Thane in Roanoke, VA

Six Tower speakers and a center channel are not the traditional surround sound set-up for most home theater fans. But when you find a speaker you love, and you have the space for it, why not go all in with a full range, potently dynamic force like the Ultra Tower speaker.

Thane from Virginia has a demanding job that requires him to travel nearly half of the year. When he gets home, he wants to experience music on par with a live experience, without having to leave his house. After scoping tons of reviews and consulting with a local dealer, Thane decided on a mind-blowing 11.2.4 system with six SVS Ultra Tower speakers, one Ultra Center channel, dual PB13-Ultra Subwoofers and eight in-ceiling speakers for the ultimate immersive audio experience.

Questions And Answers:

Six Ultra Tower speakers is a pretty incredible set-up, what made you go for that configuration?

I have a rather large room and I really wanted a system that could fill it with amazing sound. I started researching some different options and read several reviews of the Ultra Towers before going to a Magnolia Design Center. I told them my budget and they recommended a more “traditional” system, but I loved the sound of the Ultra Towers so much that I wanted to use all of them in a surround system, with a traditional center channel. It’s just changed my whole perspective on sound quality. The Ultra Towers just have such a full, rich sound that continues to impress me more each day.

When did you first get interested in high performance audio?

From a young age growing up in outside the U.S., I always loved listening to music but never really knew the difference between a generic and audiophile system, though I always wondered why movies sounded so much better at the theaters than through my TV at home. About 6-7 years ago, I visited a friend and he played some classical music through a great system, and then I realized what was possible. I saved up some money and assembled my first two-channel audiophile system. I moved to a new house with more space 3 years later and ended up selling all of it because I had a bigger room with bigger plans. At this point, I started subscribing to magazines and looking up dealers in the area and comparing notes with people who had similar interests.

What impact did upgrading to the SVS speakers and subwoofer have on your listening experience?

It’s been tremendous, but not just for the reason’s you would think. Because I travel so much, my wife is loving that I’m spending more time at home when I’m not on the road. In fact, I always look forward to rushing back to the states so I can dial up a great movie or put on some music and just let it envelop me without having to worry about outside stresses. It has impressive impact and you can really feel the soul of the music you’re listening to.

Plus, it’s great when friends come over and they just sort of get this shocked look on their faces like they never knew what they were missing. The soundstage is incredible. The depth, purity and clarity is completely revealing. I hear all the nuances and the synchronization and it feels like you’re experiencing music the way it was intended to be heard because the Ultra speakers just work so perfectly together.

What are some of your favorite music and movies to enjoy on the system?

I use the system for about 30% movies and 70% movies and my musical tastes are diverse. I love John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins as well as contemporary jazz and hip-hop. I also own a lot of classical music, salsa, African music, R&B, and I play everything. Some of my favorite tracks include “In a Sentimental Mood” by Duke Ellington, and “Malena” by Ennio Morricone with YoYo Ma because you literally feel like you’re sitting on stage with them. It’s incredible.

For movies, I’m an action fan so I really enjoyed all the Star Wars movies, and I love the Mission Impossible series. I have friends who come over and tell me how inadequate their systems are because of the incredible impact where you almost feel like ducking or running away when the gunfire starts, and sound is coming from every direction and overhead, which makes it all the more convincing. And the dual subs, I mean, what can I say, it just hits you with deep, tight bass but also can be very delicate and subtle.

What ultimately made you decide on SVS?

I had never heard of SVS until I started reading the AV magazines and then, when I went into a Magnolia Design Center and told them what I wanted and what mu budget would be, they recommended SVS as well, which was enough to capture my interest. I found the prices to be really fair compared to other speakers and actually more affordable than many of the speakers I heard that sounded worse so it was really an easy decision at that point and I couldn’t be happier.