Loudspeakers

Between 2017 and 2022, SVS comprehensively overhauled its range of subwoofers, introducing models from the 80kg PB16-Ultra to the compact 3000 Micro. A quiet spell followed as SVS tackled a new project – an all-new flagship loudspeaker series, topped by the model on test here.

The lineup is named Ultra Evolution, replacing SVS’s previous Ultra range, which launched over a decade ago – but ‘evolution’ perhaps doesn’t do it justice as this is no minor refresh. Yes, as before there are floorstander and bookshelf models, plus Ultra Centre and Ultra Elevation home cinema speakers, but their acoustic and physical design suggests an almost clean sheet approach, particularly in the case of the Pinnacle.

Since launching in 1998, SVS has earned a reputation for products that deliver value for money, and – though the Ultra Evolution Pinnacle’s price tag pushes the company into a new segment of the market – that’s probably not in danger. Selling for £5999 in a choice of Piano Gloss Black, Piano Gloss White, and Black Oak veneer finishes, this is a seven-driver, three-way floorstander measuring an imposing 1.26m tall and 46cm deep – although at 43.9kg it’s thankfully not too much effort for one person to shift about.

Right On Time
Accounting for its generous dimensions is a new cabinet architecture that features a multi-angled (not, strictly, ‘curved’) baffle for physical time alignment of its drivers. Top and bottom of a symmetrical layout are 200mm glass-fibre composite cone woofers, mounted in cast alloy baskets and with vented voice-coil formers. Two 135mm midrange drivers, also glass-fibre types, are next in line, while at the centre is the speaker’s 25mm tweeter, these three all working into a separate, sealed enclosure.

SVS’s tweeter debuts another new technology – a vapour-deposited ‘diamond coating’ for its alloy dome. This, it says, delivers an extended frequency response, while the tweeter’s FEA-optimised diffuser/grille contributes to ‘airy, unveiled highs’.

New Balance
There’s another reason for the speaker’s depth though: SVS has mounted two more 200mm bass drivers in its rear, each opposed to the corresponding front-firing unit in a ‘force-balanced’ configuration. It’s a technique seen on the 3000 Micro subwoofer, plus speakers including KEF’s Blade One Meta [HFN May ’22] and Monitor Audio’s Hyphn, with claimed benefits including a more even in-room bass response and ‘net-zero’ cabinet vibration.

The Ultra Evolution Pinnacle’s styling is unusual, but easier on the eye than the trapezoidal bulk of SVS’s out-going Ultra Tower, and both gloss finishes are very slick. The 25mm MDF front and rear baffles provide a firm footing for the bass drivers, with 18mm MDF used elsewhere. Internally, there’s bracing and acoustic damping, plus the quartet of woofers and dual ports occupy the same acoustic space. While this arrangement is perhaps unusual, SVS explains that it helped to ‘best match excursion and workload’ between the drivers and ‘spatially distribute the acoustic output at ported frequencies’.

Angled magnetic grilles are supplied, but while these certainly soften some of the Ultra Evolution Pinnacle’s looks they’re best left off [see PM’s Lab Report, p57]. Also included in SVS’s packaging are threaded metal spike feet to replace the pre-fitted elastomer studs if required.

Read the supplied manual and you’ll find that positioning recommendations are limited to a toe-in of some 25-30o but there’s no mention of minimum side/boundary wall distances. With those rear bass drivers and the ported cabinet, you may want to place the Ultra Evolution Pinnacle as far from a rear wall as possible.

Treasure Chest
The company’s stated ambition for its new top-of-the-range speaker is to challenge ‘high-fidelity’ rivals, but that doesn’t mean it ignores what’s come before. As devotees of SVS will expect (or even demand), bass output is the Ultra Evolution Pinnacle’s calling card. This speaker is not difficult to drive yet is capable of chest-thumping heft and fabulous lows. This contributes to a soundstage that approaches vast at times, and a consistent feeling of fun and vibrancy to the performance. It can be insightful, detailed and atmospheric too, but not without adding some of its own character.