svs prime ultra tower

The SVS company is quite young and was previously known as a manufacturer of active subwoofers, and conventional acoustics appeared in its assortment relatively recently. The flagship 3.5-band model of the Ultra series with the sonorous name Tower really resembles a huge tower. At the bottom of it is the proprietary ForceFactor assembly, consisting of two oppositely directed 8-inch heads, capable of reproducing powerful and deep bass. A phase inverter with a solid diameter port is located at the back. The reinforced front panel has a slight forward slope, which improves the vertical pattern. 165mm midbass with fiberglass composite cones and an inch aluminum dome tweeter are symmetrically placed.

Among the obvious advantages of the "Towers" we single out the deepest and at the same time controlled bass, powerful dynamics and sound energy. In the vast majority of situations, an additional subwoofer will not be required - it simply has nothing to do. Acoustics is able to work without distortion at deafening volume levels, creating a truly concert pressure. Against this background, the edges of the range may seem slightly accentuated. For example, the bass is somewhat "fatter" than usual, the upper register is also slightly pedaled. The systems reproduce the mids cleanly, displaying high resolution and recognizably natural tones. The sibilants are emphasized quite a bit, however, it is difficult to reproach the speaker for the obvious coloring of the voices. The soundstage, when properly positioned, is of course striking in scale and at the same time good in terms of instrument positioning.

SVS Ultra Towers are big speakers. At 1.14m tall, our Piano Black review pair outshines most competitors at this price point.

Design

Of course, one of the benefits of this large cabinet is that it allows for large drivers - and there are plenty of them.

Each of the 3.5-way Ultra Towers is equipped with a 25mm aluminum dome tweeter, two 16.5cm fiberglass midrange drivers and two horizontally positioned 20cm woofers, mounted in this way to reduce distortion.

There's a taillight port at the back, which, combined with the side-driven woofers, means the Ultra Towers really need room.

Put them too close to the back wall and they sound too bassy; too close to a side wall and they may appear closed.

The theme "The more the better" is not limited to design. If you're looking for speakers that impress with their scale, volume, and bass weight, you'll get it with shed-load.

Sound

Loud enough to seriously disturb your neighbors, these speakers deliver deep, tight, impressive bass that, for all its bulk, is still agile and responsive.

But they are not perfect.

Ultra towers can feel heavy when they don't really need to, and can't handle more delicate tracks. like their more articulate counterparts.

And the heavy bass only accentuates the rather rough treble of Ultra Towers, as Eminem's Berzerk treble-heavy run shows .

There is a harsh edge and lack of detail in the highs that can sound rather unpleasant at certain frequencies, and while this improved during testing, it was still noticeable after several days of continuous playback.

So, be careful with system matching - and serve up these speakers with the best quality tracks you can. They are not very lenient with bad records.

The thinness and dynamics are also a little uncomfortable.

Listening to Harvey Two-Face from The Dark Knight soundtrack , we don't get the feeling of a building crescendo that we do with something like the Spendor A6R.

It's almost as if the SVS speakers are afraid to fade away, which is why you don't hear that dynamic shift as much; they start out loud, only to get even louder.

However, the scale these speakers offer is undeniable, and they deliver a spacious, open sound with good stereo sound – each instrument fits well into the mix.

However, individual notes may lack the same sense of understanding and texture, and the beginning and end of notes may be skipped, further demonstrating the Ultra Towers' lack of subtlety and precision compared to the competition.

And despite surprisingly agile bass, Ultra Towers still lacks punch. The vocals are clean, articulate and ,, but lack some of the punchiness.

This leaves the tracks rather emotionlesswell-balanced as if the artist were just making a guidebook and not the final record.

Verdict

These speakers represent a tale of two halves. What they do well is instantly impressive, but they take a little longer and the story starts to unfold.

You get a lot of speakers for your money, but these are awsome, better-executed speakers. for this price.