In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by SVS. SVS Ultra Bookshelf is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the Ultra Tower is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Ultra Bookshelf and SVS Ultra Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
SVS Ultra Bookshelf Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter
- 6.5" Composite glass-fiber Woofer
- 45-32k Hz Frequency Response
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:20-150watts
- Weight:8.64kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 380.0" x 8-9/16" x 11-1/16"( 380.0 x 218.0 x 281.0mm )
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): 1159.0" x 13-15/16" x 17-1/2"( 1159.0 x 355.0 x 445.0mm )
Ultra Bookshelf and Ultra Tower are members of SVS's Ultra series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
What size room are the SVS Ultra Bookshelf 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* |
SVS Ultra Bookshelf |
SVS Ultra Tower |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
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 SVS Ultra Bookshelf 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 Ultra Bookshelf 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 |
SVS Ultra Bookshelf |
SVS Ultra Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.0-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
2 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
Ultra Bookshelf features a 1" aluminum Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Composite glass-fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2000Hz. 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
Ultra Bookshelf has a frequency range of 45-32k 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 Ultra Bookshelf's min frequency of 45Hz.
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 Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf 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.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Ultra Bookshelf and Ultra Tower have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Ultra Bookshelf sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Ultra Tower's is at 88 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the SVS Ultra Tower a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Ultra Bookshelf, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf Speakers
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.
Ultra Bookshelf can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Ultra Bookshelf has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS , 150 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
Both Ultra Bookshelf and Ultra Tower features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
SVS Ultra Bookshelf's 5-way post terminals allows Bi-amping or 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 SVS Ultra Bookshelf's and SVS Ultra Tower's external dimensions. SVS Ultra Bookshelf has external dimensions of 380.0 x 218.0 x 281.0mm ( 14-15/16 x 8-9/16 x 11-1/16inch) 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 clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 137mm wider, 779mm taller and 164mm deeper than SVS Ultra Bookshelf.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of SVS Ultra Bookshelf and SVS Ultra Tower in scale.
Comparison image of SVS Ultra Bookshelf and SVS Ultra Tower 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 Ultra Bookshelf is approximately 612.6cm2 / 95.0inch2 and base area of the SVS Ultra Tower is approximately 1579.8cm2 / 244.9inch2. The Ultra Bookshelf requires 61% 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 Bookshelf?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Ultra Bookshelf:
2 Bookshelf loudspeakers2 Grilles8 Rubber feet2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)Owners ManualSVS brochureOnline Product Registration Card
What's in the Box of SVS Ultra Tower?
Here are the items that come with the Ultra Tower:
Floorstanding loudspeakerCloth grille2 Metal grillesFoam port plug4 Elastomer isolation feet (pre-installed)4 Spike feet4 Nuts4 Protective discs2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)Owners ManualSVS brochureOnline Product Registration Card
Height 
Base Surface Area 
Price per pair* 
Max Input Power 
Driver Setup 
Sensitivity 
Woofer Size