*Have you ever had similar experience(s) as me in the video? Share with audio friends in the comments!* Purchase Links: SVS Ultra Tower Speakers (piano gloss): howl.me/ciFks54Y9UV SVS Ultra Tower Speakers (black oak veneer): howl.me/ciFktx1cOyN All other SVS Products: howl.me/ciFkrKUB8Ec Support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/jayiyagi follow on Instagram: instagram.com/jays_iyagi/ follow on Facebook: facebook.com/jayiyagiofficial Follow soundstage take 2 reviews: ruclips.net/p/PLPOzvlhtSqn5xdc__ftuSt4Rxy_wm5Af0 Speaker stands: amzn.to/3ssRhI3 Better speaker stands: solidsteel.it/my-product/ss-7-vintage-hi-fi-speaker-stands/ acoustic panels I use: ua-acoustics.com/ acoustic curtain: amzn.to/31d1zAM BDI Cabinet I use: bit.ly/2OJRwQQ amzn.to/3chBuFZ other BDI Cabinets: bit.ly/3ctxXV1 amzn.to/30bsUCH my fav hifi tweaks: (Isoacoustics devices) amzn.to/3j5FGvM 0:00 My Past Experience with SVS Ultra Towers 4:17 SVS Ultra Towers Build Quality review 5:22 SVS Subwoofers? 6:03 SVS Ultra Towers Sound Quality review 11:32 SVS Ultra Towers Set Up Guide 12:45 Best Amplifier For SVS Ultra Tower Speakers
It's okay to mention about your retail experience as many times as you wish, we know it is a very important part of your journey and also it may have helped you to gain more experience in this hobby. I personally wish I had such an experience in my life. Keep up the good work, Jay!
You are so correct that SVS has great customer service. I blew a tweeter the second day of owning these. I pushed my Emotiva XPA,DR2 just a little too far. I called SVS and I had a brand new tweeter delivered to my house the next day. Very impressive SVS.
Missed mine so much stupidly sold them and have tried so many other speakers but I will be ordering a pair again by the end of the year they are that good
I owned the entire surround sound Ultra system. Loved them for movies! For music, that PAL tweeter was just too fatiguing for me. This was in a dedicated treated theater room.
Its high time for svs to make ultra tower mk2 version with all the necessary improvements on the midrange and perhaps use soft or silk dome tweeters. Perhaps tone down a little bit in the bass region so that it can be more appealing for 2 channel listening as well
I did the GR Research upgrade with added copper foil caps on the tweeter circuits, 6 months later and they sound absolutely insane, sound stage is so airy and wide, right off the bay after the upgrade there was a noticeable difference but it wasn’t for at least 4 months of daily use till everything really opened up, I absolutely love them
@@danemoreno88for the Ultra Towers, the upgrades are only around $200. He admitted that the crossover was already pretty good, he's not redesigning anything, just using better parts.
I got the Ultra Center because it was the best sounding 3-way center channel speaker I could find. Then got the Ultra Towers to match. Very happy with the setup (mostly for movies). I would say that they do sound better when playing louder. Maybe that’s why you enjoyed the dead room more?
We just heard the all new Dynaudio Focus 50 Active Wireless speakers and we would never go back now ! This is the future of speakers to our ears Jay ! Go listen Jay they will Blow Your Mind.. !
Just attended a in person demo hosted by SVS last night. First time hearing the ultra towers. Compared to my personal ultra bookshelves, I was impressed. And more than impressed comparing them to some lower end B&W’s, 4K Martin Logan’s and a few other speakers costing 3-4 x the price of the ultras.
