In this review, we will be comparing Ultra Tower and L600, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from SVS and Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Ultra Tower and Polk L600 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | SVS Ultra Tower | Polk L600 |
|---|
| Brand | SVS
United States · founded 1998 | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.0" Dome | 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator |
|---|
| Midrange | 2 x 6.5" | 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene | 2 x 7" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 28-32k Hz | 34-38k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 86 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-300 watts | 30-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 34.27kg / 75.4lbs | 35.30kg / 77.7lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 46-1/2" x 13" x 16-3/4"
1182.0 x 331.0 x 426.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the SVS Ultra Tower and Polk L600 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 |
Polk L600 |
| 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 Tower and L600 are 3-way speakers.
SVS Ultra TowerPolk L600
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 |
Polk L600 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.0-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 6.5-inch |
1 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
2 x 7-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 L600 features a 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 2 x 7" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 410Hz and 2900Hz.
Frequency Response
Ultra Tower has a frequency range of 28-32k Hz whereas L600 has a frequency range of 34-38k 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 L600's min frequency of 34Hz.
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 L600 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 L600 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Ultra Tower sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the L600's is rated at 86 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the SVS Ultra Tower a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk L600, 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.
Both handle the same maximum of 300 watts RMS, though Ultra Tower is rated 20-300 watts and L600 30-300 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 L600 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
Polk L600'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 Polk L600'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 Polk L600 has external dimensions of 1182.0 x 331.0 x 426.0mm (46-1/2 x 13 x 16-3/4inch).
Polk L600 is 24mm narrower and 19mm less deeper than SVS Ultra Tower but it is also 23mm taller.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of SVS Ultra Tower and Polk L600 in scale.
Comparison image of SVS Ultra Tower and Polk L600 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 Polk L600 is approximately 1410.1cm2 / 218.6inch2. The Ultra Tower requires 12% more surface area than the L600 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 Polk L600 weighs 35.30kg / 77.7lbs. This makes the L600 3% heavier than the Ultra Tower.
Here is a comparison of how Ultra Tower and L600'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 Polk L600?
Here are the items that come with the L600:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Large grille
- Small grille
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet (pre-installed)
- 2 Jumper-wires (pre-installed)
- Cleaning cloth
- Owners Manual
- Online Registration
 Sensitivity |
88 dB
vs
86 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
8.0 inches
vs
7 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
34 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
1159mm
vs
1182mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
2600USD
vs
3498USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 High Frequency Response |
38k Hz
vs
32k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Dolby Atmos Drivers |
Optional L900 Height Module Speaker
vs
No
|
Dolby Atmos Compatibility |
 Base Surface Area |
1410cm2
vs
1579cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
SVS Ultra Tower |
Polk Audio Legend L600 |
| Brand |
SVS |
Polk Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-300 watts |
30-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
86 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
3.3 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
28-32k Hz |
34-38k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8.0" |
7" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.0" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
Pinnacle Ring Radiator |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
5.25" |
| Crossover Frequency |
160HZ and 2000Hz |
410Hz and 2900Hz |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
down |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1159.0mm (45.6") |
1182.0mm (46.5") |
| Width |
355.0mm (14") |
331.0mm (13") |
| Depth |
445.0mm (17.5") |
426.0mm (16.8") |
| Weight |
34.27kg (75.4lbs) |
35.30kg (77.7lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Oak veneer |
MDF/Wood veneer |
| Available Colors |
Black Oak,Piano Gloss Black,Piano Gloss White |
Brown Walnut, Black Ash |
| 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: Polk L600 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 34Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | A | SVS Ultra Tower is more sensitive (88dB vs 86dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| 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 | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | B | SVS Ultra Tower: bi-amping; Polk L600: bi-amping and Atmos drivers. |
| Price | A | SVS Ultra Tower is cheaper - $2,600 against $3,498, about 26% less. |
A SVS Ultra Tower B Polk L600
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 Polk L600 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 34Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, SVS Ultra Tower 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.