[TuteTibiImperes]

The statement that the tone controls "were removed to clean up the crossovers" in the new F228 implies that the Salon 2 would be better without them. I am not buying the statement. It is possible that deleting the tone controls simplifies that design of the crossovers, reducing the cost, but the cost of the F228 is twice that of the F208.

I have not made the final decision yet. The salon 2s/studio 2 are too intrusive for the intended room, which leaves the F36, F208 and F228. I do believe the last two are more refined. Leaning toward the F208 for its share value. Pity it does not have the ceramic cones, which I think is a real advance. I am sure the new tweeters are great but an old dog like me would not benefit greatly from tweeter's extended range.

As a matter of philosophy I think that other than the speaker and the source material, the most important determinant to how your music sounds is the room in which the speaker is placed. Having the tone controls helps contour the speaker to the room. Yes, I know that you can do the same with external electronics but I want to believe that Revel has calibrated their tone controls to match their speakers crossovers and therefore should be superior to any external electronics. I know that there are fancy calibration software/hardware but I am not sure I want to delve into that complexity. What I want is an excellent set of speakers, whose voice I will love, and are easy to place and contour to a room with a minimum amount fuss. Then I can sit back and enjoy the music. I think many of my friends desire the same thing.

I look forward to someone's review of the F228 on comparison to the F208.

The electronics landscape has changed dramatically since the Ultima2 line was released. Ten years ago when the Salon2 hit the market you didn't have 2-channel gear with advanced DSP and room correction readily available. Now you have options from Lyndorf, DEQX, Anthem, Legacy, Trinnov, and others plus in-line Dirac processors from MiniDSP, not to mention all of the PC-based systems if you use a computer as a source.

Adjusting bass response with port bungs or boundary switches is like using a sledgehammer while modern DSP is like a scalpel. As far as treble goes that can be best addressed by adjusting toe-in and judicious use of room treatments.

 

[Spinaker01]

The statement that the tone controls "were removed to clean up the crossovers" in the new F228 implies that the Salon 2 would be better without them. I am not buying the statement. It is possible that deleting the tone controls simplifies that design of the crossovers, reducing the cost, but the cost of the F228 is twice that of the F208.

I have not made the final decision yet. The salon 2s/studio 2 are too intrusive for the intended room, which leaves the F36, F208 and F228. I do believe the last two are more refined. Leaning toward the F208 for its share value. Pity it does not have the ceramic cones, which I think is a real advance. I am sure the new tweeters are great but an old dog like me would not benefit greatly from tweeter's extended range.

As a matter of philosophy I think that other than the speaker and the source material, the most important determinant to how your music sounds is the room in which the speaker is placed. Having the tone controls helps contour the speaker to the room. Yes, I know that you can do the same with external electronics but I want to believe that Revel has calibrated their tone controls to match their speakers crossovers and therefore should be superior to any external electronics. I know that there are fancy calibration software/hardware but I am not sure I want to delve into that complexity. What I want is an excellent set of speakers, whose voice I will love, and are easy to place and contour to a room with a minimum amount fuss. Then I can sit back and enjoy the music. I think many of my friends desire the same thing.

I look forward to someone's review of the F228 on comparison to the F208.

You don’t need golden ears or hearing that extends to 18kHz. My hearing has dropped off a cliff beyond 10kHz and I can absolutely hear the difference a Be tweeter makes in a well designed speaker. Most of the music range they reproduce is in the 2500 to 7500 Hz range in any event. Listen to a pair before you make a final judgement. Cheers!

 

[John Schuermann]

Hey everyone - I am on a much needed vacation so don't expect much from me for a few days. But here's a tease:

Spent almost an entire day at Kevin Voecks house listening to the Salon2s in his space. Spent a couple of hours at Floyd Toole's house listening to the Salon2s in HIS space.

Kevin's place is pretty dead acoustically, and his Salon2s are toed in almost directly at MLP. Imaging is pinpoint, to the point where you could use a laser pointer and pick out the location of every sound across the front soundstage. Floyd's place is not nearly as dead acoustically, with an untreated vaulted ceiling and drapes on one side and the back, and an opening to another room on the other. Speakers only slightly toed in, and hanging upside down to create a higher soundstage. In Floyd's house, they still image extremely well but sound freaking huge. The elevated soundstage was intriguing - like what you experience at a real concert with the musicians up on the stage. Floyd played an Eargle recording of a Schubert piano concerto that sounded just astounding through the Salon2s - I've never heard more realistic grand piano dynamics.

In both places they still sounded like Salon2s Differences were in pinpoint imaging and in the presentation of the soundstage.

More later - I'm in Santa Barbara and am going to enjoy myself, dammit!

 

[Jesse44]

Floyd played an Eargle recording of a Schubert piano concerto that sounded just astounding through the Salon2s - I've never heard more realistic grand piano dynamics.

Was it Carol Rosenberger playing the Sonata in B-flat, D.960?

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[shelly40]

So I picked up a pair of the M126be today.....

Seems like a waste to use them as surrounds with my Salon 2 mains....

