Short answer: the SVS Prime Tower. It ranks #169 of 226 floorstanding speakers by sound quality, rated 3.6/5, at $1,198; the Magnepan LRS+ ranks #179, rated 3.5/5, and costs $1,300, so there is little reason to consider the other one.
What the SVS Prime Tower does well: 3.5-way floorstanding design using dual 6.5-inch woofers, a dedicated 4.5-inch midrange in a sealed chamber, and a 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter. The tradeoff: Dual 1.7-inch rear ports require room boundary clearance, and measured minimum impedance dips near 4 ohms at low frequencies, benefiting from dedicated amplification.
What the Magnepan LRS+ does well: Thin, two-way planar-magnetic open-baffle/dipole panel design (about 48” tall, just 1” deep). The catch: Extremely current-hungry and power-hungry: even a pair of 600W Macintosh monoblock amplifiers only averaged about 90dB output.
Buy the SVS Prime Tower. It is rated higher for sound quality than the Magnepan LRS+ and costs less, which makes it the one to get unless you need something the other one does better.
About the ratings: the SVS Prime Tower’s rating is estimated from measured siblings and predecessors rather than its own measurements, with a likely range of 3.4 to 3.8, so this verdict could change once it is measured.
Want more options? Browse the full Passive Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| SVS Prime Tower | Magnepan LRS+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,198.00 per pair | $1300 per pair |
| Ranked | #169 of 226 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers Estimated | #179 of 226 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 30Hz (manufacturer specified) | 74Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Enclosure | ported, rear | - |
| Drivers | 1” aluminum dome tweeter, 4.5” midrange, dual 6.5” woofers | Full-range planar magnetic dipole panel (48” tall x 13.5” wide); quasi-ribbon design, two-way with separate mid/bass and tweeter ribbon sections |
| Frequency Response | 30Hz - 25kHz (±3dB) (manufacturer specified) | - |
| Sensitivity | 87dB (2.83V @ 1m, 300Hz-3kHz, manufacturer specified) | 85.1dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal (manufacturer specified) | 4 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 36.6”H x 8”W x 11.6”D (930 x 203 x 295 mm) | 48”H x 13.5”W x 1”D (1219.2 x 342.9 x 25.4 mm) |
| Weight | 40.1 lbs (18.2 kg) each | 30 lbs (13.6 kg) |
| Cabinet Color | Black Ash, Piano Gloss Black | - |
| Country | United States | - |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | - | 67Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Woofer Cabinet | - | open baffle |
| Spinorama Preference Score | - | 1.27 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | - | 4.32 |
| DIY Kit | - | No |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More top alternatives to SVS Prime Tower:
- MartinLogan Motion F10 vs SVS Prime Tower
- Jamo S7-25F vs SVS Prime Tower
- Paradigm Monitor SE 8000F vs SVS Prime Tower
- Klipsch RP-8000F II vs Magnepan LRS+
- Dynaudio Emit 30 vs Magnepan LRS+
Prices on this page were last checked October 11, 2026 at 4:59 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
The Two Speakers In Full
SVS Prime Tower: $1,198.00 per pair Estimated Amazon SVS eBay
Same family: the SVS Prime Satellite (smaller bookshelf, estimated 3.3/5), the SVS Prime Bookshelf (larger bookshelf, rated 3.5/5), the SVS Prime Pinnacle (larger floorstanding, ranked higher, estimated 3.8/5), the SVS Prime Center (center, rated 3.4/5) and the SVS Prime Elevation (surround, estimated 3.3/5).
Pros: 3.5-way floorstanding design using dual 6.5-inch woofers, a dedicated 4.5-inch midrange in a sealed chamber, and a 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter. SoundMatch crossover topology delivers rated frequency response of 30Hz to 25kHz (±3dB) and 87dB sensitivity.
Cons: Dual 1.7-inch rear ports require room boundary clearance, and measured minimum impedance dips near 4 ohms at low frequencies, benefiting from dedicated amplification.
Full SVS Prime Tower review and specifications →
| Released | Oct 2014 (12 years ago) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 30Hz (manufacturer specified) |
| Cabinet Color | Black Ash, Piano Gloss Black |
| Country | United States |
| Dimensions | 36.6”H x 8”W x 11.6”D (930 x 203 x 295 mm) |
| Drivers | 1” aluminum dome tweeter, 4.5” midrange, dual 6.5” woofers |
| Enclosure | ported, rear |
| Frequency Response | 30Hz - 25kHz (±3dB) (manufacturer specified) |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal (manufacturer specified) |
| Sensitivity | 87dB (2.83V @ 1m, 300Hz-3kHz, manufacturer specified) |
| Weight | 40.1 lbs (18.2 kg) each |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- No independent measurement review is linked for this model; it is ranked from hands-on listening and comparison against similarly priced speakers.
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
Magnepan LRS+: $1300 per pair Magnepan eBay
Pros: Thin, two-way planar-magnetic open-baffle/dipole panel design (about 48” tall, just 1” deep). Delivers a uniquely dramatic and enveloping soundstage with genuinely three-dimensional depth effects that work across all music genres, not just classical or orchestral material as commonly assumed. Extremely tight, locked-in center-phantom imaging when set up correctly. Open-baffle design avoids the “boxy” enclosure coloration of conventional cabinet speakers. Multitone distortion is remarkably consistent from low to high frequency, a characteristic the reviewer hasn’t observed in conventional cone-and-dome speakers. Compression at high output stays modest (about 0.5-1dB) through the midrange and treble, giving roughly 20-26dB of usable dynamic range in that region. At its price, a strong contender for a dedicated secondary listening room, even if not a main-system replacement. Measured bass extension of 74Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 85.1dB.
Cons: Extremely current-hungry and power-hungry: even a pair of 600W Macintosh monoblock amplifiers only averaged about 90dB output. A robust, high-power amplifier is essentially mandatory, and budget amps won’t cut it. Bass rolls off very quickly (F3 74Hz, F10 67Hz, described as falling off “like a rock”), making a subwoofer an absolute requirement for any low-end content. A roughly 3dB dip in the mid-bass (100-300Hz) region thins out vocal body and fullness compared to a conventional bookshelf speaker. A resonance/bump around 400Hz adds a mild boxy quality, though it responds well to about 2dB of EQ correction. Extraordinarily fussy about exact positioning: both seating height (must align with the acoustic reference point between the panel’s lower tie-down points) and horizontal aiming are unusually critical; moving just a couple of inches can cause treble content above roughly 500-600Hz to nearly vanish. Distinct off-axis cancellation zones exist directly to the sides of the panel, where very little sound is audible at all. Fails badly under extreme dynamic-transient testing in the bass, and the reviewer blew fuses pushing the speaker during testing: not built for high-volume or highly dynamic playback. A genuinely different category from conventional hi-fi speakers, requiring more setup patience and experimentation than a typical monopole design.
Full Magnepan LRS+ review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 67Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 74Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 48”H x 13.5”W x 1”D (1219.2 x 342.9 x 25.4 mm) |
| Drivers | Full-range planar magnetic dipole panel (48” tall x 13.5” wide); quasi-ribbon design, two-way with separate mid/bass and tweeter ribbon sections |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 85.1dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 1.27 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 4.32 |
| Weight | 30 lbs (13.6 kg) |
| Woofer Cabinet | open baffle |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Infinity Reference 253
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Polk Audio XT60
- Magnepan LRS+ vs JBL Stage 2 280F
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Jamo S7-25F
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Focal Aria Evo X N°2
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Triangle Borea BR10
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Polk T50
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Definitive Technology BP-9020
- See all 42 comparisons