Description: OUT STANDING REVIEWS!! Floorstanding Speakers SVS Ultra Tower Review Roundup The top-of-the-line floor standing loudspeakers from SVS raise the bar for audiophile grade sound at the $2,000/pair price point. ByBrian Mitchell Updated January 24, 2021 Flipboard Reddit Pinterest Whatsapp Email Consensus Unmatched home theater and stereo performance at its price point, but you’ll need a big room for tower speakers that are almost 4 feet tall. 4.38 out of 5 Average Overall Rating ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.38 out of 5 stars (2 reviews) Critics Reviews (Around the Web) The Ultra Towers sound great played low, loud, and cranked way up, but the sound stays clear no matter how hard you push the volume. Read full review → – CNET · Nov 9, 2013 Basically, this is a great home theater sound system at a great price. Read full review → – Sound & Vision · Jun 24, 2013 ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.75 out of 5 stars The SVS Ultra Tower Surround speaker package came as close to earning a perfect 10 as any other speaker system we’ve heard in its price class. Read full review → – Digital Trends · Apr 22, 2013 Overall, I think SVS has hit the mark of creating remarkable speakers at a head turning price. True to their pedigree, the Ultra Series may lack small filigree like magnetic grills, but their performance stands toe to toe with much more expensive contenders. Read full review → – Audioholics · Apr 3, 2013 ★★★★★★★★★★ 4 out of 5 stars With everything firing as one, the top to bottom coherence was incredible, not to mention completely seamless. And while I may have had some issue with the center channel's dispersion, its tone and way with vocals was nothing if not completely natural. Read full review → – Home Theater Review · Mar 4, 2013 SVS Ultra Tower Speakers - BackProsSuperb build qualityOutstanding bass responseVery good imagingNimble, dynamic responseCons Speakers are bulky and require roomSVS Ultra TweeterOur Final Conclusion The top-of-the-line floor standing loudspeakers from SVS raise the bar for audiophile grade sound at the $2,000/pair price point. Product Overview January 31, 2013 - An upswept trapezoidal shape and horizontally-opposed dual woofer array are highlights of SVS' flagship floorstanding speaker, which comes with an audition-friendly 45-day in-home trial. SVS just released their flagship, Ultra Series Tower Speakers, which feature a performance driven trapezoidal form factor and countless sonic science-inspired design elements and materials. A non-parallel cabinet panel was used to reduce standing waves within the cabinet, effectively eliminating frequency response colorations. The wedge-shaped front baffle and flush-mounted drivers reduce.SVS Ultra Tower Description general Enjoy a wide frequency response with the piano gloss black SVS Ultra 3.5-Way Floorstanding Speaker. It has a 28 Hz to 32 kHz frequency range for enhanced highs, bass, and mids from its 1" tweeter, two 6.5" midrange, and two horizontally opposed 8" woofers. The 3.5-way crossover allows each midrange driver to output a different frequency for a more detailed frequency response, and its 3.5" bass port is designed to further enhance the bass. This speaker is recommended for 20 to 300W amplifiers.ForceFactor Woofer ArrayThe ForceFactor horizontally opposed, dual-woofer configuration helps provide mechanical force cancellation for reduced distortion and a cleaner bass response. The ForceFactor array also eliminates cabinet vibration, which could otherwise modulate the mid/high frequencies, helping to ensure that the soundstage is stable and clear. Also, since the woofers fire in different directions, the acoustical loading and modal density in the listening space is enhanced, providing a bass response free of room-based anomalies.Tweeter FeaturesFEA-optimized diffuser for enhanced presentation Aluminum dome for augmented transient response and stiffness/mass ratioMidrange FeaturesComposite glass-fiber cone with enhanced stiffness/mass ratio for augmented sensitivity and pistonic behavior beyond pass band Aluminum shorting ring to reduce gap inductance, lower distortion, and enhance high frequency response Cast aluminum basket helps ensure precise component alignment and additional heat-sinking capacity Vented voice coil former aids in minimizing air compression artifacts at high drive levelsWoofer FeaturesAluminum shorting rings designed to reduce gap inductance and lower distortion Long stroke motor and suspension for enhanced output Vented voice coil former aids in minimizing air compression artifactsCrossover Features3.5-way crossover with air-core inductors and heavy-trace printed circuit boards 3.5-way crossover design allows each woofer to handle a different frequency response for enhanced bass and midrange sound reproduction Tapered midrange array helps minimize off-axis lobing and enhance radiated sound power into the listening spaceCabinet FeaturesSeparate sealed midrange enclosures designed to minimize top-to-bottom wall dimensions and shift standing waves beyond the driver pass band for minimized negative driver interaction and associated frequency response degradation