Short answer: the Dynaudio Emit 20, if you are buying new. The SVS Ultra Bookshelf ranks higher than it (#62 vs #75 of 131 bookshelf speakers, 3.9/5 vs 3.6/5) but is discontinued, so only consider it used; the Dynaudio Emit 20 is still sold new at $1,049.
What the SVS Ultra Bookshelf does well: Noticeably more tonally neutral than the cheaper SVS Prime Bookshelf, with response staying within about -3dB/+1.5dB on average: a genuine step up in linearity for roughly double the price. The catch: Still has a boosted upper mid-range/mid-range area, though less severe than the Prime: the reviewer suspects a baffle-step or tweeter-level issue rather than a resonance, giving mixes a slightly forward, occasionally tinny character.
The case for the Dynaudio Emit 20: Two-way design with a 28mm Esotar soft dome tweeter (Hexis-damped) and an 18cm mid-woofer, using a first-order crossover on the tweeter and second-order on the woofer. The tradeoff: A resonance around 600-800Hz gives snares and similar percussion a muffled, flat quality lacking impact: confirmed as originating in the woofer itself (isolated via measurements of the raw driver out of the cabinet), and attempts at constrained-layer damping didn’t resolve it.
Buy the Dynaudio Emit 20 if you want one new; the SVS Ultra Bookshelf is discontinued, so only look for it used.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Passive Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| SVS Ultra Bookshelf | Dynaudio Emit 20 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,200 per pair Discontinued | $1,049.00 per pair |
| Ranked | #62 of 131 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers | #75 of 131 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Drivers | 6.5” composite glass fiber cone woofer, 1” aluminum dome tweeter | 7.1” Magnesium Silicate Polymer woofer, 1.1” Cerotar soft dome with Hexis tweeter |
| Dimensions | 14.9”H x 8.5”W x 10”D | 14.6”H x 8.1”W x 12.3”D (370.0 x 205.0 x 312.0 mm) |
| Weight | 19 lbs (8.6 kg) each | 12.8 lbs (5.8 kg) |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal, 3.8 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 6 ohms nominal (5.5 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 87.8dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 83.5dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 69Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 54Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 48Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Frequency Response | 45Hz - 32kHz (manufacturer specified) | - |
| Recommended Power | 20-150W | - |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.63 | 4.22 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 8.10 | 5.92 |
| DIY Kit | No | No |
| Woofer Cabinet | - | ported, rear |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More worthwhile head-to-heads for SVS Ultra Bookshelf:
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs SVS Ultra Bookshelf
- Power Sound Audio MT-110-M vs SVS Ultra Bookshelf
- ELAC Uni-Fi Reference UBR62 vs SVS Ultra Bookshelf
- ELAC DBR62 vs SVS Ultra Bookshelf
- Yamaha NS-800A vs SVS Ultra Bookshelf
Prices on this page were last checked September 29, 2026 at 3:43 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 Ultra Bookshelf: $1,200 per pair Discontinued eBay
Newer model: the SVS Ultra Evolution Bookshelf. It’s likely to perform similarly, though we can’t confirm that yet.
Pros: Noticeably more tonally neutral than the cheaper SVS Prime Bookshelf, with response staying within about -3dB/+1.5dB on average: a genuine step up in linearity for roughly double the price. Slightly higher sensitivity than the Prime (about 87.8dB) with similarly wide, consistent horizontal radiation. Toeing the speakers out about 30 degrees smooths the in-room response nicely if the on-axis tonal balance runs a bit forward for your taste. Distortion and dynamics hold up well; this is a mature, well-regarded design (roughly a decade old at review time) that’s aged better than many contemporaries. Measured bass extension of 69Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 87.8dB.
