In this review, we will be comparing Ultra Center and HDI-4500, two Passive Center Channel speakers from SVS and JBL.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Ultra Center and JBL HDI-4500 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | SVS Ultra Center | JBL HDI-4500 |
|---|
| Brand | SVS
United States · founded 1998 | JBL
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Dome | 1" horn-loaded high-frequency compression |
|---|
| Midrange | 4" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" composite glass-fiber | 4 x 5.25" Advanced Aluminum Matrix cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 45-32k Hz | 50-30k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-225 watts | 20-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 14.09kg / 31lbs | 20.15kg / 44.3lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 8-1/8" x 22-1/16" x 11-3/16"
207.0 x 561.0 x 285.0mm | 7-3/4" x 33-1/8" x 12-3/16"
197.0 x 842.0 x 310.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the SVS Ultra Center and JBL HDI-4500 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 Center |
JBL HDI-4500 |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| 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.)
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 Ultra Center is a 3-way design whereas the HDI-4500 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.
SVS Ultra CenterJBL HDI-4500
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 Ultra Center |
JBL HDI-4500 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
4 x 5.25-inch
|
Ultra Center features a 1" aluminum Dome Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" composite glass-fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 500Hz and 2200Hz. On the other hand, the HDI-4500 features a 1" horn-loaded high-frequency compression Tweeter and 4 x 5.25" Advanced Aluminum Matrix cone Woofer.
Frequency Response
Ultra Center has a frequency range of 45-32k Hz whereas HDI-4500 has a frequency range of 50-30k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 45Hz, the Ultra Center can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the HDI-4500's min frequency of 50Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Center Channel class in our database.
Low Frequency
Center Channel 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
Ultra Center is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the HDI-4500 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 HDI-4500 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Ultra Center sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the HDI-4500's is rated at 90 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the JBL HDI-4500 a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Ultra Center, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Center Channel 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.
HDI-4500 can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Ultra Center has a max power handling value of 225 watts RMS, 25 watts less than the HDI-4500.
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
Ultra Center features 5-Way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. HDI-4500 has a 5-Way post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
SVS Ultra Center's 5-Way post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
JBL HDI-4500's 5-Way post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Ultra Center and HDI-4500 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 Ultra Center's and JBL HDI-4500's external dimensions. SVS Ultra Center has external dimensions of 207.0 x 561.0 x 285.0mm (8-1/8 x 22-1/16 x 11-3/16inch) whereas JBL HDI-4500 has external dimensions of 197.0 x 842.0 x 310.0mm (7-3/4 x 33-1/8 x 12-3/16inch).
SVS Ultra Center is 281mm narrower and 25mm less deeper than JBL HDI-4500 but it is also 10mm 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 Ultra Center is approximately 1598.9cm2 / 247.8inch2 and base area of the JBL HDI-4500 is approximately 2610.2cm2 / 404.6inch2. The Ultra Center requires 39% less surface area than the HDI-4500 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The SVS Ultra Center weighs 14.09kg / 31lbs and the JBL HDI-4500 weighs 20.15kg / 44.3lbs. This makes the HDI-4500 43% heavier than the Ultra Center.
Here is a comparison of how Ultra Center and HDI-4500's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Center Channel class.
Weight
All Center Channel Speakers
What's in the Box of SVS Ultra Center?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Ultra Center:
- Center channel loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- 4 Rubber feet
- Owners Manual
- SVS brochure
- Online Product Registration Card
What's in the Box of JBL HDI-4500?
Here are the items that come with the HDI-4500:
- Center-channel loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
- Owners Manual
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
45 Hz
vs
50 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
32k Hz
vs
30k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Base Surface Area |
1598cm2
vs
2610cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
799USD
vs
1925USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
250 watts
vs
225 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Number of Woofers |
4
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Height |
197mm
vs
207mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
| General |
SVS Ultra Center |
JBL HDI-4500 |
| Brand |
SVS |
JBL |
| Speaker Type |
Center channel speaker |
Center channel speaker |
| Power Range |
20-225 watts |
20-250 watts |
| Sensitivity |
87 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
45-32k Hz |
50-30k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
4 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
5.25" |
| Woofer Composition |
composite glass-fiber |
Advanced Aluminum Matrix cone |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
n/a |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
horn-loaded high-frequency compression |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
4" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
500Hz and 2200Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
207.0mm (8.1") |
197.0mm (7.8") |
| Width |
561.0mm (22.1") |
842.0mm (33.1") |
| Depth |
285.0mm (11.2") |
310.0mm (12.2") |
| Weight |
14.09kg (31lbs) |
20.15kg (44.3lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Available Colors |
Black Oak,Piano Gloss Black,Piano Gloss White |
Walnut |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - JBL HDI-4500 costs roughly 2.4x what SVS Ultra Center does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | SVS Ultra Center digs deeper - 45Hz against 50Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | B | JBL HDI-4500 is more sensitive (90dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | A | SVS Ultra Center is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (225W vs 250W). |
| Size | depends | SVS Ultra Center is easier to place; JBL HDI-4500 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | A | SVS Ultra Center: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | SVS Ultra Center is cheaper - $799 against $1,925, about 58% less; arguably a different class. |
A SVS Ultra Center B JBL HDI-4500
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 Ultra Center is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take JBL HDI-4500 if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 50Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. In a large or open-plan room, JBL HDI-4500 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, SVS Ultra Center 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.