In this review, we will be comparing Ultra Tower and UFR52, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from SVS and ELAC. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Ultra Tower and ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
SVS Ultra Tower Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1.0" Dome Tweeter
- 6.5" Midrange
- 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene Woofer
- 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 )
ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" soft dome Tweeter
- 4" Midrange
- 3 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer
- 4" Midrange
- 40-35k Hz Frequency Response
- 86 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:up to 140watts
- Weight:23.80kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1005.0" x 9-1/4" x 13-5/16"( 1005.0 x 235.0 x 339.0mm )
What size room are the SVS Ultra Tower and ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 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 |
ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Poor |
(* 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 Tower and ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 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
Both Ultra Tower and UFR52 are 3-way speakers.
| Driver |
SVS Ultra Tower |
ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.0-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 6.5-inch |
1 x 4-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
3 x 5.25-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 UFR52 features a 1" soft dome Tweeter , a 4" Midrange and 3 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer .
Frequency Response
Ultra Tower has a frequency range of 28-32k Hz whereas UFR52 has a frequency range of 40-35k 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 UFR52's min frequency of 40Hz.
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 Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing 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 Tower is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the UFR52 which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Ultra Tower sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the UFR52's is rated at 86 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the SVS Ultra Tower a more sensitive speaker compared to ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52, 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. 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 Tower can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas UFR52 has a max power handling value of 140 watts RMS, 160 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 Tower and UFR52 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
ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 Port
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 Tower's and ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52'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 ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 has external dimensions of 1005.0 x 235.0 x 339.0mm ( 39-9/16 x 9-1/4 x 13-5/16inch) .
SVS Ultra Tower is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 120mm wider, 154mm taller and 106mm deeper than ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of SVS Ultra Tower and ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 in scale.
Comparison image of SVS Ultra Tower and ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 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 ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 is approximately 796.7cm2 / 123.5inch2. The Ultra Tower requires 98% more surface area than the UFR52 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 ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 weighs 23.80kg / 52.4lbs. This makes the Ultra Tower 44% heavier than the UFR52.
Here is a comparison of how Ultra Tower and UFR52'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 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
What's in the Box of ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52?
Here are the items that come with the UFR52:
Floorstanding loudspeakerGrille2 Jumper-bars (pre-installed)2 Stabilizer-bars4 Spike feet4 Protective discs4 Knobs6 Machine screwsHex-keyOperating Instructions