SVS Ultra Tower Floorstanding Speakers Piano Gloss Black

Product Information

With 80% of the sound coming in mids, the drivers unveils the core of the speaker’s timbre. Augmenting high-frequency performance, the Ultra Tower speaker’s aluminum dome tweeter is incredibly transparent and precise. Light, efficient, robust and resistant to distortion, the tweeter’s airy’ reproduction of vocals and tranparent highs reveal as much as the finest loudspeakers worldwide. The FEA-optimised diffuser grants broad dispersion for an exceptionally wide and convincing soundstage with perfect on/off-axis response. Design Process Behind the scenes, the Ultra Tower's driver complement is good for a reported frequency response of 28Hz to 32kHz, with a nominal impedance of eight ohms. Sensitivity is stated to be 88dB, making the Ultra Tower suitable for amplifiers and/or receivers ranging in power from 20 to 300 watts or more. Yes, I said more. In a 7.1 system, dedicated rear surround speakers are placed behind the primary seating position for enhanced rear panning effects. And boy, do these speakers love music. They have a warm, engaging, full sound signature that really lends itself to genres like R&B, EDM and hip-hop. While grungy heavy metal did give the low end a little bit of trouble, the overall impression was that of a speaker that just begs to be pushed, that begs you to turn the volume up. The audio quality was tremendously fun and exciting, even a little addictive. The very best speakers, we think, are the ones that let you have fun; that reward your investment with something you want to use over and over again. These speakers are neither subtle in looks nor in sound, and you know what? We think that’s a very good thing.

I have already tried the bookshelf option with the SB-13Ultra, it just doesn't work. What works best is the BP10's flying solo with no sub, more often than not the SB-13Ultra just sits there looking heavy. Which is why the Triton Seven and SVS Ultra Tower caught my attention, full-range speakers without powered built-in subs.All of the speakers were connected to their respective amplifiers, which in this case were Parasound Halo A21 (stereo) and A31 (three-channel) amplifiers, via 12-gauge speaker cable from Binary, a SnapAV company. The sub was connected to my Behringer via a 10-foot balanced cable from Monoprice, with an additional one-meter balanced interconnect from the Behringer to my Integra DHC 80.2, also from Monoprice. Source components included my Oppo BDP-103 and the Dune-HD Max, both connected to my Integra via one meter HDMI cables from Monoprice. With everything set up and the levels matched inside my Integra, it was time to get down to business. Prime Pinnacle measurements: SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com - NRC Measurements: SVS Prime Pinnacle Loudspeakers Previous article: Alpha Design Labs by Furutech Esprit USB DAC/Headphone Amplifier/Preamplifier Prev

Volume: A speaker's decibels tell you how loud your speaker can get. The higher the decibels, the louder your speaker's volume output. They put all their effort into appearance and standing waves, but forgot about diffraction. Placing the tweeter in a waveguide would have really helped it blend with the dual 6.5" woofers. You get a lot of speaker for your money, but there are more rounded, better executed speakers out there at this price.

When asked if the Ultra series involved a no-holds-barred approach to speaker design as the name might imply, Mason clarified that these are not cost-no-object speakers. “We said: Ok … here’s our price point. Now what can we do to make the absolute best experience possible at that price point for our customers. And we think we’ve achieved that. Nothing in that speaker design is arbitrary, everything has a reason for existing,” explained Mason. Pulling the main speakers away from the corners (to the extent allowed by room traffic) will reduce boundary reflections and improve imaging. Center Channel Speaker For a less-expensive alternative, try the Q Acoustics 3050i speakers. Their bass is nowhere near as good as that found on the Ultras - in fact, we had a few issues with this area when we tested them. But they remain superb speakers, particularly in a smaller home theater setup. And of course, their more traditional shape makes them a little easier to position. These are far from the best speakers available, but they are an excellent budget alternative if you can’t stretch to the high price required for a pair of Ultra Towers. They are an Internet direct company started in 1998 by a group of enthusiasts initially specialized in high-performance value-priced subwoofers which built a strong following and won critical acclaim. Based out of Girard/Ohio, the company then evolved into a successful global enterprise operating on a virtual model connected by communications technology rather than being located under a single roof. They utilize the efficiencies of in-house design and offshore manufacture done to their specs under strict quality control in a single plant in China. Combined with the direct sales model it allows SVS the advantage of aggressive price versus quality. The current day team consists of CEO Gary Yacoubian, director of operations Dan Marks, d irector of technology & customer relations Ed Mullen, operations manager Eli Trinkle and director of product management Mark Mason.

Mid-frequencies, such as those present in male and female voices, were clear and natural. For the center channel, I did prefer the integration of a single bookshelf as opposed to the dedicated center with the tower speakers. Perhaps the more similar driver complement of the tower and bookshelf integrated better, but I also heard and measured a little more energy in the lower midrange from my listening spot. For me, cross-screen pans, such as an SUV speeding down an abandoned highway from a recent episode of The Walking Dead, were more seamless with the tower/bookshelf combo, but for folks who need the horizontal configuration, the tradeoff is minimal. The Ultra Tower’s claimed frequency response is 28Hz-32kHz,+/-3dB; its sensitivity is 88dB with 2.83V input at 1m. SVS recommends amplification of 20-300Wpc; Mason states that “a high-performance 20Wpc amplifier driving the speakers in a small room will result in a great listening experience for many customers. Some customers prefer to listen at higher SPLs in larger rooms, and they may find that more than 20W is required.” SVS Ultra Tower flagship floorstanding speaker is built with no compromise to appease the most discerning of audiophiles and features twin opposing 8" woofers to dominate a room with deep, articulate bass while the advanced driver design, high-grade materials and optimum cabinet geometry fuse to bring exceptional resolution, complete transparency, and crisp dynamics. Driver and Tweeter Before a model is ever constructed, drivers and cabinets are theoretically designed by our acoustic engineers using the most sophisticated computer-aided design (CAD) processes available. Then prototypes are carefully measured and optimized in an anechoic environment to achieve pitch-perfect frequency response. After the ideal theoretical frequency response is attained, exhaustive listening and measurement is done in listening rooms calibrated to closely resemble typical home-like room environments. Two years ago, SVS changed ownership, and you could say it’s simultaneously a remarkably unchanged yet very different firm. It’s unchanged in that many old hands are still with the company, and the concentration on high-performance home theater products remains. But it’s different in two major ways: It’s now making products in China, and it has expanded beyond subwoofers with a full line of speakers.

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Fluance Ai81 Powered Floorstanding Speakers features: Subwoofer diameter: 6.5 inches | Dimensions: 37.8 x 8.50 x 10.24 inches | Weight: 59.6 pounds | Frequency response: 30Hz-20kHz | Sensitivity: Not specified