Jay your review is so accurate! I've owned the Ultra Towers now for two years and for movies, paired with ultra center and ultra surrounds, it's fantastic; but not for two channel listing. The mids are smeared, really disappointing. UNTIL, I replaced the Crossovers and wire with Danny Richies design from GR-Research. Totally different speaker that is Alive and Room filling! Definitely worth the money for the Upgrade kit. My friends thought I was crazy seeing how much was involved with the build, but they couldn't believe what they where hearing, and bits of background they never knew was in the Track being played. The kit requires two boards for each speaker, and I'm Happy I built them, life changing. btw, I do have a treated room all GIK and that was a game changer too!!! Keep up the great work Jay it's appreciated! 💯
I have these speakers and i find them really pleasing to my ears. Amazing bass performance and crystal clear vocals. Placement is a bit tricky tho as they can get boomy if they're not allowed to breathe. I'm using 2x SVS PC-4000 subs and i think the Prime Pinnacles or any other speaker with front facing woofers would be a better choice if u're using subwoofers and especially if you have limited placement options.
I did the GR Research upgrade to my ultras and after 6 or so months the speakers have really come to life, Danny Richie was very helpful and helped me with adding copper foil bypass caps the the tweeters to send the performance even further, they are very immersive, I can hear sound coming from all over the room now and I could not before, there has been over all clarity enhancement from lows all the way to the highs, I absolutely love them and will be keeping them for ever!
Should have bought a pair when they were $2000 - only 2 years ago. They really jacked up the price in a relatively short time. The Prime Pinnacle has jumped up to the old Ultra price too. Sad!
Love the review Jay. I also was curious if you had the chance to pair the ultra towers with the center. Lastly, which would you prefer between these and the Polk R700's? Thanks again brother.
I see you still have the stock tubes in the Vincent, big request I know, but whenever you do your long awaited review, pretty please roll those out! Made an absolutely massive difference with mine 😍🤘
Great video man! I've done some of the same things along my journey too. I had an assortment of gear over the past 6-8 years and remember liking a few of the speakers along the way that I sold to help fund more new purchases. I have actually bought back a couple of pairs from some friends that I sold them to just to try them again with my current gear to compare to what I remember about them. That's part of the great experience of this hobby. I actually have a pair of AR classic 30's now that I bought back and they are definitely a great sounding speaker for the 350 that I paid for them twice. Lol they definitely sound better with my Classe delta amp than my old Adcom from years ago. Nothing like my Magico s3's I currently have but still great for a second system to play with. I still want to get another pair of Thiel's (cs3.6 or cs-7) again to compare to what I liked about them with my current gear too. The many others in the past are fine staying in the past all to learn from along the way. Keep up the great videos.
Compared to Prime Pinnacle? And how about the Arendal 1723 you already reviewed? You reviewed so many speakers,... so many good reviews... How can you choose a pair of speakers from those you tested? The Arendal 1723 received excellent feedback from you and now here is another model in roughly the same price range... how to find your way around?
As always, I enjoyed your video and honest opinion. If I had the space for a floor standing cabinet I might give them a go. I am hoping that Mr. Buchardt sends you a pair of the P300's to listen to. I recieved my pair in Oceanic Blue, I have to say I am in listening heaven. Driving them with the Primare I25 Prisma. An incredible combo and both still in the burn in stage. Sorry I went off track. Keep up the incredible work. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!
How do you compare SVS Ultra v/s Arendal's ? And if you can also let me know your thoughts on Focal Chora v/s Arendal's ? You have reviewed all three here :) Thank you
Hi I prefer the Arendal 1723 thx over SVS Ultra and Focal Chora. Simply the SVS and Focal Chora are brighter speakers to my ears and does not fit my long listening preference in music. Some may prefer the brighter presentation. For Home theatre purposes... they are all good choices but I'd still personally choose the Arendal 1723 thx, as it fits my personal taste better while not being overly warm or rolled off.
@@Jayiyagi hey thank you Jay, I have Chora line bought it in recent sales, based out of your reviews! But with all the recent onslaught of praises to Arendal, I am thinking should I return Focals and get Arendals , but feels sorry & lazy to ship all of them and spend double the amount on new ones :) Again I am movie person, so Arendal makes more sense like you have mentioned.
