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The Usher combination performed best with playback levels from low to natural where it maintained dynamic and frequency linearity extremely well. This was significant. It allowed playback at real life acoustic levels with accurate dynamic gradations to give the music a more realistic illusion. While the combination played reasonably loud, it was no PA party system. Driven above reasonable levels, the S-520 began to hit its limits and although the SW-520 could be pushed a little further, coherence was compromised and the seams showed.
Frequency characteristics: The pairing of S-520 and SW-520 retained the monitor’s strengths of neutral response and midrange authenticity but built on them by adding weight to the lower octaves without drawing attention. The quality and quantity of bass were good to within the limits of the SW-520 and the two paired quite seamlessly with a relatively transparent character when not cranked to extreme levels. This acquitted itself well as an almost full-range system and did so with good authority and control. The overall result was a vastly improved speaker which played back a little louder than before and flexed real muscle and power over a wider range. The S-520/SW-520 pair played with a single voice as opposed to betray a sham marriage of disparate devices. As a comparable alternative, the Apogee hybrid line kept coming to mind, with both displaying similar levels of warmth, richness and tonal neutrality. That’s good company for a product claiming mere budget aspirations.
Depending on choice of cables, the character could be adjusted from midrange-centric through transparent so it should be easily matched to a wide variety of systems and tastes. Bass control remained good regardless and the SW-520 never drew attention unless the response was deliberately tailored into upper bass lushness or severe leanness in the crossover range. Paired with a system of those characteristics pulled apart some of the seamless character. The speakers preferred electronics and cable combinations that were neutral or just slightly warm.
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It should be noted that the SW designation is a misnomer. You will hear but not feel excellent bass. Usher specs the bass tower down to an honest 38 cycles and while the speaker extends past that point with authority, it does not reach subsonic territory. So while it is a very good woofer, it is not by definition a subwoofer. It does however get close and does so in an impressive fashion to leave few people short-changed.
Soundstaging and imaging: Since the S-520 on its own was stunning considering price, the hardest task for the designers here was not to sacrifice anything with the addition of more electronics and cabling. The S-520/SW-520 pairing built on that performance by adding size and proportion to the lower registers. Where the S-520 had obvious limitations, the combination did not. Instruments descending through the bass range maintained their size and gained a visceral presence which the standalone S-520 only hinted at. The floorstander threw out a wall-to-wall stage with good,depth, projection and height where the recording allowed, then populated that stage with life-sized images rather than pristine miniatures, behaving here more like a panel speaker. The overall soundstage and images were a little tighter than my Apogees and closer in character to the Mark and Daniel Diamond + but where the M&D gave a somewhat more forward presentation, the Usher concentrated its plane a little further back. The S-520/SW-520s also managed an excellent disappearing act, becoming incidental in the soundstage to approach the performance of the ribbon hybrids that occupied the same room position in the past.
The sweet spot was generous and the multi-driver speaker maintained a cohesive character over a wide listening area. The best soundstage occurred in an equilateral triangle not unlike the Apogees but the speakers had a wider area of acceptable seating positions. The only limit was being confined to a certain range of height. In that respect it was less forgiving than the Apogees but more so than the more limited vertical dispersion of the M&D air-motion transformer.
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Cable interactions: The basic jumpers are more than a good starting point. Performance was more than adequate in all parameters and rich in the midrange with ample detail weight and authority. No one is likely to walk away unimpressed or disappointed. Yet careful selection of upgrade jumpers and cables fill out the capabilities. The JPS jumpers between SW-520 and S-520 offered the simplest connection route where distance was too short to warrant a full cable run.
In my listening sessions, the array of cables on hand allowed for a wide variety of sonic signatures as though from a painter’s palette. The JPS cables displayed superb midrange focus and a detailed smooth treble coupled to an understated incidental bass which simply occurred as required. The Audio Art SE cable added authority and control to the bottom and threw the soundstage outwards in all directions. The introduction of the Signal Silver Reference brought the mains back to biwire status, a condition they adored maintaining a tonal balance similar to the JPS and when combined with the Audio Art cable to the amplifier creating huge bass authority. Different matches broadened the soundstage, refined the frequency response and increased dynamic range and detail to a level that should satisfy all but unreasonable expectations.
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The big picture: Usher created the SW-520 to expand the capabilities of the S-520 by extending bass response and increasing overall dynamics. That objective has been more than fulfilled. The integration of the two units is virtually seamless. The woofer has good control, power and responsiveness to match the S-520 and simply extends its range downward to let the combination speak as a single integrated voice over a respectable volume range. The combined speaker’s handling of large complex pieces gave my own Apogees a surprisingly good run, displaying all the best characteristics of a ‘big’ loudspeaker and giving up little by comparison. Not quite as loud but close; not quite as expansive but close; not quite as resolved or cohesive but disproportionately close. The tonal flavor at optimum was a little warmer and more forgiving than the Mark & Daniel Diamond and closer to my older Apogee Centaurs. The S-520/SW 520 also retained frequency and dynamic integrity at progressively lower listening levels in the fashion of those speakers.
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The performance of this pairing demonstrated that the SW-250 is no simple add-on. The combination constitutes an entirely new loudspeaker, a floorstander with all the virtues of the S-520 intact but now within the context of a far more prodigious speaker. Music that was problematic for the monitor was handled with ease. Where bass capability would have been mentioned as a minor liability, it now paraded as strength. This floorstander doesn’t just perform to relative standards, it performs period.
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Conclusion: How many have ‘traded up’ from a treasured product only to sacrifice something in turn? Not here. Owners and prospective owners of the S-520 monitor can live bigger without regrets. Usher’s S-520/SW-520 combination offers a clear upgrade path from monitor to floorstander that challenges pricier fare while matching with ancillaries from modest to top tier. Those preferring to leapfrog the evolutionary path and invest in both pieces immediately can do so with confidence and save the anticipation. Either way is a winning scenario.
Who won’t be impressed? The SW-520 is capable of superb bass quality but anyone demanding subsonic depth will want more. The dynamics though improved will still not be acceptable to those whose playback levels approach hearing damage. Other than that, this product should have immense appeal. Usher has lavished a high level of attention on the quality of this value proposition. The sound is far from budget and the value far beyond the ordinary. Easily recommended as a high-performance high-end bargain. |
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Quality of packing: S-520 pair was double boxed. Product sandwiched between formed hard Styrofoam inserts. Speakers inside light cloth sack. SW -520 as supplied came single boxed per speaker. Protected by hard Styrofoam pieces and soft foam frame. Speakers came inside thicker white cloth sack.
Reusability of packing: Yes
Condition of components received: One SW-520 had temporary woofer issue. Replacement sent by distributor. Same SW speaker had wiring issue. Easy field repair.
Website comments: Extensive and informative.
Human interactions: Professional and friendly.
Warranty: 3 years on drivers and 1 year on cabinet.
Final comments & suggestions: The price performance ratio here is exceptional. A high-end winner on ears and pocketbook alike. The monitors are available in gloss black, gloss white, gloss red and gloss yellow, the bass modules only in gloss black.
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