I contacted SVS about getting their speakers measured...

[AudiOhm]

This is their selling strategy...

Transcendent Sound for the Modern Audiophile​

When SVS set out to design a second generation of wireless audio products, our engineers were not content with creating the best sounding wireless audio gear. We challenged ourselves to set the bar with products that compete with the finest sounding speakers and wireless integrated amplifiers available at any price.

With this philosophy, Prime Wireless Pro was born. Convincing, immersive sound are coupled with versatile connectivity choices, simple set-up, and a user-friendly control interface. The future of HiFi is here.

Ohms

 

[fpitas]

SVS Prime Pro wireless active loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

JSmith

Uh oh. Now the competition will steal their secrets!

 

[TonyJZX]

this is a $1,000 lifestyle bluetooth 2.0 system... and only 5" drivers

i dont expect they or the intended customer care about charts

 

[fpitas]

this is a $1,000 lifestyle bluetooth 2.0 system... and only 5" drivers

i dont expect they or the intended customer care about charts

Probably the case. Still they can just say they don't have data, or link to the Stereophile test above.

 

[Zensō]

this is a $1,000 lifestyle bluetooth 2.0 system... and only 5" drivers

In all fairness, the system is Airplay 2, Spotify Connect, and Chromecast compatible via Wi-Fi.

 

[JakeK]

In all fairness, the system is Airplay 2, Spotify Connect, and Chromecast compatible via Wi-Fi.

It's feature packed with HDMI ARC and eARC, Bluetooth 5.0 APTX as well as subwoofer connection of course and could be used an alternative to a soundbar and actually be good with stereo music as an all in one sound system. If it measures well! I suspect the actual directivity measurements are not that good but it will be fun to listen to and it goes down to 42hz so while it can integrate well with a sub it doesn't need one.

Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speaker Pair

Wireless speakers with HDMI, Bluetooth, Airplay 2, Chromecast and more. Breathtaking sound with versatile connectivity and control.

www.svsound.com

 

[JakeK]

a lot of speaker makers are still relying on the subjective reviews to sell their products. publishing such measurements is not that good for their business.
some exceptions are makers that aim for pro market like neumann or genelecs. they know their main customer base is not taking bogus BS claims

I agree. If the speakers are as good as they claim they should also measure well and there should be no fear of Amir putting them through their paces.

 

[JakeK]

Can you share the actual reply from SVS?

I wasn't sure if I should post the actual reply as maybe it's been seen here many times before but here it is verbatim:

Thanks for the note!

The anechoic frequency response of each SVS loudspeaker model is shown under the Tech Specs section, and is expressed as xx Hz - xx kHz (+/-3 dB).

While we do show quasi-anechoic (i.e., 2M GP) FR charts for our subwoofers, we have elected not to include anechoic FR charts or Spinorama charts for our speakers, that would provide valuable insights into our final voicing for the loudspeaker system, which is something we would rather not share with competitive brands.

While SVS does use anechoic chambers for loudspeaker development (and we have extensive data sets), even Spinorama charts cannot entirely capture or describe the overall performance profile and sound quality of any loudspeaker system. To correctly evaluate any loudspeaker, it must be experienced first-hand in your own home, with your electronics and unique room acoustics. Only then can you assess intangibles like imaging, sound stage, detail, tonal balance, etc.

To that end, the SVS Bill of Rights offers free shipping both ways and a 45-day in-home audition. I would encourage you to take advantage of this and audition the SVS Prime Wireless Pro Speaker System in the comfort of your own home. We can also assist you with set-up and system optimization as needed.

Thanks and if you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[JakeK]

SVS Prime Pro wireless active loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

JSmith

That's useful and thanks for finding it but not as good as measurements by Amir or Erin.

Once this thread blows up to >10 pages I’d send a link back to the SVS rep.

Maybe I should but I doubt I can change their mind.

 

[Sokel]

Bear with me here,but the main core of hard core audiophiles are not searching for neutral,they are rather searching for the "recipe".
What is the "recipe"?
I'm not qualified to answer,I know how it sounds (it's NOT the elevetated highs) ,I suspect some stuff and the very few speakers like this reviewed here give some hints.
It sure don't look nice on paper.
And something that's rarely mentioned.Laymans like me or the big percentage of people don't understand compromises that must be made so we're all in for tar and feathers to anything that deviates the perfect targets.

