In this review, we will be comparing Prime Tower and Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from SVS and ELAC.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Prime Tower and ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | SVS Prime Tower | ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim |
|---|
| Brand | SVS
United States · founded 1998 | ELAC
Germany · founded 1926 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" dome | 1" soft dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 4.5" | 4" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene | 3 x 5.25" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-25k Hz | 42-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87 dB | 85 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-250 watts | 40-140 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 18.23kg / 40.1lbs | — |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 36-5/8" x 8" x 11-11/16"
931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm | 39-7/8" x 10-3/16" x 12-7/8"
1013.0 x 259.0 x 328.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the SVS Prime Tower and ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim 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* |
SVS Prime Tower |
ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Poor |
(* 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 Prime Tower and Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim are 3-way speakers.
SVS Prime TowerELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
SVS Prime Tower |
ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4.5-inch |
1 x 4-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 5.25-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim features a 1" soft dome Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 3 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer.
Frequency Response
Prime Tower has a frequency range of 30-25k Hz whereas Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim has a frequency range of 42-25k 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 Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim'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
Prime Tower is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim which has a nominal impedance of 4 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 Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Prime Tower sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim's is rated at 85 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the SVS Prime Tower a more sensitive speaker compared to ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim, 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 Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim has a max power handling value of 140 watts RMS, 110 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
Prime Tower features Binding post type posts and Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers 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 SVS Prime Tower's and ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim's external dimensions. SVS Prime Tower has external dimensions of 931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm (36-5/8 x 8 x 11-11/16inch) whereas ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim has external dimensions of 1013.0 x 259.0 x 328.0mm (39-7/8 x 10-3/16 x 12-7/8inch).
ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 55mm wider, 82mm taller and 31mm deeper than SVS Prime Tower.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of SVS Prime Tower and ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim in scale.
Comparison image of SVS Prime Tower and ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim 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 SVS Prime Tower is approximately 605.9cm2 / 93.9inch2 and base area of the ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim is approximately 849.5cm2 / 131.7inch2. The Prime Tower requires 29% less surface area than the Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of SVS Prime Tower?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of 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
What's in the Box of ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim?
Here are the items that come with the Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Stabilizer-bars
- 4 Spike-feet
- 4 Protective discs
- 4 Knobs
- 6 Machine screws
- 4 Hex-nuts
- Hex-key
- Operating Instructions