Is the New Flagship SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacle Right For You?

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Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
3:00 - Subjective
8:35 - Objective
15:59 - End
____________________
All of my tests are conducted using KLIPPEL Hardware and Software. KLIPPEL is an innovative leader in providing unique test equipment for electro-acoustical transducers and audio systems. Founded in 1997 by Dr. Wolfgang Klippel, the novel techniques developed for control and measurement systems of loudspeakers and other transducers are the result of over 30 years of fundamental research. This provides more accurate physical models of loudspeakers, micro-speakers and headphones valid for both small and large amplitudes. The focus is on revealing the root causes of signal distortion and defects and giving practical indications for improvements in design and manufacturing of audio products. For information on KLIPPEL products, please visit their site below:
www.klippel.de/company/about-u...

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Buy from SVS via my Affiliate Link: tinyurl.com/SVSultraEvolutionPinnacle Amazon: amzn.to/3v6i6ov Audio Advice: www.audioadvice.com/?referral=erins-audio-corner Best Buy: howl.me/ck2IPpcOp1h Crutchfield: shop-links.co/cgZmmT81jmh Parts-Express: parts-express.sjv.io/Y9zoEB Newegg: howl.me/ck2IQg52L5b Samsung: howl.me/ck2IQ5qe16w Target: howl.me/ck2IRDNsIqn Thomann: www.thomann.de/de/index.html?offid=1&affid=2577 Emotiva: shorturl.at/pBEU9 Monoprice: bit.ly/3yAY6NH Arendal Sound: arendalsound.com/store/?refer=hardisj Purchases through these links can earn me a small commission - at no additional cost to you - and help me continue to provide the community with free content and reviews. Doesn't matter if it's a TV from Crutchfield, budget speakers from Audio Advice or a pair of socks from Amazon, just use the link above before you make your purchase. Thank you!

[@odurandina]

Erin, thanks. i took that you don't like the Ultra very much, or the driver setup?

[@mattgiunt]

Excellent, honest look at the good, the bad and the ugly. All anyone could ask for from a first class reviewer.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thank you. 😊

[@quikspecv4d]

I’ll be waiting for your 888 review

[@Keithwithfever]

Amazing review as always. A lot of reviewers hype these speakers to the moon. We are lucky to have you!

[@wegardfjeld3789]

Put them up vs Arendal 1723 THX. That's the price range this competes with and the Arendals are still better built. Qualio, Mofi ++ is out of its price range even if they try to tell you otherwise. Sorry SVS, but If you want to enter this competitive price pov it's not just about having a big base....

[@ethr95awd]

Glad I waited for the review

[@NosEL34]

Great job. I gotta say i love the look of these speakers. The compression graph was the one thing that made me grimace. Distortion data was outstanding. I think these would do well in a dedicated home theater or a well done dedicated listening space. With the treatment & DSP i could see people liking these if they gave 'em a chance. Not perfect but none are. I like that SVS tried something different. I also like them as a company & hope to see them keep moving forward.

[@wegardfjeld3789]

Arendal 1723 thx, half the price and better sound with a better building quality. They need to do way better or just avoid this price range

[@swllz]

Anther great review. $5k to buy a scooped and shooty midrange is not a good deal for consumers. Some people will like the bassy speakers. Looking at impedence curve, anyone with AVR's cost $4000 or less should not expect to properly drive these speakers. Wonder if or when the bookshelf version be measured. Every speakers in this line has a tweeter crossover at 1.8Khz, tweeter should behave similarly in terms of distortion and radiation pattern.

[@Artcore103]

"anyone with AVR's cost $4000 or less should not expect to properly drive these speakers." Incorrect assessment. This should read something like, for example, "anyone with AVR's (or amplifiers) rated at less than 200w into 4 ohms, and not rated to handle thx spec 4 ohm loads (3.2 ohm), or 2 ohms, should not expect to properly drive these speakers." The correction is because price is UTTERLY IRRELEVANT, the only thing that matters is the specs... I mean, the ACTUAL specs, not necessarily claimed specs, but the measured accurate specs of the equipment. You could drive these speakers EXTREMELY WELL with zero issues, to their limits, for under 1000 dollars. This is not about money but specs. AVR's are stupid anyway, and there's not many that are truly good, powerful, low impedance rated power amplifiers. They should sell AVR's with no power amps at all, it's just a glorified surround processor and input/output switcher, and preamp, dac, phono preamp, etc. But you could get a hypex ncore amp, or even a tripath design, or a number of amps for under a grand - even under 500 dollars - that can MORE than drive these speakers to their absolute limits with no issues whatsoever. There is almost ZERO correlation between price and quality, or price and power output level, when it comes to modern amplifiers. Obviously if we're talking super budget, under a couple hundred bucks, then there is a correlation. But beyond a certain ultra-budget level, there is zero correlation... there is only consumer knowledge or lack thereof, and product selection. Stop buying dumb overpriced AVR's (by overpriced I mean way under 4k.... 2k is overpriced), and buy REAL power amps, that aren't stupid audiophile brands with the audiophile tax, but are simply objectively awesome... like a hypex amp.

