svs prime center review
Introduction
SVS is an American company that started making subwoofers, these are seen as one of the best in the business, but in addition to subwoofers, they also make 2 complete lines of Home Theater speakers that are also well suited for an audio file stereo experience.
A center speaker is responsible for a large part of the sound that takes place on the screen, so it is important that if you have a large room, the speaker does not disappear among the rest. It is also important that if you have such a high-end system, the center can keep up with it.
Before we start I would like to mention that I have placed some foam under the speaker. This reduces vibrations and simply makes it sound better.
Specifications
Price
€800,- incl VAT
Drivers
1 Inch (2.54 cm) Aluminum Dome Tweeter
4 Inch (10.16 cm) Composite Glass-Fiber Midrange Driver
2x 6.5 Inch (16.51 cm) Composite Glass-Fiber Woofers
Frequency
Response 45 Hz – 32 kHz (+/- 3 dB)
Sensitivity
87 dB
Impedance
8 Ohm
Recommended amplifier/receiver power
20 – 225 Watt
Crossover Frequency
Woofer – Midrange 500 Hz
Midrange – Tweeter 2.2 kHz
Dimensions
(incl feet and grill)
20.83 cm High
55.88 cm Wide
27.69 cm High
Weight
14.6 Kilos
Bass Ports
2x 1.7 inch (4.32 cm) bass ports
Finishes
The speaker is available in Piano Gloss Black and Black Oak Veneer
(the finishes are NOT vinyl)
I do regret that it is not available in gloss white as SVS is offering more and more of its products in white.
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Unpacking
When I received the speaker I knew it was one that was reasonably priced.
Thick box, sturdy foam, etc.
I have the piano gloss version and to protect it extra, SVS has put a thick fabric cover around the speaker.
You can often see from the packaging whether a company has an eye for detail and the product itself. I can report that this is certainly the case here.
The Technique
First of all, I would like to compliment SVS for using a 3-way design.
Many people will wonder whether that matters that much, not really as far as normal speakers are concerned, but with center speakers, it is a different story.
Since the tweeter and the midrange driver are below each other, you can be sure that the sound will always come from the middle.
Low tones are less able to locate people.
With a 2-way center, the highs always come from the middle because that’s where the tweeter is, but the bass and midrange come from the side. For someone who is more to the left or to the right of the speaker, this can cause strange phase delays and ultimately a less good sound.
With a 3-way center speaker design, you always have the right sound, wherever you are.
I personally always recommend replacing the standard bridges between the binding posts for a piece of speaker cable, there is a lot of discussion about how it works in the audio world, but I definitely hear a difference with my large tower speakers, so I’d better be safe than sorry. uncertain.
Now some info on the woofers and tweeter from the SVS website.
Tweeter
-Vertically aligned tweeter and midrange improves
horizontal axis polar response, with reduced lobe formation and comb filtering
-FEA optimized diffuser for airy and revealing presentation
-Aluminum dome delivers exceptional response and exceptional
stiffness-to-mass ratio
woofers
-Composite glass-fiber cone with an excellent stiffness-to-mass ratio for
high sensitivity
-Aluminum shorting ring to reduce gap inductance, reduce distortion
and improve high-frequency
response -Molded aluminum basket for precise alignment of critical components and
additional heat dissipation
capacity -Ventilated voice coil former
to minimize air compression artifacts at high drive levels Build
Quality and Alookedppearance
I’m not going to lie, from the moment I saw this speaker online I knew I would one day own it. Not only because a lot of people were very pleased with the performance, but especially because of how it looked.
The thing that appeals to me most besides the sound is the build quality.
It’s not for nothing that the speaker weighs almost 15 kilos…
I’ve had both the prime and the ultra side by side.
The prime feels strong and solid, the ultra on the other hand does not add a shovel (concrete) on top.
That’s basically the case with everything when you put them side by side, the binding posts of the ultra are of higher quality, the drivers too, etc.
But… what I found strange is that the grill of the prime felt better…
Don’t ask me why, probably because the prime is newer?
The plastic frame felt just a little stronger and the cloth material was just a little nicer to the touch.
That doesn’t mean the ultra’s grill looks or feels cheap, though.
How does it sound?
Well, here we go…
I’m going to make a few comparisons with the prime, but in general, you could say that the ultra does everything just that little bit better.
There are a number of things that make the price difference between the ultra and the prime nothing more than logical.
I took the time to listen to some good concerts here so that I can get a good idea of how the speaker handles music.
First I started with ‘Where the Light is’ by ‘John Mayer’.
I enjoyed the whole concert but ‘Gravity’ and ‘Free Fallin’ made me sit up just a little bit more. I was very impressed.
The thing that struck me the most was the space and emotion that the speaker managed to put in.
Those are actually my 2 favorite points, if I put the prime and the ultra next to each other you hear a lot of similarities but the ultra sets a much larger sound image down and makes everything sound bigger.I also heard a lot more emotion and small details in people’s voices all at once.
I’ve never had that in a center speaker.
Then I listened to “Hell Freezes Over” by the “Eagles”
Long story short, it was magical.
This concert is considered one of the best and for a reason.
Everything just sounds so good through all speakers and what I often hear is that with this concert center speakers sometimes get a bit lost and can’t keep up with the rest of my speakers, that’s not the case with the Ultra.
The vocals come out beautifully and have a spacious feeling that is very pleasant to the ears.
At no point did I feel that he sounded sharp.
I came across ‘Batman Dark Knight Rises, which seemed like something…
I skipped to the scene where Bane and Batman are in the sewer and Batman has his first encounter with the villain played by Tom Hardy.
I was curious how the Ultra would set up the voices and how it would handle the fact that they talk is a big hollow space.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear so much emotion and detail again.
All of that was nicely packed in a nice big soundstage, a very pleasant experience!
Then I played [b] “Deadpool 2” [/i], the first scene.
Here you hear everything from subtle details, voices, gunshots, music, and so on.
How does the center deal with this?
I can’t really describe it other than ‘elegant’.
You clearly hear the volume differences without anything sounding too loud, soft or unnatural.
And when all hell finally breaks loose, the speaker also gives you that feeling without immediately sounding over the top or offensive.
Prime US. Ultra
When I was shopping for a center I didn’t know what differences to expect and had no idea if the price difference would be worth it.
I have compared them with each other and I will list the biggest differences between the 2.
The Ultra offers:
More detail
More emotion
More volume More
spacious sound
Slightly more subtle
Better separation between the sounds
More differences between loud and soft sounds
Can switch faster between loud and soft.
These are the biggest differences, both have the benefit of a 3-way system and the prime is a really good and solid speaker.
Still, the Ultra with its better drivers and simply looks nicer without the grill.
When would you take the Ultra over the Prime?
That is easy to answer.
Do you have a large space? Then the ultra is the better choice.
It also comes down to budget and space because the Ultra is a lot bigger.
The normal mortal will certainly be satisfied with the Prime, but for the real audio fanatic, the Ultra will give that extra bit of goosebumps.
Conclusion
The speaker does from A to Z which even the most demanding audio file would expect.
As mentioned before, the biggest plus points are the details and emotion in the voices and the space of the overall sound. I wish all other center speakers on the market the best of luck in matching let alone bettering that.
Normally I always have the urge to look for ‘better’.
However, I don’t have that feeling about this speaker.
I think that if you are looking for an even ‘better’ performance you will really end up well above €1000
Around €800, there are several centers available from very good brands, but I recommend listening to the SVS Ultra at least once if you are around that price range.
All in all, you can say that the Ultra lives up to the reputation of SVS and its name, it is certainly an ‘ultra’ center speaker.