PORTED Subwoofer Showdown / Klipsch RP-1600SW vs SVS PB16-Ultra Head to Head!! 

We realized we misspoke about acoustic output after the video was published, and will be addressed in a future video. It takes about 10dB for the human ear to feel as though it's twice as loud. A difference of 3dB is what it takes for a change to be perceived by the human ear. It also takes double the power (all else being equal) to increase the acoustic output by 3dB.

Assuming all testing conditions between the subs are equal, these results are going to raise some eyebrows. The SVS flagship getting beat by a sub equipped with an amp 700 watts RMS less at a price point $1100 more affordable is stunning. If I am SVS watching this I am getting very anxious about market share. The SVS Monday morning managers meeting just got VERY interesting 😳

Thanks for sharing this! I think it would be worthwhile to compare compression testing for both. That will help show the output capabilities of both in your room.

Thanks for spending your time, muscle and treasure sharing this with us Fellas.

Great work fellas, I appreciate all your hard work and objective findings. Be good be safe…BOOM

this is absolutely amazing ...... I love this video the fact you guys actually took the time to get the measurements and give us hard evidence and not like some other reviewers who ain't got no measurements to show and uses grammar to describe math ..gosh ..its annoying ...this video you guys made here is like a blessing .... now do some JTR captivator subwoofers!!

Thanks for the review. Recognizing the limitations of in-room testing I have a few questions about the test method that I didn't hear addressed in your discussion: (1) Is the SVS in extended mode (i.e., 1 port plugged)? It has about 9 dB more output around 15-16 Hz in extended mode than when no ports are plugged; (2) Why did you run the sweeps with an LPF engaged with corner freq set well below 80 Hz? (3) How did you level-match the subs before running the sweeps? You said you set the volume control on each sub to max so okay, but you can't penalize one sub because it's preamp input has lower sensitivity. Ultimately that is compensated for by the RE software in the AVR and has no effect on the max output unless you have a very bad AVR. All across the midrange portion of the sweep your plot shows a consistent offset. This is not because the SVS is inferior in design, it's because you didn't level-match them mid-band before running the sweeps. I'm not questioning whether the Klipsch has more output below 20 Hz, just what the actual difference is. (4) You said you didn't use any equalization. Part of the $1100 price difference is due to the SVS having an app that allows the user to fine tune the response, though it has little ability to boost it below 20 Hz. Just saying that when you harp on the $1100 price difference, you should take into account the features offered in each. (5) Obviously there is more to performance than is revealed by these sweeps. THD, CEA-2010, compression, etc. In spite of all of the above the Klipsch appears to be punching at its weight and above. I just think a more thorough examination of their performance and feature sets needs to be considered.

we are all looking forward to the max spl test/graph , keep up good work

Thank you! I've been looking for a new sub since my old one died. I was going to go with SVS.... until I watch these 2 videos. Sub-20hz is an important factor for me and wow, I'm impressed. Just as I have written off Klipsch (note: I've had the same SF-2 towers for 20+ years), here they are outperforming SVS, the king of home subs. I will say that I would like to see the measurements of the SVS with the Klipsch in the same location the SVS was in during the Klipsch test. Having that massive box in that spot could have effected the room response. Either way, the earlier video with 12" Klipsch showed how much better they performed in your room.

I just found your channel and want to thank you for an up-front review. Planning on one new sub to replace a small pair of JL Audio subs I was using for home theater. I was ready to buy an SVS PB-16 Ultra, but having seen this will go Klipsch. Since both mfgrs have 5 year warranty, this makes the decision a no-brainer. It is very encouraging to hear Klipsch still does serious engineering work and now I am excited to see what a difference this will make. (replacing JL Audio F110s)

Well done video. I thought you were being as unbiased as you could. You seem like cool dudes! That new klipsch looks really impressive for the money. How much headroom do you think each subwoofer had left? We’re they both near their upper (safe) limits? I know you mentioned something about -18 in the video. Just curious how much more output each had. I’d be curious to see some REQ compression sweeps of both, just to kind of see where each started compressing.

that's a ideal test room results real in home use will be different for each ,but close like he said proper setup is key to many are maxing out the sub when it's not needed

Olá, sou do Brasil, pretendo comprar 2 subwoofers para meu sistema, qual das marcas vc indica? Minhas caixas são todas klipsch. Obrigado, por suas informações.