[@rushgush]

8000 dollars in canada 🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻

[@caidNL]

Good to see a new video with measurements Erin!

[@pulDag]

There was a hardware issue with NFS caused when moving to the new place. It had to be repaired.

[@caidNL]

@@pulDag I know I'm a Patreon member

[@bberger2]

I just bought and am currently packing up and returning these speakers. I wish I would have seen your review a few weeks ago. I wouldn’t have ordered them. Shouty and harsh, those are the words that come to mind from my listening session. Honestly in my gigantic room I didn’t find the bass too much at all, however I didn’t find it to be musical. Thanks for the extensive work you do on these reviews.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thanks for the insight and reply.

[@ProudPapaKY]

Might I ask what acoustic treatment you have in your room?

[@Openeyesopenheart42]

Did you come to this conclusion before or after watching this review?

[@bberger2]

@@ProudPapaKYI have a large 25x25 room with some low slung furniture and thick wool carpets with padding. I sit in a golden triangle scenario (9.5 feet between speakers) and 9.5 feet to listening position. The wall behind me and to the sides is about 15 feet away. I have had this listening room for 6 years and used lots of equipment (including speakers) here, soon know it well as a reference. The plan with SVS were to replace my Focal Aria 948s. It is possible that I could, as @erin mentions but some EQ equipment and add some dedicated room treatment to improve the SVS in this space. But I couldn’t find anything redeeming about them that would make we want to travel down that road.

[@bberger2]

@@Openeyesopenheart42before. I thought I might be crazy but the review confirmed everything I heard too.

[@davidfuller581]

Well... this is fairly disappointing. LW and on-axis are both really rough, and directivity isn't good enough to allow for correcting without significant early reflection absorption. Might be OK in a purpose built HT room, but otherwise?

[@H2OFSU]

SVS is also having a “high pucker factor” after these measurements.

[@MechAdv]

@@H2OFSU Very few customers actually care about the science. Most people buy based on aesthetics and brand name.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Another very well known reviewer noticed similar measurements on the slightly smaller SVS Ultimate Evolution Titan model, and he contacted SVS who confirmed the measurements, and SVS said it was done on purpose due to listening tests they conducted during the tuning of the speaker. Obviously Erin is more of a measurement guy, but others have given the Titan model exceptional reviews based on listening.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@MechAdv Does aesthetics include listing tests? The slightly smaller Titan model in this new SVS line has been getting rave reviews based on listening tests.

[@MechAdv]

@@Mark-rw3kw Name one speaker over 2000$ that doesn’t have overwhelmingly positive “listening tests”. I’m not gonna buy anything without seeing the measurements and understanding how the speaker will change the sound of my current setup.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@MechAdv First, I am not suggesting that no measurements should be done. I just mentioned that another reviewer contacted SVS and they said the anomalies in the frequency response measurements were done on purpose, based on listening tests. The reviewer I am talking about is extremely well known, and he gave the Titan speaker (slightly smaller than this one, but very similar) rave reviews, and no he doesn't give rave reviews to every speaker. However some reviewers only tend to review stuff that they think is somewhat decent, given the large number of good products out there. This particular reviewer had to purchase the Titan's with his own money, because SVS would not send him one due his channel giving a snub of one SVS's other speakers (I believe it was a subwoofer).

[@kevind4061]

Yes, finally, a quality review of SVS's best; I am glad its coming from @ErinsAudioCorner! I've only seen reviews for the Titan.

[@alexorigoni8626]

Getting so polished. Great, thorough yet concise review.

[@simoSLJ89]

I was expecting more from these new SVS. I'm not looking to buy new speakers, I'm fine with my Arendals, but it's always good to watch an Erin's analysis. PS I smashed that button

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Smash!

[@dougleydorite]

You do a great job at summarizing stuff in your videos like on-axis or the impulse response. Even though I know what those are, it is still helpful to go over them and you keep it entertaining which isn’t easy

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I appreciate that!

[@weeooh1]

Excellent review Erin, thanks. Imagine if someone sent these speakers to Danny Richie to tweak or fix. 😆

[@FOH3663]

He'd examine and share the bottleneck elements that limit the performance in the signal path. Every mfr of this type of loudspeaker build to a price point. Designing, building, and bringing a widely available loudspeaker to market, involves serious juggling of comprimises. Danny simply points out those comprimises.

[@martinmares8998]

Another awesome video Erin! Keep up the good work. We, home theater and music enthusiasts need videos like this. Thank you!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thanks so much!!

