In this review, we will be comparing ZX-3 and Prime Tower, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Mission and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Mission ZX-3 and SVS Prime Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Mission ZX-3 | SVS Prime Tower |
|---|
| Brand | Mission
United Kingdom · founded 1977 | SVS
United States · founded 1998 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.5" Ring Dome | 1" dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 4.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 5.25" Aluminium | 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 42-24k Hz | 30-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-150 watts | 20-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 20.40kg / 44.9lbs | 18.23kg / 40.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 40-3/8" x 9-7/16" x 14-1/4"
1025.0 x 240.0 x 362.0mm | 36-5/8" x 8" x 11-11/16"
931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Mission ZX-3 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* |
Mission ZX-3 |
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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that ZX-3 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.
Mission ZX-3SVS 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 |
Mission ZX-3 |
SVS Prime Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.5-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 4.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
ZX-3 features a 1.5" Silk Ring Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Aluminium Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2.4kHz. 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
ZX-3 has a frequency range of 42-24k 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 ZX-3's min frequency of 42Hz.
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
ZX-3 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 ZX-3 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. ZX-3 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Prime Tower's is rated at 87 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Mission ZX-3 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 ZX-3 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
ZX-3 features Binding 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.
SVS Prime Tower's 5-Way post terminals
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 Mission ZX-3's and SVS Prime Tower's external dimensions. Mission ZX-3 has external dimensions of 1025.0 x 240.0 x 362.0mm (40-3/8 x 9-7/16 x 14-1/4inch) 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).
Mission ZX-3 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 36mm wider, 94mm taller and 65mm deeper than SVS Prime Tower.
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.
Mission ZX-3 needs about 43% more floor or shelf area. Mission ZX-3 is 65mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Mission ZX-3 is 94mm 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 Mission ZX-3 is approximately 868.8cm2 / 134.7inch2 and base area of the SVS Prime Tower is approximately 605.9cm2 / 93.9inch2. The ZX-3 requires 43% 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 Mission ZX-3 weighs 20.40kg / 44.9lbs and the SVS Prime Tower weighs 18.23kg / 40.1lbs. This makes the ZX-3 12% heavier than the Prime Tower.
Here is a comparison of how ZX-3 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 |
90 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 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
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
42 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
25k Hz
vs
24k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
931mm
vs
1025mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
605cm2
vs
868cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1400USD
vs
1499USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Mission ZX-3 |
SVS Prime Tower |
| Brand |
Mission |
SVS |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
25-150 watts |
20-250 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
87 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.4 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
42-24k Hz |
30-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.25" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminium |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.5" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Ring Dome |
dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
4.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
2.4kHz |
350Hz and 2100Hz |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1025.0mm (40.4") |
931.0mm (36.7") |
| Width |
240.0mm (9.4") |
204.0mm (8") |
| Depth |
362.0mm (14.3") |
297.0mm (11.7") |
| Weight |
20.40kg (44.9lbs) |
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 |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
A generation apart: Mission ZX-3 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 42Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Mission ZX-3 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; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | B | SVS Prime Tower takes more power (250W vs 150W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | SVS Prime Tower is easier to place; Mission ZX-3 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | A | Mission ZX-3: bi-amping. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($1,499 vs $1,400 a pair). |
A Mission ZX-3 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 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 42Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate Mission ZX-3 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.