In this review, we will be comparing Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker and Ultra Tower, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Aperion and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker and SVS Ultra Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker | SVS Ultra Tower |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" | 1.0" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 2 x 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" | 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 32-30k Hz | 28-32k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-200 Watts watts | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 15.88kg / 34.9lbs | 34.27kg / 75.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 42" x 8" x 10"
1066.8 x 203.2 x 254.0mm | 45-5/8" x 13-15/16" x 17-1/2"
1159.0 x 355.0 x 445.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker and SVS Ultra Tower speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker |
SVS Ultra Tower |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
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through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker is a 2-way design whereas the Ultra Tower is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower SpeakerSVS Ultra Tower
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker |
SVS Ultra Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.0-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
2 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker features a 1" Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Woofer. On the other hand, the Ultra Tower features a 1.0" aluminum Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 160HZ and 2000Hz.
Frequency Response
Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker has a frequency range of 32-30k Hz whereas Ultra Tower has a frequency range of 28-32k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the Ultra Tower can go slightly deeper then the Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker's min frequency of 32Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Ultra Tower which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Ultra Tower's is rated at 88 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Ultra Tower, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS, whereas Ultra Tower has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier — change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Ultra Tower features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
SVS Ultra Tower's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker's and SVS Ultra Tower's external dimensions. Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker has external dimensions of 1066.8 x 203.2 x 254.0mm (42 x 8 x 10inch) whereas SVS Ultra Tower has external dimensions of 1159.0 x 355.0 x 445.0mm (45-5/8 x 13-15/16 x 17-1/2inch).
SVS Ultra Tower is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 151.8mm wider, 92.2mm taller and 191mm deeper than Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker is approximately 516.1cm2 / 80.0inch2 and base area of the SVS Ultra Tower is approximately 1579.8cm2 / 244.9inch2. The Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker requires 67% less surface area than the Ultra Tower which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker weighs 15.88kg / 34.9lbs and the SVS Ultra Tower weighs 34.27kg / 75.4lbs. This makes the Ultra Tower 116% heavier than the Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker.
Here is a comparison of how Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker and Ultra Tower's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker
What's in the Box of SVS Ultra Tower?
Here are the items that come with the Ultra Tower:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Cloth grille
- 2 Metal grilles
- Foam port plug
- 4 Elastomer isolation feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Nuts
- 4 Protective discs
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- Owners Manual
- SVS brochure
- Online Product Registration Card
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Height |
1066mm
vs
1159mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
516cm2
vs
1579cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
8.0 inches
vs
6.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
32 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
32k Hz
vs
30k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Price per pair* |
2600USD
vs
3796USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker |
SVS Ultra Tower |
| Brand |
Aperion |
SVS |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-200 Watts watts |
20-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
32-30k Hz |
28-32k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
8.0" |
| Woofer Composition |
|
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1.0" |
| Tweeter Type |
n/a |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
6.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
160HZ and 2000Hz |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1066.8mm (42") |
1159.0mm (45.6") |
| Width |
203.2mm (8") |
355.0mm (14") |
| Depth |
254.0mm (10") |
445.0mm (17.5") |
| Weight |
15.88kg (34.9lbs) |
34.27kg (75.4lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Oak veneer |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Black Oak,Piano Gloss Black,Piano Gloss White |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
n/a |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
A generation apart: Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker is the newer design, against a 2013 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass |
B |
SVS Ultra Tower digs deeper - 28Hz against 32Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs |
A |
Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker is more sensitive (90dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match |
B |
SVS Ultra Tower is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom |
A |
Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker takes more power (400W vs 300W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size |
depends |
Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker is easier to place; SVS Ultra Tower is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability |
B |
SVS Ultra Tower: bi-amping. |
| Price |
B |
SVS Ultra Tower is cheaper - $2,600 against $3,796, about 32% less. |
A Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker
B SVS Ultra Tower
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement or how you will use them.
Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
SVS Ultra Tower has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. Match it to your room: we rate Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker the better fit for a small room and a mid-size room, and SVS Ultra Tower for a large room and a very large room. In a large or open-plan room, SVS Ultra Tower has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Aperion Novus N6T 6.5" Floorstanding Tower Speaker is the easier speaker to get right.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.