Well, nice and thank you for doing this. Regarding the bass, you did not mention the included bass port plugs so apparently no listening with plugs inserted, oh well. I do not like ported bass as always sounds wobbly especially with min high amp power, my new ultras arriving in a few days, will try without the port plugs just to play around but I know will like these better with the plugs inserted, we shall see. Currently running a new Emotiva 300W a side amp, SVS powered sub, sealed not ported, great, tight, powerful, musical, etc. The Ultras will replace my old legacy ADS L1290 towers which have always sounded astounding especially in my current set up. For all the reviews thinking I will also really like the Ultras we like the low end tight. More clean power is always better, stereo gear, cars........
Im wondering how these stack against the Prime Pinnicle towers. ( where the upper character is concerned - bass is no issue with a ton of sub woofer options) I wonder, .. Should SVS come out with a higher teir of quality.. or maybe just get some Ultra version 2?
Jay any chance of getting your hands on a CerwinVega! Speaker? No other reviewer will review them, there is literally nothing for reviews out there for them. Thanks for the content!
That the speaker was not sensitive to equipment swapping leads me to believe that the crossover components are not the best. This has been my experience building speakers and also Modifying production speakers for over 30 years.
I’ve had the Svs ultra towers for almost a year and I hear everyone say how great the bass is but for me the only bass I seem to hear is from the mids, I was powering them with the marantz cinema 50 into a 5.2.4 setup. I was told I didn’t have enough power so I got a monoprice 9 channel amp with 200 watts to the front 3 channels I still don’t hear the bass everyone talks about, should I send my speakers in to be replaced? I have a couple subs so system sounds great but I don’t want to own defective speakers. I searched everywhere and haven’t found anyone else having this issue.
Had a pair of SVS Ultra bookshelves that I frankly couldn’t tolerate. Beaming top end and quick onset of listening fatigue. As always, your mileage may vary.
Sounds to me that I would think this was too bright. I prefer warm. And for the price, I think I'd prefer something like the Tekton Pendragons. But, I'm a warm guy. Some of the only metal dome tweeters that I've heard that did not irritate me are the JBL titanium 035ti and the Energy aluminum dome found in their higher models. Focal Beryllium is like ice picks on my ears, lol. But I have heard a version of the Al/mag inverted tweeter that was smoother. But for Home theater they're probably perfect! Some of the best HT effects I've heard were from a KEF set up and they also use metal domes. For HT, metal seems to work, because it's light/fast/resolving/forward.
Thanks & good kid like always!.... What other loudspeaker Do you suggest instead at price point? To be paired with a McIntosh MA352 & Marantz 5014? Thanks again!
I've bought the svs ultra 5.1 (tower, center, and surround, plus pc12plus) before. I agree for movie watching it was great experience. However, for music, even the tower can't come anywhere close to my b&w 805s bookshelf. It just cannot reproduce the same amount of detail like the b&W. SVS for music just sounds too thin, and forgettable. It's like comparing listening to a 24bit cd vs a 128kbs more file. So if you are buying SVS ultra for movie setup, then congrats. Otherwise, I would recommend looking elsewhere. Jay's comment near the end confirms this...the speaker is the bottle neck, so no matter how good of amp you use it won't make a difference. I end up getting focal Aria - 7 speaker set along with SVS pc12plus sub. It doesn't break the bank and for me its superior to SVS in both movies and music.
Thanks Jay! Would you say your bad experience had to do more with your room whereby perhaps 'most' floorstanders would have sucked? PS I love that you have compared using this on multiple amplifiers. I wish in general more reviewers would do this
That tweeter is centered L to R in the cabinet........................................ Isn't it well known that edge diffraction cancels frequencies when equidistant? I've come to understand the preferable design would offset the tweeters making a left & right speaker. Am I in the fog?🔊
All the speaker a normal rational not OCD to the nth degree person needs. Now there are other speakers in this price class that also meet this criteria but SVS is a great company so that's a good start.🤔🤫😜
I'm trying to decide between the SVS Ultra Towers and the Polk R700 for 2-channel audio in my 14'x22' living room. I'm not looking for "audiophile" quality but for 2 speakers that can put out a full sound from bass to treble. My B&W Nautilus 805 are nice but I'd like to go with full-sounding towers for this room without messing with subs. The Ultra Towers are 10 years old so i have a feeling SVS might come out with a "mkii" version soon. The R700 is definitely newer technology and i can buy them for $500 less but would be willung to buy the Ultra if they are better for my use. Thanks!
