Performa F208 and Salon2 Compared
 

If you've followed my adventures, and really why would you, but if you have....
then you know that I bought a pair of Performa3 F208s while I waited what ended up being 10 weeks for delivery of my Salon2s. Rather than repeat myself endlessly as my wife says I do in real life, you can read Pio's I'm Discovering Revel: WOW thread HERE or my thread of initial impressions HERE Or, read Erick Lichte's glowing review of the F208 HERE.
So no long review of the F208 except to say that from first listen I was taken by their sound. They have a quality I hope for in all important things in life, balance. But they are also euphonic, sweet when the music is and listenable when it isn't. They are very well constructed and easy to look at without the Bauhaus styling some people love but I find too often results in a pair of Daleks in your living room.

I suspect the 208s are easily driven by any good amplifier and they were easy to set up in my room. I didn't think, "I wish the Salons were here." Well, maybe a just a little out of curiosity. Mostly I wondered, my wife wondered, and all my friends wondered why I felt any desire to want more than the Performas offered. Clearly they are not audiots. Although, the 208s were so satisfying that they damped some of my anticipation for the Salons. My wife didn't actually say it in so many words but I knew she thought I was being acquisitive and should just save some money. I had to defend myself from her subtle interrogations in between raving about the 208s so I stopped talking about them to her. Now you might think that could be awkward but after 35 years together you can do stuff that wouldn't occur to you on the second date. Regardless and for any value it has, my highest recommendation if the 208s are in your budget. I would keep 'em, if I had a sensible place to put them.

The Salon 2s arrived yesterday. Lindy helped me unpack them, which wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. They were consecutively numbered (I checked!) and are solid as a rock. Mine are impeccably finished in mahogany although a complaint that's been noted elsewhere is that the trap door won't close over banana plugs. It wouldn't be annoying if I could figure out how to get the covers off, but I don't want to break them. The easiest solution is to switch to spade lugs so I will be re-terminating my cables with spades. Then I can use the doors and everything will be tidy.

I started by putting them where the 208s had worked so well for me in my 3300cf room. I fired up the McStuff, sat down and felt a twinge of disappointment. Were these that much better than the 208s? Were they even as good? My first hour with the Salons had me feeling unsure. I moved them a bit forward, a bit back and settled more or less where I'd started from. Then I stopped futzing around and began to listen. An hour passed. Then two. Alison Krauss and Union Station Live, Telemann Tafelmusik (Erato), Joni Mitchell (Blue), Traffic (Low Spark of High Heeled Boys), Dixie Chicks (I'm on a DC kick lately), Rachmaninoff (Symphony No. 2, Telarc). The Salons started to reveal themselves as we got to know each other. It becomes clear that these are like the 208s or more properly, the 208s are like the Salons. Yet the Salon 2 exists at an elevated level. There's more of everything I liked about the 208s. More clean low end for instance. They improve on the F208's strengths of articulation with a sweet, clear but easy HF presentation. This is an area of obvious superiority. The soundstage and imaging are enveloping yet focused coupled with a midrange transparency and smoothness that could not get or need to get much better for my tastes. All this happens without hype or any "gee whiz, look at me" gymnastics. Good recordings are deep and detailed but not etched. Close your eyes and the speakers do the magic act as they disappear. You are being washed by humanity's musical genius right in your house. It's a luxurious and sensual experience. You know the routine.

After dinner we watched Bill Maher, then started spinning silver platters, our only source at the moment. My wife, (the former skeptic) said: "They are better. I can hear deep into the music." Nobody taught her to say that, she doesn't read the magazines, hang on forums or use audiophile terms. Then she said "there's so much space around each musical part. Everything sounds easy, like I could play those parts because I can hear deep into every line." Then the magic: "You were right." Ah baby! Say it again! The Revels do this without dissecting the music.

Lindy's a lifelong guitar player, taught my girls to play and even motivated me to pick up the guitar again, although mine is a Sisyphean effort. But Lindy is a skilled player, pitch and tone sensitive and has taught all of us about "flat and sharp" and the qualities that make for a fine voice and a great singer so her input is especially valued in that way. Speaking of voices, the Salons yet again bring the euphonic qualities of the F208 to a higher point. Harmonies are heard in all two, three , four or more parts with equal ease yet the blend is unified. Dobro, piano, acoustic guitars (electric too), mandolins, violins, steel pedal, plucked acoustic bass, cymbals (especially cymbals!) guitar effects, reverb tails, all that you want to hear, sounds the way you remember them to be, the way you've heard them in studio or in situ and the way you hear the Martins when the ladies play at home. Better actually! And certainly better than most amplified live music you hear out unless you're lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time. And let me put in a plug for Nashville here. They are into it here. Don't judge the place by Broadway but of that, maybe later.