Loved this video!

The curve of the PB16-Ultra oddly looks kind of similar to the RP-1200SW's. It would have been interesting to have it included.

Can you guys compare the new RSL 12" woofer to the Klipsch 12" RP woofer? Would be a cool shootout. Both similarly ported and similar power.

Great video!

Love that Klipsch has stepped up their sub game! Appreciate the real world test - though I am curious about the CES numbers. I expect Klipsch to win handily. I am curious from an overall dB perspective - if the SVS would perform better than it did if the signal sent to it was increased. Similar to how you level match speakers when performing blind tests. Regardless it's very cool that you don't have to do anything to the Klipsch to change the output mode like you do with the SVS, and it's great they're coming in so much cheaper! I'm an SVS fan but also love all the things.

Bravo Klipsch! It be great if you or someone could compare the Klipsch vs the Monolith M15 v2.

WOW! First, thank you for testing these and hauling the heavy svs monster for this. I've been refreshing YT daily for this comparison and you are the first vid doing it. I've been in the market for PB 16 for a couple months now and have been ready to Buy. The cash has been burning a hole in my pocket lol. Then Klipsch made the announcement and showed these but on paper it was like eh that's cool but not as powerful. I needed to hear some real world comparison. Now my its like ok do I want the PB 16 for the App feature or do I go with the RP 1600 at cheaper price, better performance but with the "old School" knobs lol. Now I'm curious to Klipsch's top secrete "Beast" sub they are still working on.

whats the conclusion? whos the winner?

Huge Klipsch fan here!

I'd be curious about some actual ground field CEA 2010 measurements. Some sweeps in a room don't mean all too much

Just found this channel, do more comparisons between svs and klipsch subs and you will blow up for sure, i subribed only because i want to se more comparisons between theese, and alot of people are eager to see more tests like pb4000 and rp4000 etc and also max output etc

Finally others who are witnessing this! I did SPL-150 vs pb16 ultra comparison myself in my room but no one would believe my measurements. It wasn’t like this though goodness it really killed it! 😁 People are to caught up in watts but it’s not all about watts ..

Great video

Picked up 2 RP 1400SW's to replace my Monolith m-12's they are so good! M-12's got moved to the rear of the room.

Very good comparison. New sub here! I'm curious as to how the SVS SB-4000 compares. On paper it goes down to 16Hz but I've seen folks go down to 8Hz with em.

Have you listened to the RSL Speedwoofer 12S? 16hz to 250hz anechoic.

Enjoyed seeing this! However, there was a comment or two about the apps offered by SVS. I can add that the larger Martin Logan Dynamo series have a BIG advantage with their app using Anthem Room Correction. I would LOVE to see how my Dynamo 1600X would stack up here. .....and, I am a Klipsch owner! Klipschorns in the stable for 14 years, RP-280-F towers and 600M stand mounts currently.

Port chuffing is more common with circular ports. The horizontal slot works better, as it does with the Arendal subs.

Really keen to see the SP-1400 results

2 things: 1) in wich portmode did the SVS run in? 2) you have to max each sub out to compare what they can perform..... it isnt enough to play loud and compare frequency responce., run each sub and raise 1 db at a time until each sub reaches maximum performance spl between lets say 14hz to 80hz, only then will we know wich one can achieve more spl .

Was the PB-16 tested with all ports open or in extended mode?

Sound demo please i wanna hear movies and blues music and jazz through these klipsch subs..

So my takeaway here is that the RP-1200SW is basically approaching SVS Ultra levels of output. For under half of the price. You could buy two 1200's for the cost of one SVS. For a home theater, I dunno, words like "slam dunk" want to creep into my vocabulary. Bravo, Klipsch. SVS probably still has some benefits, like full tuning and DSP remotely from the couch, as well as a parametric EQ in the box itself, and possibly fit and finish and materials quality. Also, of course, which sub out of all of these that's the most controlled and musical for people who want to play tunes as well as listen to explosions. I was on the verge of pulling the trigger on an SB 2000 Pro (going to Ultra money is just not warranted for my needs) but now I'm really leaning towards the Klipsch. Only downside I can see is more size and weight, and you don't get that nifty Bluetooth app control which I would really prefer. But giving up a lot of performance for a similar price... eeh.

