Overview

In 2018, SVS launched their Prime Wireless Speakers, which were highly regarded for their connectivity and sound quality at such an affordable price. SVS aimed to change the idea that streaming to your speakers was only good enough for background music. Instead, their goal was to bring hi-fi quality sound through streaming into more homes. The newly released SVS Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speakers are the latest iteration that sport some very worthy upgrades. These second-generation speakers deliver reference sound quality to the wireless category by marrying hi-res audio playback with ample connectivity and smart, versatile control.

Design

At a glance, you may not notice any differences from the first iteration to the new pair. Even the name is similar; however, SVS has added the word "Pro" to the end to distinguish the difference. While the tweeter, woofer, and even piano black color may look similar and have the same design, there is a lot inside that has been upgraded that we will discuss next. Perhaps the most significant upgrade to the appearance is the new screen and physical preset buttons on the bottom of the right speaker. The screen is now a small OLED display that displays information such as source, artist name, song title, input, volume settings, and more. Also on the front panel are six backlit preset buttons that provide instant access to sources, favorite playlists, streaming services, and more, much like a car radio preset.

The speakers are securely packaged and feel like you're opening up a professional speaker. They have removable grills to suit whatever look you desire, a rear-firing port on the back top left, and they look super sleek. The left and right sides of the speakers are cut away to add some leading lines up and form a tall trapezoid for the grill shape instead of your standard-looking rectangle grill. SVS has also added a gloss white option that has a bit more flash and is sure to stand out in your setup.

Features & Technology

The Prime Wireless Pro speakers consist of a left passive speaker and a right-powered speaker that connects to the left via a provided 10-foot umbilical cord. In our testing, this was a good length on our desk or set up on a credenza, but when we moved them to each side of a big 120-inch screen, the cable needed to be longer, so you will need to special order a 15 or 20-foot cable if your setup calls for it. It's something to keep in mind if you plan to place them far apart. A robust 200-watt amplifier provides discrete bi-amplification to the 1" aluminum dome tweeters and 5.25" mid-bass drivers. SVS tells us this power will ensure "massive dynamic output without a trace of distortion". In our next section, where we test the sound quality, we will put those claims to the test.

It was nice to see SVS stepping up the 4.5" mid-bass driver in the original iteration to 5.25". We'll discuss why we think this step up was not only necessary but also one of the principal decision-makers if you're deciding between purchasing the original version or the new "Pro" version. Sitting above the mid-bass driver on the front is the 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter.

In the right speaker sits a 24-bit/192kHz DAC and a precisely tuned digital crossover. The processing capacity allows these speakers to wirelessly render the highest resolution playback possible from all your streaming services. In addition, SVS engineers spent many hours tweaking the active digital crossover in an attempt to voice these speakers to achieve near-flawless sound in any environment and any system.

Let's examine how you can get music to the Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speakers. The wireless streaming options are nearly endless, which is fantastic. At Audio Advice, we understand everyone has different streaming services, and we appreciate it when manufacturers include all possible options. You can stream through WiFi with the DTS PlayFi app, good old classic Bluetooth, Airplay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and more. Through the DTS PlayFi app, you can stream the highest quality available from Qobuz, Amazon Music, Tidal, YouTube, and more.

Explore our favorite music streaming services >

Let's briefly discuss your best streaming options, as we encountered a few quirks while testing. We think for many people, these speakers are an excellent first step into the world of HiFi. Maybe you're ready to upgrade from Sonos or just looking to dive into the world of higher-quality sound. Either way, it may be tempting to pair up your phone via Bluetooth and be on your merry way. However, if you truly want to experience music at its highest quality, these speakers offer that. To achieve the full quality of 24-bit/192kHz, you should download the DTS PlayFi app, log into Qobuz or Tidal or a streaming service that supports hi-res, and then enable the “Critical Listening Mode” feature. DTS PlayFi not only lets you access streaming services but also can access radio guides and home media servers and distribute music to as many as 32 different PlayFi products in 16 different zones! Bear in mind that the DTS PlayFi app plays tracks such that there is about 1 second of silence after one track ends before the next begins.

We really like the DTS PlayFi app feature to stream the highest resolution when you want, but we think most people will use Chromecast, Airplay 2, or Spotify Connect instead. Chromecast will play at 24-bit/96kHz, and Airplay 2 will play at 16-bit/44.1kHz (CD Quality). So while DTS Play-Fi gets you the absolute highest quality, Chromecast is still considered "Hi-Res," and you can use it in the native streaming app of your choice. Spotify Connect is also an option that will provide you with 320Kbps quality audio but has another feature that might be enticing to use, which we will discuss next.