Non-parallel cabinet panels reduce axial standing waves within the cabinet, reducing frequency response coloration Acoustically transparent and FEA-optimized grilles, a wedge-shaped front baffle, and flush-mounted drivers help minimize edge diffraction and improve on-axis high frequency response FEA-optimized bracing, 1"-thick midrange/tweeter baffles, and 1.5"-thick woofer baffles help eliminate structural resonances and ensure the cabinet remains acoustically inert for uncolored response at nearly all drive levels SVS Ultra TowerSpecsSpeaker SystemRecommended Amplifier Power20 to 300 WDrivers1x 1" / 2.5 cm Tweeter 2x 6.5" / 16.5 cm Midrange 2x 8" / 20.3 cm Woofer Ports1x 3.5" / 8.9 cm, Rear-FiringFrequency Response28 Hz to 32 kHzImpedance8 OhmsCrossoverHigh-Pass: 2 kHz Low-Pass: 700 Hz (Woofer 1) 160 Hz (Woofer 2) Sensitivity88 dBPhysicalDimensions13.8 x 45.6 x 16.5" / 35.1 x 115.8 x 41.9 cm (without Grille) 13.8 x 45.6 x 16.8" / 35.1 x 115.8 x 42.7 cm (with Grille) Weight75.4 lb / 34.2 kg Packaging InfoPackage Weight87.5 lbBox Dimensions (LxWxH)51 x 23 x 21.5" OUT STANDING REVIEWS If you’re going to call a floorstanding speaker the Ultra, then you’d better have a set of brass balls backing up that particular claim. Especially if you’re going to design it to look like something out of a feverish Batman fan’s nightmare. Still, this is SVS, and if anybody can pull off one of the maddest pair of speakers we’ve ever seen, it’s them. Sound Low-End (Bass) and Mids For the most part, we tested the SVS Ultra Towers as part of a dedicated 5.1 setup (although we did spend a little time with them in Hi-Fi mode, which we’ll discuss below), and they performed brilliantly. They delivered fluid and captivating articulation in the mids, with warmth and clarity to voices, and not once did we find ourselves getting confused by muddy and unfocused sound. For the most part, their performance was top notch, no matter how violent or explosive the film was. Here’s something that the folks at SVS probably aren’t going to be too pleased to hear. They do, after all, make some mind blowing subwoofers, like the PB16-Ultra (full review here). But we believe it, so we’re going to say it: the bass on the Ultra Towers is good enough that you could quite conceivably get away without ever having a subwoofer. Don’t get us wrong - we always recommend having one, because subwoofers are awesome - but with four angled 8” woofers pumping out ear-melting low-end, you could make a very good argument for spending the money you would spend on a sub on…we don’t know, whiskey. Beer. A Game Of Thrones box set and matching life-size Daenerys Targaryen statue. Because at top volume, the Ultra Towers put out some utterly magnificent bass. It didn’t have the volume or sheer power of a dedicated subwoofer, but it anchored the sound with the deep, roaring low-end, and was a titanic amount of fun to listen to. High-End (Treble) If we had one criticism of these speakers, it’s that they lacked a little bit of detail at the very top. We never felt like kicks, punches, and gunshots had quite enough ‘snap’ to them, as if the puny little tweeter just couldn’t keep up with the absolute monsters thundering away below it. These impressions were magnified when we connected the speakers up to a Peachtree nova300 amp (full review here) for music listening. The sound was still terrific, but it definitely lacked a little bit of detail in the highs – and on occasion, felt a little sharp and harsh. It’s not a major problem, but it’s a puzzling misstep for a speaker that does so many other things so well. It’s worth saying that the included foam inserts let you plug the ports on the rear of the speakers, which does lower the overall volume, but helps improve clarity. We didn’t notice a significant difference when doing this, and for the most part, we left the foam pads out. Soundstage What we did like about the SVS Ultra Towers, and what we thought the speakers also did really well, with the sense of space and imaging they delivered. This is due to, we are convinced, the toe-out design to angle the woofers, but even if that hadn’t been the case, we’ve no doubt that they’d do a very good job convincing us of the place of the individual elements of the mix. And if you can forgive the slight misstep with the highs, which will probably end up getting fixed the next time SVS release a new iteration of these, you have to applaud their overall sound quality. In terms of floorstanding speakers, they deliver audio that in our opinion is beaten by perhaps only one or two other models in the same price range. It’s a very good look. By the way, SVS has an excellent speaker positioning guide - far more intuitive than anything we could put together here. You should make full use of that if you buy. Design Build Quality and Looks Most floorstanding speakers are – how shall we put this? – a little bit boring. They are tall black/brown boxes with a few drivers on them. If they have one overriding design mission, it’s too blend into the background as much as possible. Not the SVS Ultra Towers. To say these things dominate the room would be an understatement. It’s not just that they are