Svs ultra bookshelf

M

mx416

Audioholic
hi all-

You can see my current system in my signature. I picked up a pair of svs ultras to give a shot. The speakers arrived perfect in piano black yesterday. They are currently hooked up and running. I have not reran audyssey but plan to by the weekend.

First impression.
The piano finish is amazing...just amazing. The brushed aluminum around each speaker gives a very high end finish that I quite enjoy.

More to come....
 

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speakerman39

speakerman39

Audioholic Overlord
hi all-

You can see my current system in my signature. I picked up a pair of svs ultras to give a shot. The speakers arrived perfect in piano black yesterday. They are currently hooked up and running. I have not reran audyssey but plan to by the weekend.

First impression.
The piano finish is amazing...just amazing. The brushed aluminum around each speaker gives a very high end finish that I quite enjoy.

More to come....
I agree that the Ultras are very impressive both in their performance and/or build quality. In fact, the Ultras have the best rendition of a metal dome tweeter that I have ever heard period! Very balanced from top to bottom. Not to mention, very neutral sounding. Congrats on an excellent choice! :):):) You certainly picked a winner!


Cheers,

Phil
 
P

pewternhrata

Audioholic Chief
I've had mine almost a year and they still impress me every time I listen to them play.
 
M

mx416

Audioholic
Hi All-

I want to return to this thread and give my opinion of the svs ultras.

Appearance: the piano black is amazing. The whole speaker is great looking. Compared to my primes the Ultras are a real step up in this category. Also they are noticeably larger than the primes. The size is not a problem, just an observation.

Sound: first let’s start with the high end. The tweeter is much smoother and crisper than my primes. The better high end was noticeable with in the first song. Much more clear then the primes. The bass is also better with the ultras. I used the ultra with my subs so under 80hz wasn’t a real concern for me.

Imagining: the speakers were on a completely different level for imagining. The sound was centered and clear.

Overall: what really stood out for me was the depth and separation of instruments and sounds.

Verdict: I ended up returning the ultras and staying with my inferior primes. The reason for this was that I still want bigger/wall of sound. I think the only way to get the bigger sound is to get towers. For that reason I returned them with hopes of getting a real tower speaker in the future.

Thanks
 
speakerman39

speakerman39

Audioholic Overlord
Hi All-

I want to return to this thread and give my opinion of the svs ultras.

Appearance: the piano black is amazing. The whole speaker is great looking. Compared to my primes the Ultras are a real step up in this category. Also they are noticeably larger than the primes. The size is not a problem, just an observation.

Sound: first let’s start with the high end. The tweeter is much smoother and crisper than my primes. The better high end was noticeable with in the first song. Much more clear then the primes. The bass is also better with the ultras. I used the ultra with my subs so under 80hz wasn’t a real concern for me.

Imagining: the speakers were on a completely different level for imagining. The sound was centered and clear.

Overall: what really stood out for me was the depth and separation of instruments and sounds.

Verdict: I ended up returning the ultras and staying with my inferior primes. The reason for this was that I still want bigger/wall of sound. I think the only way to get the bigger sound is to get towers. For that reason I returned them with hopes of getting a real tower speaker in the future.

Thanks
Nice write-up! Sorry to hear that you sent the Ultras back. I owned a set and absolutely loved them. The top end was very extended and airy whereas the low end was very articulate. Extension was also very impressive in my small room. The build quality is exceptional to say the least.

Just never heard a metal dome tweeter sound that good and was not harsh at all. Best wishes on your hunt for towers! Many here can help you w/that as I am more of a bookshelf/stand-mount type of guy.


Cheers,

Phil
 
M

mx416

Audioholic
I definitely agree with you Phil. The tweeter is very smooth in the ultras. So smooth I would put them up against my buddy’s jbl 590s(which is the best tweeter I have heard).

Like I mentioned above. The ultras bookshelf’s are fantastic. I would not discourage anyone from buying them. But, It took me listening to them to realize I want a tower speaker.

Maybe I need to try the ultra towers :rolleyes:
 
speakerman39

speakerman39

Audioholic Overlord
I definitely agree with you Phil. The tweeter is very smooth in the ultras. So smooth I would put them up against my buddy’s jbl 590s(which is the best tweeter I have heard).

Like I mentioned above. The ultras bookshelf’s are fantastic. I would not discourage anyone from buying them. But, It took me listening to them to realize I want a tower speaker.

Maybe I need to try the ultra towers :rolleyes:
Interesting that you had the 590's. I owned the 530's and the 520C. I actually preferred the 530's to the Ultras over all. But, it was very close. I also agree that the tweeter on the 590's/530's was a bit better than that on the Ultras. I could have easily been just as happy with either or. However, I liked the look of the 530's whereas most people don't......LOL!!!!:eek::eek::eek: Guess, I am weird like that.


