Two ported 12s, one documented extension figure — which should you buy?
Try both in a build →Hsu Research VTF-2 MK5 in the slot, SVS PB-1000 Pro one swap away.
The short answer
Buy the SVS PB-1000 Pro if a documented depth claim is what you are buying — 17 Hz at a stated ±3 dB, plus stated app control and auto-on, in the smaller and roughly 20-pound-lighter cabinet. Buy the Hsu Research VTF-2 MK5 for the larger stated amplifier — 350W RMS and 1,400W peak against 325W and 820W — and for its stated 30–90 Hz low-pass range and 0/180° phase switch, accepting that our row records no extension figure for it ($759 vs $850 as tracked today).
As tracked by Home Theater Builder: the Hsu Research VTF-2 MK5 tracks at $759; the SVS PB-1000 Pro at $850.How we verify this data →
Two single-driver ported 12-inch subwoofers with the same driver size and the same alignment — $759 vs $850 as tracked today. One of them states a qualified extension figure; the other states the larger amplifier. Our data will not pretend to know which one plays lower.
Specifications · side by side · per-field provenance
● SOURCE-TRACKED
Spec
Hsu Research VTF-2 MK5
SVS PB-1000 Pro
Price
$759
$850
Brand
Hsu Research
SVS
Driver size (in)
12
12
Driver count
1
1
Driver configuration
single
single
Passive or powered
powered active
powered active
RMS power (W)
350
325
Peak power (W)
1400
820
Enclosure type
ported bass reflex
ported bass reflex
Down firing
No
not stated
Low-pass crossover, min (Hz)
30
not stated
Low-pass crossover, max (Hz)
90
not stated
Phase control
0 180 switch
not stated
RCA inputs
2
2
Speaker level inputs
Yes
Yes
Height (in)
20.5
18.9
Width (in)
15
15
Depth (in)
22
20
Weight (lbs)
62
42.5
Amplifier class
not stated
Class D
Frequency response, low (Hz)
not stated
17
Frequency response tolerance
not stated
plus minus 3dB
Auto on
not stated
Yes
App control
not stated
Yes
Shaded rows differ · green dot = lab-measured · amber = manufacturer-verified · blue = retailer/community-reported · grey = estimated · “not stated” means exactly that
Reading the numbers honestly
The one number subwoofer shoppers open a page for sits on only one of these two rows. Our SVS row states 17 Hz WITH its ±3 dB tolerance — the value and its measurement context stored together, which is what makes a depth claim checkable at all. Our Hsu row records no frequency-extension figure and no tolerance, so this page cannot tell you which of the two plays lower; it can only tell you whose claim is documented. Read that as our row's silence, never as evidence the Hsu is shallow. Everything else lines up closely enough to compare directly: both state a single 12-inch driver in a ported bass-reflex box, both state two RCA inputs and speaker-level inputs, and both state their amplifier — 350W RMS and 1,400W peak on the Hsu against 325W RMS and 820W peak on the SVS. The Hsu is the bigger box, 20.5 × 15 × 22 inches and 62 lb against 18.9 × 15 × 20 inches and 42.5 lb, and each row states setup features the other leaves blank: a 30–90 Hz low-pass range and a 0/180° phase switch on the Hsu, auto-on and app control on the SVS.
The verdict
Buy the SVS PB-1000 Pro if a documented depth claim is what you are buying — 17 Hz at a stated ±3 dB, plus stated app control and auto-on, in the smaller and roughly 20-pound-lighter cabinet. Buy the Hsu Research VTF-2 MK5 for the larger stated amplifier — 350W RMS and 1,400W peak against 325W and 820W — and for its stated 30–90 Hz low-pass range and 0/180° phase switch, accepting that our row records no extension figure for it ($759 vs $850 as tracked today).
A depth claim you can checkSVS PB-1000 Pro — 17 Hz with a stated ±3 dB tolerance; our Hsu row records no extension figure and no tolerance at all.
Stated amplifier headroomHsu Research VTF-2 MK5 — 350W RMS and 1,400W peak against 325W and 820W — both stated, and the two peak figures are nearly 600W apart.
Setup control at the subHsu Research VTF-2 MK5 — The Hsu states a 30–90 Hz low-pass range and a 0/180° phase switch; our SVS row states neither.
Control from the couchSVS PB-1000 Pro — The SVS states app control and auto-on; our Hsu row states neither of them.
Placement and moving itSVS PB-1000 Pro — 18.9 × 15 × 20 inches at 42.5 lb against 20.5 × 15 × 22 inches at 62 lb — every one of those figures is stated.
Enclosure behaviorEither — Both rows state a single 12-inch driver in a ported bass-reflex box, so the alignment is the same class on paper.
Only one of these two rows carries an extension claim: 17 Hz at a stated ±3 dB on the SVS, against no frequency-extension figure and no tolerance at all on the Hsu — so depth is reported as undocumented here, never ranked.
Stated amplifiers run the other way: 350W RMS and 1,400W peak (Hsu) against 325W RMS and 820W peak (SVS) — the peak figures are nearly 600W apart and both sit on the manufacturers' own sheets.
Both are single 12-inch ported bass-reflex designs with two RCA inputs and speaker-level inputs — the family resemblance is verified field by field, not assumed from the category.
Setup disclosure splits cleanly: the Hsu states a 30–90 Hz low-pass range and a 0/180° phase switch, the SVS states auto-on and app control, and neither row states the other's pair.
Cabinet and mass are stated on both: 20.5 × 15 × 22 inches and 62 lb against 18.9 × 15 × 20 inches and 42.5 lb — about 20 lb and two inches of depth, at $759 vs $850 as tracked today.
