In this review, we will be comparing Ultra Tower and ESL, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from SVS and MartinLogan.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Ultra Tower and MartinLogan ESL first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | SVS Ultra Tower | MartinLogan ESL |
|---|
| Brand | SVS
United States · founded 1998 | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.0" Dome | 8.6x34" curved electrostatic transducer |
|---|
| Midrange | 2 x 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene | 8" high-excursion paper cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 28-32k Hz | 42-22k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 91 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-300 watts | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 34.27kg / 75.4lbs | 16.14kg / 35.5lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 53-1/8" x 9-5/16" x 16-1/2"
1350.0 x 237.0 x 420.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the SVS Ultra Tower and MartinLogan ESL 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 |
MartinLogan ESL |
| 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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Ultra Tower is a 3-way design whereas the ESL 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 TowerMartinLogan ESL
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 |
MartinLogan ESL |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.0-inch
|
8.6x34-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
1 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 ESL features a 8.6x34" curved electrostatic transducer Tweeter and 1 x 8" high-excursion paper cone Woofer.
Frequency Response
Ultra Tower has a frequency range of 28-32k Hz whereas ESL has a frequency range of 42-22k 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 ESL's min frequency of 42Hz.
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 ESL 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 ESL's is rated at 91 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the MartinLogan ESL 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 and ESL 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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Ultra Tower and ESL 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
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 MartinLogan ESL'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 MartinLogan ESL has external dimensions of 1350.0 x 237.0 x 420.0mm (53-1/8 x 9-5/16 x 16-1/2inch).
MartinLogan ESL is 118mm narrower and 25mm less deeper than SVS Ultra Tower but it is also 191mm taller.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of SVS Ultra Tower and MartinLogan ESL in scale.
Comparison image of SVS Ultra Tower and MartinLogan ESL 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 MartinLogan ESL is approximately 995.4cm2 / 154.3inch2. The Ultra Tower requires 59% more surface area than the ESL 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 MartinLogan ESL weighs 16.14kg / 35.5lbs. This makes the Ultra Tower 112% heavier than the ESL.
Here is a comparison of how Ultra Tower and ESL'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 MartinLogan ESL?
Here are the items that come with the ESL:
- Floor-standing hybrid electrostatic loudspeaker
- AC power adapter (w/ attached 10-feet DC cord)
- Cloth grille (installed)
- 4 Pre-installed feet
- Users Manual (En/Fr)
- Product Registration Card
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
42 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
32k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1159mm
vs
1350mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
2600USD
vs
2800USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Base Surface Area |
995cm2
vs
1579cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
SVS Ultra Tower |
MartinLogan ElectroMotion ESL |
| Brand |
SVS |
MartinLogan |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-300 watts |
20-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
91 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
6 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
28-32k Hz |
42-22k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
8.0" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
high-excursion paper cone |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.0" |
8.6x34" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
curved electrostatic transducer |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
160HZ and 2000Hz |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1159.0mm (45.6") |
1350.0mm (53.1") |
| Width |
355.0mm (14") |
237.0mm (9.3") |
| Depth |
445.0mm (17.5") |
420.0mm (16.5") |
| Weight |
34.27kg (75.4lbs) |
16.14kg (35.5lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Oak veneer |
Composite |
| Available Colors |
Black Oak,Piano Gloss Black,Piano Gloss White |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Yrs w/ Registration |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Yrs w/ Registration |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | SVS Ultra Tower digs deeper - 28Hz against 42Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | B | MartinLogan ESL is more sensitive (91dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | A | SVS Ultra Tower is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (300W vs 300W). |
| Size | depends | MartinLogan ESL 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; MartinLogan ESL: bi-amping. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($2,600 vs $2,800 a pair). |
A SVS Ultra Tower B MartinLogan ESL
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. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 42Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, MartinLogan ESL is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
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.