In this review, we will be comparing SONIK 5 and Prime Tower, 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 Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | DALI SONIK 5 | SVS Prime Tower |
|---|
| Brand | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 | SVS
United States · founded 1998 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.125" Soft-Dome | 1" dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 4.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5.25" Wood fiber | 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 39-26k Hz | 30-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-150 watts | 20-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 10.82kg / 23.8lbs | 18.23kg / 40.1lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 36-5/8" x 8" x 11-11/16"
931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm |
|---|
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 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.
DALI SONIK 5SVS Prime 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 |
DALI SONIK 5 |
SVS Prime Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.125-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 4.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
2 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 Tower features a 1" aluminum dome Tweeter, a 4.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz and 2100Hz.
Frequency Response
SONIK 5 has a frequency range of 39-26k Hz whereas Prime Tower has a frequency range of 30-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Prime Tower 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 Tower which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. SONIK 5 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the Prime Tower's is rated at 87 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the DALI SONIK 5 a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Prime Tower, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
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 Tower can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas SONIK 5 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Prime Tower.
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 Tower has a 5-Way post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
SVS Prime Tower's 5-Way post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both SONIK 5 and Prime Tower 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 Tower'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 Tower has external dimensions of 931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm (36-5/8 x 8 x 11-11/16inch).
DALI SONIK 5 is 107mm shorter and 28mm less deeper than SVS Prime Tower but it is also 46mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of DALI SONIK 5 and SVS Prime Tower in scale.
Comparison image of DALI SONIK 5 and SVS Prime Tower 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 Tower is approximately 605.9cm2 / 93.9inch2. The SONIK 5 requires 11% more surface area than the Prime Tower which gives it a small disadvantage 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 Tower weighs 18.23kg / 40.1lbs. This makes the Prime Tower 68% heavier than the SONIK 5.
Here is a comparison of how SONIK 5 and Prime Tower'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 Tower?
Here are the items that come with the Prime Tower:
- 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
 Sensitivity |
88 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 High Frequency Response |
26k Hz
vs
25k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
824mm
vs
931mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Max Input Power |
250 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 |
|
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
39 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Base Surface Area |
605cm2
vs
672cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1400USD
vs
1800USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
DALI SONIK 5 |
SVS Prime Tower |
| Brand |
DALI |
SVS |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
30-150 watts |
20-250 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
87 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
39-26k Hz |
30-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| 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 |
4.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
350Hz and 2100Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
824.0mm (32.4") |
931.0mm (36.7") |
| Width |
250.0mm (9.8") |
204.0mm (8") |
| Depth |
269.0mm (10.6") |
297.0mm (11.7") |
| Weight |
10.82kg (23.8lbs) |
18.23kg (40.1lbs) |
| 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 2015 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 Tower digs deeper - 30Hz against 39Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (88dB vs 87dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | B | SVS Prime Tower is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | SVS Prime Tower takes more power (250W vs 150W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Price | B | SVS Prime Tower is cheaper - $1,400 against $1,800, about 22% less. |
A DALI SONIK 5 B SVS Prime Tower
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 Tower is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take DALI SONIK 5 if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 39Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead.
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.