[@bobstinker2074]

great review as always

[@parksinrecreation2886]

Thank you for the review, Erin, and thank you to SVS for loaning you the speakers! That's a commendable decision on their part. Even though the speakers aren't perfect and can improve in some areas, it shows me that they are willing to listen and make said improvements. And hey, nothing here says this is a bad speaker, so it might still be a great buy for myself and many others! We will just take into account the things you mentioned, is all. But I like that SVS is going for something new here. Going to give these some more thought. The way the handle bass kind of appeals to me honestly.

[@Gunmastercomua]

Thank you Erin!

[@dicmccoy]

Thank you for taking your time to explain those little things like toe in and distance from the wall. It can be difficult for new comers in the hobby that don't know the terminology and don't quite understand the data. So again, thank you for doing that little bit. It means a lot to the new comers.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dicmccoy]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Hey, could you do a video for new comers on how to interpret the data? Like how to read an impulse response? What is group delay and how to interpret it? Etc? I think that would make for a great video for people to better understand the data. Speaking of which, could you also please share the group delay for speakers too? I'd like to know if there's any troublesome areas on some speakers to maybe stay away from for bass management or crossing over a sub into. Thanks Erin.

[@dicmccoy]

@@ErinsAudioCorner oh, and If you do, do that video. Can you explain what EPDR is on the impedance graph in English? I tried researching it, but I'm still confused as hell. Please explain it like we're 5 yrs old please. 😂

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

Honestly I think the SVS crowd will like the over done bass and these will sell well, It will thump. I bet the smaller tower measures better. That 2500hz peak would give me a moment of pause though.

[@Jeipr]

I thin the smaller of the towers its the one that will spind best for misoc specifically. True in the part pf the SvS Crowd; but they tend to be mpre Home theater oriented and this Towers speaks to their needs big time !

[@swllz]

Every speakers in this line has a tweeter crossover at 1.8Khz, tweeter should behave similarly in terms of distortion and radiation pattern, or 2500hz peak.

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

@@swllz I was thinking more about the bass peak, but yes I agree with you.

[@dgregory4178]

So 3db is a peak?

[@shipsahoy1793]

@@dgregory4178 I believe he's referring to that 3dB of enhancement in the treble at the 102 dB SPL.. personally, I know that would sound annoying to me.. I don't even have to hear it, I can already imagine what it would sound like. Everyone else might not be so lucky. If you can't understand if you're interested in these based on the review but would like to demo them, you by all means should. $5k is a good chunk of change. The amplifier is going to be important too... those little Class D amps probably aren't going to cut it. I would assume that anybody looking to buy speakers this size probably want to go loud with quality sound. $5k is a low amount or a "budget" amount for something like this, so I'd expect some disappointment. 😉

[@Novilicious]

This vs the Atlantic Technology 8600s. They’re on super duper sale now!

[@millenniumrun9995]

Great review as always. Thank you for not titling this video "These SPEAKERS are going to CHANGE the Industry" without having demoed or measured them.

[@SuperMcgenius]

Wondering how many viewers understand the technical aspects of your reviews, years ago I would not, but I educated myself by reading books by Martin Colloms speaker design and Toole Floyd also papers on room acoustics. Note: I like your reviews and the considerable time spent doing them. 👍

[@Novilicious]

These things sound damn good. Don’t let measurements fool you…the human ear likes a little flavor and spice (v-curve). What this helps me understand is voicing in terms of measurements. So super grateful to have this knowledge helping me understand why I like something

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Well, I listened to them and what I heard aligns with the measurements. Secondly, the human ear doesn't prefer v-curve. It's been well documented that the human ear prefers flat on-axis with neutral off-axis. Check this video out if you wanna learn more: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKPThneritmrhq8si=3M6g41uWQA9ffXaV

[@Novilicious]

@@ErinsAudioCorner super cool Erin, didn’t know this. Then why do companies do this? More sales in the show room you think? I guess I can see companies competing to get customers’ dollar based on 5-minutes impressions? I oils like your perspective!!

[@FOH3663]

​@@Novilicious You may be right on some counts as to why. I'd suggest it's not some grand plan geared toward a brief demo ... more likely it's a "C+ is good enough, now bring it to market. How much will we make on each one?"

[@Novilicious]

@@FOH3663 LOL 😂

[@simontse1171]

Erin, I love what you do and appreciate the service you perform for audiophiles like us. I wonder how the Ultra Evolution Titan would measure since it has smaller bass and midrange drivers. Presumably, it wouldn't have as much of a lower frequency boost and may be more flexible with room placement, but I'm particularly curious how the different midrange drivers would perform.

[@1337sim1]

Awesome review Erin! Hope your back is okay after this one 😊

[@dylanmitchell3978]

Awesome I was hoping you'd review these! Kind of a bummer to see that got some glaring flaws.