I know absolutely nothing about SVS,I really don't care about subs but I can get SVS's mentality.
It's not about the measurements itself only,it's about the interpretations we may do.
And as long as threads like this thrive we will see less and less unless they are pro gear,desktop gear,etc.

 

[ta240]

We only have to look to the recent Arendal 1723 test on here to see that measurements can cause people to get on the 'look at this problem' bandwagon over anything that looks like it might be off. Amirm had to jump in there and enthusiastically endorse the sound performance of the speakers to try to keep the discussion from only focusing on the slight problem shown in the measurement.

 

[JSmith]

but not as good as measurements by Amir or Erin

Indeed... so why not get something they have measured on the Klippel?


JSmith

 

[JakeK]

Bear with me here,but the main core of hard core audiophiles are not searching for neutral,they are rather searching for the "recipe".
What is the "recipe"?
I'm not qualified to answer,I know how it sounds (it's NOT the elevetated highs) ,I suspect some stuff and the very few speakers like this reviewed here give some hints.
It sure don't look nice on paper.
And something that's rarely mentioned.Laymans like me or the big percentage of people don't understand compromises that must be made so we're all in for tar and feathers to anything that deviates the perfect targets.

I'm not sure what you're getting at here. Do you mean that these SVS speakers are made to this recipe? I don't really go along with that as it's been shown in tests that a neutral sounding speaker is preferred by all listeners. The SVS speaker I'm talking about sounds very very good according to some respected reviewers and yet we suspect they don't measure very well. I think this could be due to SVS as subwoofer experts getting great bass extension which helps listeners overlook other possible deficiencies.

I know absolutely nothing about SVS,I really don't care about subs but I can get SVS's mentality.
It's not about the measurements itself only,it's about the interpretations we may do.
And as long as threads like this thrive we will see less and less unless they are pro gear,desktop gear,etc.

Again I'm not sure what your point is. Do you mean this thread is a bad idea? By extension that would mean that looking for measurements is also a bad idea in general and measuring is a lot of what this site is about.

 

[JakeK]

We only have to look to the recent Arendal 1723 test on here to see that measurements can cause people to get on the 'look at this problem' bandwagon over anything that looks like it might be off. Amirm had to jump in there and enthusiastically endorse the sound performance of the speakers to try to keep the discussion from only focusing on the slight problem shown in the measurement.

I rely on Amir's evaluation of the measurements as well as his listening test.

Indeed... so why not get something they have measured on the Klippel?


JSmith

Yes. If it's not going to be measured and evaluated by Amir or Erin I'm probably not going to buy it.

I could guess that SVS saw the review of another one of their full range speakers here which wasn't glowing despite Amir saying it measured fairly well and having seen that they don't want to send any gear. That speaker looks very similar to the powered version I'm interested in in this thread.

SVS Ultra Bookshelf Speaker Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SVS Ultra 2-way Bookshelf speaker. It is on kind loan from a local member and costs US $999 for a pair on Amazon including Prime shipping. The sample I received has wood grain but what is on sale is glossy finish: There are dual binding...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Sokel]

I'm not sure what you're getting at here. Do you mean that these SVS speakers are made to this recipe? I don't really go along with that as it's been shown in tests that a neutral sounding speaker is preferred by all listeners. The SVS speaker I'm talking about sounds very very good according to some respected reviewers and yet we suspect they don't measure very well. I think this could be due to SVS as subwoofer experts getting great bass extension which helps listeners overlook other possible deficiencies.


Again I'm not sure what your point is. Do you mean this thread is a bad idea? By extension that would mean that looking for measurements is also a bad idea in general and measuring is a lot of what this site is about.

I honestly don't know if they are made close to "recipe" but if they are they have every reason to avoid public measurements and to rely on people or reviewers who just listen to them.We know by now that even some small speakers measured here had problems but on the listening part were ok.
Thing is that the ok part will not stand out,only the problems.
And if price is also elevated then...

Again,I'm all for measurements,one third of my posts are (newbie) measurements by me and I like the fact that this forum is as objective as it is.
But objective is one thing,ridiculing stuff is another.Specially under suspicion only.
Other than pro speakers that are made up to a task,everyone else who try to have a "house" sound" or follow the recipe or have some compromise is automatically under the danger to loose clients (and gain some others for outrageous reasons) not by the measurements alone,but by the magnification of these choices.

I,myself fall into this,example,even if people like Dr. Degges have demonstrated that distortion in speakers is not as we think it is and our perception of it is yet to be studied,I still look at the graphs and argue about it even if I have done a gazillion of tests who proved me wrong!It's only visual,but...