Interesting! But I've already seen a discussion about power and SPL difference in those subs. Also, I'd be very interested in tests of SVS and Klipsch with Arendal subs (Arendal 1723 1/2s and 1/2v).

Please do a comparison between the rp 1000sw and the svs sb 3000

Id love to see this Klipsch vs some of the PSA offerings.

This was so surprising to see. Could you do a comparison between the Klipsch RP-1400SW & SVS PB16-Ultra?

I would have liked to see demos of each for comparison as well

I have all Klipsch RP speakers in my ATMOS home theater and my Sub was an RP 1200 along with an SPL 150. Yesterday I received my SVS 16 Ultra and replaced my SPL 150 with it. The difference is night and day. I am so happy with the SVS. I had looked at the RP1600, but the reviews were littered with comments about people expecting more and saying that the smaller Subs outperformed it, so I took a chance on SVS and couldn't be happier. Very informative and interesting video.

I got an Klipsch SPL-150 in yesterday evening, and after testing it, boxed it back up to ship back this morning....Many love to hate the Cerwin Vega XLS 12 and 15 units but reality they simply outperform most of the subs around or above their price point..You'll have to spend big money to get better bass output.. I had an old Cerwin Vega XLS 12 box with a bad amp and blown driver and replaced the amp with a Dayton audio SPA 250 and an American Bass subwoofer and it destroyed the Klipsch..This same set up with my fan cooled 845 RMS outboard amp driving it is really impressive and will make you forget about most of these subs with their weak underpowered plate amps...It' is what it is....The 15 inch XLS is even better...

You need to redo this comparison with the SVS in EXTENDED mode, where is it has higher output...

did someone noticed, the cone of the SVS did not move at all during the sweep, why? it sure moves on the Klipsch

And how the response Klipsch is more woberling bass.I swapped my R115sw for a PB 4000 and that's a huge difference in terms of control, it looks Klipsch old.

I just ordered two.. I'll get back to you sooon

I have dual pb16 ultras. Is it worth selling them for 2 of the klipsch? I could probably work it out to not be out of pocket much. Will you be selling your svs?

Please use a microphone 🙏🏼

Well I am sure loving my RP-1200sw. So much so that I am getting another one lol. This new RP line of subs from Klipsch are honestly great value. There are better subs of course, but you will pay $1000+ more to get there.

Ok wait you guys tested in the max volume?

I wouldn't mind seeing the Definitive Technology DN15 added to this shootout.

Will you make head to head in regards to maximum output? Unless it is maximum, then my bad.

The PB-16 doing a lot worse than the SB-16? You really don't think there's something wrong?

The previous problem with Klipsch Sub AMP longevity has yet to be determined. If these new Klipsch sub-amps don't get a reputation for failing early then I might replace the SVS-4000SB with the 16" sealed Klipsch Sub for my LaScala's. Time will tell and it's way too early to talk about longevity. fyi- Both Klipsch and SVS have a 5 year warranty period.

Home theater needs to reach 5-10hz with control today. Tactile lows wasn't as recognized, or desired back when the PB-16 was designed.

I would say look at the CEA 2010 results for both, as they look different.

Such a cool video!

Have the Klipsch r 115SW ist`s a Monster of Bass😳😳

Klipsch is hitting it out of the park with the subwoofers.

This is supposed to be an audio review video, yet they can’t get the video audio sorted. Use a mic or something. All I heard in the introduction was Charlie Brown-“wah wah wah, wah wah, wah wah wah wah….”

Need some mics, very hard to hear you guys.

Compared svs pb 16 ultra and klipsch rp 1600 sw.😂😂😂....not getting an idea about ,Hw do they choose it for comparison!!800 watts amp & 1500 watts amp!! !!

I listened to svs sb3000 and was not impressed at all. It seems a bit like an advertising product to me. The data here also shows this. I was interested in svs sb 4000, but I think I will order one rp 1600 this weekend.