[@ma3nni689]

Thx 4 the review. Would u recommend the Arendal 1723 tower in a home theater only setup or maybe 5 of the Monitors over the SVS Set.

[@srtswpak47]

I heard these at Mwave driven off of an AVR. They sounded great and could do refernce level clean. I don't own anything SVS and am not likely to ever buy any of their gear, but I heard those speakers at the same venue that had much more costly speakers.... dimishing returns is very real.

[@willbrink]

Great info per usual. Seen a few people get them and dislike them, but I noticed they were trying to drive them with lower power amplification and or, close the walls. Personally, I'd have interest in them if I had a large room and they were for more HT than music. Otherwise, meh. From a strictly value POV, they're a good deal.

[@dihydrotestosterone]

Wasn't expecting to see Mr FInasteride here! Lol... I guess we share some common interests 😅😅

[@bearclaw5115]

Great job Erin! I suspected these would be too much for my small theater and know I can see why that is indeed true. It also looks like they crossed over to the tweeter too early with this design. For this kind of money they should have dialed in the driver integration much tighter.

[@mddawson1]

This speaker was on my short list to replace my 24 year old Vaf DC-X speakers. Ultimately it was the cost here in Australia that put me off (note $5000US is currently $7479AUD). After exchange rates, transport and importer and dealer charges, these list here at $11,499AUD. I think even SVS has acknowledged this is too much so are discounting them to $10,349AUD. So I have gone with the Arendal 1723 speakers for just under $7000AUD ($4499US). Going by this review, it seems I made the right choice.

[@brooklynknightss]

Sorry for 5,000 they should have been better!!! Erin thanks for the honest review!!!

[@IliyaOsnovikov]

Erin, what's an aproximate ratio between contributions of horizontal and vertical radiations as the parts of overall reflected sound.

[@navidmahmood876]

Did you ever review the previous svs ultra Tower? I’m currently using those and they have a sound signature that has a similar kind of quality, a little shouty at times but also missing some detail in the mids. No complaints about bass esp with EQ.

[@Marco-cz7rb]

Does the vertical degree measure how big its vertical scale is ?

[@johncallison4745]

LOL high pucker factor. Too funny! Great review, I was looking forward to this. Erin, this was awesome. I cant wait for the next one.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@snowinokinawa]

Hi Erin, I just subscribed & liked. Thanks for your review. If you’re not too busy, could you advise me on some more direct radiating HT speakers opposite to the more wide dispersion of this SVS please? My first side reflection points are large windows & blinds on both sides so acoustic treatment is VERY difficult. Some help would go a long way… thank you! Nick

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Most speakers with waveguides or horn speakers will tend to have more narrow radiation. Klipsch comes to mind with them usually being around 30-40 degrees but there are even KEF speakers which are a bit more narrow (+/-50 degrees).

[@TriAmpHiFi]

. Acoustic treatment is never difficult. It's a choice. Some accept the loss of a view as worthwhile. On the other hand, not all treatment must be glued, screwed and bolted. Think common living/listening room items & how they might be used as treatment. In my listening area, because I want storage, I put a row of kitchen/office cabinets at counter height down both side walls. They're beautiful walnut cabinets. Here's the trick though, those cabinet doors only reflect sound waves & the w.a.f. doesn't want acoustic treatment as decor. So, I put 5" inch thick foam on the inside of the doors and the back wall of the cabinets. I just open all the doors 45 degrees when listening & everything disappears when finished. Think 'Inside' the box. Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊

[@vader540is]

Thanks!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thank you!

[@hocktooey]

I don't understand the Impulse Response graph comparison between the Polk R500 and the SVS Pinnacle. Does the SVS have a .1 dip that eases into time alignment? Does the Polk have a .2 dip that "shouts" into non-alignment? The graph seems to show both speakers not performing especially well in terms of time alignment. Is this what I am looking at? And I know you hear the Polks as shouty in the upper mids. But it seems like these SVSs are a bit bright and hard to tune to your room. Is this right?

[@L3x4Pr0ne]

I think an interesting topic for a future video: Top 5 in wall Top 5 on wall Top 5 “away from” wall Or similar. We all know some speakers need room to “breathe.” I think this would be an interesting topic because not everyone can pull a speaker into the room 2-3 feet…because wife, or kids, or space… get my point. Would take lots of time but this would be a really great series. Edit: oof…that vertical dispersion. Not good for a two tier HT like I have.

[@Bradimus1]

I can at least say extra bass tends to be a positive if you can make it sound good by just toning it down a bit. Some songs - you'll want that thump.

[@MichaelBeeny]

I moment I saw the multitude of drivers I just knew integrating all these would be an issue, the least of which would be low impedances. In days gone past driver were available in a number of different impedances. These days it's mostly just 8 ohms with a few at 4 ohms. You just know you are walking into issues. The idea is good, but in the real world a nightmare, as this company has found but not solved.