So what's the bottom line? They are both great speakers. I expected the Salons to be exceptional so in some ways the 208s were the bigger surprise. So much so that as I said, it took a little adjustment for me to grok the Salons after living with the 208s for a few weeks. But once I got it, I got it. As Dylan said, "They ain't goin' nowhere."

Postscript: I ran some test tones today and did some crude measuring with my SPL meter and ancient IVIE RTA (remember them?) using a few of my test CDs and the Ivie noise generator. The Salons themselves are (within the limits of my instruments' abilities to discriminate) very closely matched as best I can tell. However, there is more FR variation in room than I expected just from listening. My instrumentation capabilities are crude by today's standards and my efforts were just snapshots really, but I can see there is room for improvement. I'll start by doing what I always do, pushing them around a little. Honestly, I'm somewhat sorry I bothered because as it stands, they're already really delicious. But you know very well it's not a hobby unless you're being goofy and obsessive about it. I really hoped that wouldn't be the case this time, but it seems to be. Yet we should face it. Two dB down at 5kHz is the very definition of a first world problem.

Nice write up. I took a similar journey. Had the F208's for about 9 months before acquiring the Salon2's. They are fabulous speakers. Enjoy them

My dealer just told me my order is in for Mahogany Salon 2's and a Voice 2 CC. I thought he was waiting for my money but apparently he knows me well enough that once they arrive I'd have my checkbook ready!

Lew.......Enjoyed your review. I suspect after a couple of hundred hours of break-in the verdict will further be solidified.

Congratulations on your new Salon 2 speakers.

nice write up Lew, BTW the rear covers come off easily, just give them a 'squeeze' so as to bring the post out of the hole(top or bottom), there's enough give that you won't crack them

Thanks, scirica and congratulations. You're going to love them.

Dan, I've don't recall hearing anything as noticeable as the shift in sound that occurred after a few hours of play on these. Being from the pro audio camp which as you know can be a different way of looking at things, I always poo-pooed break in as a minor event. No more. Same thing happened with the F208s, but not nearly as dramatic. By the way, although the 452 is a great match, you were right about the power requirements for these. I would not want anything smaller than the 452 and can easily see how having more power would be desirable. They dote on volts and amps.

Thanks Dave. I am going to roll over to them now and get the things off. I don't need them.

Wow! That was easy! Thanks again Dave.

This is why I went with the much easier to drive and equally gorgeous and beautiful sounding Studio 2's. I was not about to change out my beloved tube amplifier and I can't live with SS amps.

If not for that yes I'd have easily gone for the magnificent Salons. My Studio 2/tube system is beyond anything I've had in almost 50 years in this hobby and one I can easily live with love and enjoy immensely the rest of my days.

Same here. Best sound I've ever had with many miles under the keel. To be fair, I think it's nothing short of fabulous listening to the Salons with the 452 and C52. I wouldn't want much less but they're both odes to how good SS can be. I'm as pleased as I could be with my choices.....but they always say that!

BTW, I ordered the Studios first (on a Friday) but over the ensuing weekend I decided to go with the Salons when a discussion with a couple of buddies convinced me the room could handle them. Same thing with the room as it is with the amp though. I wouldn't want much less room than I have now for these.

I could easily live happily ever after with the Studios or for that matter, with the F208s. Harman/Revel has done a brilliant job of designing these things while creating a whole family of excellent products, which of course they had to do to remain competitive. It's a golden era for music lovers as far as the equipment is concerned.

And one more thing:). Mark Knopfler is a genius! I just had a transcendent experience listening to Shangri-La. What a musician!

Lew,

Congrats on your new Salon 2's! I knew they would be a home run for you. They will substantially improve with break-in. The Salon 2's take longer to fully break in than the F208's due to the beryllium tweeters and more heavily damped woofers. If you're loving them now, wait until a few weeks have passed!

Best,
Ken

Thank you Ken. I'm having fun with them. Terrific speakers, really special.

Congrats! I'm curious whether you have the grills on or off. I noticed a HUGE improvement with the grills off. So much so, that I packed up the grills and have them stored in the speaker boxes.

Off. I tried them both ways of course. I usually prefer grills (grills or grilles? :)) off anyway. However, I think I prefer the look of the speakers with the grills on but they're handsome enough either way.

I think I'll play with them some more today!

Lew, great write up! I absolutely love the Salons, I know I will end up getting a pair. Strongly considering selling my 802D2's and putting the money towards the Revels. Problem is my wife loves the way the B&W's look... go figure.

Can't wait to see some pics of your set up and more updates as they settle in.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...psx9t5bi91.jpg

They unpack the same way the 208s do, except as with everything Salon, there's bit extra included.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...psbzdu5cwf.jpg

And that's all I have right now. I'll see if I can do something more artful for posterity.

