SVS earned its stripes over the years with its wide range of subwoofers designed for your home theater room or listening space. The company has a strong track record of offering well designed products that offer a very high level of performance and excellent value for the money.
That’s why we were excited to learn of SVS’ In-Wall Subwoofer plans at CES 2022. Now over a year later the subwoofer for the custom installation market is finally available, albeit for more money than we previously reported; $1,999 instead of $1,299.
What is an in-wall Subwoofer?
An in-wall subwoofer is a type of subwoofer that is designed to be mounted into a wall or ceiling, often in a home theater or audio system setup. Unlike traditional subwoofers that are standalone units placed on the floor or mounted on stands, in-wall subwoofers are installed directly into the wall, making them less visible and taking up less floor space.
In-wall subwoofers can provide a more integrated and streamlined look to a home audio system, while still delivering powerful bass and low-frequency sound. They typically consist of a speaker driver mounted in a specially designed enclosure that is fitted into a cutout in the wall, and they are often powered by an external amplifier.
However, the installation process can be more complex than with traditional standalone subwoofers, and the sound quality may be affected by the characteristics of the wall or ceiling where the subwoofer is installed.
Is SVS right for you?
SVS 3000 In-Wall Subwoofer is actually a two piece system, and it requires a smartphone (not included) to configure it. The in-wall subwoofer section features dual 9-inch drivers, which are accompanied by an external 800-watt RMS amplifier with built-in DSP and crossover controls — all controlled by the SVS app.
The subwoofer fits neatly between 16-inch wall studs, but the amp itself does not go into the wall. A magnetic grille snaps over the woofer drivers to complete a sleek look. Plus it can be painted over while still maintaining its acoustic transparency.
We were told part of the delay had to due with the grille rattling or even falling off. So SVS stiffened the baffle with aircraft grade aluminum and industrial-grade magnets to keep it in place. In addition, reinforced internal bracing ensures the sealed cabinet remains acoustically inert, even as the dual active 9-in high-excursion drivers are being driven to extreme levels.
SVS says they’ve spared no expense creating their first architectural subwoofer, even going so far as suggesting its low-frequency performance should be on par with their traditional cabinet subwoofers. Output is optimized to achieve accurate frequency response even when pushed to extreme playback levels.
The SVS 3000 In-wall arrives after years of research and benefits from trickle down subwoofer technology from SVS’ flagship 16-Ultra Series, 4000 Series, 3000 Series, and 2000 Pro Series subwoofers – recipients of nearly every industry award from 2017-2021 respectively, including the CES Innovations Award for High Performance Audio and the Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) Best Home Theater Subwoofer award for the past four years.
SVS designed a unique version of its award-winning Sledge amplifier platform for this application. Conservatively rated at 800-watts RMS, 2,500-watts peak power, the amplifier combines the high-current output of discrete MOSFETs with Class D efficiency and the processing power of an Analog Devices DSP. SVS claims this design effortlessly produces sustained high-current output for the most difficult low frequency playback without clipping or bottoming out. Further adding, that you’ll hear convincing, high-impact audio without a trace of distortion.
The 2U rack mount amplifier also provides integrators with unprecedented versatility. For most installations, a single amplifier can be set up to output the full 800 watts to a single subwoofer. For those seeking a truly over-the-top low frequency experience or looking to fill a large listening area, a single amplifier can also be configured to supply 400 watts to dual SVS 3000 in-wall subwoofers. The 3000 In-Wall subwoofer can be tuned and controlled via the amplifier’s front panel interface with its LED display feedback, or the user friendly SVS subwoofer control and DSP management smartphone app.
Harnessing the massive power of the Sledge amplifier is a 50 MHz Analog Devices Audio DSP with 56-bit filtering, the most sophisticated DSP engine available in a home audio subwoofer amplifier. The abundant processing power maintains pristine sound quality that is faithful to the source material through advanced in-room tuning, optimized frequency response curves, powerful DSP controls and more.
The 3000 In-Wall also features convenient control and custom presets via the SVS subwoofer DSP smartphone app for Apple, Android, and Amazon devices. The SVS subwoofer app is the most sophisticated way for installers to set and control volume, adjust crossover frequencies, set the three-band parametric EQ, polarity, room gain and more, all from the listening position. Bi-directional feedback shows the adjustments in real time on both the app and the front panel amplifier interface.
Integrators can also program custom presets optimized for music, movies, gaming, and more for one-touch selection between listening modes. Multiple standby and wake-up modes allow for seamless integration into a wider AV system. Bluetooth connectivity allows full control, even when the subwoofer is out of sight.
Installation of the 3000 In-Wall is simple for both retrofit and new construction. A template is provided for precise cutout of the mounting hole, and the sealed-box design allows for simple and fast installation using dog-leg clamps. When installation is up against a stud, the enclosure uses screw holes for direct mounting to the stud. An optional pre-construction kit with template is available for new construction. Once installed, the resonance-free enclosure ensures pristine low frequency output with vanishingly low distortion.
“The 3000 In-Wall subwoofer has been in development for quite some time from SVS because our engineers were never content with anything less than reference performance for this important category,” said Gary Yacoubian, SVS President.
“An architectural subwoofer that delivers truly breathtaking output with astonishing depth and accuracy, plus sophisticated tuning and control is a first. No more compromises for clients who want reference quality bass without taking up floorspace. Plus, it’s easy to install in any room and provides unmatched versatility.”
Price & Availability
The SVS 3000 In-Wall subwoofer is now available for order at svsound.com.
- $1,999.99 for a single subwoofer and amplifier.
- $2,999.99 for dual subwoofers and amplifier.
Related reading: Affordable Subwoofer Shootout: SVS, REL, ELAC, and Monoprice
Mike
February 12, 2022 at 7:03 pm
My neighbors would really love that.
Ian White
February 12, 2022 at 9:50 pm
Mike,
I’ve heard/felt other in-wall subwoofers and the impact was quite impressive. They are not for apartment dwellers.
My wife told me that she would bury me in the box if I ever took on that kind of review assignment.
Ian White