In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by SVS. SVS Prime Tower is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Prime Center is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Prime Tower and SVS Prime Center first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | SVS Prime Tower | SVS Prime Center |
|---|
| Brand | SVS
United States · founded 1998 | SVS
United States · founded 1998 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" dome | 1" dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 4.5" | 3-1/2" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene | 2 x 5.25" polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-25k Hz | 48-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87 dB | 86 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-250 watts | 20-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 18.23kg / 40.1lbs | 9.18kg / 20.2lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 36-5/8" x 8" x 11-11/16"
931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm | 7-11/16" x 18-11/16" x 9-1/8"
196.0 x 475.0 x 232.0mm |
|---|
Prime Tower and Prime Center are members of SVS's Prime series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
What size room are the SVS Prime Tower and SVS Prime Center 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 |
SVS Prime Center |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| 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 Prime Center are 3-way speakers.
SVS Prime TowerSVS Prime Center
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 |
SVS Prime Center |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4.5-inch |
1 x 3-1/2-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 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 Prime Center features a 1" aluminum dome Tweeter, a 3-1/2" Midrange and 2 x 5.25" polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz and 2400Hz.
Frequency Response
Prime Tower has a frequency range of 30-25k Hz whereas Prime Center has a frequency range of 48-25k 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 Prime Center's min frequency of 48Hz.
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 and Prime Center have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Prime Tower sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Prime Center's is at 86 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the SVS Prime Tower a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Prime Center, 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 Prime Center has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 50 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 5-Way post type posts and Prime Center has a 5-Way post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
SVS Prime Tower's 5-Way post terminals
SVS Prime Center's 5-Way post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Prime Tower and Prime Center have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
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 SVS Prime Center'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 SVS Prime Center has external dimensions of 196.0 x 475.0 x 232.0mm (7-11/16 x 18-11/16 x 9-1/8inch).
SVS Prime Center is 735mm shorter and 65mm less deeper than SVS Prime Tower but it is also 271mm wider.
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 Prime Center needs about 82% more floor or shelf area. SVS Prime Tower is 65mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. SVS Prime Tower is 735mm 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 SVS Prime Tower is approximately 605.9cm2 / 93.9inch2 and base area of the SVS Prime Center is approximately 1102.0cm2 / 170.8inch2. The Prime Tower requires 45% less surface area than the Prime Center 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 SVS Prime Center?
Here are the items that come with the Prime Center:
- Center channel loudspeaker
- Grille (pre-installed)
- 4 Self-adhesive rubber bumpers
- Owners Manual
- SVS brochure
- Online Product Registration Card