Looking good!

Lew.......The new Revel Salon 2's look fabulous. They are a fine speaker. Might be time to consider MC601's. :naughty:


http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...psbzdu5cwf.jpg

Gorgeous!!

Congrats! I knew you would finally get a pair. You're going to love them.

Best,
Ken

Fantastic Lew ! Salon2 are on my short list to replace my current speakers. Should have a listen this weekend.
Enjoy !

Thanks Pete. They are splendid. When they're on the boil, the soundstage is wall to wall and you don't localize to a speaker. The F208s were good at that as well, but this is another area where the Salons excel.

I'm going to spike them into the location I have them in. I'm good with the balance as it is now.

It could happen, but I'll have to sneak the money out the same way Tim Robbins distributed the tailings from his wall in the yard in Shawshank Redemption. A little at a time!

Wish you were closer. I'd be happy to audition them here!

Lew
I hear June is stillpoints month on AA. I hear some ultra 5's calling.

Wow, you didn't keep the Bryston's long. What prompted the upgrade? You even opted for the custom rosewood finish on them :D

I suspect the Bryston's are good value in their dollar range but probably can't run with the big boys :) where everything is built from the ground up not simply developing drivers and possibly crossovers???? for a pre existing cabinet from another manufacturer.

My dealer recently picked up the Revel line, hopefully one day he will get the Salon2's so I can see and hear what all the fuss is about :) Even getting in the Studio2 I suspect would portray a good sense of what the Salon2's can do. He's got either the F206's or 208's in now. I really like the wood veneer finish on those.

When I was in the market to replace my 15 year B&W 803Matrix speakers, I looked at the then new Brystons but opted for Salk SS8 custom made. I went to my local Audio Research dealer to upgrade my aging electronic gear to mate to my new Salk speakers. The audio Research gear was mated to the Salon2s in the showroom. It was instant love. I bought the ARC Ref5se preamp and matching amp but I could not replicate what I heard in the showroom with the Salons. So I bought the Salon2s and it was an excellent match. It took a while to piece these together but it was worth it. I'll keep my salon2s for a long time! Good choice!

Yes, I should have bought a perfect used pair some time ago. :wink:

Speaking of, I love these speakers. Thanks, Ken. :banana:

Rod:

I absolutely love my Bryston Model T's in Brazilian Rosewood! But as you guessed, this is a value play and now I'm moving up the food chain so to speak. I like the Brystons well enough to be scared that I won't experience the same liquid midrange and deep bass extension with the Salon 2's. Chances are I will love them in my room, but that's just to let everyone know that it's not a knock on the Bryston speakers. My expectations of the Salon 2's, at a multiple of the price of the Model T, SHOULD be noticeably better. I am sure this will be the case based on my extended listening at a friend's house (who happens to be the regional distributor for Revel speakers.

Wish me luck!

Steve : I think I read something on AA rules that goes like this: "My friends are your friends and vise versa :D

I waited months before spiking them. What a mistake! The sound improved so much I kicked myself for not doing it sooner! There's something to be said about decoupling the speaker from the room, especially since the Salon2s have a downward firing port.

Lew, glad to see you finally have your Salon's up and running and more importantly have them pulled sufficiently into your room so as to provide for a proper soundstage !

Me too. I infer that a nice guy named Tim saved weeks of waiting and got a screaming deal. Smart guy!

I can understand why you'd wait to spike them. I'm doing it today instead of going to the gym.:)

I watched the new Star Wars yesterday. Fast review: silly movie utterly lacking in imagination, great sound track. The best thing was the music by John William's played over the credits. The sound these speakers reproduced was stunning in its reach and extension.

There's a fair amount of cyber ink about how Kevin wants you to deploy these speakers. Following his recommendations seems to work.

I tipped them over to install the spikes and to my surprise they just didn't want to screw in. It feels like the captive nuts' threads don't match the spikes or vice versa. Am I missing something?

Sorry to hear that. Maybe they changed sizes of the spikes or threaded inserts. I had no issue with mine. It might be time for a call to your dealer.

That happened to me with the 208's, on BOTH speakers, 2 spikes screwed in perfectly (2 spikes per speaker) and I had to use a bit WD40 on the others. One would simply not go in more than 1/4 way.

The dealer sent me a new set of spikes, I tried the new pieces and only 6 of the (new) 8 fit correctly. I ended up using something different to decouple the speakers from the floor. Honestly, its the only disappointment I have had with the 208's, still, this should't happen. Surprised you are experiencing this with the Ultima line.

I hope the Stillpoint adaptors screw in OK...

Hehehe!