The American company SVS continues to build on its success in the classic speaker market. The second Prime line uses the developments of the debut Ultra series, but due to the lower price, the new product is available to a wider range of buyers.
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| image credit: SVSSOUND |
Last year we celebrated a milestone - the evolution of SVS from a highly specialized company focused on the production of exclusively subwoofers into a classic speaker manufacturer.
The group of enthusiasts who founded SVS in 1998 had an initial plan to conquer the subwoofer market. They believed that a high-quality subwoofer could cost significantly less than the devices on the market at that time. As a result, SVS was able to win a niche for itself, thereby proving its correctness and simultaneously forcing other manufacturers to follow the price/quality ratio, which is more favorable for the buyer. And now, 15 years later, the company enters the market of classic speakers with the Ultra line and the same revolutionary idea “High End to the masses”. The firstborns were taken extremely seriously, having worked out the design to the smallest detail using the latest design tools. For their price, the speakers had an exceptionally high sound quality, as the experts of our magazine were able to see for themselves. The company took the next step in October 2014, announcing the new SVS Prime line. Engineers have tried to reduce the cost of the speakers, but careful consideration has also been given to optimizing the design. The task was made easier by the experience already gained from the development of the Ultra line. This is undoubtedly an interesting event for a wide range of buyers since high-quality speakers have become even more affordable. How high-quality, we will find out on the example of the flagship of the line - the floor-standing speaker SVS Prime Tower. The Prime lineup includes the Prime Tower Floor Standing Speakers, Prime Bookshelf Bookshelf Speakers, Prime Center Speakers, and Prime Satellite. Externally, the speakers resemble their predecessors Ultra - the same rigor in design, the same beveled edges, the same black piano lacquer. However, there is also a more modest version with a matte front panel and black ash laminate. It should be noted that the satellites in the Prime Satellite 5.1 theatrical set caused the most enthusiastic reviews from foreign observers. The general opinion of the experts coincides with the company's goal - the speakers sound exceptionally good for their price.
The floor-standing SVS Prime Tower is assembled in a relatively small 930 mm high cabinet. The drivers are pushed up compactly and the woofers make full use of the available cabinet width. All diffusers are black, without any decorations. On the one hand, it emphasizes rigor and solidity, on the other hand, it looks simple and utilitarian, like the design of professional monitor acoustics. Behind the external simplicity and compactness is a 3.5-way audio signal distribution scheme. A neatly tuned crossover smoothly stitches the frequency range of different emitters. It is helped by two ports of independent phase inverters tuned to different frequencies. This distribution improves bass uniformity and sensitivity. Unusually, the diameter of the horns is small and there is no smoothly expanding bell as such. Nevertheless, looking ahead, it should be noted that no hints of noise from the movement of air through them are heard. The tweeter with an aluminum dome was chosen as the tweeter since its frequency response matches the response of the mid-range speaker in the best possible way. To improve the sound quality of the aluminum dome, a diffusion washer is installed in front of it. Its performance is optimized by the Finite Element Method (FEA) to achieve a clean, airy upper register. The new midrange and woofer are equipped with filled polypropylene cones. They have a very attractive stiffness-to-weight ratio. To reduce inductive pickup and distortion, aluminum rings are installed in the magnetic gap of the speakers. The voice coils are freely ventilated, which eliminates the effect of air compression and facilitates cooling.