[@Linkone7]

Great review! How would you compare these to the Arendal 1723 towers?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I can’t say for sure since I don’t have personal experience with those Arendal towers yet.

[@b00ty]

Thanks for the thorough review. Seems like the arendal 1723 towers still are the best bang for buck tower in the 4-5k bracket

[@justinbeamon6624]

Look very cool, unfortunately the performance seems off for the price. Arendal 1723 THX, Kef R series, Ascend ELX, Revel F208, I could keep going. Its in territory where the on axis performance is simply not acceptable at its price. Quite unfortunate. If raw output and low distortion is needed and nothing else this seems ok, although that compression spike looks rough.

[@psyphonyxaudio]

I feel / Hear that same lower mid/mid-bass region is kinda weak on the bookshelf too. Interesting. I thought it could be my room. I'll have to keep watching for more measures ..and see if I can't get my own data going in here.

[@FOH3663]

An apparently brutal load aligned with that ~70hz boost. So, ... I suspect the greater and more robust the current capability of the amplifier, the more that boost is fully realized in output. It's worth noting the woofers must have adequately designed thermal attributes, as the Klippel compression measurements reveal little problem in that broad ~70hz range.

[@RennieAsh]

Home theatre bass profile lol. At least according to bass curves I used to see in stereo system manuals XD

[@r2d3vadar92]

Warfedale EVO 4.4 sounded better than Aura 2 and Linton... anyone able to explain why? Listening was done with same equipment and source.

[@guestgoogle4979]

I don't think you've gotten ahold of them yet, but I'd be really interested to see how the Arendal 1723 THX Towers compare to the SVS Ultra Evo Pinnacle. While, yes it's true the Arendals are about $1k more per pair, it seems the build quality/fit and finish far exceeds the SVS. So I'm wondering if the performance follows suit. But I loved this honest review of a highly hyped speaker. Keep 'em coming!

[@axana6544]

Great review as always. I’d imagine this is the last time SVS will send a speaker.

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

Nah SVS seems very down to earth.

[@andres77fj]

Not speakers but Subs :)

[@sanonmars]

Hadn't SVS done measurement? Which compromises they might have made, which are manageable? Speaker designing is accepting some compromises.

[@dan_hitchman007]

​@@sanonmarsFor the price, you would expect better than this.

[@nattaphoomtewarun9978]

Hi Erin. Do you have chance to Measurement AUDIO PHISIC 8 speaker? Ive listening to them quite impressive but then Can't find any measurement data about those. Please if you can get sample would be appreciate

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I do not. Sorry.

[@Albet27]

If someone made a five way crossover, where the top two woofers played from 300 Hz down to 70 Hz and the top mid woofer played from 300 HZ up to 900 Hz and the bottom mid woofer played from 900 Hz up to 2.2kHz and the tweeter played from 2.2 kHz to 30kHz and the bottom woofers played from 70 Hz down. It would probably sound better.

[@Feliciano12v]

SVS went beast mode with this one. But... seems to have major flaws for being 5K. 🤔

[@MechAdv]

Same price as the Ascend ELX, KEF R7, or the MoFi 888. I know which way I would spend my money.

[@Jeipr]

Yep. Im really interested to see there smaller towers; i believe the smallest would be very good sounding

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

I think the flaws are minor. I can think of $30k speakers with similar issues (looking at you B&W). This will speak to the people that want lots of bass but don’t want a sub.

[@justinbeamon6624]

​@@MechAdv Yep, definitely in the territory of extremely linear and better performing speakers that don't need any taming to sound good.

[@budsmoker4201120]

@@JamesWilliams-gf8gm I agree

[@tbullard3]

How do these compare to the JBL HDI-3800s ?

[@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah]

The JBL should be better

[@martinmares8998]

Do you foresee doing a Klippel test on the RSL CG25 in the near future?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Possibly!

[@doctormidnight]

So they sound like they look. For that money the 888s are a pretty easy choice.

[@gusgusnft8231]

Pay $5K and you “still got to fix this speaker.” Passing on the SVS.

[@Metalwolf765]

Man, a couple of extra bucks in crossover components and better tweeter would have worked wonders here. I guess it’s about time to start selling kits to do that 😂

[@halvach1998]

no point in using expensive components if you don't know how to use them...

[@justbrowsing5279]

You talk about reducing by 3db at a Q factor of 1. Could you do a video sometime about what you use for equalization? I have a mini dsp but have found that using it not only causes signal loss (or lower volume at same settings) but also just makes it sound a bit worse. Even with no filters or eq in place. So I only use mini dsp for subs and use a Schiit EQ for the higher frequencies. I would love to have more control over the mains and crossover point by using something like the mini dsp if it didn't degrade the sound. At first I was using the wrong power supply and it was really bad but even with the correct one it's noticeable. It is a very old mini dsp. I wonder if newer models are better in this regard. Thanks in advance.