Jay, about a year ago I think it was, you bought the Totem Tribe speakers as your reference. Since then I think you’ve also bought the Sonus Faber Amati speakers. What’s your reference currently?
I still love Totem Tribes. I have bought the sonus faber electa amator iii which is still one of my references. Currently, The Arendal 1723THX that I just made a video about impresses/rocks my world :)
I demoed the tribes in my place. I was not particularly impressed. Had a chance to get a pair of B&W 702 s2s for a head to head and preferred the 702's. Then yesterday I was able to demo the 702's against the sonus faber Lumina 5s and Sonetto 3s. The Sonettos were the clear winner from this group of speakers for me and also the most beautiful looking. At $2,000 less than the tribes and the B&Ws and made in Italy, not a bad value. Real leather and real wood veneer option.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I personally prefer the totem tribes over b&w and sonus faber sonetto line but everyone’s room, hearing and preference is different so I respect and value your opinion. Cheers! Keep in mind, placement and associates gear matching all matters as well and plays to which you might like better!
in some instances, yes but not always. I have tried several tube amps as I mentioned and showed in this video but had little luck in "warming up the tone" unfortunately.
Hi, i have the SVS Ultra tower speakers since a very long time. = (years!) But i had to move to a different home. And now i'm in a bigger room. They do sound "thin) weirdly enough. Though they were only connected to a receiver. The receiver, a Marantz (if i remember correctly it was an RS7008) or something among those lines. Has put itself in to protective mode a couple of months ago and it didn't do anything anymore. It was connected through banana plugs, so i thought i might have done something wrong because it was my first time connecting banana plugs. But that seems weird to me since you can't really "short it out?" Anyway, i was wondering if you could point me to a good amplifier/receiver. And do you recommend bi-amping or just go with the standard method. (Yes, i'm pretty much a noob when it comes to all this stuff. At least, to connect it the right way etc...) I would really appreciate the help! 🙂
Why didn't you talk about the port plugs? The key to these speakers is the side wall, NOT the back wall. Get them the hell away from the side walls, like 4 feet. Plug them. The mid rangw comes alive. The other thing is they are power hungry animals. You have quite a selection of amplifiers there. I know nothing about them, lol. They want .01 thd at minimum at 100+ watts rms. You really cant over power them. The power isnt about loudness, but control over those 4 woofers to start and stop them.
Sounds like you're heading down the mid-fi road. Nothing wrong with that, considering it's just a $2K speaker, but the appeal is more to satisfy your nostalgia than to people shopping for a system today.
Sounds like home theater voicing. Tiring for music but great for dialogue and dynamics. Harbeth on the other hand great for music but mediocre for home theater.
![Best Floorstanding Speakers 2024 [don’t buy one before watching this]](/img/1.gif)
*Have you ever had similar experience(s) as me in the video? Share with audio friends in the comments!*
Purchase Links:
SVS Ultra Tower Speakers (piano gloss): howl.me/ciFks54Y9UV
SVS Ultra Tower Speakers (black oak veneer): howl.me/ciFktx1cOyN
All other SVS Products: howl.me/ciFkrKUB8Ec
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Speaker stands: amzn.to/3ssRhI3
Better speaker stands: solidsteel.it/my-product/ss-7-vintage-hi-fi-speaker-stands/
acoustic panels I use: ua-acoustics.com/
acoustic curtain: amzn.to/31d1zAM
BDI Cabinet I use: bit.ly/2OJRwQQ
amzn.to/3chBuFZ
other BDI Cabinets: bit.ly/3ctxXV1
amzn.to/30bsUCH
my fav hifi tweaks: (Isoacoustics devices) amzn.to/3j5FGvM
0:00 My Past Experience with SVS Ultra Towers
4:17 SVS Ultra Towers Build Quality review
5:22 SVS Subwoofers?
