Revel Owners Thread - Page 7

Yep, I finally came to my senses and bought the M22's. To me, they sound darn near perfect.

Well i'm glad to hear. For the price i would have to agree. what is your total setup like??? Just kinda curious how large is your listening area??? and do those 22 have sweet lower end extention???

I'm using an Onkyo A/V receiver, but I'm running it in 2-channel direct mode, so all the sound processing is off. My room is roughly 15' x 15'. As far as bass, I won't be needing a sub, the M22 has plenty for me. It goes plenty low, but people who like to feel bass instead of just hear it would probably want a sub.

Just curious:

would you guys recommend a pair of F12's and a C12 or three M22's and a sub for the front part of a home theater system? thanks

I'm new to this thread and have purchased the M22's in maple taking advantage of the sale price and the information in this thread. I have had them a couple of weeks and I can say I am VERY pleased with my purchase.

I am running them with an ATI 1502 amp (150W@8ohm 250w@4ohm) through an HK3480 receiver used as a pre-amp and all music played using FLAC files and a Squeeze Box 3.

I replaced Axiom M22's which I really liked but these speakers are in a different league as well they should be for the price. The most remarkable thing to me is how easy they are to listen to. No warts, no pimples, nothing that gets your attention in a negative way, just clean and pure. Plenty of bass for my needs (turned off the sub) as I listen to mainly jazz and soft rock but they will rock when asked and play VERY loud.

As has been suggested I think they need a lot of clean power to really come alive and the ATI delivers. It will crank to ear injuring levels and remain very clear.

The one thing that I was a bit disappointed in was their ability to 'disappear' into the room, that is, until I tried moving them about 4 ft' out from the wall. WOW is all I can say. I will not pretend to be an audiophile but IMHO the difference in depth of sound stage was staggering and the music seemed to come from every place OTHER than the speakers. It was quite amazing and these speakers seem to get better all the time.

I have no idea how anyone can live with speakers in the middle of their living room but they sound nice when placed away from the wall. It didn't seem to matter much which way the wall mount stand mount switch was placed either. Again, I won't be leaving them out 4ft from the wall but that's where they shine.

It's seems they are reviewed and compared very little on this forum and I'm sure the price knocks them out of a lot of comparisons but I'd like to read a comparison with the new Swam D2.1SE's and the new Sierras simply because I have so little experience with speakers (this being my second set of good speakers).

I am pretty sure though that for the current price of the maples, I agree with the other posters - they are a ridiculous bargain. Highly recommended.

Anyone know what the list prices are on the Studio2 and Voice2?

I vote for neither. I'd go with a hybrid option of a pair of Performa M22s as L/R mains and a Concerta C12 CC speaker along with a great sub (or two).

The F12 would require a sub to support it on movies anyway, and the M22s will do 2 channel music better than anything in the Concerta Series, but the Concerta CC and surrounds are more than adequate for movie soundtracks.

A lot!

This the first time I have seen someone recommending a center channel from a different line, albeit from the same manufacturer, over three identical speakers for the front three. Unless there is some shortcomings in the M22's when used as a center, I say go for three M22 if your setup allows.

Well for one thing, can you even buy the M22s as singles? And even if you can, a M22 only has "flush" and "stand" boundary options, not a "TV" option like the C32. The C12 doesn't have any at all, but it was actually designed to be just above or below a TV. Plus, as the director of engineering at one of Revel's competitors once said:


Here is the response I got from Revel CS about using M22s with a Concerta CC and surrounds:

"Hello Mark,
Thank you for your email regarding your Revel speakers. Replacing the
M12's with M22's would improve the sound of your system, but I do not
believe you would find any timbre mismatch. While the driver complements
are not the same from the Concerta to the Performa series, the sound
quality is close enough that you should not notice any lack of cohesion
through the various speakers. Any of the combinations you describe
should work well. The M12 and M22 do share a common pedestal. The C12,
C32 and C52 also share a common pedestal. Please let me know if you
have
further questions.

Thanks

Best Regards,"

Keep in mind too, that while I have no doubts the Performas are better than the Concertas in every way, IE - drivers, crossovers, cabinet bracing, and just plain built better to higher tolerances, if however, the Concertas were also assembled in CA instead of Mexico, they would prolly cost significantly higher than they do (IOW, the F12 would prolly retail for at least $2000, maybe even $2500 or more).

Basically what I'm trying to say here is that there is not as dramatic a difference between them as you might think.

This exactly what I did too, I snagged a pair of the maple M22s for the main L/R channels, and IMO, they are definitely better than the M12s. Not a dramatic, night and day kind of difference better mind you, but noticeably so nonetheless. And as someone else has already pointed out on this thread, with the clearance price the maple M22s are currently going for, they are not really all that much more than a pair of M12s, so it's almost a no brainer. You will definitely know where that few extra hundred $$$ went when you hear them.

