I'm Discovering REVEL: WOW!!!

[McDaddy]

Looking great!

Originally Posted by Pio

Guys

wanted to check in - haven't been on because I've been enjoying the F208's so much. After the break in period, the highs settled in perfectly and the balance is so smooth and just right!

I'm enjoying my music collection so much! That's probably the highest compliment I can give these speakers.

Interestingly, there are some records that didn't sound quite right with my previous set up, which I chalked up to bad recordings and or bad mixing, all of a sudden, they sound quite right.

Anyways, very impressed with Harman / Revel and the amazing F208's!

Here are my current set ups:

Main Stereo Listening: Revel F208 (finish is hard to photograph, very shiny, driven by Parasound Jc1's. I just moved the VPI table from between the power amps closer to where I store the vinyl.





Headphone system with KEF LS50 / Woo Audio and Aragoon 8008



Home Theater (no center channel - maybe after Winter ) B&W 802D2 Marantz, Oppo (gear hiding) - you can see the Sunfire Signature though

[slayers]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Since becoming a Revel dealer recently, I will be adding a pair up in Cape Cod.

What can I get the REVEL F208 for or Studios 2?

[Pampero]

Originally Posted by Pio

What a nice place to listen to music!

I just read every post in this thread and I'm happy to return the conversation to the F208. Nearing two weeks of ownership, I rush home to listen to them. They're addictive.

I agree with virtually all your comments about the 208s. How much more can anybody expect from a product at this price? Like creme brulee: rich, creamy, satisfying.

[Pio]

Originally Posted by Pampero

What a nice place to listen to music!

I just read every post in this thread and I'm happy to return the conversation to the F208. Nearing two weeks of ownership, I rush home to listen to them. They're addictive.

I agree with virtually all your comments about the 208s. How much more can anybody expect from a product at this price? Like creme brulee: rich, creamy, satisfying.

Thanks Pampero! Have the highs calmed down a bit on yours?

[ElBerryKM13]

To Pio: I see that you have both the 802d2 and the f208's and I wonder which one produces the better sound of the two? Say you have to keep one set which one would you keep and why? Thank you!

[Pampero]

Originally Posted by Pio

Thanks Pampero! Have the highs calmed down a bit on yours?

For most program, they're smooth and extended, with the hard edge all but vanished. I'm listening to Loreena McKennitt as I type this (Book of Secrets), and the speakers are entirely out of the way.

I set the HF control to 0 about two days ago and it's smoother than it was with 1 dB of cut when I first got them.

I've also been using them as a two channel adjunct to my 75" Sony and as a lot of people have remarked, they work just as well in that role. Love these speakers.

[Pio]

Originally Posted by ElBerryKM13

To Pio: I see that you have both the 802d2 and the f208's and I wonder which one produces the better sound of the two? Say you have to keep one set which one would you keep and why? Thank you!

ElBerryKM13


The short answer is I prefer the 208's for music.

Not to say I dislike the 802's, like them very much. But there is a bump in the upper midrange / lower treble in the 802's that makes me turn the volume down on certain types of music, especially female vocals like Adele. After a certain volume, her vocals are just piercing on the 802's. And yes, my room is treated and sounds excellent.

And I have had experience in MANY rooms! FWIW - for business, I have had to relocate all over the country since the early 90's - from LA to Miami (several times) from Miami to Dallas, back to Miami and now I live in New Jersey. And (to my ears) the bump in highs I described above has been a characteristic of the 802N, 802D and now the 802D2. Regardless of type of solid state amplifier I used.

From my experience, 802's sound better along the long wall of a room and placed fairly close to the wall to re-inforce the bass. This is how I have them set up in the living room / HT and I really like the way the 802's sound set up that way. Tames the highs too makes the bass come alive better at lower volumes.

When the 802's where my main music speakers, I always felt like I was evaluating them. I would get up and move them closer or farther from the front wall, tweak the toe in, this was almost every listening session. So, I was never truly 100% happy.

With the 208's I just sit back and listen to the music. I have not moved them around, messed with toe-in, nada. It's just a non-issue, they just sound right so I just enjoy the art of music more on them.
The top to bottom balance is pretty near state of the art IMO.

I struggled with this for a while. How could a considerably less expensive pair of speakers even be in the same neighborhood? But after countless hours of listening the Revel's stayed in the music room and the B&W's went to the HT.

I would hate to have to decide on just keeping one pair (just like I can't part with my 805S's or the KEF LS50's - I know, I'm nuts ). Every time I look at the 802's I think, man this is the monitor used in Skywalker Studios, Abbey Road, these are iconic and there is a certain pride I feel about having them in my home.
So, there is a connection there with the B&W's as pieces of art / craftmanship. Like owning a fine watch that might be not be as accurate as your iPhone or Droid, but you love the way it looks and would wear it on your person. However, everytime I truly want to know what time it is 10 out of 10 times I confirm with my phone and not my watch!

