In this review, we will be comparing Vestia No4 and Ultra Tower, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Focal and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Vestia No4 and SVS Ultra Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Vestia No4 | SVS Ultra Tower |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | SVS
United States · founded 1998 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" inverted dome | 1.0" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | 2 x 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" Slatefiber | 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 40-30k Hz | 28-32k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-350 watts | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 31.50kg / 69.3lbs | 34.27kg / 75.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44-3/8" x 12" x 16-7/8"
1128.0 x 305.0 x 429.0mm | 45-5/8" x 13-15/16" x 17-1/2"
1159.0 x 355.0 x 445.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Focal Vestia No4 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* |
Focal Vestia No4 |
SVS Ultra Tower |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
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 Vestia No4 and Ultra Tower are 3-way speakers.
Focal Vestia No4SVS 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 |
Focal Vestia No4 |
SVS Ultra Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.0-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
2 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
Vestia No4 features a 1" Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8" Slatefiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 280Hz and 2800Hz. 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
Vestia No4 has a frequency range of 40-30k Hz whereas Ultra Tower has a frequency range of 28-32k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the Ultra Tower can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Vestia No4's min frequency of 40Hz.
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
Vestia No4 and Ultra Tower have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Vestia No4 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Ultra Tower's is at 88 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Focal Vestia No4 a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Ultra 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.
Vestia No4 can handle a max power of 350 watts RMS, whereas Ultra Tower has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Vestia No4.
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.
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 Focal Vestia No4's and SVS Ultra Tower's external dimensions. Focal Vestia No4 has external dimensions of 1128.0 x 305.0 x 429.0mm (44-3/8-inch x 12-inch x 16-7/8-inch) 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 50mm wider, 31mm taller and 16mm deeper than Focal Vestia No4.
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 Focal Vestia No4 is approximately 1308.5cm2 / 202.8inch2 and base area of the SVS Ultra Tower is approximately 1579.8cm2 / 244.9inch2. The Vestia No4 requires 17% 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 Focal Vestia No4 weighs 31.50kg / 69.3lbs and the SVS Ultra Tower weighs 34.27kg / 75.4lbs. This makes the Ultra Tower 9% heavier than the Vestia No4.
Here is a comparison of how Vestia No4 and Ultra 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 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 |
350 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Height |
1128mm
vs
1159mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1308cm2
vs
1579cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
40 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
32k Hz
vs
30k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Price per pair* |
2600USD
vs
4398USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Focal Vestia No4 |
SVS Ultra Tower |
| Brand |
Focal |
SVS |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
40-350 watts |
20-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
2.6 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
40-30k Hz |
28-32k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
8.0" |
| Woofer Composition |
Slatefiber |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1.0" |
| Tweeter Type |
inverted dome |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
6.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
280Hz and 2800Hz |
160HZ and 2000Hz |
| Firing Direction |
front |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1128.0mm (44.4") |
1159.0mm (45.6") |
| Width |
305.0mm (12") |
355.0mm (14") |
| Depth |
429.0mm (16.9") |
445.0mm (17.5") |
| Weight |
31.50kg (69.3lbs) |
34.27kg (75.4lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF |
MDF/Oak veneer |
| Available Colors |
Black High Gloss, Dark Wood, Light Wood |
Black Oak,Piano Gloss Black,Piano Gloss White |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Focal Vestia No4 costs roughly 1.7x what SVS Ultra Tower does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | SVS Ultra Tower digs deeper - 28Hz against 40Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Focal Vestia No4 is more sensitive (92dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (350W vs 300W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | B | SVS Ultra Tower: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | SVS Ultra Tower is cheaper - $2,600 against $4,398, about 41% less; arguably a different class. |
A Focal Vestia No4 B SVS Ultra 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 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. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 40Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate Focal Vestia No4 the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same.
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.