How can you guys draw this conclusion with base response sweeps? Just because the Klipsch might have more extension on a base response sweep doesn't mean it's overall the better choice. The Klipsch might hit compression taking another measurement just couple DB higher. So unless you actually compression tested both subs and compared the results, this video doesn't prove anything.

PLEASE stop spamming the contact info. It is distracting. Otherwise great review! I am on the fence between the Klipsch or the SVS SB-16 Is the RP-1600 really better? It seems so but all the fanfare makes me want to go SVS.....

In Germany it's 1599€ Klipsch vs 3599€ SVS. So absolutely no comparison anymore

🤕 that cut deep, but idk if louder means better?

Would love to run those subs but they’re too deep for my taste…would rather they would be higher

Svs pb. Hand down. Buid, power, output, warranty, service, quality. Spec and reseach is out there. Audio holics. And many reputable reviewers has the PB 16 ultra on top. Truth be told!!😊

Biggest thing that seems odd to me is that you seem to admit that you just cranked the gain all the way up and let them rip. First of all, the gain stage on SVS vs Klipsch is wildly different, at one point there were subs from each company where the Klipsch was literally like 2.5 times hotter. When you do this test this hot, you also don't know if / when the limiters are kicking on. At some point you may or may not be measuring the differences in the limiters, plus you're skipping the extended mode and only testing standard, which is going to change the frequency response in the DSP. Also those 10-12 db differences on the right side of the graph are a little odd, there shouldn't be that much of a difference in nulls due to room modes. Something else is going on.

I actually am not liking my SVS’s. I prefer the boomy bass of a klipsch. Would these 16s give me that bass that I like?!😊

I wish you guys had fully tested the ultras, you get much different results if you plug one or more of the ports and I have heard both. I do not like klipsch because the tend to sound more muddy than ultras which even on the low end have a snap to them. I feel the SVS with all the features vs klipsch. You talked about port noise in SVS? What! You got a totally fault svs speaker. SVS moves more air on any day and does so cleaner than the Klipsch and then there is the features that Klpsch lacks. I am going to have to disagree with you two on this from listening to both and also many many other reviews that disagree with you. The fact that you are stressing about not being bias so much is questionable.

okay so the sealed klipsch extends deeper below 20Hz (debatable how much that matters), but this didn't test max output. I agree the PB16 is a bad deal though, and they chuff like crazy.

To be such big audio guys you’d think they would at least mic themselves up to make a decent video

Svs need to seriously work on their port chuffing issues,for a top of the line pb16 its unnacceptable,esp when competition has moved fwd so much...

Now all the SVS owners who said klipsch subs are still garbage will think again. LOL

SVS has pushed innovative technologies in their other products while forgetting their flagship subs. You’ve got to ask whether the app is worth $1100 or $2200 for a dual setup. Well done Klipsch! This should cause an immediate sense of urgency within the halls of SVS. Haw can they sell anything in the 3000, 4000 or 16 product lines at this point without very careful consideration by the consumer?

What the point of this test? You have both subs in the same room and you don´t do a proper test ( both subs sets at same db level and maximum output). It looks like the goal of this test is to show Klipsch is better than PB16. They only prove that Klipsch speaker is more sensitive.

Wow so the Klipsch subwoofer is powerful wow

SVS PB16- win ?

I must say you're very biased in this video, and somehow your testing numbers don't add up to other reviewers, CEA-2010 measuments etc., when it comes to the PB16-Ultra. Consider this... You measured the SB16-Ultra output at 20hz to be approximately 107dB. These are your figures. That number appears legit, and is inline with what other reviewers have shown. However, you show the PB16-Ultra to be outputting only 110dB at 20hz. Only 3dB more? 🤔 Other reviewers and those who know their subwoofers know the measured differential between the SB and PB Ultra at 20hz is approximately 13dB. Your PB16-Ultra results are 10dB down at 20hz from where they should be considering your own measurements with the SB16-Ultra. 10dB! That would put the PB16-Ultra putting out 120dB at 20hz. Care to explain? All things being objective & equal you know. 😯

I love Klipsch subs but NOT great looking especially the copper looks boring We need option to match our heritage lines come on Klipsch you can do better than this SVS looks gorgeous especially 4000 and 1600 series with dedicated apps