Cons: Still has a boosted upper mid-range/mid-range area, though less severe than the Prime: the reviewer suspects a baffle-step or tweeter-level issue rather than a resonance, giving mixes a slightly forward, occasionally tinny character. Bass extension is modest for the price (F3 69Hz, F10 48Hz measured): SVS is clearly counting on you pairing this with one of their subwoofers rather than expecting full-range performance from the bookshelf alone. Measured minimum impedance dips to about 3.8 ohms, so a 4-ohm-stable amplifier is recommended rather than a basic 8-ohm-only AVR. Radiation pattern is wide (around 80°), wider than the reviewer’s typical ~60° sweet spot preference, so acoustic treatment on nearby walls helps tame reflections and keep the off-axis response from diverging too much from on-axis. Discontinued; SVS replaced the Ultra line with the Ultra Evolution series.
Full SVS Ultra Bookshelf review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 48Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 69Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 14.9”H x 8.5”W x 10”D |
| Drivers | 6.5” composite glass fiber cone woofer, 1” aluminum dome tweeter |
| Frequency Response | 45Hz - 32kHz (manufacturer specified) |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal, 3.8 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Recommended Power | 20-150W |
| Sensitivity | 87.8dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.63 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 8.10 |
| Weight | 19 lbs (8.6 kg) each |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- SVS Ultra Bookshelf vs Dynaudio Contour 20i
- SVS Ultra Bookshelf vs Infinity Reference R162
- SVS Ultra Bookshelf vs Definitive Technology Demand D11
- SVS Ultra Bookshelf vs Yamaha NS-800A
- SVS Ultra Bookshelf vs ELAC DBR62
- SVS Ultra Bookshelf vs ELAC Uni-Fi Reference UBR62
- SVS Ultra Bookshelf vs Power Sound Audio MT-110-M
- SVS Ultra Bookshelf vs Klipsch RP-600M II
- See all 11 comparisons
Dynaudio Emit 20: $1,049.00 per pair Amazon eBay
Pros: Two-way design with a 28mm Esotar soft dome tweeter (Hexis-damped) and an 18cm mid-woofer, using a first-order crossover on the tweeter and second-order on the woofer. Exceptional bass extension for a bookshelf speaker: reaches a clean, authoritative 40Hz in-room, rare enough that the reviewer says most listeners could skip a subwoofer for typical music. Very low distortion across the board, staying below 1% THD down to 40Hz at 86dB and below 3% even at 96dB: unusually clean bass performance where most two-way bookshelf speakers start rising in distortion around 80Hz. Wide, remarkably consistent horizontal directivity (about ±50-60°) that holds steady up to roughly 13kHz: rare for a speaker in this format, thanks to a beveled tweeter edge that acts as a mild waveguide. Excellent compression and dynamic-range linearity at the frequency extremes, actually showing slight bass enhancement rather than the sharp low-end compression common in similarly-sized bookshelf speakers. Measured bass extension of 54Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 83.5dB.
Cons: A resonance around 600-800Hz gives snares and similar percussion a muffled, flat quality lacking impact: confirmed as originating in the woofer itself (isolated via measurements of the raw driver out of the cabinet), and attempts at constrained-layer damping didn’t resolve it. A peak around 4kHz adds a sharp, edgy quality to some male vocals. A roughly 5dB boost above 10kHz gives cymbals and hi-hats excess shimmer that can sound unnatural, especially pointed directly on-axis. Vertical dispersion shows two separate crossover-related notches (above and below the tweeter reference line around 5kHz) rather than the usual single one, a direct consequence of the shallow crossover slopes used on both drivers. Multitone distortion is elevated in the midrange, possibly due to the woofer’s magnet structure lacking a shorting ring. Best aimed slightly off-axis (about 10-15° of toe-out) to tame the excess high-frequency shimmer, rather than pointed straight at the listener.
Full Dynaudio Emit 20 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 54Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 14.6”H x 8.1”W x 12.3”D (370.0 x 205.0 x 312.0 mm) |
| Drivers | 7.1” Magnesium Silicate Polymer woofer, 1.1” Cerotar soft dome with Hexis tweeter |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (5.5 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 83.5dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 4.22 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 5.92 |
| Weight | 12.8 lbs (5.8 kg) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Philharmonic BMR Monitor
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Klipsch RP-600M II
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs JBL Studio 630
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Behringer B2030P
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Mission LX-3 MKII
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Polk Signature Elite ES20
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs GR-Research X-LS Encore
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Infinity IL10
- See all 67 comparisons