However, I could not justify paying more for a C32 than another pair of M22s cost just for movie soundtracks though. Then again, my priority is admittedly 2 channel music much more so than movies, which is exactly where the difference between the M22s and M12s shines through most much more so than movies.

Congrats!

I've had the M22s for a couple days now, and am firmly in love. I've had six different pairs of speakers in the last six months. Very glad I have finally found a keeper. Am using a cmt340se center and htm200s for surrounds and they all sound great together, although this is a 90% music system. First and most obvious is the huge depth of the soundstage. It is hard to describe, but I am hearing things from slightly behind me to slightly behind the actual speakers. Very cool. This is in a quite small, but well treated room. Width and height are also very good, but the depth really stands out compared to other speakers I've tried in this room.

Bloodstone, would you be so kind as to elaborate a bit on the other speakers you tried and a brief description/comparison to the M22's?

Thanks in advance

In case anyone is interested, I have a pair of almost new F52's for sale at a firesale price (for full details, PM me or check my ad over in the classifieds section).

OK Revel owners. Is anyone using Musical Fidelity to run their speakers? I just got a MF 5 preamp for my studios and I'm really liking it. But I'm still looking for a better power amp to run them with. Would the MF 5 be a good choice?

got the M22 paired w/ Primare I21, and Hsu STF2 for below 80.
just hook it up, sound great...I think i can go w/o a sub too for most music, will try later

$16000/pr and $8000. As Mark said, a lot!

Hey guys, just stumbled across this thread. I have some Revel action in my 5.1 HT, Performa F30 mains and Performa B15a sub. Great products, I've been very satisfied.

Anyone have any experience with both these speakers? I have heard the B&W 802D and liked them a lot, to the point that I am seriously considering putting my money down on them but have been told to wait on any purchasing decision until I hear the new Studio2s (yes, they are $4k more but leaving that aside, are the new Revels likely to be better than the B&W's?) Only listening can determine this so until I get a chance, if ever given the dealership limitations locally, has anyone out there heard these two? I am considering a trip out of town to hear them but just how much effort must a guy make to spend $$$ on speakers these days???

Anyone know if the wholesale pricing to the dealer on the Ultima2 line might allow for greater discounts to the end customer than with the Performa line? My impression is that the Performa line wholesales for around 50% of retail, and I remember a post here suggesting someone got a Performa setup for around 40% off msrp.

The Voice2 is really out of line, price-wise. Listing for the same $8k per speaker as the Studio2, even though the Voice2 has a much smaller cabinet. Over in the Performa line, the C52 is much less money than the F52. I don't see why the Ultima2 line should be any different....i.e., the Voice2 should be a similar percentage less than the Studio2.

Based on experiences with dealers, in the very best of cases (huge sale), expect 25% off. The guy who got 40% off is insanely lucky and the dealer probably just wanted to get rid of them, and wasn't able to for a long time. I'd be very happy to walk away with 20% off, but it isn't likely, while 15% would be pretty easy to get with some haggling.

Of course, it depends where you live. My local dealer has both the B&Ws and the Revels (as do I).

Thanks to this thread I just picked up a pair of the M22s. Curious if you have any suggested sources for a C32 to go with them. At my local dealers it is an "order only" item and therefor MSRP.

Thx...

Did you get the Maples on sale? What are your impressions?

Well bully for you Kal ....my dealers have Wilson, Sonus Faber and Wilson Benesch (but he won't demo the latter two as he is convinced only the Wilsons are better than anything else ..LOL!) The B&W dealer is fine, if you like HT, and the Revel dealer has no Revels to audition, only to sell.....stop me, it's beyond hysterical! I really have to fly hours out of here to get to hear anything from Revel so I repeat...anyone had a chance to hear the new Revels against the 802D??? So Kal...how about you take a trip to that dealer and give us an opinion????

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....ull&1192293705

No need for me but my opinions are under contract. Mebbe you'd like to drop in for a visit.

Hum...NYC or CT....bit of a trek from TX but I could be tempted if work takes me that way. Since your opinions are under contract, can I assume we'll be reading an Ultima2 review soon????

The stuff you want to hear is in NYC. Sure, there will be a review but it may not be soon enough for you.

I haven't heard either, unlike Kal. BTW are these for HT or music only? If for HT, I noticed in the Stereophile review some dispersion characteristics with the 802D that seem less than optimal imho. I guess we won't know how the Salon2/Studio2 look in this regard until Kal publishes for us.