Podcast #1081: SVS Soundbase Pro

Welcome back from your Holiday break! This week we have a review of the SVS Soundbase Pro. A powerful and compact integrated amplifier that should be on any music lover's short list of products to buy in 2023. CES started this week but due to the timing of our show schedule we'll have that for you next week. We also have a backlog of your emails as well as the week's news. News: YouTube Wins Rights to NFL Sunday Ticket LG's 2023 OLED TVs: smarter, lighter, and significantly brighter Roku does the obvious thing and announces its own TV line SVS Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase A few weeks ago we had Gary Yacoubian and Nick Brown of SVS on the show talking about their new Wireless Pro line of products. The Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speakers are a feature rich set of powered speakers which are available for $899.99 for the pair. The Prime Wireless Pro Soundbase is a smart wireless integrated amplifier that will add connectivity options to your older beloved speakers that were never dreamed of when they were originally built.  Ara owned the original version of the Soundbase for years and was extremely satisfied with sound but it lacked an important feature for him, Apple Airplay 2 support. The new Soundbase Pro fixed that issue and added many more features making the upgrade no-brainer. The original Soundbase cost $500, the new version costs $200 more. You may be asking, is the new Pro worth $200 more? The answer is yes! And we'll tell you why.  The full specs are: Amplifier Specs 300 Watt (150 watts x 2) Class-D Power Amp Acoustic Data Rated Bandwidth: 10Hz-20kHz (±1 dB) SN Ratio: 90dB @1V input, 2 x 150W output Power Amp: 300 watts RMS (150 watts x 2 into 4ohm) Input Specs HDMI audio input. Supports ARC and eARC Left/Right RCA Input: Input Impedance: 20K 3.5mm Aux Input: Input Impedance: 20K Toslink Optical Input: S/PDIF receiver works at a wide range of sampling frequencies up to 96kHz Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC and aptX 6 front panel presets for one-touch access to music services and playlists Ethernet USB service port also for powering wireless accessories (See SoundPath Wireless Audio Adapter) 3.5mm IR control input Wireless Streaming Options DTS Play-Fi: Lossless 192kHz/24-bit via Critical Listening Mode over WiFi Apple Airplay 2 for iPhones and iOS devices, Chromecast for Android Phones and Devices: CD Quality Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC and aptX Spotify Connect WiFi Connectivity for Wireless Streaming - Native control via Apple Airplay 2 for iPhone and iOS, Spotify Connect, & Google Chromecast for Android Phones and Devices App-Based Control over WiFi - Smartphone, tablet, or PC control with the DTS Play-Fi app 6 Custom Presets - 6 custom preset buttons on the front panel and remote provide instant access to your favorite podcast, playlist, streaming station, or other content, with a single touch. Voice Control - Alexa, Siri, and Google voice commands via supported devices Setup Like the previous Sounbase, setup was simple. The first thing to do was get the unit onto your wifi and for that you need to download and use the DTS Play-Fi app. You will need to use this app if you want to listen to your music at 192kHz/24-bit for lossless streaming. More on that in a bit. You can also pair your devices via Bluetooth if you choose. Our primary listening mode was wifi for Airplay 2 and DTS Play Fi. We did, however, connect our MacBook Pro to the Sounbase via Bluetooth so we could listen via AAC just for comparison. Unfortunately Apple removed a developer option to allow you to connect via AptX so we were not able to evaluate this codec.  You can also use an RCA, 3.5mm, HDMI (Arc and eARC) or Toslink Optical to connect external devices to the SoundBase. There is also a Subwoofer output in case you want to connect a subwoofer. We could not find at what frequency the amp is crossed over for the subwoofer. The SoundBase also has an Ethernet jack for a hardwired connection to your network and a USB port for firmware upgrades. The other thing worth noting is that the Soundbase Pro is small! It roughly measures 12X12X6 inches. It can fit anywhere. Also new for the Pro is a 3.15" wide display that will show you what is playing should you feel the need to walk up to it and look. The display lights can be dimmed or turned off making the front panel completely black. A great feature if you are using the amp to power some speakers for your TV. Performance Our listening was performed on CSS Audio Criton 2D speakers that Ara built a while back. They have great frequency response and good tight bass. We primarily listened to Heart Like a Truck by Lainey Wilson and Unholy by Sam Smith and Kim Petras (warning you won't get this song out of your head when you hear it!). We also mixed in other songs that we are very familiar with for specific segments that we thought would push the Soundbase.   What can we say? We have come to expect high quality sound from SVS and the new Soundbase Pro delivers! It takes everything we loved about the original Soundbase and adds the features we were clambering for in the original.  The amplifier has plenty of power and it was put to the test. Ara's neighbors can attest to that. It's probably more power than you will need but hey, it's always good to have power. They will drive anything from desktop to tower speakers with ease. Sound quality is excellent, as good as any two channel amp that we have used. Details come alive and are bright. One complaint we had was there is no way to adjust the treble. With my speakers the brightness of the sound was exaggerated at times.  Then it was time to have fun with test tones. Many amps can go low but can they rattle walls? This one can! To the point where Ara's wife walked into the room asking if he was trying to shake things off of the shelves in the room next door. Speakers matter here so your results will vary depending on whether your speakers can handle low frequencies. Our testing went down to 20 hertz where it pushed the Criton 2Ds to its limits. One complaint we had about the original Soundbase was a lack of Remote Control. SVS heard us and now includes a remote that allows you to select inputs, presets and control the volume from the comfort of your seat.  If you want to make use of the Critical Listening (192kHz/24-bit lossless streaming) mode you need to download the DTS Play-Fi app which is easy enough. But that's where the ease stops. The DTS app is cumbersome to use and not intuitive. But once you figure it out you can activate the Critical Listening mode by tapping the Hi-Res button and listen in Hi-Res.  After listening via wifi and Airplay2 we switched over to Tidal. And the best way to describe the experience was that it sounded "louder and more defined". It's not like we could hear frequencies that we couldn't before. Its more like it sounded clearer and more detailed with a fuller bass. You could feel the kick drum in your chest. We could feel this with AAC as well but it's hard to explain, the Hi-Res just seemed to have a more pronounced impact.  We really wish we didn't need a Tidal subscription and could listen to Hi-Res via Apple Music! Conclusion The new Soundbase Pro takes everything we loved about the original and then adds a bunch of great features. After spending time with it, you'll wonder how SVS packed all these features into a small yet powerful amp! If you are really into music you probably have some speakers that you really love. Odds are they are not wireless though. The SVS Prime Wireless SoundBase brings those speakers into the connected era with enough power to drive anything from bookshelf to towers. This is a great addition to any music lover's setup. But hey, you don't have to believe us. SVS offers a 45 day risk free in home trial with free shipping both ways. We will wager that if you try it you won't ship it back!