In this review, we will be comparing Ultra Tower and Opticon 8 MK2, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from SVS and DALI.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Ultra Tower and DALI Opticon 8 II first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | SVS Ultra Tower | DALI Opticon 8 II |
|---|
| Brand | SVS
United States · founded 1998 | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.0" Dome | 17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125" Soft-dome + ribbon Hybrid |
|---|
| Midrange | 2 x 6.5" | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene | 2 x 8" Wood Fiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 28-32k Hz | 38-30k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-300 watts | 40-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 34.27kg / 75.4lbs | 37.10kg / 81.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 45-5/8" x 13-15/16" x 17-1/2"
1159.0 x 355.0 x 445.0mm | 45-1/4" x 9-1/2" x 18-1/16"
1150.0 x 245.0 x 459.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the SVS Ultra Tower and DALI Opticon 8 II 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 Tower |
DALI Opticon 8 II |
| 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.
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Drivers
Both Ultra Tower and Opticon 8 MK2 are 3-way speakers.
SVS Ultra TowerDALI Opticon 8 II
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 Tower |
DALI Opticon 8 II |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.0-inch
|
17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 6.5-inch |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the Opticon 8 MK2 features a 17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125" Soft-dome + ribbon Hybrid Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 380Hz, 2200Hz and 14,000Hz.
Frequency Response
Ultra Tower has a frequency range of 28-32k Hz whereas Opticon 8 MK2 has a frequency range of 38-30k 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 Opticon 8 MK2's min frequency of 38Hz.
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 Tower is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Opticon 8 MK2 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 Opticon 8 MK2 can provide this impedance level.
On the other hand, they have the same sensitivity of 88 dBdB.
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.
Both handle the same maximum of 300 watts RMS, though Ultra Tower is rated 20-300 watts and Opticon 8 MK2 40-300 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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Ultra Tower and Opticon 8 MK2 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
SVS Ultra Tower's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
DALI Opticon 8 II's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
DALI Opticon 8 II Port
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 Tower's and DALI Opticon 8 II's external dimensions. 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) whereas DALI Opticon 8 II has external dimensions of 1150.0 x 245.0 x 459.0mm (45-1/4 x 9-1/2 x 18-1/16inch).
DALI Opticon 8 II is 110mm narrower and 9mm shorter than SVS Ultra Tower but it is also 14mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of SVS Ultra Tower and DALI Opticon 8 II in scale.
Comparison image of SVS Ultra Tower and DALI Opticon 8 II 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 Tower is approximately 1579.8cm2 / 244.9inch2 and base area of the DALI Opticon 8 II is approximately 1124.6cm2 / 174.3inch2. The Ultra Tower requires 40% more surface area than the Opticon 8 MK2 which gives it a small disadvantage 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 Tower weighs 34.27kg / 75.4lbs and the DALI Opticon 8 II weighs 37.10kg / 81.6lbs. This makes the Opticon 8 MK2 8% heavier than the Ultra Tower.
Here is a comparison of how Ultra Tower and Opticon 8 MK2's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of SVS Ultra Tower?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of 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
What's in the Box of DALI Opticon 8 II?
Here are the items that come with the Opticon 8 MK2:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Binding post jumpers (pre-installed)
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 4 Spikes (with lock nuts)
- 4 Rubber pads
- 4 Screws
- Hex-key
- Wrench
- Quick Start Guide
- Congratulations Card
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
38 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
32k Hz
vs
30k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Price per pair* |
2600USD
vs
4200USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Height |
1150mm
vs
1159mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1124cm2
vs
1579cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
SVS Ultra Tower |
DALI Opticon 8 MK2 |
| Brand |
SVS |
DALI |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-300 watts |
40-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
28-32k Hz |
38-30k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8.0" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Wood Fiber |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.0" |
17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
Soft-dome + ribbon Hybrid |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
6.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
160HZ and 2000Hz |
380Hz, 2200Hz and 14,000Hz |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1159.0mm (45.6") |
1150.0mm (45.3") |
| Width |
355.0mm (14") |
245.0mm (9.6") |
| Depth |
445.0mm (17.5") |
459.0mm (18.1") |
| Weight |
34.27kg (75.4lbs) |
37.10kg (81.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Oak veneer |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Black Oak,Piano Gloss Black,Piano Gloss White |
Satin Black, Tobacco Oak, Satin 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 |
These sit in different price classes - DALI Opticon 8 II costs roughly 1.6x what SVS Ultra Tower 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 Tower digs deeper - 28Hz against 38Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (88dB vs 88dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | A | SVS Ultra Tower 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 (300W vs 300W). |
| Size | depends | DALI Opticon 8 II is easier to place; SVS Ultra Tower is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | SVS Ultra Tower: bi-amping; DALI Opticon 8 II: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | SVS Ultra Tower is cheaper - $2,600 against $4,200, about 38% less; arguably a different class. |
A SVS Ultra Tower B DALI Opticon 8 II
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 is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take DALI Opticon 8 II 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 38Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. 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, DALI Opticon 8 II 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.