In this review, we will be comparing Concept 500 and Ultra Tower, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Q Acoustics and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Q Acoustics Concept 500 and SVS Ultra Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Q Acoustics Concept 500 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1.1" Dome Tweeter
- 2 x 6.5" Paper composite Woofer
- 41-30k Hz Frequency Response
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:25-200watts
- Weight:42.00kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 46-1/4" x 15-3/4" x 14-3/4" ( 1175.0 x 400.0 x 375.0mm )
SVS Ultra Tower Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1.0" Dome Tweeter
- 6.5" Midrange
- 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene Woofer
- 6.5" Midrange
- 28-32k Hz Frequency Response
- 88 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:20-300watts
- Weight:34.27kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 45-5/8" x 13-15/16" x 17-1/2" ( 1159.0 x 355.0 x 445.0mm )
What size room are the Q Acoustics Concept 500 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* |
Q Acoustics Concept 500 |
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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Q Acoustics Concept 500 and SVS Ultra Tower compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Concept 500 is a 2-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 |
Q Acoustics Concept 500 |
SVS Ultra Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.0-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
2 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
Concept 500 features a 1.1" Dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Paper composite Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz. 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
Concept 500 has a frequency range of 41-30k 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 Concept 500's min frequency of 41Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Concept 500 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Concept 500 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS , 100 watts less than the Ultra Tower.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Ultra Tower features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Concept 500 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
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Q Acoustics Concept 500's and SVS Ultra Tower's external dimensions. Q Acoustics Concept 500 has external dimensions of 1175.0 x 400.0 x 375.0mm ( 46-1/4 x 15-3/4 x 14-3/4inch) 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 45mm narrower and 16mm shorter than Q Acoustics Concept 500 but it is also 70mm 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 Q Acoustics Concept 500 is approximately 1500.0cm2 / 232.5inch2 and base area of the SVS Ultra Tower is approximately 1579.8cm2 / 244.9inch2. The Concept 500 requires 5% less surface area than the Ultra Tower which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.