There are many things one might expect at a high-end audio show. Fancy systems that cost as much as a pair of Ferraris. Older men. Demos featuring “Keith Don’t Go”. And the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
One of the most unexpected divergences at the Florida Audio Expo this year was SVSound. Known to most audiophiles as “a subwoofer company”, SVSound has been making affordable loudspeakers for a while now. And yes, they’re mostly used in high-end home theater systems. Mostly, but not always. We’ve had a few of these glossy black (affordable) extravagances appear in these pages, and, to be frank, we’ve always been delighted.
Words and Photos by Scot Hull
Here at FLAX, we saw the Prime Pinnacle Tower, an Ultra Center, Prime Elevation (surround), and Prime Elevation (height), along with two SB-3000 subs, all coming off a Denon receiver. Total price? $6k. The experience? Holy sh*tballs.
This was the only room at the show that rivaled the “Big Acora” room for sheer SPLs. On consecutive visits, I was treated to subsonic wonder courtesy of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015). And to say that I was gobsmacked to the sheer insanity of those two demos would have undersold it. I just startled giggling. There is no way I would be allowed to play those movies at that volume at home, and there’s no way this system should have sounded that good in a hotel room. But here we are, and I’m still grinning about, several days later. It was extremely impressive.
Also impressive were a pair of new releases from SVSound — the Prime Wireless Pro Powered ($899/pair) and the Prime Soundbase ($699).
The Prime Wireless is an all-in-one active speaker (and includes HDMI ARC/eARC, for use in place of a soundbar). Each speaker includes a 1″ aluminum dome tweeter, a 5.25″ woofer, two 50-watt amps for bi-amped goodness, and the system includes a 24bit/192kHz DAC and support for WiFi, Apple Airplay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and aptX/AAC Bluetooth. They’re not exactly petite, but the features and the sound quality are exceptional for this price point. So much so, that yours truly has requested a pair for a deeper dive.
The Soundbase, if I recall correctly, is basically the Wireless Pro but without the speakers — that is, it’s a wireless DAC/Amp that can bring freedom and simplicity to whatever speakers you choose to bring to the party. 150 watts per channel ups the game from the Prime Wireless, but otherwise the device includes the same decoding and connectivity features. I want to get one of these, too.
All in all, this room was epic. Hilariously so. If they’re showing at the next audio show you hit, drop in and let them shake the dust off of you. You’ll be happy you did.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from FLAX 2023, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
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