Surpassed My Expectations: SVS Prime Towers Review
I considered the Klipsch RP-6000F II. I chose the SVS Prime Towers and am glad I did. I run a DAC to my Carver C-1 Preamp, to a couple of Outlaw 2220 monoblocks, then to the SVS Prime Towers. Buying speakers sight unseen can make one a little anxious, but with the return policy, SVS's subwoofer background, and the fact that the towers have been made for over 10 years, it helped make my decision.
I was hoping for a delivery on the bass response promise and boy does it come through. Actually, it is much better than I expected—so much so that after listening to them a bit, I purchased an SB-1000 Pro to see if it would tighten up and fill out the bass a bit more. I would not have considered getting the SB-1000 if my initial impression was that the towers' bass response was already poor; just the opposite. The SB-1000 just made it better and complemented the towers exactly as I had hoped.
I have listened to the towers for about a month now and have my system tuned in. Bass, mids, and treble are balanced, and the soundstage is fantastic. I can run these speakers in my amps' sweet spot where the instruments are realistically produced and the dynamics are incredible. The bass sounds like someone is playing "the bass"—it's strong, tight, and not boomy. The mids are definable, voices sound full and detailed, and things like the nuance of reverb decay are amazing. Other instruments such as trumpet, cornet, and sax all have a depth and dynamics I didn't expect. Listening to Miles Davis' Kind of Blue is incredible on these.
One thing I tried that absolutely shocked me was when I tried the Sonic Holography on the Carver C-1, a preamp that is over 30 years old now. When kicked in, the speakers disappeared and the soundstage became enormous, clear, and spacious.
I use the towers for both music and movies in stereo, and both sound great. Oh yeah, I wrote Gary with a small concern, and he got back to me within an hour. How great is that! For the price and everything that goes along with it, these speakers are amazing.