Originally Posted by Pampero

For most program, they're smooth and extended, with the hard edge all but vanished. I'm listening to Loreena McKennitt as I type this (Book of Secrets), and the speakers are entirely out of the way.

I set the HF control to 0 about two days ago and it's smoother than it was with 1 dB of cut when I first got them.

I've also been using them as a two channel adjunct to my 75" Sony and as a lot of people have remarked, they work just as well in that role. Love these speakers.

Same here. At first the highs were just a bit too much, now they are just perfect!

[Pampero]

I have some thoughts regarding Revel vis a vis B&W gleaned from my recent (exhaustive! ) shopping experiences but rather than sidetrack this discussion I'll start another thread (in this section) to explore them.

[Pio]

Originally Posted by Pampero

I have some thoughts regarding Revel vis a vis B&W gleaned from my recent (exhaustive! ) shopping experiences but rather than sidetrack this discussion I'll start another thread (in this section) to explore them.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

[Pampero]

Ok, let's do it here rather than start a potentially inflammatory thread titled "B&W vs. Revel."



My thinking was inspired by your comments in post 47.

I didn't have brand loyalty or preconceived notions in mind when the idea of a new system popped into my head. I just wanted to take advantage of our newly acquired house's dedicated room. My prejudices, if we can call them that, were to stick with solid state electronics and get a rig I could live with for the long term.

In my shopping which was very enjoyable, there were a number of waypoints that made me think "I could be happy with that." Having my work experience, I didn't start out thinking making the decisions would be nearly as perplexing as it turned out to be.

As I did my homework and poured over reviews, I was reminded several times of the research and personnel at Harman with whom I'd worked or been aware of. I'm referring to Floyd Toole, Shawn Olive, Tod Welte and the Revel team (who I don't personally know) all of whom are instrumental in respect to the fundamental philosophy that now guides many of Harman's efforts.

If I had any prejudices, it was to not buy a Harman product since my contract had been terminated by the president of the Pro division in 2010. Still, I felt I shouldn't bite off my nose to spite my face so I decided to give Revel a fair chance along with the others. That was around the same time I discovered my proposed budget was inadequate to the task in 2016 dollars. I allocated more. You know the story.

I decided that the F206 and F208 might suit my criteria and I should seek them out. The dealer who provided this opportunity also carries B&W so I could audition both side by side. The F206 was nice but it didn't meet the full range requirement I had in my head. We moved to the money room where the Revels were represented by F208s and Salons and the range of B&W 800 series were also parked.

F208s were up first, McIntosh driven They were fine but not initially exciting, more like "competent." The Salons were more rousing, still somewhat unassuming, but clean, commanding and in control. I asked to hear the B&W 800D2s. Big sound, crystal clear presentation, wall to wall soundstage, but perhaps more forward and just a bit bright to my ears? Still, I/we were extremely impressed. I wanted them! Yet even as I listened, while the B&Ws seemed very exciting, they did have a certain edge, a brightness, that was not present in the Revels. After some time we (wife was with me) decided we had taken enough of our salesman's time and thanked him for his attention. I went home excited by the B&Ws but still in doubt.

After I got home and started to think about it I thought despite my inclination towards the B&Ws that both Revel models had something I thought worth exploring. Actually, it was what they didn't have. No tilt. No special detail or peaks, no effort to impress, they just were right there. They were satisfying in an understated way (except for very glossy veneer).
I revisited the shop and auditioned the Salon2s/F208s against the B&W (803 and 800s) a second time without my wife. The second listening was revealing. I decided that while the B&Ws were exciting, the Revels might have a balance more to my liking. Demoed with the Mc stuff, they struck a sweet balance, even in the showroom.

The B&Ws are great bold statements and I'm sure I'd love them if they were here, but I like Revel's smoother sound better. They're easy to listen to but not dark or veiled. They are revealing and detailed with good extension. I'm not sure I'd feel the same about the B&Ws. Surprisingly, in this case the American speakers have the smoother voice and the Brits have the excitement. I know from experience that I grow tired of a balance on the lively side, and your comments hinted at that in respect to your ownership experience. Ownership has reinforced my sentiments.

As I said, I wasn't considering Revels when I started out. I was much more inclined to something like Raidho, ProAc, Harbeth, B&W or KEF based on my prior experiences but the Revels won me over. It wasn't immediately obvious and I suspect other people comparison shopping for products at this level might have the same initial responses I did. That is, that the B&Ws are obvious choices. But for me, the Revel's charms grow greatly with familiarity.