[@Artcore103]

The newer models measure quite a bit better. As for level output, you can adjust that independently. But yes, toss it, and just get a new MiniDSP Flex, not the 2x4hd. Way higher processing quality and analog output section quality, lower distortion, lower noise floor, everything... it's absolutely a hi-fi solution when used properly.

[@justbrowsing5279]

Thanks a lot man! That's great to hear!

[@justbrowsing5279]

As far as where it would go in the chain, I'm a bit confused as to how to separate the sub signal and still have it level adjust with the mains when I turn my integrated amp up and down. I have a DAC with digital in and left right analog out, and a stereo integrated amp (outlaw audio rr2160MKI) with analog and digital inputs and analog outputs. I'd assume it's preferable to use a mini dsp with digital in and out but that would mean using it before the DAC and then I couldn't separate the sub signal. If I ran the flex with the analog options I could run it from external processor loop from my integrated and then use one of the outputs from the flex to feed the sub and two to feed back to the integrated for the mains. Or do I abandon the level controls on my integrated and just level control from the flex and separate the sub and mains directly from the analog outputs from the flex? Maybe I'm thinking about this all wrong. If you can make it simple for me that would be great. Just looking to use mini dsp for EQ on both sub and mains and to cross the two over how I want. Any help would be much appreciated. Edit. After more reading it looks like using the rca flex with an external dac is kind of pointless as it re digitized and uses it's own dac. So the pure digital version makes sense but then how do I get the signal to the sub? If I go source--Digital Flex---Dac---and then send the analog outputs to the integrated I'm not able to separate the sub with the flex. It seems like the choice is, sacrifice being able to separate the sub and use the digital output flex, or use the analog output flex and either lose the standalone dac or use it and the internal flex dac. I don't love either choice. Again. Maybe I'm missing something but the dac issue seems to be a common one in forums.

[@QuintEssential-sz2wn]

ERIN: great review, but in your discussion about the speakers time alignment, I was left a bit unclear in how you were addressing the issue. You mentioned that the measurements indicate the speakers are fairly well time aligned, and you did also mention the issue of phase alignment. But I didn’t get a clear picture of what time and phase alignment does or looks like, and its relevance. So for instance, a number of manufacturers claim to have time aligned with their drivers. But they are not phase aligned. Only a handful of manufactures have ever produced truly time and phase, coherent designs, e.g. Thiel, Dunlavy, and the usual requirement for passives was a first order crossover to achieve this. I think it would’ve been informative to mention what a truly time and phase coherent Step response would look like, which is a perfect right triangle step response, unlike the SVS speaker where it looks like lower frequencies were still trailing the initial impulse and it’s not phase aligned. I’d also be interested in your thoughts on the relevance of true time and phase coherence (which of course active speakers using DSP are achieving more regularly these days)

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I left some of this on the editing floor to cut down on time. But I hear you. That may be a better video by itself.

[@Openeyesopenheart42]

From 100hz to 20k the phase is in a +-15 degree window, that’s really impressive !! Correct me if I’m wrong (I often am) but there is no such thing as a speaker that is time and space coherent at every frequency, especially lower frequencies, the brands you mention and others such as VAF or Duntech all have incredibly “coherent “ designs based around similar principles which you may or may not have heard of. Cheers from Australia

[@retroforce6919]

What are the comparisons between the SVS Ultra towers versus SVS Ultra Evolution?

[@dan70cutlasssx]

I'd like to see an original Ultra vs evolution series too!

[@justbrowsing5279]

I'm confused. In the past, if I'm not mistaken, you have described "on axis" as having the speakers pointed directly at the listener. Here though, you say you recommend using these "on axis" and show a picture of them pointed straight away from the wall, or at least that's what it looks like in the picture. So does on axis mean pointed at the listener or 90 degrees from the wall, which would be toe'd out from the listener? Thanks in advance and thanks for the review.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Look at the graphic again. Pointed directly at the listener is in black and that is on-axis (0 degrees). 👍

[@justbrowsing5279]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Thanks for the reply. I was referring to the photo of the speakers in this video. At 6:07 in this video you say you recommend listening to these speakers on axis. Then at 6:38 you say this is how I recommend listening to these speakers, and show a picture of the speakers at what looks like 90 degrees from the wall. I totally missed the graphic earlier in the video. I'm guessing the photo is just hard to tell where they are pointing.

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

Video quality is looking good, new camera?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thanks! New lens. And lots of playing around with settings. I don’t like the bare background wall so I’m gonna work on that this weekend.

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

@@ErinsAudioCorner the shallow depth of field gives it a “professional” look.

