# SVSound SB13 Ultra



## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

*SVS SB13 Ultra*








*Read the full review here*


*Manufacturer Specs:*


*Spoiler* 





Subwoofer Specs:

Cabinet Dims: 17.4" (H) x 17.4" (W) x 17.4"(D)
Overall Dims: 17.9" (H) x 17.4" (W) x 20.4"(D)(includes feet, grille, amplifier)
Weight: 92 pounds
Rigid and braced MDF cabinet
Piano gloss black and real black oak veneer finish options
Front-firing driver
Protective non-resonant steel mesh grille

Driver Specs:

SVS 13.5” high-performance Ultra driver optimized for sealed applications
SVS custom-tooled die-cast aluminum basket 
Flat-wire, 3” diameter, high-power, high-temp, 8-layer, aluminum voice coil - unique to SB13-Ultra
Polyimide impregnated fiberglass former/bobbin
Dual 9", composite layered, linear roll, extreme excursion spiders
Integrated tinsel leads
Nickel-plated high-tension spring terminals
Proprietary injection molded gasket and parabolic SBR extreme-excursion surround
Composite pulp/fiberglass press layered cone with stitched surround
Low carbon 1008 steel components, electrophoresis black plating
FEA-optimized overhung motor structure with custom gap extension plate enhances force/displacement symmetry, lower distortion and increases linear stroke
Copper shorting sleeve reduces gap induction and distortion, and enhances thermal conductivity
Dual Genox 8H/Y-35 high grade ferrite magnets
Oversized pole vent for greater cooling and low noise

Amp Specs:

STA-1000D Sledge with 1000 watts RMS continuous power (3600 watts peak dynamic power)
High efficiency cool-running Class D switching topology
Detachable power cord with main power switch and ceramic fuse
RoHS compliant, lead-free construction and world-wide safety certifications
Auto-On / On switch with "green" standby mode
Stereo line-level RCA and balanced (XLR) I/O connections
Normal and Hi input voltage switch
Customized EQ and DSP limiter settings specifically for the SB13-Ultra
Fully adjustable (frequency and slope) phase-correct speaker/sub digital crossover 
Intelligent Feature Control (IFC) with bright LCD display
Two (2) digital PEQs with adjustable frequency, cut/boost, and Q values
Room gain compensation control with adjustable frequency and slope
Adjustable digital delay on main speaker line-level outputs to time-align the speakers and subs





*Manufacturers Published Measurements*










*HTS Results*

*Setup Images*



























*Frequency Response* 

*Manufacturer Match*









*Sub Zone Methodology*









*Max Output Before Compression* 










*Spectral Decay*










*Group Delay*










*Waterfall*










*Spectrogram*










*Harmonic Distortion*











*Click the Spoiler button for the REW notes from each individual frequency*


*Spoiler* 




*32 Hz*
65536-point spectrum using Rectangular window and no averaging
Input RMS 107.0 dB
Distortion at 32.1 Hz, -5.3 dB FS based on 8 harmonics:
THD 8.3285 %
THD+N 17.5815 %
2nd harmonic 5.6322%
3rd harmonic 5.9698%
4th harmonic 0.8301%
5th harmonic 0.6636%
6th harmonic 0.4609%
7th harmonic 0.5437%
8th harmonic 0.4142%
9th harmonic 0.4405%

*40 Hz*
65536-point spectrum using Rectangular window and no averaging
Input RMS 108.2 dB
Distortion at 39.9 Hz, -4.4 dB FS based on 8 harmonics:
THD 5.8492 %
THD+N 33.4584 %
2nd harmonic 3.6352%
3rd harmonic 2.3755%
4th harmonic 2.2460%
5th harmonic 2.1495%
6th harmonic 1.5320%
7th harmonic 1.2049%
8th harmonic 1.0857%
9th harmonic 0.8442%

*50 Hz*
65536-point spectrum using Rectangular window and no averaging
Input RMS 107.9 dB
Distortion at 49.9 Hz, -4.3 dB FS based on 8 harmonics:
THD 1.9054 %
THD+N 7.3711 %
2nd harmonic 1.2633%
3rd harmonic 1.1979%
4th harmonic 0.5060%
5th harmonic 0.3659%
6th harmonic 0.2960%
7th harmonic 0.2151%
8th harmonic 0.1966%
9th harmonic 0.1933%

*63 Hz*
65536-point spectrum using Rectangular window and no averaging
Input RMS 107.9 dB
Distortion at 63.1 Hz, -4.3 dB FS based on 8 harmonics:
THD 1.8390 %
THD+N 9.5475 %
2nd harmonic 1.0654%
3rd harmonic 1.3481%
4th harmonic 0.4337%
5th harmonic 0.3346%
6th harmonic 0.2083%
7th harmonic 0.1900%
8th harmonic 0.1538%
9th harmonic 0.1619%

*70 Hz*
65536-point spectrum using Rectangular window and no averaging
Input RMS 108.0 dB
Distortion at 70.0 Hz, -4.2 dB FS based on 8 harmonics:
THD 1.6726 %
THD+N 11.5492 %
2nd harmonic 0.9928%
3rd harmonic 1.3247%
4th harmonic 0.1420%
5th harmonic 0.1762%
6th harmonic 0.0115%
7th harmonic 0.0669%
8th harmonic 0.0326%
9th harmonic 0.0135%

