In this review, we will be comparing Ultra Tower and Q950, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from SVS and KEF.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Ultra Tower and KEF Q950 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | SVS Ultra Tower | KEF Q950 |
|---|
| Brand | SVS
United States · founded 1998 | KEF
United Kingdom · founded 1961 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Uni-Q driver | — | 11th Generation Uni-Q |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.0" Dome | 1.5" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 2 x 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene | 2 x 8.0" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 28-32k Hz | 44-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 91 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-300 watts | 15-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 34.27kg / 75.4lbs | 20.68kg / 45.5lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 43-15/16" x 14-1/4" x 12-3/8"
1117.0 x 362.0 x 315.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the SVS Ultra Tower and KEF Q950 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 |
KEF Q950 |
| 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.)
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 Tower is a 3-way design whereas the Q950 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 TowerKEF Q950
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 |
KEF Q950 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.0-inch
|
1.5-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
2 x 8.0-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 Q950 features a 1.5" vented aluminum Dome Tweeter and 2 x 8.0" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2200Hz.
Frequency Response
Ultra Tower has a frequency range of 28-32k Hz whereas Q950 has a frequency range of 44-28k 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 Q950's min frequency of 44Hz.
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 and Q950 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Ultra Tower sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the Q950's is at 91 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the KEF Q950 a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Ultra 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 Tower can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Q950 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Ultra Tower.
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 Tower features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Q950 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/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 Tower's and KEF Q950'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 KEF Q950 has external dimensions of 1117.0 x 362.0 x 315.0mm (43-15/16 x 14-1/4 x 12-3/8inch).
KEF Q950 is 42mm shorter and 130mm less deeper than SVS Ultra Tower but it is also 7mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of SVS Ultra Tower and KEF Q950 in scale.
Comparison image of SVS Ultra Tower and KEF Q950 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 KEF Q950 is approximately 1140.3cm2 / 176.7inch2. The Ultra Tower requires 39% more surface area than the Q950 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 KEF Q950 weighs 20.68kg / 45.5lbs. This makes the Ultra Tower 66% heavier than the Q950.
Here is a comparison of how Ultra Tower and Q950'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 KEF Q950?
Here are the items that come with the Q950:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 2 Outrigger feet
- 4 Spikes
- 6 Screws
- 6 Washers
- 4 Rubber inserts
- Hex-key
- Owners Manual
- Warranty Information
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
44 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
32k Hz
vs
28k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Passive Radiator |
2 x 8-inch
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Dolby Atmos Drivers |
Optional
vs
No
|
Dolby Atmos Compatibility |
 Height |
1117mm
vs
1159mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1140cm2
vs
1579cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
2200USD
vs
2600USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
SVS Ultra Tower |
KEF Q950 |
| Brand |
SVS |
KEF |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-300 watts |
15-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
91 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
3.2 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
28-32k Hz |
44-28k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8.0" |
8.0" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Aluminum |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.0" |
1.5" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
160HZ and 2000Hz |
2200Hz |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1159.0mm (45.6") |
1117.0mm (44") |
| Width |
355.0mm (14") |
362.0mm (14.3") |
| Depth |
445.0mm (17.5") |
315.0mm (12.4") |
| Weight |
34.27kg (75.4lbs) |
20.68kg (45.5lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
MDF/Oak veneer |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Black Oak,Piano Gloss Black,Piano Gloss White |
Walnut |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: KEF Q950 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 | A | SVS Ultra Tower digs deeper - 28Hz against 44Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | B | KEF Q950 is more sensitive (91dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | A | SVS Ultra Tower takes more power (300W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | KEF Q950 is easier to place; SVS Ultra Tower is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | depends | SVS Ultra Tower: bi-amping; KEF Q950: Atmos drivers. |
| Price | B | KEF Q950 is cheaper - $2,200 against $2,600, about 15% less. |
A SVS Ultra Tower B KEF Q950
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?
The usual trade-off: SVS Ultra Tower measures better, KEF Q950 costs about about 18% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 44Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper KEF Q950 much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate SVS Ultra Tower the better fit for a very large room, and KEF Q950 for a mid-size room.
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.