[@bradleydurbin6784]

I wonder what other reviewers are saying about these speakers? Like Andrew Robinson Steve Gutenberg. Never heard SVS speakers but I’ve heard that they are in the Rock N Roll sound along with Klipsche

[@ttolst]

The review i kinda expected. All their talk about them just made me think that they picked a concept and went all out on it, and in the process forgot to wonder if it really was the right choice. Just seeing the huge wmtmw setup made me think that both the tweeter would sit too low and the vertical sweet spot would be super narrow, and it was at just 5 degrees. Designing a speaker that really need to be 3 feet out without EQ or it will be super boomy also seems a bit extreme. Finally the integration with the weird curve at the mids that really need eq just seems like the design process was maybe a bit too fast?

[@dan70cutlasssx]

The scooped out mids are exactly what I noticed. That's where I feel the original ultra shined. Glad I kept mine. I heard the Titans.

[@bearclaw5115]

I guess my money would be one the 888's possibly or Arendal 1723/1723S.

[@hmurchison8123]

Pucker Factor tm - Make this a THING!

[@LEMON48]

Please test Evolution Titan 😊

[@eelkoweeda6453]

1:20 Blue must be the SVS and red the Polk! (?)

[@Xmvw2X]

I wonder if they could have run a slightly smaller mid, crossed a little higher, and could have handled the off axis response without compromising the low end, kind of depends on how high the woofers can go. For a speaker that kind of seems intended to get loud, crossing so low on the tweeter seems an odd choice. There certainly are some nice tweeters that will do sub 2kHz fine for frequency response, but you can never cheat physics and the need to physically move a volume of air. At the price point, they have the luxury to step to a 4-way setup and run a 2" to 3" something if they really wanted to stay with the 5.25" midrange. They might have been able to push the bigger drivers larger too, say a 6.5" and a 10" instead. 4-way can offer this luxury. But a 3-way is often a really good physics aligned combo at 1", 5.25", and 8" to 10" or technically even a 12" if you want and the mid is a high excursion driver.

[@simianinc]

Hi, do you think a NAD M33 could drive these?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Definitely. It has plenty of power for these. Cheap plug, if you do buy the M33 please consider using this affiliate link. It helps me out, but doesn’t cost you anything extra if you do buy it. howl.me/cmBckr0Q0zA

[@simianinc]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Thanks Erin. I live in New Zealand, so won't be buying major stereo items from the US, by I can use your affiliate for smaller purchases from Amazon etc, if you care to share

[@gtric1466]

I guess it would all depend on how you like your music to sound. maybe in a very large room with far enough side walls they can sound good with a high current amp. But for me I'm a big fan of mid bass and cannot listen to bright at the 2-4 K range in my aging ears. Disappointed because they definitely bring the cool factor.

[@keith6872]

Move the Playstation to the floor and lower your tv about 12". Just kidding 😊 Thanks for the honest review.

[@veovius]

Could you add Q bump to your definitions? Thank you for the video!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I’ll try to remember that. Thanks!

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

Q is the width of the EQ band or area under the curve created by the EQ change.

[@veovius]

@@JamesWilliams-gf8gm thanks!

[@joshcatstream]

Flagship, according to SVS seems to mean ignoring a lot of design principles like controlling dispersion and diffraction.

[@cgcarlos45]

I was waiting for a review like this. I was interested in this speaker but needed some data. Thank you for a great review. These are off my list of considerations. Hopefully, you can get a pair of Arendal 1723 towers to review.

[@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah]

Alright SVS disappoints but excited for the 888. great Distortion parameters though

[@NykoLUniko]

(If you share my sentiment, please like so Erin can see it! Thanks everybody!) Hi Erin! Enjoying your videos! Could you make a niche video of “Party Speakers” or “High SPL - Low Distortion” speakers for the few of us that want to really crank it? I’m talking perhaps 90+ sensitivity. MLP 12’+ @ 96+ db spl A-weighted. I feel there’s a lack of dbspl performance & talk at those higher levels & distances. Hope you consider, Thanks for all you do!

[@PikMan214]

what is the point of supposedly time aligning the front speakers, if there are 2 bouncing off the back wall? if they are 3 feet off the wall then that is 6 feet of time misalignment, no? and it looks like they are "time aligned" completely straight up where as, the actual distance from each speaker to our ears would be longer distances the further off center they are. what say you?

[@808labradors]

I didn't think this review was negative at all. If you watch thinking that a perfect speaker exists then yeah it sounds bad but every speaker has trade-offs. I think the positive thing that was mentioned is that the issues are relatively easy to fix as in toning down the bass bump and the lower treble spike with EQ. I do agree with some of the others in that I think the smaller tower (Titan or even the Tower) might be the better buy in this line.