On the bottom of the front right speaker are two rotary dial knobs. The left one controls the input by spinning it and controls the display's brightness by clicking it in. The right knob controls your volume and even displays a volume meter on the screen as you spin it. The screen displays the input and will indicate the source from which you are playing music. For example, if you're using Spotify Connect, a small Spotify logo will appear along with the current song and artist playing. It's a nice touch to quickly glance at the screen and see your source and music. This feature makes it intuitive and family-friendly instead of always grabbing your phone or the remote. Right below the screen are six physical rubber preset buttons. In our testing, we liked connecting via Spotify Connect and setting up presets for different playlists and podcasts. For example, we could have our first preset play our release radar playlist. Our second playlist plays the latest episode of Business Wars, one of our favorite podcasts. And the third preset plays a custom playlist that we add new songs to frequently. We underestimated how much use we would get out of these little buttons. It was convenient to walk by our speaker and press on a preset and not even take our phone out of our pocket. This is also a good time to mention that these speakers come with a physical remote with presets on it, volume control, inputs, and other useful buttons.

Although these speakers are called "wireless," they are not short of inputs on the back of the right speaker. HDMI, Optical, analog line level inputs, ethernet, and a subwoofer output ensure you can connect in any way you desire. Our favorite feature is the HDMI eARC which lets you hook these up to your TV and control the volume with your TV remote instead of switching back and forth. In our testing, these speakers shined when watching movies, so we see these potentially being a soundbar killer. If you have a soundbar and are looking to step up to the next level, having two speakers of this quality will improve your movie-watching experience. We'll touch more on this when we discuss our sound quality testing. The subwoofer out connection allows you to add a subwoofer if you desire. SVS has left no stone unturned regarding connections, whether it's wireless or wired. But with all that said, let's discuss how they sound!

Sound Quality

We wanted to put these to the test in a larger room, so we began by setting them up in one of our listening rooms, which is about 16' x 24'. We set them up on speaker stands 8' apart and 1 foot off the back wall and sat about 10' back. We used the DTS PlayFi app and logged into our Qobuz account to stream through WiFi, allowing the highest quality possible. We started with a track from Childish Gambino called “Baby Boy”. We knew we wanted a song with a killer bassline to challenge these speakers and see if the larger mid-bass driver really made a difference. At 13 seconds into the song, the bass guitar starts playing, and it was almost immediately apparent that these speakers reproduce bass exceptionally well. We decided to dig out a pair of the first iteration just out of curiosity and listened to the same song. The main difference we heard was that the new "Pros" seemed to dig a little deeper on those deep notes and handled the lower end with more finesse and ease. Having the low end a bit more defined opened up just enough space to make the midrange sound more transparent and easier to distinguish. Overall, these little speakers produced deep bass and a very balanced sound.

To further our testing, we plugged them into a TV via their HDMI eArc connection and played the classic race scene from “Ready Player One”. It's an extremely dynamic-sounding scene, and we love using it to put our home theaters to the test. We were impressed with how much bass the speaker outputs, but in reality, a 5.25” driver can only go so low for those big deep explosions. Next, we plugged in an SVS SB-1000 that we had on hand and listened again. The speakers automatically engage a low pass filter at 80Hz once it detects a sub has been connected. Many speakers send the full range signal to the subwoofer, so it was nice to see this feature built-in. Obviously, this scene stands out much more with a dedicated subwoofer. However, it was much more apparent with the original version of the speakers than with the new ones. We would go so far as to say that you need to add a subwoofer if you're using the original iteration with your TV to watch movies. The new version sounds better with a sub, but they still sound outstanding without a dedicated subwoofer, which is excellent news for people who don't want to invest in a sub yet or don't have the room for one.

We then switched back over to some music and listened to “I Was Wrong” by Chris Stapleton. We were specifically looking for how well the imaging was in this track. We thought the vocals sat toward the center, and the guitar was right behind them. The bassline filled the room and was very clear and easy to find. We cranked them up, and this song got our toes tapping with these little speakers. We just loved how clear and balanced each part of the song was.

Overall Recommendation

If you are getting into HiFi audio, these are an incredible option with many features and flexibility. You do not need a subwoofer to get started, and these will make just about anyone happy with the price you will pay for how much you will get out of them. They have many wireless connection options and HDMI eArc to plug into your TV and use to watch movies. These are truly a soundbar killer if you're using a small soundbar and want to upgrade your TV audio. The larger cabinets and drivers will make them hit lower than most sound bars and image much better. Our only wish list item was that they would allow you to change which speaker is on the left and which is on the right, just in case you prefer to have the controls on the left speaker instead of the right. This is a minor item that is irrelevant for 95% of potential buyers, so suffice it to say we think these are great speakers for the price.

If you are considering upgrading from the original Prime Wireless speakers, if you already have a subwoofer, sticking with the pair you have now will probably be fine. However, if you want some significant upgrades and want your speakers to go a touch deeper in the bass, the new Prime Wireless Pro speakers are for you.

We hope this review has given you a good idea of what the new Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speakers offer! If you purchase from Audio Advice, we offer free shipping, a price guarantee, and lifetime expert support. If you have any additional questions about these speakers or are trying to find the right set of speakers for your room, reach out to our experts via chat, phone, or stop by one of our award-winning showrooms.