Naaa.. klipsch publicity!! 😂😂

Food for thought. Klipsch advertises the max acoustic output for the 1600SW at 125.5dB. Now they aren't very forthcoming about where within the subs frequency response that measurement was taken, but it'd be a safe bet to put it kind of high up in the limited 14.5-175hz range. Now Audio Advice, bless there little tester hearts, has measured the max acoustic output of the PB16-Ultra at 30hz to be 137dB. Wow! A full 11.5dB louder than the 1600SW, and these aren't my numbers. So, again why are your figures off by so much? Why are you speaking so negatively about a product that you, by your own admittance, didn't even fully test? 🤨

No app klipsch........?🤦‍♂️

Well Audioholics CEA-2010 test results for the RP-1600SW are in. 😮 They show the PB16-Ultra having around 4dB more output in every frequency tested. So much for this biased video. 🥚 Check it out for yourself. Just caught it for myself this time. You said, "Used to be a dealer for SVS." Past tense. Why no longer? You two come across like disgruntled dealers. Sad 😔

CEA2010

SVS has one of the worst price to perform ratios out there. You're paying for all that marketing, free shipping(both ways) and all the other little bells and whistles SVS has. There are much better subs on the market, for less money.

The svs driver is far superior to the klipsch driver. The klipsch drivers are cheap.

well i cant comment on the pb16 however i recently just sold BOTH of my pb1k pro and my SB16 ultra. prior to owning all my svs subs i had dual synergy sub12. the svs pb1k pros were cleaner then the synergy but the synergy just shook the house a lot more granted they were down firing. but after running the pb1ks i wanted more so grabbed the sb16u that was a big mistake. it was clean but damn did it lack the output being sealed that i was looking for. so sold the pb1ks sold the sb16u and now im running the rp1600sw with a spl150 (temporary picked up dirt cheap but selling and grabbing another rp16) but my single rp1600 is hands down the most boom ive had yet even with dual woofers its just over kill. cranked the gain to 11 on sub and with my avr yamaha aventage rxa 2080 on volume 7.... yes 7 !!! and it being set to standard as in 1 is the lowest 85 being max... 7 is about as loud as me clicking on my keyboard at the moment. in my roughtly 600 sqft open floor plan living room kitchen area dishes in my cabinet 30 feet away were shaking. pictures on the walls are all crooked. the output is drastically more than any of my svs subs cranked all the way up especially at this volume.

You reduced from 16db from the klipsche to 18db on svs....even the tone is noted in volume reduction 😅😂 and clearly on the screen

Sound quality is horrible

SVS is outdated big time. And its hugely disrespectful of SVS to keep increasing the price of their subs. SVS came out on Nov 1st, 2016. It was $2500 on launch. Now, its $2900. Canadian prices are even worse. Canadian SVS sub prices are OUT OF CONTROL. PB16 ultra in canada is $4900. If you convert the USD of 2900 by 1.35 (the current exchange rate) that only comes to 3900. But SVS is charing 4900 in Canada. $1000 more. SVS subwoofer should be so heavily discounted, it should almost be free. Look at any other speaker thats been on the market for 7 years+. I'll give 3 examples: Look how heavily discounted the KEF R series is right now, now that the new R META line came out. Look how discounted the RP line of klipsch is now that RP-mark 2 came out. Look how discounted the B&W 700 series S2 is now that S3 came out. The disrespect of SVS to not only 1) NOT discount a product thats been out for 7 years and to 2) keep increasing the price is just pure consumer disrespect. Yeah the pb16 ultra was cool 7 years ago, not now. And if the Klipsch wins after 7 years, GOOD - it should. Its 7 years of R&D time later. SVS should have had a new sub released LONG TIME AGO. Instead, they've been slacking hard while collecting the huge profit margins from their old products.

So much wrong with this my pb300 easily hit over 110db, not a shot in hell thats peak output from the pb16. Why dont you disclose setup and gain levels, let alone show them? This whole video is a lie.

very bad muffled mikes

The SVS no match.

the audio was so bad it made the video intolerable

Lots of butthurt SVS Fans here

Something is definitely wrong. No disrespect but the Klipsch doesn't have the power to keep up.