[@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah]

Look forward to his MoFi Sourcepoint 888 review... That is a Floorstander that is near perfect st $5000

[@michaelwyckoff7593]

Yo E Dizzle😊

[@MechAdv]

I know a lot of times you don’t have control over this, but I’d really love to see a shoot out between the KEF R7 meta and the MoFi 888. Ascend ELX towers could round out the show for towers at the $5k price point. I think this price class is probably pretty much endgame for me. It’s the same quality as what I have currently, but not 25 years old. The quartz composite matrix baffles on my Jamos are pretty damn cool though. They are dead on the knock test. Lol Also, you did a community post a while ago, saying that you used to have the Zaph audio ZRT speakers with the revelator drivers. How would those compare to some of the tower speakers that you’ve heard now in that 5K price category? Worth the time and effort to do a build or just spend the money?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I haven’t reviewed the R7 Meta or the Ascend … yet. So I can’t really draw any comparisons there. The revelator series is one of my personal favorites.

[@MechAdv]

@@ErinsAudioCorner For sure, just an idea for a future content piece like how you did the recent “best of” videos for bookshelves. Another idea would be to test the Harrison Labs inline RCA filters to see how they affect FR in the passband. I’ve seen people argue back and forth on that topic and it’s kind of steered me away from analog bass management. They are cheap on Amazon too so they might drive some affiliate link traffic if you find they perform well. Not everyone has a home theater processor or AVR for their 2.1 setup that can apply DSP highpass filters for the subwoofer handoff.

[@tz7813]

Judging by this review, you won’t be able to find the SVS Ultra Tower anywhere!😂

[@aaronmatuszny8856]

The biggest downer for me is that tweeter.

[@CaptainLouis]

In Canada they are 800$ US more. Thats not counting the 15% taxes. Really annoying...

[@nielsm.2147]

That frequency band is a little bit too messy for my taste. Really hoped for those to be a music/hometheater option. Back to Arendal I guess.

[@MechAdv]

@@nielsm.2147 Why not KEF? The R7 and R11 have incredibly low distortion at high SPL and great compression performance. I’m sure Arendal works well too, but I feel like KEF would image better in 2.1 for music.

[@Hirnlego999]

I didn't like 1961 Towers for the midrange. It had a hard time separating bas from singing, voices become thick and distorted

[@wagnerlopez9451]

Doesn’t seem like 5k speaker, better save for the FR10s from PS Audio

[@HomeCinemaJunkie]

These speakers deserve better terminals.

[@MichaelBeeny]

The terminals are least of its problems.

[@BuffSquadBigBenni]

Oh well.. at least you can EQ it... *Looks at directivity index*.. 😮😮 soo yeah......

[@1337sim1]

So basically a well built speaker with a V shape sound? 🙆

[@59seank]

Hi Erin. Would you care to comment on a recent "Joe N Tell" video titled "Upgrade Budget Speakers with DSP: Focus on Directivity!?

[@loudandclearmedia]

Yikes. I've seen many of your reviews, Erin, but can't remember seeing another with so much instruction/disclaimer all over it. How to drive it, how to position it, how to EQ it, this might be why this spec is funky etc. If you want to crank the jams, this speaker might be your guy. At $5K per pair though, it seems like most of the competition is much more sorted.

[@tktran303]

Please take care of your back Erin. That wear and tear becomes osteoarthritis later in life and becomes permanent. And then long term pain. It's not C22 where we can give you a back replacement, like a knee or hip replacement. And then even, they are never the same. I do hope Emotiva look after you, because you're paying them $800 for that wincher.. er.. review.

[@middleearthltd]

It appears you want to tread lightly, but it is useful if you gave us your thoughts on this speaker in terms that provide assistance in deciding on a purchase. It would be a PITA to buy/audition/return these at 100 lbs per speaker. You have rightly been harsh with Klipsch over and over and that was useful. These seem like a hard no-go for $5k but I may missing something. Companies that will not learn from reviews in terms of continuing to send products for review to the #1 and best speaker review channel should be avoided. It seems that SVS tweaking the cross-overs would make these a buy/recommended if someone is looking for a floor-standing speaker.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I was harsh with the Heresy IV because it’s terrible. I’ve been even keel on the others and even just had the RP-600M II in my top 6 under $1000 video. 👍 Most other speakers are a series of compromises and I try to relay those as best I can so the audience can decide if that’s the compromise they are okay with in order to get something else.

[@parksinrecreation2886]

He listed-off quite a few negatives, positives, and caveats of varying degrees of consideration (even used the word "disappointing" for something if I recall, which I don't think someone who is trying to tread lightly would do). What I gather from this is, these aren't BAD speakers (so there's no reason to give them an absolute tongue lashing as if they are). They're GOOD speakers even! But there are several areas of room for improvement, whereas some speakers only have one and some speakers have one hundred.

[@bingdong8571]

Why is mtm such a popular design right now if there's lobing?

[@bearclaw5115]

Easy to make. 3 way center channels perform better but cost more. And there is also more chance of having mis-matched tonality with the rest of the speaker line. Also the lobing while real isn't really that bad.