SVS And The New Wireless Speaker – AXPONA 2022
We wanted to kick off our individual room coverage of the AXPONA 2022 audio convention with SVS, not just because they usually bring the big boom boom from their successful line of subs, but also because their room showcased an “Andrew Jones” level of interest from attendees at the show.
For those who haven’t had the privilege of attending an hifi show in the US, Andrew Jones of Pioneer and Elac fame usually presents in person and to a packed room all event long. Andrew had some news of his own this weekend at the show (more on that later), and this reviewer couldn’t find a seat in the SVS room. After several attempts, I was finally able to flag down VP of Marketing Nick Brown and President Gary Yacoubian to see what all the fuss was about.
SVS as a company has really settled in to their own over the past 5 years. Stretching out from their roots as a direct-to-consumer subwoofer company, they now produce a well thought out range of loudspeakers, accessories and wireless products. The big highlight being demoed at the show was the SVS Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speaker Pair, to be priced somewhere in the range of $800 and launching this summer. From the listening room, the switch to a side wall facing smaller setup was a bit of a shift from the big sound of the full 5.2.2 system with the company’s Prime Pinnacle towers, Ultra Center, two Prime Bookshelf, two SB-3000 subs and two Prime Elevation speakers. It of course didn’t offer quite the same teeth-rattling bass as the impressive Mission Impossible demo, but still managed to retain a stable sense of resolution and dynamic playback in the room packed full of bodies.
Also on the roster was the SVS Subwoofer Isolation system and the SoundPath Cables on both static and active display. The new wireless speakers offer up 200 watts (50 watts x 4) via an active amplifier which provides bi-amplification to the 1” aluminum dome tweeters and 5.25” mid-bass drivers. Wireless streaming options for the SVS Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speaker Pair include WiFi, Bluetooth, Apple Airplay 2, Google Cast, and Spotify Connect. Through the DTS Play-Fi app, the system also supports the highest-resolution playback possible from most major streaming services, including Amazon Music, Qobuz, iHeart, Pandora, YouTube, Sirius XM, Tidal, Pandora, Audible and others. Connectivity options include HDMI, Optical, analog line level inputs, and a subwoofer output. Control is possible via smartphone, tablet, or PC via the DTS Play-Fi app, the intuitive front panel display, or an IR remote. This V2 SVS Wireless Speaker differs from last version with the previously mentioned HDMI added, chrome cast and airplay along with new, bigger drivers.
More info: SVS Audio