In this review, we will be comparing 1.7i and Ultra Tower, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Magnepan and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Magnepan 1.7i and SVS Ultra Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Magnepan 1.7i | SVS Ultra Tower |
|---|
| Design | — | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | — | 1.0" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 2 x 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | — | 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 40-24k Hz | 28-32k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 86 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | — | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | — | 34.27kg / 75.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 65" x 19" x 2"
1651.0 x 482.6 x 50.8mm | 45-5/8" x 13-15/16" x 17-1/2"
1159.0 x 355.0 x 445.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Magnepan 1.7i 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* |
Magnepan 1.7i |
SVS Ultra 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.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that 1.7i is a -way design whereas the Ultra 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.
| Driver |
Magnepan 1.7i |
SVS Ultra Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1.0-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
2 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
x -inch
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
1.7i features a " Tweeter and x " Woofer. 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
1.7i has a frequency range of 40-24k 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 1.7i'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
1.7i is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Ultra 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 1.7i can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. 1.7i sensitivity is rated at 86 dB and the Ultra Tower's is rated at 88 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the SVS Ultra Tower a more sensitive speaker compared to Magnepan 1.7i, 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.
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 Magnepan 1.7i's and SVS Ultra Tower's external dimensions. Magnepan 1.7i has external dimensions of 1651.0 x 482.6 x 50.8mm (65 x 19 x 2inch) 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 127.6mm narrower and 492mm shorter than Magnepan 1.7i but it is also 394.2mm deeper.
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 Magnepan 1.7i is approximately 245.2cm2 / 38.0inch2 and base area of the SVS Ultra Tower is approximately 1579.8cm2 / 244.9inch2. The 1.7i requires 84% less surface area than the Ultra Tower which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
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