For the manufacture of baskets, a composite made of impact-resistant ABS plastic with carbon and fiberglass filler is used. This mixture turned out to be not only very strong but also able to additionally remove heat from the magnetic system. The midrange driver is housed in its own acoustically isolated compartment to reduce crosstalk and thus distortion. Each bass speaker also has its own separate compartment with a bass reflex. The crossover is built on premium capacitors and air-core inductors. One pair of classic screw terminals is used to connect to the amplifier. All models in the Prime range are individually tuned for the most accurate tonal match. In addition, "primes" can work in conjunction with models of the Ultra line. This means that you can safely assemble music and cinema systems of any complexity, without facing the problem of matching the sound of the speakers. The sound of SVS Prime Tower is collected and at the same time slightly softened, comfortable. The musical material is presented live and cleanly. Despite some limitations of the dynamic range, the intonation character of the compositions is conveyed quite accurately, with good articulation. Timbre information is conveyed with minor simplifications. Meanwhile, the speakers do not add their own color to the sound, leaving the music scene very clean, and interpreting the musical intent close to the original. The model lacks precision in the elaboration of quiet details, in microdynamics. Instead, details are accentuated a little, which brings the music scene closer to the listener, hiding the airiness and volume. The upper register is present enough to maintain the correct overall tonal balance. The elaboration of high-frequency details and its frequency reserve are at the average level typical for Hi-Fi speakers.
Noticeably better intelligibility is provided at the information-rich mid and low frequencies. Complex musical compositions are not blurred and sound effects. The bass is collected and fast. Its depth is quite good, but towards the lowest frequencies, its tonal definition decreases. The speakers are best at fast and energetic compositions. SVS keeps the rhythm well. The sound is comfortable and clear, however, for the full disclosure of high-quality acoustic and electronic recordings, there is a little lack of detail and saturation. However, sometimes it is even for the best. The SVS Prime Tower can be described as a solid Hi-Fi model with a pleasant and very clear sound. The novelty does not constitute an extra rivalry to its more expensive predecessor SVS Ultra Tower, but it supports its related features by 100%.
The speakers exhibit a very flat frequency response from 80 Hz up to 20 kHz along the sonic axis. When the speaker is turned away from the listener, the frequency response changes insignificantly, which means their wide directivity. The drop in bass response is typical for small floor loudspeakers. The lower frequency limit is quite modest - 54 Hz. The THD of the speakers is very good: in the working area it does not exceed 0.5%, and in practice, for the most part, it is even much lower. A noticeable increase in distortion begins only at frequencies below 30 Hz when their level still does not exceed 2%. This is an excellent result, not always achieved even by high-end models. The THD depends very little on the loudness, which demonstrates a good headroom in dynamics and power (up to 250 W at nominal). The speaker impedance behaves quite well. Its average value is slightly below 6 ohms, and deviations from this value are small.
Stereo & Video Lab Data, March 2015 Average THD 100 Hz - 20 kHz, 94/88/82 dB: 0.11 / 0.14 / 0.22% 40-100 Hz, 94/88/82 dB: 0.52 / 0.40 / 0.37% Sensitivity at 1 kHz: 87.26 dB Lower cutoff frequency (–10 dB): 54 Hz Uneven frequency response 100 Hz - 20 kHz: +/– 1.14 dB 160-1300 Hz: +/– 0.31 dB 1300 Hz - 20 kHz: +/– 1.15 dB 300 Hz - 5 kHz: +/– 1.01 dB Average Ripple (30 ° Angle): +/– 4.55 db Unbalance (160-1300 Hz): -0.25 dB Unbalance (1300 Hz –– 20 kHz): –0.57 dB Unbalance (30 ° angle): -4.45 dB Impedance Standard deviation: 1.96 ohms Average: 5.81 ohms Maximum value: 12.29 ohms Minimum value: 3.52 ohms Passport data Frequency response: 30 - 25,000 Hz Number of bands: 3.5 Crossover Frequency: 165/350/2100 Hz Tweeter: 25 mm aluminum Midrange driver: 114 mm polypropylene Woofer: 2x165 mm, polypropylene Acoustic design: bass reflex Sensitivity: 87dB Impedance: 8 ohm Rated power: 20-250 W Dimensions (HxWxD): 930x203x295 mm Weight: 18.2 kgTwo towers
image credit: SVSSOUND Related traits
Measurement results and passport data of SVS Prime Tower acoustics
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