6:03 SVS Ultra Towers Sound Quality review
11:32 SVS Ultra Towers Set Up Guide
12:45 Best Amplifier For SVS Ultra Tower Speakers
It's okay to mention about your retail experience as many times as you wish, we know it is a very important part of your journey and also it may have helped you to gain more experience in this hobby. I personally wish I had such an experience in my life. Keep up the good work, Jay!
SVS for life
You are so correct that SVS has great customer service. I blew a tweeter the second day of owning these. I pushed my Emotiva XPA,DR2 just a little too far. I called SVS and I had a brand new tweeter delivered to my house the next day. Very impressive SVS.
I had the thing happen.
Missed mine so much stupidly sold them and have tried so many other speakers but I will be ordering a pair again by the end of the year they are that good
I have found 20 year old or even older speakers to have great sound depending on your set up and room
I owned the entire surround sound Ultra system. Loved them for movies! For music, that PAL tweeter was just too fatiguing for me. This was in a dedicated treated theater room.
Its high time for svs to make ultra tower mk2 version with all the necessary improvements on the midrange and perhaps use soft or silk dome tweeters. Perhaps tone down a little bit in the bass region so that it can be more appealing for 2 channel listening as well
Totally agree… but SVS doesn’t seem like a company too interested in innovating…. Shame
A modular tweeter upgrade for existing SVS owners to purchase and install themselves would sell crazy. Is SVS out there listening?
I did the GR Research upgrade with added copper foil caps on the tweeter circuits, 6 months later and they sound absolutely insane, sound stage is so airy and wide, right off the bay after the upgrade there was a noticeable difference but it wasn’t for at least 4 months of daily use till everything really opened up, I absolutely love them
@@njrumenos his upgrade costs as much as one of the speakers totally ridiculous rip off
@@danemoreno88for the Ultra Towers, the upgrades are only around $200. He admitted that the crossover was already pretty good, he's not redesigning anything, just using better parts.
I think the best way to setup SVS ultras for music is a pair of ultra centers on stands "as its their best speaker" with a pair of subs.
I feel the same way 🍻 I have heard it and it’s pretty amazing 👍
I got the Ultra Center because it was the best sounding 3-way center channel speaker I could find. Then got the Ultra Towers to match. Very happy with the setup (mostly for movies). I would say that they do sound better when playing louder. Maybe that’s why you enjoyed the dead room more?
We just heard the all new Dynaudio Focus 50 Active Wireless speakers and we would never go back now ! This is the future of speakers to our ears Jay ! Go listen Jay they will Blow Your Mind.. !
For home theater, How would this compare with Arendal? ( great video as always :)
Just attended a in person demo hosted by SVS last night. First time hearing the ultra towers. Compared to my personal ultra bookshelves, I was impressed. And more than impressed comparing them to some lower end B&W’s, 4K Martin Logan’s and a few other speakers costing 3-4 x the price of the ultras.
Dude! That’s for reviewing this! You are the best! 👍👍. What’s your thoughts in comparison to the the R700? Thanks!
Jay your review is so accurate! I've owned the Ultra Towers now for two years and for movies, paired with ultra center and ultra surrounds, it's fantastic; but not for two channel listing. The mids are smeared, really disappointing. UNTIL, I replaced the Crossovers and wire with Danny Richies design from GR-Research. Totally different speaker that is Alive and Room filling! Definitely worth the money for the Upgrade kit. My friends thought I was crazy seeing how much was involved with the build, but they couldn't believe what they where hearing, and bits of background they never knew was in the Track being played. The kit requires two boards for each speaker, and I'm Happy I built them, life changing.
btw, I do have a treated room all GIK and that was a game changer too!!! Keep up the great work Jay it's appreciated! 💯
I have these speakers and i find them really pleasing to my ears. Amazing bass performance and crystal clear vocals. Placement is a bit tricky tho as they can get boomy if they're not allowed to breathe.
