub is not as good sounding, not as loud or clean, not as good looking, and does not have as many nifty features as the VTF-3 from Hsu Research. For the price, it is decent, although not as attractive a package as Hsu's STF-3. Some explanations for these findings are very clear. The Hsu has more amp power and more porting that helps it get louder; The Hsu has perhaps a better quality driver with 20 pound magnet that helps it sound better; The Hsu has ability to tune lower than 20Hz, that helps it have more features; The Hsu has a smoothed out Ascend-type finish that helps it look better.

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Hsu VTF-3 Paradigm PW2200 Velodyne CHT-15

Low end bass, mid bass, musicality, movies....5 stars in every category!

None!

I'll keep this short and conscise: I have five other friends that agreed to purchase five other reputable subwoofers. These are the subwoofers they chose: Wharfedale PC DX12 Velodyne SPL 1200 HSU VTF-3 MKII Intimus S-12 Infinity Alpha 1200S SV PB1-ISD (Initially tested by me.) We all tested each of our subs with the same music CD's as weel as the same DVD's. We tested them of course at various volume levels. We rated each of our subs in different categories in music and in movies. The best rating in each category is 5 stars. At the end of our testing, these were the results: Wharfedale PC DX12: 3.5 Stars Velodyne SPL 1200: 4.0 Stars HSU VTF-3 MKII: 4.0 Stars Intimus S-12: 3.25 Stars Infinity Alpha 1200S: 3.5 Stars SV PB1-ISD: 5.0 Stars So basically each of us tested all five of these subs. Take it for what it's worth, but we all had the same opinion about the SV PB1-ISD. Clean, deep, punchy, accurate, and just very well rounded bass!!! Not only did it blend in seamleslly with each of our different gear, but it complimented and brought us to a different level of audio and movie listening. All 5 of us sent e-mails to all of these subwoofer companies. The only company that was very responsive was SV. Mind you we didn't get a response from just anyone, we got responses from the founders (Ron S. & Tom V.). Now that is quality service! Never did they talk down or bad mouth the competition. Everything stated by Ron & Tom was backed up with reviews that are readily accessible to the public. We did receive responses from others, including HSU and Wharfedale, but most of their comments were more biased rather than factual. On that note most of the other companies would bash or bad mouth the others without really justifying how they were better. SV was the only company that maintained class! In conclusion, the SV PB1-ISD is the subwoofer of choice! If you are on the market for a subwoofer, look no further! Dollar for dollar, nothing even comes close! I have a feeling the $599 price point will be going up pretty soon. Everyone that I refer over to SV tells me that they are out of stock. That alone tells you how good the sub is!

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Wharfedale PC DX12 Velodyne SPL 1200 HSU VTF-3 MKII Intimus S-12 Infinity Alpha 1200S

Clean and tight output. Not boomy. Blends into my system very well.

None found yet.

This is my first sub. I bought it to enhance the very low bass content from DVDA, SACD and 5.1 sources, because my main speakers have 12inch woofs that do a pretty good job on their own. I have my system set up so that I get LFE from my mains and the sub (I set the crossover at 60hz thru my AV amp). This sub has not disappointed. It blends seamlessly into my system, and really fills in the deep end nicely. Even if I raise the crossover (100 or 120hz), the upper end does not get boomy, low end remains tight, and output seems to be rather flat across the freq range. This is good sub. I’ve lost a couple of ashtrays and knickknacks because they’ve vibrated off of shelves. Buy it, you won’t be disappointed.

Blends without overpowering other "effects" Strong, tight, accurate, (non-boomy) Bass! Size (looks very intimidating to other subs!) Very solid composite cabinet(repels fingerprints)

If I find one I will report back later!

This is an amazing sub. It blends so well with the other speakers that you forget that all the LFE is actually coming from only the subwoofer. I upgraded from a PV-600, which I felt was a great sub for it's size and price, and the PB1-ISD adds much more punch especially at lower end mhz range. Bass is very tight and accurate but the seamless integration with other speakers is what impresses me the most.

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Boston Acoustics PV-600