Parts and measurements of the SVS Ultra bookshelf

[KEW]

@Pogre
This has affiliation with Danny Ritchie, but this is not (yet) a mod video, but simply a look at the components and take measurements.
I suspect that there may be either a review or review w/mod video to follow!

Edit - I had a bit of a hard time reading the vertical axis markings on the FR graph, but the horizontal lines are 2.5dB apart so we see this speakers is around +/- 2.5 dB across the measured range! The graph looks worse and he commented on it, but I needed to see the scaling before I understood it.

 

[KEW]

Thought I'd put he AH review here for comparison/contrast and further commentary:

SVS Ultra Bookshelf Speakers Review

Review: The SVS Ultra is a two-way ported bookshelf loudspeaker designed with impeccable build quality and aesthetics and grounded science. Do they live up to the SVS name? Read on to find out.

www.audioholics.com

 

[afterlife2]

I've been watching his videos he's real good. I enjoyed the HiFi stream with him Gene, Joe, etc last night

 

[Pogre]

Aw Kurt, you always know exactly how to get to my heart! He makes me want to break one of mine down! Well, I sorta already did but not as thoroughly and no measurements. Yeah, +/- 2.5 dB is very acceptable! Everyone likes to see positive reviews on stuff they own!

Mod video? What's this you say? If he does a mod I'd rather see it for the towers!

 

[afterlife2]

He is also gonna mod the JBL 530. He broke down that one too. Now waiting to see his mod.

 

[D Murphy]

@Pogre
This has affiliation with Danny Ritchie, but this is not (yet) a mod video, but simply a look at the components and take measurements.
I suspect that there may be either a review or review w/mod video to follow!

Edit - I had a bit of a hard time reading the vertical axis markings on the FR graph, but the horizontal lines are 2.5dB apart so we see this speakers is around +/- 2.5 dB across the measured range! The graph looks worse and he commented on it, but I needed to see the scaling before I understood it.

I spent some time with the Ultra's, comparing them mainly with my late and perhaps lamented Affordable Accuracy monitor. I of course took measurements, which pretty much matched this guy's and what I heard. I don't think there's any question that the U-shaped curve conforms to a Company Sound. By suppressing the lower and mid treble, it's possible to provide a spacious sound at the cost of losing presence and detail, particularly on brass instruments. This kind of sound pleases a lot of people, and it's fairly common (check out the JBL 890: https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/measurements/jbl_l890/) It's still a form of coloration, however, and I personally think it's better to obtain spaciousness through broad horizontal dispersion, and not monkey with the response. BTW, It's kind of misleading to characterize the Ultra's response as +/- 2.5 dB. That spec implies that the response deviates 2.5 db above and below the average output or trend line. That's not the case here. The trend is arguably at the top of the plot, and the dip hits -5 dB at the trough. The absence of peaks is admirable, but in essence we're really looking at a 5 dB dip, and that will be quite audible.

 

[KEW]

I spent some time with the Ultra's, comparing them mainly with my late and perhaps lamented Affordable Accuracy monitor. I of course took measurements, which pretty much matched this guy's and what I heard. I don't think there's any question that the U-shaped curve conforms to a Company Sound. By suppressing the lower and mid treble, it's possible to provide a spacious sound at the cost of losing presence and detail, particularly on brass instruments. This kind of sound pleases a lot of people, and it's fairly common (check out the JBL 890: https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/measurements/jbl_l890/) It's still a form of coloration, however, and I personally think it's better to obtain spaciousness through broad horizontal dispersion, and not monkey with the response. BTW, It's kind of misleading to characterize the Ultra's response as +/- 2.5 dB. That spec implies that the response deviates 2.5 db above and below the average output or trend line. That's not the case here. The trend is arguably at the top of the plot, and the dip hits -5 dB at the trough. The absence of peaks is admirable, but in essence we're really looking at a 5 dB dip, and that will be quite audible.

Thanks Dennis, especially for the comment on the frequency response. That makes total sense to me but I had not thought to look at it that way!

 

[carlthess40]

Hello Ken
Have you seen the svsound MB’s-01 bookshelf speaker? I have a set with the matching center speaker. I’d like to find out if anyone has done any crossover upgrades to these? I’d like to see if I could get some more sparkle out of the tweeters &
Sorry for stepping on your post

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Pogre]

@KEW

I just finished watching his follow-up on the Ultras. There's not much I disagree with him about. I'd say his observations are pretty spot-on. I guess it's okay for me to still keep loving my Ultras!

 

[ryanosaur]

Thanks for sharing that follow up vid.

 

[Pogre]

Thanks for sharing that follow up vid.

Sure. I was kinda waiting for it anyway.

