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SVS Prime Bookshelf Speakers Pair Black Ash

£9.9£99Clearance
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Source and control devices -- LG G7 ThinQ smartphone, Apple iPad Mini 3, Apple MacBook Pro computer I then played “Silence Is the Question” via the Roon app on my MacBook Pro, which I connected to the SoundBase’s optical input. Before playing music from the MacBook Pro, I set the sampling rate in the macOS Audio MIDI Setup utility to match the sample rate of the music I was playing. The Wi-Fi stream sounded a little livelier and better defined; through the MacBook Pro’s TosLink output it sounded a tad smoother, but also denser. The differences were minor compared to those I’d heard between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. As you’d expect from the makers of some of the best subwoofers around, the Prime Wireless Pro have a deep, powerful sound. With dedicated amplifiers for each driver, you get stunning clarity and precision across the musical spectrum. Bass reflex ports further enhance the speakers’ efficiency, meaning that you get to enjoy a rich, full-bodied sound, even at lower volumes. For even deeper bass, simply add your choice of active subwoofer via the sub output.

Also by default, Play-Fi downsamples hi-rez audio to 16/44.1. To play hi-rez files in their native resolutions, you have to enable Critical Listening Mode: Tap the Hi-Res Audio logo in the top bar of the app’s Zone module, which shows all the Play-Fi devices on your network. Critical Listening Mode can be used in only one zone at a time -- you can’t stream in hi-rez to multiple zones simultaneously. In the opening, the timbres of the wind instruments -- clarinet, muted trumpet, trombone -- were completely convincing, making it easy to appreciate the saucy wit in Gershwin’s writing and Grofé’s arrangement. Orchestral textures were wonderfully transparent in the quieter sections, such as the beginning of the dreamy interlude that starts about ten minutes in. The SoundBase scaled up impressively when the whole band got swinging, but a little hardness crept in. That said, dynamics were fabulous for an amp of this size and price. In terms of that physical connectivity, I started off my testing by pairing my Paradigm Studio 100 v5 towers to the amp using a pair of Elac Sensible speaker cables, really more as a lark than anything. I know SVS’s rated specs indicate that it should be able to drive such speakers, but I was still skeptical, given that the SoundBase itself weighs close to five pounds (closer to seven pounds shipped). And that’s including the power supply, mind you. Much to my surprise, the amp proved capable of driving my big three-ways to ridiculous SPLs without any thinning of the bass or audible distortion, so that’s how I did most of my listening. I also tried out a 2.1 setup, though, relying on a pair of RSL CG3 bookshelf speakers and an SVS PB-1000 Pro subwoofer.Playing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in my living room through the Totem Sky Towers, the NAD was a bit more refined than the SVS, but a bit less exciting. Wind instruments at the beginning sounded a bit more etched and electronic through the SoundBase. Through the NAD, Bollani’s staccato chords and notes weren’t quite as fast, but his trills sounded more natural and expressive, less spotlit. Piano tone was less weighty through the NAD, especially in the lower octaves, and less clangy in the upper octaves. Orchestral tone in loud passages was a little less brash, but dynamics were more compressed. The input selection is impressive too. The Prime Wireless covers off all the basics. There are two analogue connections - one on a stereo RCA and one on a 3.5mm stereo input. There is additionally an optical connection and Bluetooth, which is a usefully up to date design featuring version 4.0 partnered with Apt-X. This is partnered with a subwoofer output because the day that SVS doesn’t ensure you can easily use one of their subs is the day that the devil goes to work in a snowplough. As I’ve mentioned a few times now (above and in my unboxing blog post), I had no intention of actually using my big Paradigm towers as the main load for this review, but that’s how things started, and I began my critical evaluation with a selection that I had no intention of writing about, because I assumed it would be the thing that would make the SoundBase whimper: “Rods and Cones” from Blue Man Group’s Audio (16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC, Virgin Records / Qobuz). This is, admittedly, a dangerous game, as I’ve sent much heavier amps (and, frankly, amps with much higher rated output) into clipping with this song and these speakers, especially at right around the 39-second mark, when the first real unadulterated onslaught of bass slams through the mix like the Kool-Aid Man through a prop wall. It's also possible to stream to more than two speakers at once using a multi-room setup. This is handled using the Play-Fi app – more on this below – and it works relatively well. If you want, you could quite happily buy multiple Prime Wireless systems and group them together, but the advantage of Play-Fi is that other speaker brands are compatible. The SVS looked extremely new on arrival so it was left to run in for a few days on a veteran Yamaha RX-V3900 while the Q Acoustics went through the testing process. This did mean that the Prime had some big shoes to fill when it did take up residence in my listening room and the good news is that it holds its own. In presentation terms, the Prime is a different sort of speaker to the Q Acoustics. Where the 3000 Series is immensely refined and rather relaxed, the SVS is a detailed, fast and enthusiastic performer.

