When I got started with speakers and HiFi, I believed tower speakers were the way to go. There simply wasn’t anything better than some tower speakers like the Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 Signatures, the sound was just out of this world. Now, after getting some hands-on experience with all types of speakers, I can confidently say there is nothing better than a good pair of bookshelf speakers. They are amazing for small rooms, they have all the technologies you would find in tower speakers, and they are light on the wallet.
Enter the SVS Nano Ultra Revolution speakers, which are a part of SVS’s new Ultra Revolution line. I tested this line’s SVS PB17 subwoofer a few months ago, and it remains my go-to subwoofer in testing. The SVS Nano speakers represent the culmination of SVS’s breakthroughs in driver design, component materials, and cabinet architecture, combined with a relentless passion for audio excellence. They give you a sound so full of depth and detail, you might think it was coming from a tower speaker.
SVS Nano Review
Design
The SVS Nano is a two-way bookshelf speaker that features Time Aligned Cabinet Geometry, a new design that was introduced in the SVS Ultra Revolution line. This design has a Curved front baffle that aligns the acoustic center of the tweeter and woofer on a vertical plane, ensuring sound from each driver reaches your ears at the same instant. This maximizes phase coherence for a more convincing and immersive soundstage with pinpoint accuracy and imaging.
My only con with the design, the finishes. The reflective finishes give off a lot of glare, and that can be a concern in a home theatre. The white glossy finish is also prone to fingerprints, and they are hard to get off. Your best bet would be to go with the Black Oak Wood finish for less glare.
The SVS Nano has a 1-inch diamond-coated Aluminum dome tweeter and a 5 ¼ inch woofer. These drivers, combined with the cabinet design and the rear-facing port, give the SVS Nano bookshelf speakers a frequency response of 44 Hz – 40 kHz, with an impedance of 6 ohms and a sensitivity of 85 dB.
Let’s talk about the diamond-coated tweeter. Through a process called Vapor Deposition, a layer of diamond carbon is applied to the aluminum dome tweeters to vastly improve rigidity and acoustic properties. This raises the frequency response well beyond the limits of human hearing, resulting in effortless, airy, and unveiled highs with no measurable distortion. The diamond coating also pushes the low-frequency extension of the tweeter deeper, for a more seamless blending with the midrange.
Setting Up The SVS Nano Ultra Revolution Bookshelf Speakers
The 6-ohm impedance makes the SVS Nano a good fit for a wide range of amplifiers and receivers, I used them with the Audiolab 7000a, the Marantz Model M1, and the Rotel A11 MKII, and generally speaking, 20-40 watts is enough to drive the SVS Nanos. The subwoofer I used was SVS’s very own Ultra Revolution PB17, which is my reference subwoofer.
SVS does offer a manual for setting up the Ultra Revolution Nanos, and in it, they recommend tilting your left and right speakers by about 30 degrees towards your listening position. They didn’t include how far the speakers should be from each other, and I went with 8 feet apart and 2 feet between the speakers and my front wall.
If you want to move the speakers closer to your wall, or if you have a small listening space, no problem. I moved the speakers as close as 8 inches from my front wall, and the sound was more or less the same. The soundstage did become a little flat, but the bass went up a notch, so you should experiment with the placements.
Sound Quality
The SVS Nano bookshelf speakers look very small, but the sound that comes out of them is enough to fill a large room. Even without a subwoofer, the bass was very impressive and deep. But if you do get a subwoofer, I promise you, the results will be very close to a tower speaker. The drum intro in Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” had a surprising amount of detail and depth, and the vocals were three-dimensional in every track.
Tilting the SVS Nanos slightly towards your listening position will improve the treble significantly, and the sound will be natural and smooth. The midrange and highs are detailed and focused, and the soundstage is broad and immersive. The height and dynamics were amazing, especially when paired with a subwoofer, and the speakers sounded way bigger and taller. If you compare them with any other bookshelf speaker, even more costly ones, the SVS Nanos will come out on top.
Price
I left this part for last, because the price of the SVS Ultra Revolution Nano speakers is just US$899 per pair. The amount of detail and performance you get at this price is just amazing. Even if you do decide to get a subwoofer (which will be worth it), the total price of your system will still be much less than a pair of tower speakers (or even some bookshelf speakers). So, the price is fully justified, and you cannot get a better deal than this.
Verdict
After listening to the SVS Nano speakers, I have no problem recommending them to everybody. All I have to say is, don’t judge them because of their small size, because these bookshelf speakers easily outperform their more expensive competitors. The design is great and the sound is amazing, what more could you want?