In this review, we will be comparing Studio 690 and Prime Tower, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from JBL and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of JBL Studio 690 and SVS Prime Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | JBL Studio 690 | SVS Prime Tower |
|---|
| Brand | JBL
United States · founded 1946 | SVS
United States · founded 1998 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" compression driver with HDI (High Definition Imaging) waveguide | 1" dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 4.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" PolyPlas | 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 36-40k Hz | 30-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 250 watts | 20-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 29.45kg / 64.8lbs | 18.23kg / 40.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 43-1/8" x 11-3/4" x 15-1/16"
1096.0 x 299.0 x 383.0mm | 36-5/8" x 8" x 11-11/16"
931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the JBL Studio 690 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* |
JBL Studio 690 |
SVS Prime Tower |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Studio 690 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.
JBL Studio 690SVS 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 |
JBL Studio 690 |
SVS Prime Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 4.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
Studio 690 features a 1" compression driver with HDI (High Definition Imaging) waveguide Tweeter and 2 x 8" PolyPlas 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
Studio 690 has a frequency range of 36-40k 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 Studio 690's min frequency of 36Hz.
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
Studio 690 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. Studio 690 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Prime Tower's is rated at 87 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the JBL Studio 690 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.
Both handle the same maximum of 250 watts RMS, though Studio 690 is rated up to 250 watts and Prime Tower 20-250 watts.
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
Studio 690 features 5-Way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Prime Tower has a 5-Way post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
JBL Studio 690's 5-Way post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
SVS Prime Tower's 5-Way post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Studio 690 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 JBL Studio 690's and SVS Prime Tower's external dimensions. JBL Studio 690 has external dimensions of 1096.0 x 299.0 x 383.0mm (43-1/8-inch x 11-3/4-inch x 15-1/16-inch) 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).
JBL Studio 690 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 95mm wider, 165mm taller and 86mm deeper than SVS Prime Tower.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of JBL Studio 690 and SVS Prime Tower in scale.
Comparison image of JBL Studio 690 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 JBL Studio 690 is approximately 1145.2cm2 / 177.5inch2 and base area of the SVS Prime Tower is approximately 605.9cm2 / 93.9inch2. The Studio 690 requires 89% 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 JBL Studio 690 weighs 29.45kg / 64.8lbs and the SVS Prime Tower weighs 18.23kg / 40.1lbs. This makes the Studio 690 62% heavier than the Prime Tower.
Here is a comparison of how Studio 690 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 JBL Studio 690?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Studio 690:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Washers
- 4 Locking-collars
- 4 Foot-pads
- 2 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
- Owners Manual
- Warranty 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 |
90 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
6.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
25k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
36 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
931mm
vs
1096mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
605cm2
vs
1145cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1400USD
vs
1498USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
JBL Studio 690 |
SVS Prime Tower |
| Brand |
JBL |
SVS |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 250 watts |
20-250 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
87 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
36-40k Hz |
30-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
PolyPlas |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
compression driver with HDI (High Definition Imaging) waveguide |
dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
4.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
350Hz and 2100Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1096.0mm (43.1") |
931.0mm (36.7") |
| Width |
299.0mm (11.8") |
204.0mm (8") |
| Depth |
383.0mm (15.1") |
297.0mm (11.7") |
| Weight |
29.45kg (64.8lbs) |
18.23kg (40.1lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Wood, Dark Wood |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: JBL Studio 690 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 36Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | A | JBL Studio 690 is more sensitive (90dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | SVS Prime Tower is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (250W vs 250W). |
| Size | depends | SVS Prime Tower is easier to place; JBL Studio 690 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | A | JBL Studio 690: bi-amping. JBL Studio 690 sits in a wider range (15 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($1,498 vs $1,400 a pair). |
A JBL Studio 690 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?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 36Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. In a large or open-plan room, JBL Studio 690 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, SVS Prime Tower 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.