# Speakers



## the_rookie (Sep 30, 2008)

Whatever happened to that speaker line SVS was supposed to create, it was supposed to be a Full Out, barred none, hold nothing back Speaker Line that was a regardless of price system. But it never came out, it was delayed like 2 times, than another system was released a short while after. this was back in 08/09' or something


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Just last month Ed Mullen posted that the new line would be announced soon, nothing else except he said something about liking SVS on facebook to get a sneak peek/1st announce notification or something like that. I visit FB infrequently myself. I suspect they will be great speakers, no clue on the prices.


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## snowmanick (Oct 16, 2007)

Hopefully we'll get an idea next weekend at RMAF.

SVS had this posted on their Facebook page:

"Hope to see you next weekend in Denver at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, where we are exhibiting. Debuting the SB13-Ultra Subwoofer to the world. Oh, and just one more thing…"

The ellipsis is from SVS, just to be clear.


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## snowmanick (Oct 16, 2007)

Woohoo

From SVS's site

SVS Announces Ultra Series Loudspeakers

The first full-range speakers to be accorded SVS's lauded Ultra designation, this exciting new speaker lineup delivers stunning looks, unparalleled build quality, and a world-class audio experience.

Girard, OH - October 11, 2012 - SVS, a worldwide leader in high performance home audio products, proudly announces the launch of the Ultra series of full-range loudspeakers, designed to deliver uncompromised audio performance and boasting unsurpassed build quality and cost-no-object performance at a price that the average audio consumer can afford.

The SVS Ultra series loudspeakers were designed for audio enthusiasts, by audio enthusiasts with over fifty years combined experience in the high-end audio arena, with a relentless passion for designing a stunning, acoustically impeccable loudspeaker that convincingly conveys the emotion of live music and home theater. The SVS Ultra series delivers a deep, detailed soundstage with incredible resolution, absolute transparency, and amazingly rich and articulated bass, outperforming speakers two and three times their price.

To achieve that goal, award-winning lead designer Mark Mason and his team began work on the lineup-which includes a gorgeous 45-inch tall upswept trapezoidal tower, a bookshelf speaker, center channel, and a truly unique and flexible surround speaker-by performing finite element analysis (FEA) on all of the proposed components in a sophisticated computer program that simulated the internal forces of each speaker and allowed for advanced engineering before the first prototype was ever built. As gorgeous as the speakers are, every angle, every surface, every dimension was tweaked with one ultimate goal in mind: pure acoustic perfection. Even the speaker grille design was subjected to this rigorous FEA to ensure the utmost in sonic transparency.

Once prototypes were constructed-with many parts being custom tooled exclusively for the Ultra series-further development was conducted at the world-renowned National Research Council (NRC) facilities in Ottawa, Canada, where each speaker underwent hours of anechoic chamber measurements and subsequent revisions to perfect the design. Final voicing was performed in the NRC's famous IEC 268-13 standardized listening room, where Mason and SVS President Gary Yacoubian refined their performance in a real-world environment.

The result is a level of performance that even drastically more expensive loudspeakers cannot match. From top to bottom, the Ultra Tower that stands as the flagship of the lineup boasts top-grade components and high-end design features configured to deliver uncompromised, dynamic, distortion-free audio, with open, airy highs and the deep, tight, linear and powerful bass for which SVS is famous. Its unique SoundMatch 3.5-way crossover is designed so that only the top of the two 6.5-inch composite glass-fiber midrange drivers crosses over to the tweeter, while the bottom midrange driver works to ensure that off-axis performance is smooth and even, with a wider sweet spot and a more consistent sound across the entire room.

The Ultra Tower also employs SVS's proprietary ForceFactor woofer array, with two 8-inch drivers horizontally opposed to eliminate cabinet vibrations, for reduced distortion and cleaner, tighter bass response. Since the Ultra Tower's trapezoidal shape results in non-parallel surfaces-which serves to reduce standing waves within the cabinets themselves-each of the four UltraSonic woofers also fires in different directions into the room, reducing frequency response deviations throughout the listening space, and ensuring more consistent, powerful and accurate bass performance no matter where you sit.