I'm using 2x SVS PC-4000 subs and i think the Prime Pinnacles or any other speaker with front facing woofers would be a better choice if u're using subwoofers and especially if you have limited placement options.
I did the GR Research upgrade to my ultras and after 6 or so months the speakers have really come to life, Danny Richie was very helpful and helped me with adding copper foil bypass caps the the tweeters to send the performance even further, they are very immersive, I can hear sound coming from all over the room now and I could not before, there has been over all clarity enhancement from lows all the way to the highs, I absolutely love them and will be keeping them for ever!
I did the same thing and speakers are in complete different level right now improvement about 30% easy😎👍
I've been contemplating doing the Ultra tower crossover upgrade. Just need to talked into it!
Should have bought a pair when they were $2000 - only 2 years ago. They really jacked up the price in a relatively short time. The Prime Pinnacle has jumped up to the old Ultra price too. Sad!
Love the review Jay. I also was curious if you had the chance to pair the ultra towers with the center. Lastly, which would you prefer between these and the Polk R700's? Thanks again brother.
I see you still have the stock tubes in the Vincent, big request I know, but whenever you do your long awaited review, pretty please roll those out! Made an absolutely massive difference with mine 😍🤘
All the best from Australia. Love your honesty and reviews
Great video man! I've done some of the same things along my journey too. I had an assortment of gear over the past 6-8 years and remember liking a few of the speakers along the way that I sold to help fund more new purchases. I have actually bought back a couple of pairs from some friends that I sold them to just to try them again with my current gear to compare to what I remember about them. That's part of the great experience of this hobby. I actually have a pair of AR classic 30's now that I bought back and they are definitely a great sounding speaker for the 350 that I paid for them twice. Lol they definitely sound better with my Classe delta amp than my old Adcom from years ago. Nothing like my Magico s3's I currently have but still great for a second system to play with. I still want to get another pair of Thiel's (cs3.6 or cs-7) again to compare to what I liked about them with my current gear too. The many others in the past are fine staying in the past all to learn from along the way. Keep up the great videos.
Compared to Prime Pinnacle?
And how about the Arendal 1723 you already reviewed?
You reviewed so many speakers,... so many good reviews...
How can you choose a pair of speakers from those you tested?
The Arendal 1723 received excellent feedback from you and now here is another model in roughly the same price range... how to find your way around?
Exactly. I'm very interested in comparing Ultra to 1723
A good lesson in how important the room is to a system.
As always, I enjoyed your video and honest opinion. If I had the space for a floor standing cabinet I might give them a go.
I am hoping that Mr. Buchardt sends you a pair of the P300's to listen to.
I recieved my pair in Oceanic Blue, I have to say I am in listening heaven. Driving them with the Primare I25 Prisma. An incredible combo and both still in the burn in stage.
Sorry I went off track.
Keep up the incredible work.
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!
Happy New Year!
Love my Ultras!
Thanks for this review. I have been interested in these for awhile. I'd like to hear your review of the Emotiva T2+ and or the newer T3 towers.
How do you compare SVS Ultra v/s Arendal's ?
And if you can also let me know your thoughts on Focal Chora v/s Arendal's ?
You have reviewed all three here :)
Thank you
Hi I prefer the Arendal 1723 thx over SVS Ultra and Focal Chora. Simply the SVS and Focal Chora are brighter speakers to my ears and does not fit my long listening preference in music. Some may prefer the brighter presentation. For Home theatre purposes... they are all good choices but I'd still personally choose the Arendal 1723 thx, as it fits my personal taste better while not being overly warm or rolled off.
@@Jayiyagi hey thank you Jay, I have Chora line bought it in recent sales, based out of your reviews!
But with all the recent onslaught of praises to Arendal, I am thinking should I return Focals and get Arendals , but feels sorry & lazy to ship all of them and spend double the amount on new ones :)
Again I am movie person, so Arendal makes more sense like you have mentioned.
Great review Jay.
