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  1. Home
  2. SVS Speakers
  3. SVS Prime Tower vs SVS Prime Elevation

SVS Prime Tower vs SVS Prime Elevation Comparison

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SVS Prime Tower

Passive Floor-standing | 30-25k Hz

SVS Prime Tower
Check price atAmazon›
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SVS Prime Elevation

Passive Surround | 55-25k Hz

SVS Prime Elevation
Check price atAmazon›
SVS Prime Tower SVS Prime Tower
Check price atAmazon›
SVS Prime Elevation SVS Prime Elevation
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SVS Prime Tower
See at AMAZON
SVS Prime Elevation
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SVS Prime Tower vs SVS Prime Elevation Speaker Comparison

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 Elevation is a Surround speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of SVS Prime Tower and SVS Prime Elevation first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key SpecsSVS Prime TowerSVS Prime Elevation
BrandSVS
United States · founded 1998
SVS
United States · founded 1998
Design3-way2-way
Tweeter1" dome1.0" Hard-Dome
Midrange4.5"—
Woofer2 x 6.5" Polypropylene4.5"
Frequency response30-25k Hz55-25k Hz
Sensitivity87 dB87 dB
Impedance8 ohms8 ohms
Power range20-250 watts—
Weight18.23kg / 40.1lbs3.54kg / 7.8lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)36-5/8" x 8" x 11-11/16"
931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm
9-5/16" x 5-1/2" x 7-7/8"
236.5 x 139.7 x 200.0mm

Prime Tower and Prime Elevation are members of SVS's Prime series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

SVS Prime Series History
Model Body Frequency SensitivityImpedance Woofer
SVS Prime Tower
Floor-standing 30-25k Hz 87 dB8Ω 2 x 6.5"
SVS Prime Bookshelf
  
Bookshelf 48-25k Hz 87 dB8Ω 1 x 6.5"
SVS Prime Center
  
Center Channel 48-25k Hz 86 dB8Ω 2 x 5.25"
SVS Prime Pinnacle
  
Floor-standing 29-25k Hz 88 dB8Ω 3 x 6.5"
SVS Prime Satellite
  
Bookshelf 69-25k Hz 85 dB8Ω 1 x 4.5"
SVS Prime Elevation
Surround 55-25k Hz 87 dB8Ω 1 x 4.5"

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 Prime Tower is a 3-way design whereas the Prime Elevation is a 2-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.

Tweeter - 1 inchMidrange - 4.5 inchWoofer - 6.5 inchWoofer - 6.5 inch
SVS Prime Tower
Tweeter - 1 inchWoofer - 4.5 inch
SVS Prime Elevation

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 Elevation
Driver Setup 3-way 2-way
Tweeter 1-inch 1.0-inch
Midrange 1 x 4.5-inch -
Woofer 2 x 6.5-inch 1 x 4.5-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 Elevation features a 1.0" Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 4.5" Woofer.

Frequency Response

Prime Tower has a frequency range of 30-25k Hz whereas Prime Elevation has a frequency range of 55-25k 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 Elevation's min frequency of 55Hz.

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

Prime Tower
Prime Elevation
Min
Average
Median

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 Elevation have the same Impedance of 8 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 87 dB.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

Prime Tower
Prime Elevation
Min
Average
Median

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.

SVS Prime Tower
 
SVS Prime Elevation
 

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Prime Tower features 5-Way post type posts and Prime Elevation has a 5-Way post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

SVS Prime Tower Terminals
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 SVS Prime Elevation'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 Elevation has external dimensions of 236.5 x 139.7 x 200.0mm ().

SVS Prime Tower is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 64.3mm wider, 694.5mm taller and 97mm deeper than SVS Prime Elevation.

Size, drawn to scale

FRONTSVS Prime Tower front: 204 x 931 mm (8 x 36.7 in)SVS Prime Elevation front: 140 x 237 mm (5.5 x 9.3 in)SVS Prime Tower204 × 931 mmSVS Prime Elevation140 × 237 mmTOP / FOOTPRINTSVS Prime Tower footprint: 204 x 297 mm (8 x 11.7 in)SVS Prime Elevation footprint: 140 x 200 mm (5.5 x 7.9 in)SVS Prime Tower204 × 297 mmSVS Prime Elevation140 × 200 mm
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 Tower needs about 117% more floor or shelf area. SVS Prime Tower is 97mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. SVS Prime Tower is 695mm 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 Elevation is approximately 279.4cm2 / 43.3inch2. The Prime Tower requires 117% more surface area than the Prime Elevation which gives it a small disadvantage 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


Reasons to choose SVS Prime Tower over SVS Prime Elevation

Driver Setup 3-way vs 2-way Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Woofer Size 6.5 inches vs 4.5 inches Larger woofer
Number of Woofers 2 vs 1 More woofers
Low Frequency Response 30 Hz vs 55 Hz Generates deeper bass

Reasons to choose SVS Prime Elevation over SVS Prime Tower

Height 236mm vs 931mm Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area 279cm2 vs 605cm2 Takes less floor space
Price per pair* 550USD vs 1400USD costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

SVS Prime Tower vs SVS Prime Elevation Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications
General SVS Prime Tower SVS Prime Elevation
Brand SVS SVS
Speaker Type Floor-standing speaker Surround speaker
Sensitivity 87 dB 87 dB
Impedance 8 ohms 8 ohms
Frequency Response 30-25k Hz 55-25k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity 2 1
Woofer Size 6.5" 4.5"
Woofer Composition Polypropylene
Woofer Surround Material Rubber n/a
Tweeter Size 1" 1.0"
Tweeter Type dome Hard-Dome
Aimable Tweeter No No
Midrange Driver 4.5" No
Crossover Frequency 350Hz and 2100Hz n/a
Firing Direction rear n/a
Physical Specs
Height 931.0mm (36.7") 236.5mm (9.3")
Width 204.0mm (8") 139.7mm (5.5")
Depth 297.0mm (11.7") 200.0mm (7.9")
Weight 18.23kg (40.1lbs) 3.54kg (7.8lbs)
Enclosure Bass Reflex
Finish MDF/Wood-grain vinyl MDF/Wood-grain vinyl
Available Colors Black Black Ash
Grille Yes n/a
Moisture Resistancy No No
Connections
Biamp Inputs No n/a
Other
Parts Warranty 5 Years 5 Years
Labor Warranty 5 Years 5 Years

Verdict

Siblings in SVS's Prime series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

AreaBetterWhy
BassASVS Prime Tower digs deeper - 30Hz against 55Hz.
Amplifier needsevenly matchedSimilar sensitivity (87dB vs 87dB) - both want much the same power.
SizedependsSVS Prime Elevation is easier to place; SVS Prime Tower is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
TypedependsA Passive Floor-standing against a Passive Surround - a different job rather than a better one.
PriceBSVS Prime Elevation is cheaper - $550 against $1,400, about 61% less; arguably a different class.

A SVS Prime Tower  B SVS Prime Elevation
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 is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 2.5x the price. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin on paper - SVS Prime Elevation looks like the sensible buy unless something else about the SVS Prime Tower appeals to you. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 55Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper SVS Prime Elevation much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, SVS Prime Tower has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, SVS Prime Elevation is the easier speaker to get right.

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.


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