In this review, we will be comparing SONIK 5 and Prime Pinnacle, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from DALI and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI SONIK 5 and SVS Prime Pinnacle first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | DALI SONIK 5 | SVS Prime Pinnacle |
|---|
| Brand | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 | SVS
United States · founded 1998 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.125" Soft-Dome | 1" dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5.25" Wood fiber | 3 x 6.5" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 39-26k Hz | 29-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-150 watts | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 10.82kg / 23.8lbs | 25.95kg / 57.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 32-7/16" x 9-13/16" x 10-9/16"
824.0 x 250.0 x 269.0mm | 41" x 8" x 13-15/16"
1042.0 x 204.0 x 355.0mm |
|---|
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that SONIK 5 is a 2-way design whereas the Prime Pinnacle 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.
DALI SONIK 5SVS Prime Pinnacle
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
DALI SONIK 5 |
SVS Prime Pinnacle |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.125-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
SONIK 5 features a 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Wood fiber Woofer. On the other hand, the Prime Pinnacle features a 1" aluminum dome Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz and 2100Hz.
Frequency Response
SONIK 5 has a frequency range of 39-26k Hz whereas Prime Pinnacle has a frequency range of 29-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 29Hz, the Prime Pinnacle can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the SONIK 5's min frequency of 39Hz.
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
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
SONIK 5 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Prime Pinnacle which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
On the other hand, they have the same sensitivity of 88 dBdB.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
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.
Prime Pinnacle can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas SONIK 5 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 150 watts less than the Prime Pinnacle.
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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
SONIK 5 features 5-Way post type posts and Prime Pinnacle has a 5-Way post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
SVS Prime Pinnacle's 5-Way post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both SONIK 5 and Prime Pinnacle have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
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 DALI SONIK 5's and SVS Prime Pinnacle's external dimensions. DALI SONIK 5 has external dimensions of 824.0 x 250.0 x 269.0mm (32-7/16inch x 9-13/16inch x 10-9/16inch) whereas SVS Prime Pinnacle has external dimensions of 1042.0 x 204.0 x 355.0mm (41 x 8 x 13-15/16inch).
DALI SONIK 5 is 218mm shorter and 86mm less deeper than SVS Prime Pinnacle but it is also 46mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of DALI SONIK 5 and SVS Prime Pinnacle in scale.
Comparison image of DALI SONIK 5 and SVS Prime Pinnacle Size and External Dimensions
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 DALI SONIK 5 is approximately 672.5cm2 / 104.2inch2 and base area of the SVS Prime Pinnacle is approximately 724.2cm2 / 112.3inch2. The SONIK 5 requires 7% less surface area than the Prime Pinnacle 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 DALI SONIK 5 weighs 10.82kg / 23.8lbs and the SVS Prime Pinnacle weighs 25.95kg / 57.1lbs. This makes the Prime Pinnacle 140% heavier than the SONIK 5.
Here is a comparison of how SONIK 5 and Prime Pinnacle's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of DALI SONIK 5?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of SONIK 5:
- 2 Floorstanding loudspeakers
- 2 Grilles
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 8 Rubber feet (M8 threads)
- 8 Spike-feet (M8 threads)
- Eight M8 hex-nuts
- Eight M8x15mm counter-sunk hex-screws
- Hex-key
- Hex-wrench
- Quick Start Guide
- Online Registration Card
What's in the Box of SVS Prime Pinnacle?
Here are the items that come with the Prime Pinnacle:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille (pre-installed)
- 4 Elastomer isolation feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Nuts
- 4 Protective discs
- Owners Manual
- SVS brochure
- Online Product Registration Card
 High Frequency Response |
26k Hz
vs
25k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
824mm
vs
1042mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
672cm2
vs
724cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1800USD
vs
2000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
150 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
29 Hz
vs
39 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
| General |
DALI SONIK 5 |
SVS Prime Pinnacle |
| Brand |
DALI |
SVS |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
30-150 watts |
20-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
39-26k Hz |
29-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
5.25" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Wood fiber |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.125" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
5.25" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
300Hz and 2100Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
824.0mm (32.4") |
1042.0mm (41") |
| Width |
250.0mm (9.8") |
204.0mm (8") |
| Depth |
269.0mm (10.6") |
355.0mm (14") |
| Weight |
10.82kg (23.8lbs) |
25.95kg (57.1lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain laminate |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Black Ash, Natural Oak,White,Walnut |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: DALI SONIK 5 is the newer design, against a 2018 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 Prime Pinnacle digs deeper - 29Hz against 39Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (88dB vs 88dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | B | SVS Prime Pinnacle is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | SVS Prime Pinnacle takes more power (300W vs 150W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | DALI SONIK 5 is easier to place; SVS Prime Pinnacle is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Price | A | DALI SONIK 5 is cheaper - $1,800 against $2,000, about 10% less. |
A DALI SONIK 5 B SVS Prime Pinnacle
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system 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 Prime Pinnacle leads across most of the measured areas for a fairly modest premium, which makes it the easier pick if the budget stretches. DALI SONIK 5 is the one to take if it does not. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 39Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper DALI SONIK 5 much easier to justify.
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.