Well, nice and thank you for doing this. Regarding the bass, you did not mention the included bass port plugs so apparently no listening with plugs inserted, oh well. I do not like ported bass as always sounds wobbly especially with min high amp power, my new ultras arriving in a few days, will try without the port plugs just to play around but I know will like these better with the plugs inserted, we shall see.
Currently running a new Emotiva 300W a side amp, SVS powered sub, sealed not ported, great, tight, powerful, musical, etc. The Ultras will replace my old legacy ADS L1290 towers which have always sounded astounding especially in my current set up. For all the reviews thinking I will also really like the Ultras we like the low end tight. More clean power is always better, stereo gear, cars........
Im wondering how these stack against the Prime Pinnicle towers. ( where the upper character is concerned - bass is no issue with a ton of sub woofer options)
I wonder, .. Should SVS come out with a higher teir of quality.. or maybe just get some Ultra version 2?
We liked you at the high end retail store. Too!
Jay any chance of getting your hands on a CerwinVega! Speaker? No other reviewer will review them, there is literally nothing for reviews out there for them. Thanks for the content!
perhaps !
That the speaker was not sensitive to equipment swapping leads me to believe that the crossover components are not the best. This has been my experience building speakers and also Modifying production speakers for over 30 years.
I’ve had the Svs ultra towers for almost a year and I hear everyone say how great the bass is but for me the only bass I seem to hear is from the mids, I was powering them with the marantz cinema 50 into a 5.2.4 setup. I was told I didn’t have enough power so I got a monoprice 9 channel amp with 200 watts to the front 3 channels I still don’t hear the bass everyone talks about, should I send my speakers in to be replaced? I have a couple subs so system sounds great but I don’t want to own defective speakers. I searched everywhere and haven’t found anyone else having this issue.
Nicely done Jay!
GREAT REVIEW THANKS
Whew what an add for them they’ll love you for this. You’re not going to be paid? Why not, it’s that’s strong…😅
Had a pair of SVS Ultra bookshelves that I frankly couldn’t tolerate. Beaming top end and quick onset of listening fatigue. As always, your mileage may vary.
Sounds to me that I would think this was too bright. I prefer warm. And for the price, I think I'd prefer something like the Tekton Pendragons. But, I'm a warm guy. Some of the only metal dome tweeters that I've heard that did not irritate me are the JBL titanium 035ti and the Energy aluminum dome found in their higher models. Focal Beryllium is like ice picks on my ears, lol. But I have heard a version of the Al/mag inverted tweeter that was smoother.
But for Home theater they're probably perfect! Some of the best HT effects I've heard were from a KEF set up and they also use metal domes. For HT, metal seems to work, because it's light/fast/resolving/forward.
Nice! Where's that Vincent review?😄
I had a huge hope to hear Your opinion about SVS Ultra vs Arendal 1723, since they are priced equally in my country
i feel like rooms that sound dead aren't treated correctly at all unless, of course, that was the person's goal...
Vilip would appreciate this review, I think.
Thanks & good kid like always!.... What other loudspeaker Do you suggest instead at price point? To be paired with a McIntosh MA352 & Marantz 5014?
Thanks again!
How would the ultra towers pair with the wilsonton r800i.
I've bought the svs ultra 5.1 (tower, center, and surround, plus pc12plus) before. I agree for movie watching it was great experience. However, for music, even the tower can't come anywhere close to my b&w 805s bookshelf. It just cannot reproduce the same amount of detail like the b&W. SVS for music just sounds too thin, and forgettable. It's like comparing listening to a 24bit cd vs a 128kbs more file. So if you are buying SVS ultra for movie setup, then congrats. Otherwise, I would recommend looking elsewhere.
Jay's comment near the end confirms this...the speaker is the bottle neck, so no matter how good of amp you use it won't make a difference.
I end up getting focal Aria - 7 speaker set along with SVS pc12plus sub. It doesn't break the bank and for me its superior to SVS in both movies and music.
You can't compare SVS Ultra to B&W 800.
SVS Ultra could be compared to 603 S2 or 702 S2/S3 max.
Thanks Jay! Would you say your bad experience had to do more with your room whereby perhaps 'most' floorstanders would have sucked?
