SVS has unveiled the 16-Ultra Series, its largest and most powerful subwoofer line to date. The new sealed box SB16-Ultra and ported box PB16-Ultra subwoofers are the culmination of the company’s engineering advancements.
A 16-inch driver with 8-inch edge-wound voice coil, 1,500 watts continuous, 5,000-plus-watts peak amplifier with fully discrete MOSFET output, and a new smartphone app for convenient subwoofer DSP and control headline the key innovations of the 16-Ultra subwoofers. The new models also feature an-all new driver, amplifier, and cabinet to help the 16-Ultra Series produce the best possible low-frequency output, deep bass extension, frequency response accuracy, and accurate transient response.
The SVS Ultra 16-inch driver features a large, 8-inch edge-wound voice coil, the largest ever deployed in a consumer subwoofer, according to the company. The voice coil’s girth allows the amplifier to exert increased control over the 16-inch driver and remain accurate and distortion-free with high speed in transients. Four heavy toroidal ferrite magnets are used to deliver the highest amount of force, and machined motor elements help increase the low-frequency output. The cone material consists of a premium fiberglass resin composite designed to move the maximum amount of air while retaining rigidity.
Pushing the driver and motor assembly is a conservatively rated 1,500 watts continuous, 5,000-pluss-watt peak power Sledge STA-1500D amplifier with fully discrete MOSFET output. Harnessing the power is a 50MHz Analog Devices Audio DSP with 56bit filtering.
Accompanying the new models is SVS’s new subwoofer control and bass management smartphone app for Apple and Android devices. The 16-Ultra app controls polarity, room gain, phase alignment, parametric EQ, and other DSP functions, and stores custom presets, allowing users to fine tune bass down to 16Hz from anywhere in a room. For added convenience, bi-directional feedback shows updates in real time on both the app and subwoofer interface and Bluetooth connectivity allows adjustments to be made when subwoofer is not in sight. Control is also available via IR remote and a front panel display.
To accommodate the new subs’ high energy output, the 16-Ultra Series is built with a double-thick MDF front baffle and rigid internal bracing to support the drive unit and to help ensure an acoustically inert environment. The highly reinforced internal design eliminates coloration and resonance from the cabinet, even at the lowest frequencies.
“The Ultra Series subwoofers have been the most important SVS products for so long that we knew our newest iteration had to be groundbreaking on many levels. I challenged our engineering team to create a signature subwoofer line for the entire industry and not just for SVS and to push the boundaries of innovation and performance as much as possible,” said Gary Yacoubian, SVS president and managing partner. “We set out to create the reference standard for all subwoofers and shake the foundations of the audio world by making this level of world class experience available to more people than ever before, and I think the world will agree with me. We did it.”
The 16-Ultra Series will start shipping on November 1, 2016. Pricing for the new SVS subwoofers is $1,999.99 for the sealed SB16-Ultra and $2,499.99 for the ported PB16-Ultra. Both models are available in a premium black oak or piano gloss black finish and come standard with a protective, non-resonant steel mesh grille.
