The SVS SB-2000 Pro is the perfect example of a sealed subwoofer, offering the design's benefits while also revealing some of its inherent limitations. It certainly has a small footprint, which is sure to please anyone with limited space, and in smaller rooms you’ll get a slight boost in the low-end extension. It also has the speed and agility you expect from a sealed cabinet, resulting in a performance that is surprisingly musical (for want of a better word).

The SB-2000 Pro doesn’t go as deep as its ported stablemates, but it does have a shallower roll-off, allowing it to take full advantage of the inherent room gain in smaller environments. SVS claims the frequency response goes down to 19Hz, which should suffice unless you have a particularly large room, very accommodating neighbours, or just like bass that can rattle your molars.

SVS SB2000 Pro – Piano Gloss Black

The SB-2000 Pro is aimed at film and music fans alike, and thanks to its sealed chassis it can certainly handle both when it comes to adding a low frequency foundation. If you do want to use this sub with music, the good news is that it has the speed and agility needed. Selecting the Music preset ensures that the SB-2000 Pro remains both tight and highly articulate.

I recently picked up Ben Watt’s new album Storm Damage and the second track offers a chance to put this sub to the test. The song employs a particularly deep bass note that almost catches you by surprise. However, the SB-2000 Pro handles this sudden dive into the lower registers with remarkable speed and precision, resulting in a crisp delivery.

The film Bohemian Rhapsody culminates in recreation of Queen’s triumphant Live Aid set, and the musical abilities of this subwoofer are once again on show. As Roger Taylor piles into the opening drum beat of Radio Ga Ga, the SVS is right there with a beautifully timed low-end kick that matches each hit precisely. It also digs deeper as the crowd clap in unison, energising the room and putting you in Wembley Stadium on the 13th of July 1985.

The performance has depth, combined with speed and precision

While it’s pleasing to hear such a refined and polished performance, as a film fan I also like to feel some serious infrasonic punch on occasion. The train crash in Super 8 is an all-time classic, with the kind of dynamic and bass-heavy soundtrack that can put any sub through its paces. In fact, the spectacular derailment is an all-out assault on the lowest frequencies that will have you diving for cover as freight cars explode and crash around you.

As each object comes smashing down there’s a massive low frequency thump that gives it a genuine sense of weight and mass. The freight cars pile up into one another, creating a shockwave that spreads out through the room, followed by seismic impacts that shake the ground. A ported sub could undoubtedly go that bit deeper, but there a control and exacting precision to the SB-2000 Pro that gives the entire sequence a terrifying veracity.

SVS SB2000 Pro – Piano Gloss White

A recent and ill-advised trip through all the Terminator movies provided plenty of opportunities to enjoy the depth and nimbleness of the SVS. Terminator Genisys boasts the kind of soundtrack that makes full use of the entire low frequency range. Whether it’s the initial nuclear explosions that accompany Judgement Day, or the opening future war sequence, every explosion or burst from a plasma rifle is delivered with control and power.

Early in the film an ageing Schwarzenegger faces off against his younger self from The Terminator, and it’s a case of an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force. There’s a pleasing thud of metal on metal, and real sense of the sheer weight of these relentless killing machines. The film features extensive use of weapons, and the percussive thump of each round is delivered with exacting precision and depth, while the numerous explosions hit with an energetic slam.