Cheers,

Phil
 
M

mx416

Audioholic
For clarification the 590s are owned by a buddy of mine. I have had extensive listening with them. (Amazing speakers btw)

That jbl line is a little hard on eyes for me. However the jbl 590s would be high on my list if I was doing a dedicated HT and could hide them behind the screen :D
 
Last edited:
speakerman39

speakerman39

Audioholic Overlord
For clarification the 590s are owned by a buddy of mine. I have had extensive listening with them. (Amazing speakers btw)

That jbl line is a little hard on eyes for me. However the jbl 590s would be high on my list if I was doing a dedicated HT and could hide them behind the screen :D
Yeah, many people had issues with the JBL 500 Series looks. Especially, if anyone has to deal with a WAF. But for me, it was part of the appeal. Be sure to keep us all posted on which towers you decide to go with. Inquiring minds want to know.:):):)


Cheers,

Phil
 
M

mx416

Audioholic
I will keep folks updated on the tower speaker search. My list to try out and test is growing:

Svs ultra tower $2000

Ascend acoustic tower non RAAL $2000

Ascend acoustic tower with RAAL $2700

RBH impression tower elite $2000

RBH SV-661R $2700

Salk song3 $3000

PSA 210 $2150

Aperion audio towers $2500

Kef r500 $1900
 
speakerman39

speakerman39

Audioholic Overlord
That is funny mx416 as I was just recommending the RBH's and you beat me to it by a few seconds...........LOL!!!! :p:p:p


Cheers,

Phil
 
S

snakeeyes

Audioholic Ninja
That’s a healthy budget. Think Philharmonic might be another to consider.
The 590 is not ugly but maybe not exactly pretty either... :).
The aperion towers are very good looking, at least I think so. They have a 60 day return policy at aperion so you could try them out. Good luck! :)
 
M

mx416

Audioholic
Wanted to revisit this thread for some advice.

I seached through the forums but couldn’t find the answer to the following question. (Mainly the: ascend, song3, kef)

Any concerns with the list of speakers mentioned at a volume of -5 to 0 db? The speakers will have to double as HT speakers.
Room hasn’t changed (12’ listening distance, 6000+ cf w/ all attached rooms)

Svs ultra tower $2000

Ascend acoustic tower non RAAL $2000

Ascend acoustic tower with RAAL $2700

RBH impression tower elite $2000

RBH SV-661R $2700

Salk song3 $3000

PSA 210 $2150

Aperion audio towers $2500

Kef r500 $1900
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Wanted to revisit this thread for some advice.

I seached through the forums but couldn’t find the answer to the following question. (Mainly the: ascend, song3, kef)

Any concerns with the list of speakers mentioned at a volume of -5 to 0 db? The speakers will have to double as HT speakers.
Room hasn’t changed (12’ listening distance, 6000+ cf w/ all attached rooms)

Svs ultra tower $2000

Ascend acoustic tower non RAAL $2000

Ascend acoustic tower with RAAL $2700

RBH impression tower elite $2000

RBH SV-661R $2700

Salk song3 $3000

PSA 210 $2150

Aperion audio towers $2500

Kef r500 $1900
Based on what you have said previously, I don't think you are going to get what you want from these speakers. Based on what you said that you wanted, it may simply be a matter of positioning of your existing speakers. If you want a larger, wider soundstage, you might just try spreading the speakers further apart. It also sounds like you might prefer a bit more reflected sound than you are getting, so I would angle the speakers for a greater ratio of reflected sound to direct sound. Try aiming the speakers straight forward so that they face in a parallel direction. You might also try a hard toe-in where they are aimed to cross in front of the listening position.

If that doesn't do the trick, I would look into line-arrays. It seems to me that might be the 'larger-than-life' sound that you are looking for.
 
M

MrBoat

Audioholic Ninja
"Wall of sound" = 3-way speakers with 15" woofers, such as, Cerwin Vega. Though it kind of unfair to label CV speakers as "wall of sound" speakers, they would certainly be capable of that effect.
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Thanks for the reply
To explain a little but further why I don't think your choices will give you what you are looking for- those are all speakers that emulate a point source emission of sound. That isn't any different than what your SVS bookshelf speakers were doing. Those speakers are all attempting to do that, with varying levels of competence. A line source does not try to emulate point source emission and is often given the expression of 'wall of sound' and 'larger than life.' They don't do precision sound stage, but they do have their own sound, and I do like the effect. One exception to the typical line array sound might be Keele's CBT line arrays, which do kind of emulate a point source, although they still have something of a traditional line array quality.

However, one problem with line arrays is that they tend to be quite expensive.
 
P

pewternhrata

Audioholic Chief
To explain a little but further why I don't think your choices will give you what you are looking for- those are all speakers that emulate a point source emission of sound. That isn't any different than what your SVS bookshelf speakers were doing. Those speakers are all attempting to do that, with varying levels of competence. A line source does not try to emulate point source emission and is often given the expression of 'wall of sound' and 'larger than life.' They don't do precision sound stage, but they do have their own sound, and I do like the effect. One exception to the typical line array sound might be Keele's CBT line arrays, which do kind of emulate a point source, although they still have something of a traditional line array quality.

However, one problem with line arrays is that they tend to be quite expensive.
I've never listened to line array, heard great and bad things about them. I'm more intrigued by the great. And of course any speaker would have negative reviews.
How would you compare it to Martin Logan electrostatics? It seems alot of people are not impressed, but to me they are very open airy and crisp, I enjoy really enjoy them.
 

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