*80 Hz*
65536-point spectrum using Rectangular window and no averaging
Input RMS 107.9 dB
Distortion at 80.1 Hz, -4.4 dB FS based on 8 harmonics:
THD 2.1694 %
THD+N 18.9441 %
2nd harmonic 1.2177%
3rd harmonic 0.8941%
4th harmonic 0.6427%
5th harmonic 0.8876%
6th harmonic 0.5434%
7th harmonic 0.6853%
8th harmonic 0.4279%
9th harmonic 0.5244%


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## acoustat6 (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Dale, Nice attempt to measure this woofer. But I unfortunately have to say I don't believe that your measurements are correct. I use REW and have a bit of experience measuring speakers and I am quite suspect at the Freq response and the waterfall do not look realistic at all. Way too flat and smooth.

Bob


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Hi Bob, I appreciate your feedback. There are plenty of variables that could lead to the smoothness of a response for instance; I am not sure what type of mic and pre-amp you are using and also do not know what type of testing environment you used. I am also unsure of which response you are referring. The response in my results are less smooth than the one that SVS has listed on their own site which is the very first graph listed.


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## acoustat6 (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Dale, "There are plenty of variables that could lead to the smoothness of a response for instance"

You got that right. But looking at the other freq response that you posted, they all look wrong/incorrect/impossible. Sorry thats the way I see it.

Bob
PHP143

"Make progress, not excuses"
Sorry had to borrow that tag line


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## acoustat6 (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Dale, thanks again for you effort, are you able to post the mdat? 

Thanks,
Bob


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## acoustat6 (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Dale, Aso,how about measuring and posting graphs according to the accepted and standard REW graph "standards". IE measure at 75db and post the graphs with the standard 45-105db and 20 to 200hz.

Thanks 
Bob


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

The responses look very similar to all the other responses I see for outdoor sub measuring, including what Ilkka did and what Josh is doing. They are far from "impossible".

Granted we probably do need some consistency for the graph settings.

VERTICAL = 45dB-105dB
HORIZONTAL = 15Hz-200Hz.

This is the standard for helping others with their home response in the REW Forum. That is not feasible for all of the testing measurements here, but we could easily include one for comparison, yet I would recommend 10Hz-200Hz, because there are many viewers who want to see the lower end.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

That is something I had not considered Sonnie and given that the SB13 has a response up to 460z, I should have kept in mind that the methodology calls for up to 200Hz. I will get that graph posted shortly with better explanation. I will also ensure that they all match going forward and that one offs, such as the 460Hz, are spelled out.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

You could post two graphs on the odd ones, one at 200Hz and another showing the higher response.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Alright, I uploaded the images using 10Hz-200Hz versus the 10Hz-500Hz for the FR, Group Delay, Spectral Decay and Waterfall. These are probably more like what you are used to seeing Bob and should be much more consistent with the other subs that were tested.


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## below20hz (Feb 7, 2010)

Dale I've been perusing the Sub Zone forum and it's off to a great start. Also, you clearly have some understanding neighbors! :bigsmile:


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Thanks Ethan, all neighbors need for motivation is barbecue so I just make sure they stay fed!


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## atledreier (Mar 2, 2007)

Why doesn't the spectral decay '0' time match the steady state measurements?


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Hi Maverick, thanks for the question. What you may be seeing is the noise floor. I have updated the graph capturing 70db to 105db. My regret on this first series of tests is not taking a proper steady state measurement to account for noise below 65db. Wind could have also been a contributing factor as well. Does this help answer your question?


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## atledreier (Mar 2, 2007)

Ah, I see what it is! The decay graph has a linear frequency axis!


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Did the second graph help at all?


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## atledreier (Mar 2, 2007)

You can see it clearly, but it's not directly comparable to the steady state since the frequency axis is different. If you still have the data for it, please post a decay with a logarithmic frequency axis, then the '0' time should match the steady state pretty good. Makes it a bit easier to read and compare, is all. 

great effort so far, keep it up!


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## snowmanick (Oct 16, 2007)

Hi Dale,

Nice review, it's great seeing more objective testing. 

Question, am I reading the compression graph right, it doesn't look like the SB13 really compresses so much as it just stops getting louder. Is the limiter that effective or was the graph just showing before compression starts kicking in?

Or is it that its late and I should go to bed and stop reading reviews on subs? :doh:

SVS did really good job getting that much bass out of such a small box and keeping the FR so flat. For a small sealed box, at a reasonable price, this thing looks pretty impressive.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Hi Snowmanick, I would have replied sooner but Halo 4 released and that's about all I did yesterday. :T

In response to your question, there are a couple of things that I need to work on with my testing going forward. I do not use the CEA 2010 methodology and, as Erin H pointed out, there is a more complete test that I could be doing for compression. Additionally, this is the point where the volume really stopped increasing for me and not necessarily a demarcation of compression. The following sweep at 5db higher was compressed though. 