So,for now at least, they will be used in my office system, with a Martin Logan Depth subwoofer, and Outlaw Audio 200 wpc mono amps....

So far, after a little listening right out of the box, I am very impressed.....
Terrific bookshelf speaker....

I will give more impressions over the next couple of weeks as they break in....

Shelly

 

[DonH50]

So I picked up a pair of the M126be today.....

Seems like a waste to use them as surrounds with my Salon 2 mains....

Shelly

Quite right, they're far too good for that. Ship your Salon2's to me and I'll be glad to facilitate your desire for M126Be mains, no worries, anything to help out.

Do let us know how the new little Be guys do!

 

[CruelInventions]

I will give more impressions over the next couple of weeks as they break in....

Shelly

They're already broken in. Let us know when your ears have had more of a chance to break in with these speakers.

 

[RichB]

Quite right, they're far too good for that. Ship your Salon2's to me and I'll be glad to facilitate your desire for M126Be mains, no worries, anything to help out.

Do let us know how the new little Be guys do!

I feel unclean using Studio2's for my rears. There are others with even more waste


- Rich

 

[gsr]

I feel unclean using Studio2's for my rears. There are others with even more waste

I resemble that remark. I feel downright filthy using Salon2's for my sides and rears.

 

[digitaldav]

salon 2 amplifier

I am using an Emotiva XPA-2 gen 2 to run my salons and would like some opinions on using the newer ATI544NC 500 Watts x 4 utilizing all four channels to bi-amp them. Have read so many posts my eyes are getting blurry is there anyone using this setup? If so what do you think?
Thanks for any info

Dom

 

[steven59]

Do you have the ability to bring different amps home to audition? I demoed 5 different units and having my reference there to compare each time really helped me keep some perspective on what I was getting for my money.

 

[digitaldav]

Do you have the ability to bring different amps home to audition? I demoed 5 different units and having my reference there to compare each time really helped me keep some perspective on what I was getting for my money.

I have not found any local shops that are willing to do that if there are any in Phoenix area you or anybody know about I'd love to try that.

 

[gordojones88]

I resemble that remark. I feel downright filthy using Salon2's for my sides and rears.

Where are pics of your setup at?

 

[gsr]

Where are pics of your setup at?

I don't really have (m)any posted; there may be a few posted in this thread if you want to go digging into my previous posts. But there's absolutely nothing special about the room as it's essentially a multi-purpose family room with a really gear. I could take and post some pictures, but I have no delusions that it would qualify for system of the year. It's the compromise I've made in living in my brother's house for cheap; we're both single and get along well, so it works out well for both of us splitting chores, keeping an eye on the house when one of us is away, etc. But it also means that I don't have absolute control over the room as I would if I bought my own house.

 

[torii]

do a google search on revel salon 2's and you might get 4 pics in a room setting

 

[bennyjammin]

I resemble that remark. I feel downright filthy using Salon2's for my sides and rears.

I’m using Studio 2s for Surround backs, and Mark and Daniel Sapphires for side surrounds. Weird right? At least the M&D’s are black to sort of match.

 

[steven59]

My v1 salon's have gotten quite a bit of interest, but no cash buyers locally and I don't have the original boxes so I see prices of $1400 to ship a pair! If anyone here has experience shipping these monsters and can recommend a trust worthy affordable shipping company it would be appreciated.

 

[Rex Anderson]

My v1 salon's have gotten quite a bit of interest, but no cash buyers locally and I don't have the original boxes so I see prices of $1400 to ship a pair! If anyone here has experience shipping these monsters and can recommend a trust worthy affordable shipping company it would be appreciated.

We moved recently. The moving company subcontracted a company to build a crate for our 65" plasma TV.


I suggest you find a company that builds crates and a freight company to ship your Salon1's. You might have $500-600 in the crates and a few hundred more to ship them via freight, but that's better than $1400.


Obviously, try to sell them locally, offer to drive a certain distance to meet halfway etc. Good luck.

 

[filmnut]

If I were a buyer and faced with paying $1400 for shipping, I'd drive 2 days round trip to pick them up myself. Gas and a night at a hotel would be a couple hundred. Even if I had to rent a pickup too, the total cost would be less than $400. And I'd have them in 2 days vs. 2 weeks.

 

[TuteTibiImperes]

My v1 salon's have gotten quite a bit of interest, but no cash buyers locally and I don't have the original boxes so I see prices of $1400 to ship a pair! If anyone here has experience shipping these monsters and can recommend a trust worthy affordable shipping company it would be appreciated.

Try Uship.com, it's a middleman website that lets you put out a bid for truckers who may have extra space and are going to where you're looking to send your speakers or who can make a swing by. Depending on the carrier they may offer all of the way up to white glove service, but you can select what you want when you put out the bid and those willing to do it will bid on it for you. I used them to ship a pair of large heavy towers from the Seattle area to South Florida for the mid-$600s range. They didn't crate, but they did pick them up at the seller's place, wrap them in bubble wrap and cardboard, place them in a place on the truck where they were secured, and brought them into my listening room when they arrived. They also offer insurance.