SVS, a manufacturer of high-performance speakers, subwoofers, wireless audio, cables, and accessories, has introduced a new flagship speaker series: The SVS Ultra Evolution line of loudspeakers.
The newly announced product line consists of seven new models featuring advancements in driver design, cabinet architecture, and component materials, the speakers usher in a new era of reference quality sound for the audio brand from Ohio.
“Ultra Evolution redefines what’s possible in its price range and well beyond by creating audio experiences that transcend their class and bring reference performance to more people than ever,” states Gary Yacoubian, president, SVS. “I am so incredibly proud of what our design team accomplished. We really had no constraints and left no stone unturned. These new speakers represent the culmination of all our life’s work, and it shows in every aspect of design and performance. The sound is addictive, I literally can’t stop listening to them.”
Ultra Evolution Series Incorporate the Company’s Latest R&D efforts
According to the Midwest-based company, the new product line represents its latest design concepts. SVS points out the speakers merge acoustic engineering with its passion for audio excellence to provide homeowners with a choice of high-performance loudspeaker products for stereo, surround sound, and immersive audio applications.
SVS says that at first glance, the most striking design feature of the new product line is the acoustically centered time alignment cabinet architecture. A curve in the front baffle aligns the sound emanation point of the tweeter and each driver on a vertical plane ensuring sound from each driver arrives at a listener’s ear in the exact same instant. This design element that company notes, maximizes phase coherence for a more convincing and immersive soundstage with pinpoint accuracy and imaging.
For the tower models specifically, midrange drivers and woofers positioned above and below the tweeter allow for seamless crossover blending to create an idealized “point-source” where sound flows from a single point in front of the speaker to optimize dispersion characteristics.
Elaborating on the Ultra Evolution line’s diamond-coated aluminum dome tweeter, SVS admits this technology is completely new for the company. SVS explains that by using a modern technology called vapor deposition, a layer of diamond carbon is grown on the surface of the aluminum dome to improve rigidity and critical acoustic properties. This material raises the frequency response beyond the limits of human hearing to produce airy highs with no measurable distortion. It also pushes low frequency extension of the tweeter deeper for more seamless blending with the midrange.
SVS boasts that no detail was left to chance in the Ultra Evolution speaker design as evidenced by the organic cell lattice tweeter diffuser. While its main purpose is to protect the tweeter from physical damage, SVS engineers prototyped dozens of grille patterns to determine which grille design provided the best acoustic performance. Through FEA analysis, a semi-random pattern derived from organic cell structures was chosen for its optimized off-axis frequency response and dispersion characteristics.
Owing to the SVS subwoofer design pedigree is a new woofer execution in the three Ultra Evolution floorstanding speakers. Similar in design to the brand’s 3000 Micro Subwoofer, dual opposing active woofers on the top and bottom of the cabinet arranged in a force-balanced array render effortless low frequency response while addressing room modes.
By having eight woofers from a pair of speakers, all firing in unison in different directions, SVS asserts the speakers are capable of producing deep, authoritative bass. Internally, SVS says, mechanical energy from each front-firing woofer is equaled inside the cabinet by the rear-firing woofer to eliminate mechanical coloration.
The Ultra Evolution series of speakers’ midrange drivers and woofers utilize glass fiber composite cones that were chosen for their stiffness-to-mass ratio. The speakers also utilize separate, acoustically tuned internal chambers for the midrange drivers separation and for the elimination of potential cabinet resonances. Moreover, SVS stresses the speakers’ drivers employ precision-cast aluminum-alloy baskets to help ensure precise alignment of critical components, while maximizing thermal dissipation.
Also notable on the new speakers are chamfered front baffles that are designed to minimize edge diffraction for optimal off-axis frequency response, and crossover networks that feature premium-grade capacitors, inductors, resistors, and heavy-trace printed circuit boards. Voicing of the new Ultra Evolution is timbre-matched to all other SVS Prime and original Ultra models so integrators can mix between the three series to create stereo, surround sound or immersive audio systems geared to their clients’ preferences.
Other features of the new loudspeakers include detachable neodymium magnetic grilles, elastomer bumper feet, and metal spike feet attachments that are available for the tower models.
The Ultra Evolution family consists of three new floorstanding speakers and two new bookshelf speakers. A dedicated three-way center channel speaker and versatile Ultra Elevation surround sound/Dolby Atmos speaker round out the line-up, according to the company.
In addition, the Ultra Elevation speaker provides an upgrade to the company’s Prime Elevation speaker. Featuring an angled front baffle and multi-angle bracket that allows for easy mounting on a ceiling or wall to provide location flexibility for immersive speaker placement in any room.
Here are the models and pricing for the new SVS product line:
- Ultra Evolution Pinnacle: 3-way floorstanding speaker ($4,999.98 per pair)
- Ultra Evolution Titan: 3-way floorstanding speaker ($3,999.98 per pair)
- Ultra Evolution Tower: 3-way floorstanding speaker ($2,999.98 per pair)
- Ultra Evolution Bookshelf: 2-way bookshelf speaker ($1,199.98 per pair)
- Ultra Evolution Nano: Compact 2-way bookshelf speaker ($899.98 per pair)
- Ultra Evolution Center: 3-way center channel speaker ($799.99 each)
- Ultra Elevation: Versatile home theater speaker with multi-angle wall/ceiling mounting bracket ($899.98 per pair)
