Remember the Four Ps and protect yourself from fraud and scams: There are a great many phone, text and email scams circulating right now and remembering the Four Ps — pretend, problem, pressure and pay — will help keep you safe. If someone is pretending to be someone, saying there is a problem and then applying pressure to pay, it is almost certainly a scam.

Q. We moved into a larger home and I'm looking for speakers to pair with my Adcom GFA-545 II amplifier and matching preamplifier. The listening room is 16 feet by 23 feet with vastly improved acoustics compared to our previous home. Do you have any recommendations for $2,000/pair tower speakers? How about the SVS Prime Tower speakers?

—D.V., Sunnyvale, California

A. The $1,200/pair SVS Prime Tower speakers are a great choice, and I have recommended them often in the past. The $1,800/pair SVS Prime Pinnacle would be even better, and you have an amplifier and room space that would complement them well. Typically I would stop here, but given the favorable acoustics of your room and the phenomenal new speakers SVS recently introduced I am going to encourage you to increase your budget and treat yourself to something special.

The SVS Ultra Evolution series speakers ($1,200 to $5,000 per pair) were making big waves in the audiophile world before I first heard them at the AXPONA audio show in April. SVS has long been known for their high-performance products, excellent value and sterling reputation for customer service and support, but their new Ultra Evolution line was said to take the company into an an entirely different league, competing with the world’s most expensive and exotic speakers. It was my most anticipated demo at the show, and despite high expectations I was not prepared for what I heard. One of the tip-offs I was in for something special was SVS asking showgoers what they wanted to hear, letting them provide their own demo tracks. Most audiophile product demonstrations are tightly controlled affairs with the manufacturer playing a set list specially chosen to complement the product. SVS had such confidence in their new speakers they let the audience play whatever they wanted. This is practically unheard of.

SVS demonstrated their top-of-the-line $5,000/pair Ultra Evolution Pinnacle, which uses the best drivers SVS has ever made in an angled cabinet that provides great stereo imaging. There are also rear-firing drivers that enhance the imaging and spaciousness. The flawlessly finished piano black cabinets look and feel expensive, and provide great satisfaction just looking at them. The speakers produced crystal clear, especially sweet sound of great precision, fullness and detail while providing an accurate sense of space whether playing small- or large-scale performances. I got to try them in my home a few months ago and they were even better than at the show, effortlessly delivering spectacular sound with records, CDs and streaming. Expect about 20 hours of break-in for them to sound their best.

Most emails I receive don’t make it into print, but I do send personal replies and I have been recommending SVS Ultra Evolution speakers every chance I get. The $3,000/pair Ultra Evolution Tower will sound very similar to the Ultra Evolution Pinnacle, but with a bit less bass. I encourage you to check them out before making your decision. Great speakers are a lifetime investment, and the Ultra Evolution Towers are worth the upgrade if you can budget for it. With the SVS Customer Bill of Rights shipping is free and SVS will even pay for return shipping if you are not satisfied after a 45-day home trial. svsound.com

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