An area we are continuing to see evolve with tech is in the home especially regarding audio. Consumers are filling their homes with smart speakers which at times don’t have the best audio even if providing a great experience. SVS wants to change that combining that smart home feel while also giving you pristine hi-res audio to match. But how well does the Prime Wireless Speaker System fit into this category of smart home audio?
Style
Just pulling the SVS speakers out the box I knew I was in for a treat. The craftsmanship on these is fantastic. They have a nice weight to them averaging in about 9lbs each (9.55lbs on active and 8.73lbs on passive). Placing on my table and just glancing at them that Piano Gloss Black color just pops. Best thing is they don’t really pick up fingerprints or smudges if you decide to move them around. There is also a Piano Gloss White if Black isn’t your thing. This glossy finish surrounds most of the speakers except the area for connections and the speaker grills.
The same goes for the SVS Subwoofer which is 27lbs. It also comes in a Piano Gloss Black and surrounds most of the area opting out just in the back where the connections are. I’m a fan of this stealthy black as it lets you put these dual speakers and Sub in areas where they can almost be secluded until ready for action.
While the Passive(left) speaker features no controls or buttons the Active(right) houses all the necessary connections on the back. Volume dial and function dial rest on bottom front with display panel right above it. Active speaker is also fitted with a Bluetooth transmitter and a 192kHz/24-bit DAC. The display panel will show you options such as Optical, Bluetooth and Aux in blue. There is a Wi-Fi icon that pops in green if you are using the Play-Fi app. More on that later…
Prime Wireless System comes with AC Power Adapter and connection cable for speakers.
SVS Subwoofer comes with a AC Power Adapter.
SVS was nice enough to throw a cable in the box for Sub.
Setup / Features
Setting up the SVS speakers wasn’t really a daunting task and simple where anyone can do it in a few steps. Getting them connected to each other just involves using the included cable and powering them on. Once you do that fire up the DTS Play-Fi app which is available on iOS or Android if you haven’t downloaded and this will help getting the SVS speakers connected to your Wi-Fi network.
Once I was able to do that, I got my Spotify account connected and even added Amazon Music as an alternative though I rarely use it but wanted a different reference for music. Spotify works via it’s Connect feature so you can mainly control it thru its own app. I use Google Play Music a great deal but there isn’t any app support in here for it. Volume can be controlled via the app or on the volume knob.
Next step was getting these connected to my TV. Unfortunately, they don’t come with an optical cable, so I did have to order one which wasn’t a big deal (next day Amazon Prime is LIFE).
So, I connected these to my LeEco 4K HDR TV in my living room and came across some audio hissing issues when running certain apps such as Netflix, Vudu, and Google Play Movies when switching to the Optical setting. YouTube TV, YouTube worked fine and without issue. I did end up reconnecting these on a Hisense TV in my home and didn’t come across any issues with any apps. Even used it with my NVIDIA Shield and PS4 Pro consuming various content and gaming. Interestingly with the Prime Wireless you can use the Play-Fi app and it will switch to that audio automatically and when done go back to the last input.
These speakers as mentioned also can be used with Bluetooth and I synced it with my OnePlus 7 Pro without much issue. I was even able to use one of my favorite music apps Google Play Music.
Getting the SVS SB-1000 Subwoofer connected to the Prime Wireless was easily as using the RCA audio cable.
Sound
There is some power packed behind these speakers with them pushing out a hefty 200 Watts. Each speaker utilizes 100 watts each thanks to 50 watts being delivered through each driver. This is being done through a 1” Aluminum Dome Tweeter and a 4.5” Midrange Driver.
Turning these on for the first time and playing some music from Spotify was sublime. Audio was crispy and spacious. Bass was hard hitting but not overbearing to where it was annoying. Sitting on my couch getting true stereo sound is quite the experience. I found it extremely noticeable checking out some my favorite recent movies. I threw on Black Panther in HDR 4K and you can hear the glass cracking and breaking slowly during one of the action sequences. Dialogue is clear and the clarity is expressive as hell. I was rather impressed from these speakers. If you ever played Tetris Effect while having intense visuals has a soundtrack that pulls you in. Audio coming from SVS had me more consumed hearing every bell chime and visual cue then before.
Now these speakers can only push out so much audio and bass and that’s where the optional SB-1000 Subwoofer comes into play. Its front facing but room filling thanks to its 12” driver as I had it in a corner in my living room. Like the Prime Wireless speakers, it can sit in a room unnoticed till you crank that bad boy up. Various connections and dials are available on the back in case you want to achieve any different setups in the home.
Verdict
Using the SVS speakers for the past few months has been quite the experience. Its hi-res audio is killer, and the price point its being offered at is unbelievable. Its room filling sound is undeniable and that first listen will grab your attention and keep it. Probably only gripe I had was wishing SVS had its own standalone app and/or even a remote for those that don’t always want to use the DTS Play-Fi app. Also using the knob to change connections can be annoying but if you never have to its fine. Once you add on the Subwoofer that extra power providing thumping bass and sound penetration is phenomenal.
Prime Wireless Powered System by SVS goes for $599.99 in Piano Gloss Black or Piano Gloss White.
SB-1000 Subwoofer by SVS goes for $499.99 and is available in three finishes of Piano Gloss Black, Piano Gloss White or Premium Black Ash.