Since premium drivers require an equally capable crossover, no expense was spared with the innovative SVS SoundMatch 2-way crossover. Its tapered array is designed to minimize the potential for beaming. This creates an expansive, yet focused and precise soundstage, with accurate frequency response at all listening positions in the room. The precise tuning of the SoundMatch Crossover also ensures pinpoint accuracy of highs, mids, and lows, while maintaining pristine signal purity. Performance Driven Cabinet Design and Geometry The innovative no-compromise SVS SoundMatch features 3.5-way crossover and tapered array designed so each woofer has its own discrete crossover to prevent beaming and create an expansive yet focused and accurate soundstage with precise frequency response at all listening positions in the room. The SoundMatch Crossover tuning process ensures pinpoint accuracy from lucid highs to palpable lows with pristine musical purity. Cabinet Design and Geometry On the rear panel are speaker terminals that accept banana plugs, bare wire, or spade lugs; a pair of line-level inputs (RCA); a stereo auxiliary input (3.5mm); a subwoofer output (RCA); a pair of line-level outputs (RCA) for connection to an external amp, so that you can use the SoundBase as a streaming DAC; a digital input (TosLink); a USB Type-A port for servicing; Ethernet input and output ports; a Wi-Fi Setup button and yellow status LED; a Bluetooth Setup button and blue status LED; and a three-pronged IEC power inlet. We return to Kurt Elling’s latest funk album, SuperBlue: Guilty Pleasures . The exacerbated presence effect plays its role perfectly on this recording with both impact in the bass, warmth in the voices and extension in the highest frequencies which remain detailed without being overwhelmed by the rest of the message. The notion of power has never been more apparent to us with amplified bookshelf speakers. We doubt SVS processes the signal to adapt it to what we want to hear. But why hold it against them when the result is so well controlled?

Tech Specs

The below graphic indicates just how much SPL is lost (compression) or gained (enhancement; usually due to distortion) when the speaker is played at higher output volumes instantly via a 2.7 second logarithmic sine sweep referenced to 76dB at 1 meter. The signals are played consecutively without any additional stimulus applied. Then normalized against the 76dB result. Three 6.5" woofers are engineered to deliver the lows with such convincing realism that even the most subtle of musical details are conveyed with absolute clarity. The bass extension is impressively deep and an effortlessly low frequency output is achieved. This trio design of three smaller woofers with their own 2-inch port means the Pinnacle can enjoy a super slim profile whilst delivering an incredibly full-range audio experience. Beautiful, Balanced Sound Starting off by listening to the Buster Williams album Unalome, we immediately enjoy the presence established by the SVS Prime speakers. There is an authentic aspect in determining the notes of the main instruments, which are well separated from each other, each in their own bubble, in different planes. The saxophone reaches a high frequency, totally free, with nothing constraining it. The same is true for the double bass, which resonates as far as the floor in our listening room. The depth of the bass is exceptional for such small speakers. When the female voice takes over, it settles in front of the instruments, a little high up, with a mixture of naturalness and precision. Carefully designed for acoustic brilliance, the Prime Bookshelf speaker’s 6.5" woofer is mounted in its own dedicated and wholly sealed compartment to ensure smooth, accurate and clear midrange and bass output without coloration. In my listening tests I continually found that the midrange was “forward” and overall “bright” in the high frequency for my tastes when aimed directly on-axis. Aiming these speakers out by about 30° helped remedy the high frequency brightness but did not correct for the forwardness in the 1-2kHz region. However, if you have EQ this particular area can be easily remedied by cutting this by about 3dB.

With a warm, yet vividly clear sound signature, elegant design, and striking value, SVS’ Prime Series Towers hit the ultimate sweet spot in the audiophile segment. Add in brilliantly balanced bookshelves, and a formidable center speaker, and the Prime Series provides some of the best value available in the home theater marketplace. Highs The big hump around 2k is a pretty common problem with passive speakers. The mess around 4k is related to a little bit of cone breakup coupled with the crossover happening at the same time. Tweeter is just a hair higher than it should be above 8k. Dolby Atmosphere Speakers: These speakers provide down-firing height effects when placed high on a side wall, offering superior performance compared to compromised "ceiling bounce" solutions.As a finishing touch, even the magnetic SVS logo on the front grille is adjustable to accommodate positioning. One Speaker, Endless Possibilities While the physical connectivity of the new SoundBase is impressive for a device in this category and especially at this price, its I/O section isn’t overwhelming, so there isn’t much to discuss in terms of connecting cables and such. In addition to its wireless connectivity and shiny new HDMI eARC port, the amp features line-level stereo RCA inputs and outputs, a 3.5mm stereo line-in, an optical digital in, and a subwoofer output, the latter of which is a full-range mono-summed preamp out. There’s no bass management here, so make sure any sub you connect to the SoundBase has its own low-pass filtering. Sounds like too much treble sizzle. It's not a rising response, maybe just an elevated tweeter level.

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