Every other speaker in the Ultra series has been designed to complement the performance of the Ultra Tower, with flush-mounted drivers to reduce diffraction and improve on-axis high frequency response, along with rear-mounted bass reflex ports (on the Tower, Bookshelf, and Center) for phenomenal bass output and extension and minimal frequency response degradation.

The Ultra Center features vertically aligned midrange driver and tweeter for improved uniformity in horizontal dispersion and a consistent frequency response at all listening positions within a typical home theater environment, along with dual woofers for increased bass output and power handling. The Ultra Surround also promises to deliver an incredibly immersive and flexible multichannel sound experience. Designed with dual isolated crossovers for each tweeter and woofer, the Ultra Surround can operate in either bipole, dipole, or in SVS's unique Duet configuration, which creates two separate speakers within one cabinet. In Duet mode, each speaker's two discrete channels means that listeners can implement a true 7.1-channel surround sound experience using only two Ultra Surround speakers instead of the typical four.

"SVS has always been about delivering an unsurpassed audio value to people who, like us, are enthusiastic and passionate about great sound," said Gary Yacoubian, SVS president and managing partner. "The Ultra series speakers also embody value because our team was meticulous in choosing build materials, design elements, and testing to achieve uncompromised performance, yet with pricing for a mainstream audio fan."

SVS sells online, direct to the end user, and via select retailers. Pricing for the SVS Ultra Tower $1999 pair; SVS Ultra Bookshelf $999 pair; SVS Ultra Center $699; SVS Ultra Surround $1199 pair. The Ultra series speakers will begin shipping on November 20. The SVS Ultra series will be demonstrated this weekend during the Rocky Mountain Audiofest in Denver, Colorado.

For more information, please visit www.SVSound.com or like them on Facebook.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

I can't wait to read some reviews of these.


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

Check this out!!!!


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## MikeBiker (Jan 3, 2010)

They look great. Knowing SVS's products have always been well designed, I'm sure that the Ultra line sounds as good as they look.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Those are very nice looking speakers. I'm also eager to read some reviews on how they sound but my money says they'll get glowing reviews. C'mon Shacksters someone buy a set so we can get some feedback!


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Hey Ed

Are they going to have other finishes, like Rosewood? Can you post another picture with the grills off one of the surround speakers?


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

Is Ed on this thread? 

Here is a pic of the surrounds with the grill off:










The Ultra series come in piano gloss black or real black oak veneer. I have no idea if they will offer more finishes in the future, you may want to send SVS and e-mail to find out more.

The surrounds are pretty trick though, they can operate as either a dipole, bipole or in SVS's unique Duet configuration, which creates two separate speakers within one cabinet. In Duet mode, each speaker's two discrete channels means that listeners can implement a true 7.1-channel surround sound experience using only two Ultra Surround speakers instead of the typical four.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Have not seen Ed post yet, but since he is our SVS guru I figured he was staying abreast of our concerns. Different finishes is a biggie for me, and I've heard others comment as well.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Man those look gorgeous!


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

Dale Rasco said:


> Man those look gorgeous!


I agree!

They look elegant and ruggedly cool at the same time with the brushed metal rings around the drivers. The drivers look crazy cool too.

They really hit a homerun in the looks department and I would guess they will sound pretty good as well.


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

You think you might get them in for review Dale?


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

I can only hope Mike. Unfortunately it probably would have to wait for January as I have several reviews to get done right now. Between the SVS-SB13 Ultra, Power Sound Audio XS-15's, Axiom LFR100's, Dana 6301's and now possibly the Exteris Audio system I'll be pretty booked for the next two months.


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

Wow, sounds like your gonna be busy, busy having fun :yes:

Thanks for all the hard work on these reviews Dale, it's appreciated.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

sub_crazy said:


> Wow, sounds like your gonna be busy, busy having fun :yes:
> 
> *Thanks for all the hard work on these reviews Dale, it's appreciated.*


+1 - so appreciate our entire review staff - you guys make things easy for all the rest of us!


