Within the complicated cacophony of speaker manufacturers, sorts, and fashions, for folks like me, it is good to have suggestions in your pocket that persistently exceed expectations. SVS, finest identified for his or her phenomenal subwoofers, has lengthy been my off-the-shelf alternative. The corporate’s Prime collection provides incredible entry-level and mid-range audio system, whereas the flagship Extremely collection delivers elevated efficiency at a still-reasonable worth.
In 2024, SVS’s top-of-the-line speaker collection has obtained a uncommon, thorough redesign with engaging new angled enclosures and new drivers known as Extremely Evolution. SVS finishes off the design with its acquainted high-gloss piano end (a wooden grain can also be supplied), giving the Evolution Bookshelf audio system I reviewed an elegant but futuristic vibe.
These audio system are a fairly important funding, and there are many choices which are at or close to their worth level vying to your {dollars}. Nonetheless, as typical, SVS comes out victorious. The daring fashion and considerate design of the brand new Extremely offers approach to exhilarating efficiency with a fast-paced mixture of readability, dynamics and vivid stereo imaging.
Who bent my audio system?
Pulling the Extremely Evolution out of their packaging, you may see the sturdy mirrored cupboards over 15 inches tall, 8 inches throughout, and 11 inches behind. The folded entrance finish appears to be like just like the Hulk had a tantrum and Bruce Banner remorsefully despatched them off for retouching. Rounded corners on the back and front full the design, making a minimalist look with out being boring.
Nook audio system are nothing new; Focal’s Kanta audio system have it, whereas its multimillion-dollar Grand Utopia towers seem like they have been minimize with a katana and rehung as cellphones. It is nonetheless superb to see this design at such an reasonably priced worth.
Picture: Ryan Vaniata
Whereas it might be a stylistic flourish, the Extremely’s unique approach is simply science. SVS engineers used “time-aligned cupboard geometry” to align the middle of the speaker’s 6.5-inch fiberglass composite woofer with a 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter for max “section coherence.” In different phrases, the aim is to raised align their frequencies so that they attain your ears on the similar time, bettering accuracy and stereo imaging. Seeing as Evolution’s drawing is one among my favourite sonic expertise, it appears to have labored out.
Aluminum dome tweeters are most well-liked for his or her sturdiness and excessive readability, however relying on the sound, they generally give me an excessive amount of harshness within the excessive frequencies. SVS says it smoothed issues out by including a diamond coating to the tweeter. Utilizing a method known as vapor deposition, a “layer of diamond carbon” is utilized to extend stiffness and clean the sonic transition between the tweeter and woofer.
Treble typically leans for the higher, particularly noticeable after lengthy listening periods, however the mixture of fresh and restrained treble retains all however the harshest recordings in good management. SVS additionally provides a tweeter cowl with a random grid, designed each to guard the motive force and to raised disperse audio frequencies for elevated saturation. You may cowl all of it up with the included magnetic grills, however the Evolution appears to be like way more dynamic with out them.
