SVS Prime Tower or SVS Ultra Bookshelf?

[Tim Duncan]

I have been looking into upgraing the Infinity Primus 250 tower front pair of speakers in my home theater system for awhile now. I have a lower end buget of $1000. Of all of the speakers I have researched and reviewed I keep comming back to the SVS line up of speakers. My question comes down to whether the SVS Prime Tower or the SVS Ultra Bookshelf would serve me better. I do like great Home Theater sound however I spend more time listening to music. I have a fair selection of SACD, DVD Audio, Blu Ray Audio, and XRCD's in my libarary and enjoy emersing myself in the preformances. I do have an Acoustech PL200 sub with my system which I realize is nowhere near the quality of the SVS subs, however at the price point that I paid for my sub I am quite amazed with how well it handles what I throw at it. So with these facts in mind I would appreciate some imput from SVS owners as well as anyone else who has opinions or advise as to which set of speakers would best serve my listening desires the best. Thanks for your input.

 

[lovinthehd]

Do you want to listen to the towers without a sub? Then maybe towers make more sense but with bookshelves and a sub you can do quite well. Is your room large, do you listen at high sound levels?

 

[Bucknekked]

The general principal at work here should be which type of speaker (bookshelf or tower) would fill the listening space most efficiently. How big is your room and how loud do you like to listen? In a larger space, a tower may fill the bill better while in a more modest space the bookshelves may be the best fit.

However there's another variable here and that's your budget. With your budget I believe a pair of bookshelf speakers supported by a top notch sub is going to carry the day. There are several members (@Pogre) who proudly own SVS speakers and they will no doubt chime in with real life examples.

A pair of SVS Ultra bookshelves supported by an HSU sub or one of the SVS units is probably where your budget is. There are also other members with other choices on their top choice list under $1000.

If someone on this forum takes the time to recommend a specific speaker, odds are very good that speaker will sound better than whatever you may have had on your short list. In this case, the SVS Ultra is on a lot of peoples short lists so you are already in good shape.

 

[lovinthehd]

Might also look at the offerings of Ascend Acoustics, Philharmonic Audio and Salk Sound for speakers. Subs I'd check out SVS, Power Sound Audio, Hsu, Rythmik....and if you can afford it Funk, Seaton and JTR (also speakers from these last three).

PS Actually speakers from all these guys.

 

[Pogre]

I have the Ultra bookshelf speakers. My front 3 are Ultras. I also have a pair of Hsu VTF-3 MK5 subwoofers filling out my bottom end.

My room is pretty large (~5900 ^3) and my Ultras have no problem filling it with sound. Clean, deafening sound if I choose, even just in stereo. I went with the Ultra BS instead of prime towers for the upgraded drivers, crossovers, build, etc. If you have a sub (or 2) in the mix you're not missing anything you would get from towers, imo and the Ultra line is legit.

I say get the BookShelf speakers and maybe plan on another sub down the road. I think the only thing they're missing is lower bass extension compared to towers. A sub makes that a non issue.

 

[lovinthehd]

I have the Ultra bookshelf speakers. My front 3 are Ultras. I also have a pair of Hsu VTF-3 MK5 subwoofers filling out my bottom end.

My room is pretty large (~5900 ^3) and my Ultras have no problem filling it with sound. Clean, deafening sound if I choose, even just in stereo. I went with the Ultra BS instead of prime towers for the upgraded drivers, crossovers, build, etc. If you have a sub (or 2) in the mix you're not missing anything you would get from towers, imo and the Ultra line is legit.

I say get the BS speakers and maybe plan on another sub down the road. I think the only thing they're missing is lower bass extension compared to towers. A sub makes that a non issue.

Somehow the abbreviation to "BS" speakers doesn't really work....

 

[Beave]

New Marketing Campaign for SVS:

Fill your room with the sound of Ultra BS!

 

[lovinthehd]

New Marketing Campaign for SVS:

Fill your room with the sound of Ultra BS!

That when you invite the drumpf over for dinner?

 

[Beave]

That when you invite the drumpf over for dinner?

I wasn't going to go there, but since you bring it up:

SVS Ultra Bookshelf Speakers: The Ultimate BS Speaker, with No Leaks from the Cabinet!

 

[Pogre]

Jeezum crow, I fixed it last night!

It was pretty funny though. I snickered a little when I read it again before I edited it.

 

[gatorgene]

So if a room is 4,000 cu ft used 80% TV, 10% movies, 10% music located in a high rise condo that makes purchasing a sub out of the question, do I buy a Bookcase Prime or a Bookcase Ultra. Towers would not work in the room design. A Prime 5 speaker system would cost $1100 verses the Ultra at $2600.

 

[Roen]

Why the fixation on SVS? There are better speakers for the money.

 

[lovinthehd]

Why the fixation on SVS? There are better speakers for the money.

Such as? Do they come with better in-home trials and warranty and customer service?

 

[Roen]

Such as? Do they come with better in-home trials and warranty and customer service?

Someone on AVS did a 9 speaker shootout and then a 4 speaker mid-priced shoot out. The Chane A2.4 came out on top for both performance and value.

If I had the space and wanted a value setup, I'd run 5 vertical Chane A2.4 all around. If I couldn't, then 3 Vertical LCR A2.4, and A1.4 as surrounds. If that doesn't work then Front LR Vertical Center Horizontal A2.4, and A1.4 as surrounds.