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## Ed Mullen (Jul 28, 2006)

Hi Shacksters - 

The initial finish offerings for the Ultra series speakers will be piano gloss black and real black oak veneer. We're not ruling out additional finishes in the future, but there is nothing firm yet. If HT Shack would like to run an impromptu poll from one of the mods on what other finishes customers would like, the results will certainly be taken under consideration. Thanks!


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Thanks for the reply Ed, been waiting to hear from you. I have always planned on getting the M-Series when I finished my theater to go along with my PB13-U, & it's in the Rosewood finish. I look on the SVS site & don't see any M Series speakers. Is SVS going the continue to make them?


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## Ed Mullen (Jul 28, 2006)

Tonto said:


> Thanks for the reply Ed, been waiting to hear from you. I have always planned on getting the M-Series when I finished my theater to go along with my PB13-U, & it's in the Rosewood finish. I look on the SVS site & don't see any M Series speakers. Is SVS going the continue to make them?


No, the M-series has been phased out to make way for the new Ultra-series. So one vote for rosewood?


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Without a doubt...Rosewood it is. That Piano Black is beutiful, but in a theater I worry about reflections/glare off that finish. And the regular black is a bit plain. That Rosewood is just right!

One of the moderators will hopefully get the poll up shortly. If not I'll PM one. Thanks for the quick reply.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Alright guys, I'll put together a survey and link it here in a bit. Ed, what are some options that are realistic?


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Done!

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/svsound/62662-svs-ultra-future-finish-poll.html


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## Mike Yaffe (Aug 29, 2012)

sub_crazy said:


> Check this out!!!!


Beautiful! I'd definitely be interested in auditioning these speakers, and reading reviews from those who incorporate them into their systems! Looking very forward to the findings in real-world situations, and am very impressed with the R&D behind these beauties. Watching with great interest!:T


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## steve1616 (Apr 6, 2009)

Any speaker that SVS comes out with will be awesome. They care too much to put their name on something that isn't great. Thankfully I won't need to try these out because the M series still keeps me in amazement.


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

These were supposed to start shipping yesterday - did anybody order some?


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## RJW1966 (Nov 22, 2012)

the Ultra line was supposed to be available for order November 20th for December delivery but there is no way to do so on the svs website. 
RW


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## Dwight Angus (Dec 17, 2007)

I also heard available November 20th for December delivery


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

Is anybody secretly reviewing a pair, or have these just not been built yet?


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## Dwight Angus (Dec 17, 2007)

Look for an announcement on or around January 15th.


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## Dwight Angus (Dec 17, 2007)

I also understand shipping will commence in January


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## Ed Mullen (Jul 28, 2006)

We will be launching the website pages and pre-orders for the Ultra-series in a few days and we'll be shipping in mid-January.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

SUWEET!!!!!


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

More information is posted now. Looks like the midranges cross over to the dual 8" woofers at 160hz, which is awfully low. That makes them almost discrete subwoofers as opposed to a more conventional woofer relieving stresses from a midrange. An 80hz crossover would feel almost criminal, and yet 60hz would be as low as I'd be willing to go.

Anybody gonna try these out? Free shipping both ways.


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## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

Would love to hear those! If "ultra" in the name is any indication of performance they will be awesome!


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## Dwight Angus (Dec 17, 2007)

I also would love to hear them. Waiting to see if they offer them in rosenut.


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

Does that 160hz crossover bother anybody else? I think the second mid starts kicking in below 700hz, so you have one 6.5" mid working from 2khz to 160hz, and the other from ~700hz to 160hz. The dual 8" woofers will get virtually no utilization in a traditional 80hz crossover system, the tweeter and mids handle almost everything.

If you don't have a subwoofer and want a pure stereo pair of speakers, I'm sure that is great news. I was personally hoping for a higher crossover to the mids to give every driver a piece of cake, effortless job, and have lots of mid/high bass dynamics with those dual 8" woofers :sad:


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