In this review, we will be comparing Ultra Evolution Tower and Ultra Tower, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Ultra Evolution Tower and SVS Ultra Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | SVS Ultra Evolution Tower | SVS Ultra Tower |
|---|
| Brand | SVS
United States · founded 1998 | SVS
United States · founded 1998 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Dome | 1.0" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 2 x 4.5" | 2 x 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 4 x 5.25" Composite glass-fiber | 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-40k Hz | 28-32k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-300 watts | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 27.00kg / 59.4lbs | 34.27kg / 75.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44.5" x 8.58" x 16.7"
1130 x 218 x 424mm | 45-5/8" x 13-15/16" x 17-1/2"
1159.0 x 355.0 x 445.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the SVS Ultra Evolution Tower 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 Evolution Tower |
SVS Ultra Tower |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| 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
Both Ultra Evolution Tower and Ultra Tower are 3-way speakers.
SVS Ultra Evolution TowerSVS Ultra Tower
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 Evolution Tower |
SVS Ultra Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.0-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 4.5-inch |
2 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
4 x 5.25-inch
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
Ultra Evolution Tower features a 1" aluminum Dome Tweeter, a 4.5" Midrange and 4 x 5.25" Composite glass-fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 170HZ and 1800Hz. 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 Evolution Tower has a frequency range of 30-40k Hz whereas Ultra Tower has a frequency range of 28-32k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the Ultra Tower can go slightly deeper then the Ultra Evolution Tower's min frequency of 30Hz.
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
Ultra Evolution Tower is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Ultra Tower which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Ultra Evolution Tower sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Ultra Tower's is rated at 88 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the SVS Ultra Tower a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Ultra Evolution Tower, 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.
Ultra Evolution Tower and Ultra Tower have the same power range of 20-300 watts.
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.
SVS Ultra Evolution Tower
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Ultra Evolution Tower and Ultra Tower features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
SVS Ultra Evolution Tower's Gold-plated 5-way terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
SVS Ultra Tower's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
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 Evolution Tower's and SVS Ultra Tower's external dimensions. SVS Ultra Evolution Tower has external dimensions of 1130 x 218 x 424mm (44.49 x 8.58 x 16.69”) 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, 29mm taller and 21mm deeper than SVS Ultra Evolution Tower.
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 Ultra Tower needs about 71% more floor or shelf area. SVS Ultra Tower is 21mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. SVS Ultra Tower is 29mm 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 Evolution Tower is approximately 924.3cm2 / 143.3inch2 and base area of the SVS Ultra Tower is approximately 1579.8cm2 / 244.9inch2. The Ultra Evolution Tower requires 41% less surface area than the Ultra Tower 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 Evolution Tower weighs 27.00kg / 59.4lbs and the SVS Ultra Tower weighs 34.27kg / 75.4lbs. This makes the Ultra Tower 27% heavier than the Ultra Evolution Tower.
Here is a comparison of how Ultra Evolution Tower and Ultra Tower's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
SVS Ultra Evolution Tower
What's in the Box of SVS Ultra Tower?
Here are the items that come with the Ultra Tower:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Cloth grille
- 2 Metal grilles
- Foam port plug
- 4 Elastomer isolation feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Nuts
- 4 Protective discs
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- Owners Manual
- SVS brochure
- Online Product Registration Card
 Number of Woofers |
4
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
32k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1130mm
vs
1159mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
924cm2
vs
1579cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Sensitivity |
88 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Woofer Size |
8.0 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
30 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Price per pair* |
2600USD
vs
2999USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
SVS Ultra Evolution Tower |
SVS Ultra Tower |
| Brand |
SVS |
SVS |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-300 watts |
20-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
87 dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
30-40k Hz |
28-32k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
4 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.25" |
8.0" |
| Woofer Composition |
Composite glass-fiber |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1.0" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
4.5" |
6.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
170HZ and 1800Hz |
160HZ and 2000Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1130.0mm (44.5") |
1159.0mm (45.6") |
| Width |
218.0mm (8.6") |
355.0mm (14") |
| Depth |
424.0mm (16.7") |
445.0mm (17.5") |
| Weight |
27.00kg (59.4lbs) |
34.27kg (75.4lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Oak veneer |
| Available Colors |
Piano Gloss Black,Piano Gloss White,Black Oak Veneer |
Black Oak,Piano Gloss Black,Piano Gloss White |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: SVS Ultra Evolution Tower is the newer design, against a 2013 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (30Hz vs 28Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (87dB vs 88dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | B | SVS Ultra Tower is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (300W vs 300W). |
| Size | depends | SVS Ultra Evolution Tower is easier to place; SVS Ultra Tower is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | SVS Ultra Evolution Tower: bi-amping; SVS Ultra Tower: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | SVS Ultra Tower is cheaper - $2,600 against $2,999, about 13% less. |
A SVS Ultra Evolution Tower B SVS Ultra Tower
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 Tower has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. In a large or open-plan room, SVS Ultra Tower has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, SVS Ultra Evolution Tower 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.