In this review, we will be comparing A3t and Ultra Tower, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Perlisten and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Perlisten A3t and SVS Ultra Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Perlisten A3t | SVS Ultra Tower |
|---|
| Brand | Perlisten
United States · founded 2016 | SVS
United States · founded 1998 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | — | 1.0" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 2 x 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | — | 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 31-27k Hz | 28-32k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87.7 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50 – 300W watts | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | — | 34.27kg / 75.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 50.59" x 11.02" x 15.35"
1285.0 x 279.9 x 389.9mm | 45-5/8" x 13-15/16" x 17-1/2"
1159.0 x 355.0 x 445.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Perlisten A3t 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* |
Perlisten A3t |
SVS Ultra 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
Both A3t and Ultra Tower are 3-way speakers.
| Driver |
Perlisten A3t |
SVS Ultra Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1.0-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
2 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
x -inch
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
A3t 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
A3t has a frequency range of 31-27k Hz whereas Ultra Tower has a frequency range of 28-32k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the Ultra Tower can go slightly deeper then the A3t's min frequency of 31Hz.
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
A3t 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 A3t can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. A3t sensitivity is rated at 87.7 dB and the Ultra Tower's is rated at 88 dB.
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 300 watts RMS, though A3t is rated 50 – 300W watts and Ultra Tower 20-300 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
Ultra Tower features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. A3t has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
SVS Ultra Tower's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
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 Perlisten A3t's and SVS Ultra Tower's external dimensions. Perlisten A3t has external dimensions of 1285.0 x 279.9 x 389.9mm (50.59 x 11.02 x 15.35inch) 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).
Perlisten A3t is 75.1mm narrower and 55.1mm less deeper than SVS Ultra Tower but it is also 126mm taller.
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 Ultra Tower needs about 45% more floor or shelf area. SVS Ultra Tower is 55mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Perlisten A3t is 126mm 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 Perlisten A3t is approximately 1091.3cm2 / 169.2inch2 and base area of the SVS Ultra Tower is approximately 1579.8cm2 / 244.9inch2. The A3t requires 31% 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