PS I love that you have compared using this on multiple amplifiers. I wish in general more reviewers would do this
Jay klh kandall vs svs ultra i know the price difference, but which do you think is better?
That tweeter is centered L to R in the cabinet........................................
Isn't it well known that edge diffraction cancels frequencies when equidistant? I've come to understand the preferable design would offset the tweeters making a left & right speaker.
Am I in the fog?🔊
All the speaker a normal rational not OCD to the nth degree person needs. Now there are other speakers in this price class that also meet this criteria but SVS is a great company so that's a good start.🤔🤫😜
I'm trying to decide between the SVS Ultra Towers and the Polk R700 for 2-channel audio in my 14'x22' living room. I'm not looking for "audiophile" quality but for 2 speakers that can put out a full sound from bass to treble. My B&W Nautilus 805 are nice but I'd like to go with full-sounding towers for this room without messing with subs. The Ultra Towers are 10 years old so i have a feeling SVS might come out with a "mkii" version soon. The R700 is definitely newer technology and i can buy them for $500 less but would be willung to buy the Ultra if they are better for my use. Thanks!
Earned a sub.+like! Thank you!
Jay, about a year ago I think it was, you bought the Totem Tribe speakers as your reference. Since then I think you’ve also bought the Sonus Faber Amati speakers. What’s your reference currently?
I still love Totem Tribes. I have bought the sonus faber electa amator iii which is still one of my references. Currently, The Arendal 1723THX that I just made a video about impresses/rocks my world :)
I demoed the tribes in my place. I was not particularly impressed. Had a chance to get a pair of B&W 702 s2s for a head to head and preferred the 702's. Then yesterday I was able to demo the 702's against the sonus faber Lumina 5s and Sonetto 3s. The Sonettos were the clear winner from this group of speakers for me and also the most beautiful looking. At $2,000 less than the tribes and the B&Ws and made in Italy, not a bad value. Real leather and real wood veneer option.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I personally prefer the totem tribes over b&w and sonus faber sonetto line but everyone’s room, hearing and preference is different so I respect and value your opinion. Cheers! Keep in mind, placement and associates gear matching all matters as well and plays to which you might like better!
you can warm the tone with tube amp
in some instances, yes but not always. I have tried several tube amps as I mentioned and showed in this video but had little luck in "warming up the tone" unfortunately.
Hi, i have the SVS Ultra tower speakers since a very long time. = (years!) But i had to move to a different home. And now i'm in a bigger room. They do sound "thin) weirdly enough. Though they were only connected to a receiver. The receiver, a Marantz (if i remember correctly it was an RS7008) or something among those lines. Has put itself in to protective mode a couple of months ago and it didn't do anything anymore. It was connected through banana plugs, so i thought i might have done something wrong because it was my first time connecting banana plugs. But that seems weird to me since you can't really "short it out?"
Anyway, i was wondering if you could point me to a good amplifier/receiver. And do you recommend bi-amping or just go with the standard method. (Yes, i'm pretty much a noob when it comes to all this stuff. At least, to connect it the right way etc...) I would really appreciate the help! 🙂
I'd be happy to help you if you still haven't got it all figured out.
SVS Ultra towers or Polk R700?
Why didn't you talk about the port plugs? The key to these speakers is the side wall, NOT the back wall. Get them the hell away from the side walls, like 4 feet. Plug them. The mid rangw comes alive.
The other thing is they are power hungry animals. You have quite a selection of amplifiers there. I know nothing about them, lol. They want .01 thd at minimum at 100+ watts rms. You really cant over power them. The power isnt about loudness, but control over those 4 woofers to start and stop them.
Sounds like you're heading down the mid-fi road. Nothing wrong with that, considering it's just a $2K speaker, but the appeal is more to satisfy your nostalgia than to people shopping for a system today.
Sounds like home theater voicing. Tiring for music but great for dialogue and dynamics. Harbeth on the other hand great for music but mediocre for home theater.
Do the gr research upgrade on it!
Klipsch RF-7 III is way better