He mentions a few things that I have noticed myself. Not often, but occasionally I will hear a fleck of sibilance, but never to the point of fatigue. I still think they sound neutral despite the dip but that could be due to 2 things. 1.) The upward tilt in the highest frequencies masks it somewhat, and 2.) To be perfectly honest I haven't listened to a huge variety of hi end bookshelf speakers in a room environment, set up and optimized to perform their best.

Overall there's still a lot to like tho. I agree with his comments on the engineering and build quality, proper selection of drivers and the finish really is gorgeous. I think it does make them look like they cost more than they do.

 

[KEW]

@KEW
I just finished watching his follow-up on the Ultras. There's not much I disagree with him about. I'd say his observations are pretty spot-on.

Does that mean you're gonna lose the Marantz and Monolith and replace it with a NAD?
It is hard to argue with his contention that adding a NAD makes it more ballsy*!

*At 2:50 if anyone wants to fact check!

My Yamaha's* also sound more ballsy when I put my nads into it when playing them!

(*saxophones)

 

[KEW]

Hello Ken
Have you seen the svsound MB’s-01 bookshelf speaker? I have a set with the matching center speaker. I’d like to find out if anyone has done any crossover upgrades to these? I’d like to see if I could get some more sparkle out of the tweeters &
Sorry for stepping on your post

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just now saw this (for now, I am being Ken with you, but I'd rather be frank with you)!
No, I am afraid I have not seen anything on modding the MBS-01.
Good luck,

 

[Pogre]

Does that mean you're gonna lose the Marantz and Monolith and replace it with a NAD?
It is hard to argue with his contention that adding a NAD makes it more ballsy*!

*At 2:50 if anyone wants to fact check!

Hey, I didn't say there was nothing I disagreed with...

 

[carlthess40]

Just now saw this (for now, I am being Ken with you, but I'd rather be frank with you)!
No, I am afraid I have not seen anything on modding the MBS-01.
Good luck,

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[shadyJ]

Sure. I was kinda waiting for it anyway.

He mentions a few things that I have noticed myself. Not often, but occasionally I will hear a fleck of sibilance, but never to the point of fatigue. I still think they sound neutral despite the dip but that could be due to 2 things. 1.) The upward tilt in the highest frequencies masks it somewhat, and 2.) To be perfectly honest I haven't listened to a huge variety of hi end bookshelf speakers in a room environment, set up and optimized to perform their best.

Overall there's still a lot to like tho. I agree with his comments on the engineering and build quality, proper selection of drivers and the finish really is gorgeous. I think it does make them look like they cost more than they do.

One thing about his impression of sound that doesn't match my own is the sibilance. Sibilant speakers typically have some kind of elevation from 4 kHz to around 8 kHz, but these speakers are actually recessed in that range (if his measurements are correct). These speakers look to be the opposite of sibilant. I would guess that the sibilance that he was hearing was a matter of the recordings, not the speakers themselves.

One other thing, he is giving too much weight to CSD measurements. There is no research that has demonstrated the audibility of any of that, and it's hard to argue that is even anything more than a function of the frequency response itself.

 

[ryanosaur]

It doesn't seem their measurements squared with the ones Gene posted previously:

Or this from Sound & Vision (Purple trace):

Looking at these graphs, the Ultra looks like a much better speaker. Even though I wouldn't choose that dip around 4K, I wouldn't condemn it! ...Or think it needs a fix! (I'm very glad that they didn't go there... I don't know if I could stand another 20 minutes of prattling about how it could be "better.")

From an educational standpoint, It would have been cool to see the individual measurments for Woofer and Tweeter.

 

[shadyJ]

It doesn't seem their measurements squared with the ones Gene posted previously:
View attachment 35111
Or this from Sound & Vision (Purple trace):
View attachment 35112

Looking at these graphs, the Ultra looks like a much better speaker. Even though I wouldn't choose that dip around 4K, I wouldn't condemn it! ...Or think it needs a fix! (I'm very glad that they didn't go there... I don't know if I could stand another 20 minutes of prattling about how it could be "better.")

From an educational standpoint, It would have been cool to see the individual measurments for Woofer and Tweeter.

The measurements from New Record Day do actually follow the other graphs if you look at the scales. Gene's graph has an awful lot of reflections in the measurement, but if you squint, you do see the same overall trend. The speaker was deliberately voiced to be on the mellow side.

 

[ryanosaur]

Am I seeing more detail in the NRD chart? I see what looks like a drop across the spectrum from ~300-4K, with the exception of that bump around 400. (going by memory, pls forgive). I don't feel like that trend is even apparent in these two other graphs.

 

[Pogre]

Am I seeing more detail in the NRD chart? I see what looks like a drop across the spectrum from ~300-4K, with the exception of that bump around 400. (going by memory, pls forgive). I don't feel like that trend is even apparent in these two other graphs.

It doesn't look as exaggerated but I do see the trend.