I don't know many companies willing to take that risk for zero or negative gain.

 

[jae]

There's plenty of subwoofers that are out there and measured to adequate standards to choose from if you need one.

Subwoofer Comparison

I've created a *slightly large* subwoofer comparison spreadsheet. :D Info: -==Link to my Subwoofer Comparison spreadsheet ==- https://bit.ly/SubwooferComparison

www.audiosciencereview.com

Data-Bass: Subwoofer Measurements

data-bass.com

 

[ta240]

I rely on Amir's evaluation of the measurements as well as his listening test.

As always, let me know when he does the listening tests blind.

Even if we assume that he is the only person in the world that doesn't experience expectation bias, many others will suddenly 'notice' what the measurement shows. Many more won't even care about his subjective comments, if they did it wouldn't have been necessary for him to reiterate them in that review thread.

 

[beefkabob]

SVS makes some excellent subs, and they integrate some fantastic software with these subs. Hats off for that. They also post sub measurements, so they're not against measurements. I just expect their speakers to measure not so hot, so they're dodging and weaving. A good speaker is more complex than a good sub.

 

[moonlight rainbow dream]

SVS Ultra Bookshelf Speaker Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SVS Ultra 2-way Bookshelf speaker. It is on kind loan from a local member and costs US $999 for a pair on Amazon including Prime shipping. The sample I received has wood grain but what is on sale is glossy finish: There are dual binding...

www.audiosciencereview.com

SVS Prime Bookshelf Speaker Review

SVS Prime Bookshelf Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

SVS Prime Center Channel Speaker Review

SVS Prime Center Channel Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

SVS Ultra Bookshelf Speaker Review

SVS Ultra Bookshelf Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

 

[JakeK]

There's plenty of subwoofers that are out there and measured to adequate standards to choose from if you need one.

The speaker in question is not a subwoofer. It's a powered full range with DAC etc built in, their version of the Kef LSX.

SVS Ultra Bookshelf Speaker Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SVS Ultra 2-way Bookshelf speaker. It is on kind loan from a local member and costs US $999 for a pair on Amazon including Prime shipping. The sample I received has wood grain but what is on sale is glossy finish: There are dual binding...

www.audiosciencereview.com

SVS Prime Bookshelf Speaker Review

SVS Prime Bookshelf Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

SVS Prime Center Channel Speaker Review

SVS Prime Center Channel Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

SVS Ultra Bookshelf Speaker Review

SVS Ultra Bookshelf Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

Other SVS speakers have been reviewed, yes. So why not these newer ones? With their built in DSP they have the potential to have the sound of the passive version made more linear as well as the improved bass extension they have achieved.

I honestly don't know if they are made close to "recipe" but if they are they have every reason to avoid public measurements and to rely on people or reviewers who just listen to them.We know by now that even some small speakers measured here had problems but on the listening part were ok.
Thing is that the ok part will not stand out,only the problems.
And if price is also elevated then...

Again,I'm all for measurements,one third of my posts are (newbie) measurements by me and I like the fact that this forum is as objective as it is.
But objective is one thing,ridiculing stuff is another.Specially under suspicion only.

I'm not trying to ridicule SVS here. I think these speakers are good and many people would get a lot of enjoyment out of them as an alternative to a soundbar without needing a sub. I think their reply is interesting and I thought there is no harm in sharing it on here for anyone that wants to see more measurements of these speakers. For example how do they compare to KEF LSXII or LS50 wireless. According to the basic specs given by SVS these will have more bass extension than either and bass extension is a good thing but what about the rest of the sound spectrum?

Other than pro speakers that are made up to a task,everyone else who try to have a "house" sound" or follow the recipe or have some compromise is automatically under the danger to loose clients (and gain some others for outrageous reasons) not by the measurements alone,but by the magnification of these choices.

I,myself fall into this,example,even if people like Dr. Degges have demonstrated that distortion in speakers is not as we think it is and our perception of it is yet to be studied,I still look at the graphs and argue about it even if I have done a gazillion of tests who proved me wrong!It's only visual,but...

I don't know many companies willing to take that risk for zero or negative gain.

On the contrary. I think they could have much to gain by having these speakers reviewed on here. Reviews here get a lot of views and more exposure means more sales. If they measure well and are enjoyable to listen to then maybe a lot more sales and a boost to reputation.