My current speakers are higher in the market on a performance scale, and what I thought was a great value, but if these reviews are to be believe, the Chane A2.4 is the ultimate value speaker.

 

[lovinthehd]

Someone on AVS did a 9 speaker shootout and then a 4 speaker mid-priced shoot out. The Chane A2.4 came out on top for both performance and value.

If I had the space and wanted a value setup, I'd run 5 vertical Chane A2.4 all around. If I couldn't, then 3 Vertical LCR A2.4, and A1.4 as surrounds. If that doesn't work then Front LR Vertical Center Horizontal A2.4, and A1.4 as surrounds.

My current speakers are higher in the market on a performance scale, and what I thought was a great value, but if these reviews are to be believe, the Chane A2.4 is the ultimate value speaker.

So Chane would be your suggestion, fine; I've wanted to audition them myself. What a guy did in a shootout without knowing more, meh.

So your current speakers don't compete with the SVS how?

 

[Roen]

So Chane would be your suggestion, fine; I've wanted to audition them myself. What a guy did in a shootout without knowing more, meh.

So your current speakers don't compete with the SVS how?

I have these:

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRM2/srm2.html

The site seems to be down though.

I bought my current speakers during a 20% off promotion, I think they were around $650 per.

If you want to compare them, just look at the specs, as well as the frequency response. The true ribbons on mine are the highlight of the speakers, in addition to the very flat and accurate response. The Chane's are quite similar, which is why they provide such good value. I would read the shootout on which ranges of frequencies differ between the Chane's and the SVS, and see which one matches your tastes more. You may even end up picking something not Chane or SVS.

More affordable options from other brands include the Ascend CMT-340SE, The Philharmonic Affordable Accuracy Monitors to name a few.

Here's a pic of my front 3 setup:

 

[KEW]

So if a room is 4,000 cu ft used 80% TV, 10% movies, 10% music located in a high rise condo that makes purchasing a sub out of the question, do I buy a Bookcase Prime or a Bookcase Ultra. Towers would not work in the room design. A Prime 5 speaker system would cost $1100 verses the Ultra at $2600.

The Ultra Towers have pretty deep bass equivalent to a 8" or 10" subwoofer. The JBL 550p 10" sealed sub is currently on special for $191 and will round out the low end about the same as the tower's two 8" drivers! This combination with a pair of subs would save you $600.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/jbl-studio-550p-10-sealed-50-pound-sub-for-189-599-msrp.108904/
The JBL is -3dB at 27Hz and the tower is -3dB at 28Hz - essentially the same, so if a smaller sub won't work, you might need to find a speaker without so much bass!

Why the fixation on SVS? There are better speakers for the money.

??? The Ultra BS is a pretty excellent speaker for $1000/pair and the tower may be the least expensive speaker that offers damn near full-range performance (-3dB at 28Hz)!

 

[Roen]

The Ultra Towers have pretty deep bass equivalent to a 8" or 10" subwoofer. The JBL 550p 10" sealed sub is currently on special for $191 and will round out the low end about the same as the tower's two 8" drivers! This combination with a pair of subs would save you $600.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/jbl-studio-550p-10-sealed-50-pound-sub-for-189-599-msrp.108904/
The JBL is -3dB at 27Hz and the tower is -3dB at 28Hz - essentially the same, so if a smaller sub won't work, you might need to find a speaker without so much bass!


??? The Ultra BS is a pretty excellent speaker for $1000/pair and the tower may be the least expensive speaker that offers damn near full-range performance (-3dB at 28Hz)!

The SVS Ultra bookshelf does have a 3 Hz advantage over the Chane A2.4 as well. Chane's are 3 dB more sensitive though, so they can play louder for a given amp.

At the end of the day, it's about what signature you want and how much value you want out of them. Ultra's are 1k a pair, Chane's are $560 a pair.

The same person (as you may know, but maybe not the poster above you) also had a direct comparison between the SVS Ultra and the Chane A2.4 in the mid-priced speaker shootout.

 

[KEW]

I have these:

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRM2/

The site seems to be down though.

I bought my current speakers during a 20% off promotion, I think they were around $650 per.

If you want to compare them, just look at the specs, as well as the frequency response. The true ribbons on mine are the highlight of the speakers, in addition to the very flat and accurate response. The Chane's are quite similar, which is why they provide such good value. I would read the shootout on which ranges of frequencies differ between the Chane's and the SVS, and see which one matches your tastes more. You may even end up picking something not Chane or SVS.

More affordable options from other brands include the Ascend CMT-340SE, The Philharmonic Affordable Accuracy Monitors to name a few.

Here's a pic of my front 3 setup:

Can you provide a link to the comparison? I'd like to see what they have to say about the Ultras and other speakers I have heard!

 

[Roen]

Can you provide a link to the comparison? I'd like to see what they have to say about the Ultras and other speakers I have heard!

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/2885705-audition-4-mid-priced-ht-speakers.html

Another one:

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/2873945-9-budget-speaker-shootout-only-1-winner.html

Two different reviewers, I think.

Second reviewer also compared Chane to my current set:

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/2895105-ascend-acoustics-sierra-2s-vs-chane-s-a2-4-has-begun.html