tall, standing 45.6” high when most other speakers in this particular category tend to be closer to 40”, or 42” at the most. It’s that they are wide. Instead of dropping straight down to the floor, the back end of the speakers flares out, creating a design reminiscent of a flowing gown, or – yes - Batman’s cape. It’s a dramatic and eye-catching design, one we haven’t really seen elsewhere in the world of tower speakers. And while it might not be for everyone – something we’ll go into a little more below – it certainly puts the speakers in a class of their own. It is also leagues away from their more conservative models. Woofer Placement The reason the bottom end is flared the way it is is to accommodate two 8” woofers on each speaker, one on either side. The slight toe-out effect is to ensure that the woofers fire in different directions, which SVS says helps accentuate and sharpen the bass. The two low-end drivers are helped along by two standard mid-range ones on the front of each speaker, with a cute little 1” tweeter nestled between them. All business up front, party in the back, although calling these the mullets of the speaker world is perhaps a little unfair - and besides, we like our Batman metaphor a little more. These speakers have been available since 2013, and in all that time, it’s actually a little extraordinary that not one other speaker manufacturer, as far as we can tell, has emulated this toe-out, flared design. Not one. It’s an intriguing and occasionally revolutionary bit of design thinking, and it’s a shame that it hasn’t been taken up by the rest of the industry. To find floorstanding speakers that upend the orthodoxy in a similar way, you have to look far more expensive models, like the since-discontinued Beoplay A9, or monstrously expensive numbers like the Goldmund Apologue. However, Because most floorstanding speakers have all the drivers upfront and at the top, you won’t see a dramatic decline in sound if you squirreled them away on either side of your TV, towards the back. But because of the flare at the bottom end of the Ultra Towers, you can’t. The shape is just far too awkward. Even if you could somehow wedge these into place, you’d be completely negating the effect of those wonderful twin woofers on the side of each speaker. What that means, unfortunately, is that these speakers will be serious overkill for anybody operating in a small space. Trust us, we know: we had these in our living room for a month, and they absolutely dominated the space. By the very nature of the kind of furniture we had, they had to sit slightly forward from the television, which was less than ideal. It’s a problem. These are terrific speakers, and we had an absolute blast using them…but their shape and size and weight (a backbreaking 75lbs per speaker) makes them an acquired taste, and far more suited to bigger spaces, or to listeners with dedicated home theater rooms. We really, really want to give them full marks for design, but we can’t get past the shape, and the issues it might cause. There’s also a 3.5” open port on the back of each speaker, which you can plug with the aforementioned foam insert – something we’ll talk about a little more in the accessories section. Ditto for the multiple feet options, which are an easy screw-in design. What's worth mentioning here are the multiple binding posts at the back of the speaker – two per channel, connected by a removable jumper tab. It’s an easy and intuitive way of wiring the speakers exactly how you want, allowing you to do things like wire each channel to separate amp channels, or to monoblock amplifiers. It works very well indeed, and is a mark of how much care and thought has gone into the speakers. And here’s another good thing to end this part of the review off with: SVS not only offer a five-year warranty, but offer a 45-day in-home trial period to see if these speakers are a good fit Speakers from SVS A 1” tweeter and 5.25” midrange driver are joined by three enormous 6” woofers - they may lack the bottom woofers of the Ultras, but we’d bet a lot that the bass of these speakers is spectacular. We’ve been promised a pair for review soon, so we’ll update our thoughts shortly. At the time of writing, however, the Ultra Towers remain some of the best floorstanding speakers you can buy. Accessories & Packaging Accessories As mentioned, you get two main accessories with the speakers. The first are the set of thick foam plugs that you can use to block the ports of the rear of each one. We had mixed results with these, described above, although we can totally see how they might change things up in different-sized spaces. Regardless, it’s nice to have these as an option, and although we didn’t get a huge amount of use out of them, it wasn’t a chore to keep them around.
Price: 1469.88 USD
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
End Time: 2024-11-29T09:36:52.000Z
Shipping Cost: 299.88 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Brand: SVS
Type: Floor Speakers
System Configuration: 2.0 Channel
Shape: Rectangular
Color: Piano Gloss Black
Model: Ultra Tower
Connectivity: Wired
Features: All-in-One, Design, High End
RMS Power: 300 WATTS