Does that help?


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## snowmanick (Oct 16, 2007)

Thanks for the info Dale. :T


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## Tallguy29 (Nov 10, 2012)

Love the review Dale.. Im am looking to pick one or 2 of these up in the next few weeks at least one for now.
Do we have a max tested spl on this sub yet?


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Not yet Dave, but I am aiming to have that later this week!


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## Doctor X (Apr 3, 2007)

Does anyone have an idea how the SB13 Ultra compares to the Paradigm Sub25 in deep bass response?


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Unfortunately nothing hands on. I have received a Sub 2 but that is an entirely different animal all together.


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## Tallguy29 (Nov 10, 2012)

Both of those Paradigms are 3-4x the power output.. and price?, how could they even be compared :dontknow:
But if your talking 2-3 stacked SB13U against the Sub25 for around the same price point.
Or 4 x SB13U against the Sub2 for around some price point <--- I would love to see this battle! 
That sounds fair :gulp:


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## tistru (Oct 29, 2012)

Vaughan100 said:


> Does anyone have an idea how the SB13 Ultra compares to the Paradigm Sub25 in deep bass response?


I appreciate your review Dale and it's one of the most useful out there (this is not directed at you). However, the general lack of comparisons either subjective or objective against other primary competition such as the JL audio F113 or Hsu ULS15 is really disappointing. Look around the web and you'll find little to no owner impressions of this sub after 2 months on the market. The SB13-ultra owners thread on this forum has 0 replies! I created an owners thread on Audioholics hoping to get some discussion from owners and while it's 4 pages long, there is very little in the way of actual impressions. In addition, out of the handful of reviews out there, none has done a full CEA2010 analysis to see maximum output, extension, and distortion. That is important in order to do a fair comparison to other subs using data from other sites. The lack of data and information on this sub is just...irritating.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Hi Tistru, thanks for the feedback. The purpose of our tests are specifically to compare our results to the manufacturer specs. In the methodology I mentioned quite explicitly that 'This is not a ‘shootout’ or any other competition between subwoofer manufacturers.' Each subwoofer has its own strengths and weaknesses. Sub Zone Methodology

We are looking at adding the CEA 2010 testing in the future so stay tuned! 

Thanks again!


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## tistru (Oct 29, 2012)

Thanks Dale. My previous post should have said "This is NOT directed at you"  Sorry about that (I've edited it). No i understand the purpose of your review and my comments were meant to be general. You are entitled to review your products however you like and as I mentioned I found it very useful. I was just pointing out that the general lack of comparisons, shootouts, or just owner impressions out there in the wild was frustrating. That is not to say anything bad about your review or the data you provided


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

No worries, thanks for the correction. It makes much more sense that way as well. I appreciate your input!


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## Tallguy29 (Nov 10, 2012)

tistru said:


> I appreciate your review Dale and it's one of the most useful out there (this is not directed at you). However, the general lack of comparisons either subjective or objective against other primary competition such as the JL audio F113 or Hsu ULS15 is really disappointing. Look around the web and you'll find little to no owner impressions of this sub after 2 months on the market. The SB13-ultra owners thread on this forum has 0 replies! I created an owners thread on Audioholics hoping to get some discussion from owners and while it's 4 pages long, there is very little in the way of actual impressions. In addition, out of the handful of reviews out there, none has done a full CEA2010 analysis to see maximum output, extension, and distortion. That is important in order to do a fair comparison to other subs using data from other sites. The lack of data and information on this sub is just...irritating.


Tistru i agree with you %100 
I also have been irritated for the last month and all i have to go by is Dales great review.
I ended up picking up the SB12-nsd a few weeks ago and the CEA2010 analysis on it showed me everything that i heard from it... And it wasn't near enough or clear enough under 25hz for me.
I will have to upgrade to the SB-ultra this weekend and hopefully a second one next year


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

tistru said:


> I was just pointing out that the general lack of comparisons, shootouts, or just owner impressions out there in the wild was frustrating.


You are correct, this frustration is hobby wide!

Dale is working toward fixing that for us. :T


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## pharoah (Jul 21, 2012)

all the sub tests are outside.so wouldnt any of the subs tested here actually play louder?because i know of no one that has there theater gear outside.


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## Tallguy29 (Nov 10, 2012)

Santa came early this year.. 
It looks like I have a bit of testing and comparing to do with REW on Dual Ultras.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Tallguy29 said:


> Santa came early this year..
> It looks like I have a bit of testing and comparing to do with REW on Dual Ultras.


Now that's what I call a nice gift! Two of those should provide some tight clean base.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Dang autocorrect…bass not base.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Tallguy29 said:


> Santa came early this year..
> It looks like I have a bit of testing and comparing to do with REW on Dual Ultras.


MAN!!!! I wish I had duals... (Lowers head, walks away sulking.)


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## kamiraa (Dec 5, 2012)

I got dual SB12-NSD's in league city, if you want to come and check out the difference. 

I'm considering trading them in for a single SB13 ultra . . . not sure yet, but your results are definitely helping!

I need to figure out how to use REW with my current tools so I can do some A/B


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