In this review, we will be comparing Emit 30 and Prime Tower, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Dynaudio and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Dynaudio Emit 30 and SVS Prime Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Dynaudio Emit 30 | SVS Prime Tower |
|---|
| Brand | Dynaudio
Denmark · founded 1977 | SVS
United States · founded 1998 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-Dome | 1" dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 4.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5.5" MSP | 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 45-25k Hz | 30-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | — | 20-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 15.50kg / 34.1lbs | 18.23kg / 40.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 35-7/16" x 6-11/16" x 10-11/16"
900.0 x 170.0 x 272.0mm | 36-5/8" x 8" x 11-11/16"
931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Dynaudio Emit 30 and SVS Prime 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* |
Dynaudio Emit 30 |
SVS Prime 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.
Drivers
Both Emit 30 and Prime Tower are 3-way speakers.
Dynaudio Emit 30SVS 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 |
Dynaudio Emit 30 |
SVS Prime Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 4.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.5-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
Emit 30 features a 1.1" Cerotar Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5.5" MSP Woofer with a Crossover frequency at (1000)/3500 Hz. 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
Emit 30 has a frequency range of 45-25k 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 Emit 30's min frequency of 45Hz.
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
Emit 30 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Prime 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 Emit 30 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Emit 30 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the Prime Tower's is rated at 87 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Dynaudio Emit 30 a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Prime Tower, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
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
Emit 30 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 Emit 30 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 Dynaudio Emit 30's and SVS Prime Tower's external dimensions. Dynaudio Emit 30 has external dimensions of 900.0 x 170.0 x 272.0mm (35-7/16 x 6-11/16 x 10-11/16inch) 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).
SVS Prime Tower is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 34mm wider, 31mm taller and 25mm deeper than Dynaudio Emit 30.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
SVS Prime Tower needs about 31% more floor or shelf area. SVS Prime Tower is 25mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. SVS Prime Tower is 31mm taller.
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 Dynaudio Emit 30 is approximately 462.4cm2 / 71.7inch2 and base area of the SVS Prime Tower is approximately 605.9cm2 / 93.9inch2. The Emit 30 requires 24% less surface area than the Prime 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 Dynaudio Emit 30 weighs 15.50kg / 34.1lbs and the SVS Prime Tower weighs 18.23kg / 40.1lbs. This makes the Prime Tower 18% heavier than the Emit 30.
Here is a comparison of how Emit 30 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 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 |
 Height |
900mm
vs
931mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
462cm2
vs
605cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
250 watts
vs
180 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
45 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Price per pair* |
1400USD
vs
1699USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Dynaudio Emit 30 |
SVS Prime Tower |
| Brand |
Dynaudio |
SVS |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
87 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
45-25k Hz |
30-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.5" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
MSP |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
4.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
(1000)/3500 Hz |
350Hz and 2100Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
900.0mm (35.4") |
931.0mm (36.7") |
| Width |
170.0mm (6.7") |
204.0mm (8") |
| Depth |
272.0mm (10.7") |
297.0mm (11.7") |
| Weight |
15.50kg (34.1lbs) |
18.23kg (40.1lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
A generation apart: Dynaudio Emit 30 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 45Hz. |
| 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; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | B | SVS Prime Tower takes more power (250W vs 180W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Dynaudio Emit 30 is easier to place; SVS Prime Tower is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Price | B | SVS Prime Tower is cheaper - $1,400 against $1,699, about 18% less. |
A Dynaudio Emit 30 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 Dynaudio Emit 30 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 45Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate Dynaudio Emit 30 the better fit for a small room and a mid-size room, and SVS Prime Tower for a large room and a very large room.
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.