A direct-sold 15 against a retail 13 — which should you buy?
Try both in a build →Power Sound Audio S1512M in the slot, SVS SB-3000 one tap away.
The short answer
Buy the Power Sound Audio S1512M for the larger stated driver, the larger RMS figure, a stated sealed enclosure and an ICEpower amplifier module — 15 inches and 960W RMS against 13 inches and 800W. Buy the SVS SB-3000 for the control set: a 30–200 Hz low-pass range, variable 0–180° phase, built-in room correction, app control and a stated LFE input, none of which the other row records. Depth is not the tiebreaker and this page will not pretend otherwise: 19 Hz against 18 Hz, both stated at ±3 dB, is one hertz on the same yardstick.
As tracked by Home Theater Builder: the Power Sound Audio S1512M tracks at $1,300; the SVS SB-3000 at $999.How we verify this data →
Power Sound Audio's S1512M and SVS's SB-3000 sit close together at the sealed end of the serious tier. Their depth claims are a dead heat, so the sheets decide.
Specifications · side by side · per-field provenance
● SOURCE-TRACKED
Spec
Power Sound Audio S1512M
SVS SB-3000
Price
$1,300
$999
Brand
Power Sound Audio
SVS
Driver Size Inches
15
13
Driver Count
1
1
Passive Or Powered
powered active
powered active
Amp Class
ICEpower
Class D
RMS Watts
960
800
Peak Watts
2100
2500
Freq Response Low HZ
19
18
Freq Response Tolerance
plus minus 3dB
plus minus 3dB
Enclosure Type
sealed
not stated
Down Firing
No
not stated
Auto On
Yes
Yes
RCA Inputs
2
2
Height Inches
17.3
15.6
Width Inches
17
15.2
Depth Inches
18
15.7
Weight Lbs
63
54.5
Finish Options
Matte Black
not stated
Driver Config
not stated
single
Max SPL DB
not stated
125
Lp Crossover HZ Min
not stated
30
Lp Crossover HZ Max
not stated
200
Phase Control
not stated
variable 0 to 180
Phase Adjustment Range Degrees
not stated
0° – 180°
Built In Room Correction
not stated
Yes
App Control
not stated
Yes
Wireless Option
not stated
Yes
LFE Input
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
Depth is settled before it starts: 19 Hz on the PSA against 18 Hz on the SVS, both stated at ±3 dB. That is one hertz on one yardstick, which is not a difference any listener places, and it means nothing on this page rests on extension. The amplifier halves then disagree with each other — 960W RMS with a 2,100W peak on the PSA against 800W RMS with a 2,500W peak on the SVS — so whichever column you read names a different row, and we report both rather than pick one. The SVS's 125 dB maximum SPL arrives with no measurement-context field recorded beside it at all, so it is an output number with no stated test condition. What genuinely separates the two is how much of the sheet each row fills. The SVS states a 30–200 Hz low-pass range, variable 0–180° phase, built-in room correction, app control and an LFE input; our PSA row records none of those five, stating auto-on and two RCA inputs instead. It runs the other way on the cabinet: only the PSA row states an enclosure type (sealed), an ICEpower amplifier module and a finish, where our SB-3000 row records no enclosure type at all — a blank in our data rather than a claim either way. Cabinets are stated on both: 17.3 × 17 × 18 inches and 63 lb against 15.6 × 15.2 × 15.7 inches and 54.5 lb.
The verdict
Buy the Power Sound Audio S1512M for the larger stated driver, the larger RMS figure, a stated sealed enclosure and an ICEpower amplifier module — 15 inches and 960W RMS against 13 inches and 800W. Buy the SVS SB-3000 for the control set: a 30–200 Hz low-pass range, variable 0–180° phase, built-in room correction, app control and a stated LFE input, none of which the other row records. Depth is not the tiebreaker and this page will not pretend otherwise: 19 Hz against 18 Hz, both stated at ±3 dB, is one hertz on the same yardstick.
Stated depthEither — 19 Hz against 18 Hz, both stated at ±3 dB — one hertz on the same yardstick, which is not a difference anyone hears.
Driver and amplifier on paperPower Sound Audio S1512M — A 15-inch driver with 960W RMS against a 13-inch with 800W RMS; the peak figures invert it, 2,100W against 2,500W, so the two halves of the spec disagree.
Room correction and app controlSVS SB-3000 — Built-in room correction and app control are stated on the SVS row; our PSA row records neither, which is a silence in our data rather than an absence in the product.
Dialling it in from the subSVS SB-3000 — The SVS states a 30–200 Hz low-pass range and variable 0–180° phase; our PSA row states neither, so plan on the receiver's own bass management.
A stated enclosure typePower Sound Audio S1512M — The PSA row states a sealed enclosure; our SB-3000 row records no enclosure type at all — a blank in our data, not a claim either way.
Fitting the roomSVS SB-3000 — 15.6 × 15.2 × 15.7 inches and 54.5 lb against 17.3 × 17 × 18 inches and 63 lb — about two inches on every side and nine pounds.
Depth is like-for-like and effectively a dead heat: 19 Hz (PSA) against 18 Hz (SVS), both stated at ±3 dB — one hertz on one yardstick.
The amplifier halves disagree with each other: 960W RMS with a 2,100W peak against 800W RMS with a 2,500W peak, so whichever column you read names a different row.
The SVS's 125 dB maximum SPL arrives with NO measurement-context field recorded beside it in our data — an output number with no stated test condition, reported here rather than ranked.
Five control fields sit on the SVS row and not on ours for the PSA: a 30–200 Hz low-pass range, variable 0–180° phase, built-in room correction, app control and an LFE input; both rows state auto-on and two RCA inputs.
Only the PSA row states an enclosure type (sealed), a 15-inch driver, an ICEpower amplifier module and a finish — our SB-3000 row records no enclosure type at all, which is a blank in our data and not a claim.
The cabinets are stated on both rows: 17.3 × 17 × 18 inches and 63 lb against 15.6 × 15.2 × 15.7 inches and 54.5 lb — about two inches on every side and nine pounds.
