Bookshelf compare: B&W 706 S3 vs Revel M126Be

[Gingerkid]

My question in summary from a newbie; would a move from the B&W to Revel bookshelf speakers be an ‘upgrade’ or just a minor difference in respective ‘house sound’ of the two? Anyone heard both and have any guidance on how they sound? Big for size and detail is what I’m looking for.

Longer explanation; we have an open concept style home where the large living room is open to other areas, albeit with a few walls between spaces. Floor stand speakers would certainly be preferred but not an option for the space. When I made the B&W purchase I was able to compare them with KEF, Martin Logan, Paradigm and others in store - all similar price points. I really wanted to like the KEF with 3 way design and funky styling. But to my ear, the KEF R3 Metas were muffled/dull, and that was observed over multiple visits and two different stores. Perhaps I simply don’t prefer flat speakers that measure well. My dedicated listening room has Focal Aria Evo X 3 floor standers and I think the sound is absolutely fantastic. I suspect Focal Supra’s no 1 would be fun for the living room but the price keeps me away at $13k if I’m not mistaken). Just to give you an idea.. Paradigm, B&W, Focal sound good to me - I’ve read these tend to be on the brighter side of neutral.

Anyhow, I’ve been eyeing the Revel’s for the living room bookshelf speakers and as I understand they are being discontinued and on sale. For what it’s worth, I’m a rock/alt/country listener on a 2.1 setup… WiiM ultra, Rotel 1552 130wpc amp, with a big ole 100lb SVS SB-5000 15” sub for low end. Also been using the Dayton USB-C mic and experimenting with room correction. Overall, I’m relatively happy with the B&W’s plus sub, but my ‘buy and try more speakers’ bug is strong and just wondering if the Revel is bigger/better. Apologies if that’s not enough info and happy to answer questions. Thanks everyone.

 

[kemmler3D]

So the revels are going to steer you more toward the KEF sound than the B&W sound, broadly speaking. That said, they are well behaved speakers and so you can get back some of the brightness you like by dialing in +2.5dB or so between 3500-20000 hz on the revels. Very easy to do on the WiiM.

On paper the revel speakers are definitely an upgrade but you won't (from your description) prefer them without EQ. But again, the EQ will be pretty easy to dial in.

 

[Bobby Bass]

I auditioned a few of pairs of B&W speakers including the 702 S2 towers and 705 S2 and S3 bookshelves. I went with a pair of M126Be in walnut for bookshelves. FYI I went with a pair of Arendal 1723 for towers. I preferred the sound to the two B&W bookshelves. The beryllium tweeter was much smoother sounding to my ears. All of the B&W can become a bit sibilant especially a higher volumes and caused listening fatigue during longer listening sessions. I chose the Revels over the B&W. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Gingerkid]

I’ve ordered a pair and excited to hear them. I’ll also plan to post first impressions and measurements in my room on the B&W vs Revel for what it’s worth.

EDITED TO ADD: After further inquiry directly with Revel, there is no evidence the 126Be are being discontinued. That was my mistake based on an internet search. I tried to edit the original post but it doesn’t appear that is allowed.

 

[Arindal]

I was able to compare them with KEF, Martin Logan, Paradigm and others in store - all similar price points. I really wanted to like the KEF with 3 way design and funky styling. But to my ear, the KEF R3 Metas were muffled/dull, and that was observed over multiple visits and two different stores. Perhaps I simply don’t prefer flat speakers that measure well.

Unlikely that you would not like flat-measuring speakers per se. If you had muffled/dull impression, that is indicative of lack of treble/dominant lower mids+bass in the room where you have been auditioning them. That is pretty common with KEF models due to directivity behavior, I had the same impression in my rooms, so no worries.

Overall, I’m relatively happy with the B&W’s plus sub, but my ‘buy and try more speakers’ bug is strong and just wondering if the Revel is bigger/better.

From afar, I would guess that you will find them sounding very different, so the question if they are better for others is simply irrelevant.

I would rather ask what exactly you don't like in your B&Ws that you would want to exchange them? Are they imbalanced, aggressive, bright/treble-rich, boomy, diffuse, harsh, lacking focussed staging?

 

[Gingerkid]

Good questions @Arindal - I’ll preface by saying I’m a beginner and don’t have trained ears, but I’ll attempt to articulate my thoughts. The in room response measured with a calibrated mic and WiiM seems to be all over the place in the mids and treble (will post my results below). And relatively bright. I can use room correction to achieve a pretty tight curve, but it doesn’t sound good to me flipping back and forth. I’ve also read auto room correction EQ adjustments may not be better for frequencies above say 300hz. Either that is the experience/case for me or I don’t prefer the sound. My suspicion is a speaker with a smoother response may help me better understand and dial in the sound.

As a result, I’ve tried and been most pleased with room correction up to 300hz on a BK target, then I’ve layered on a -3db q 2.0 dip at 1,500hz to help with some “shouty-ness” is the best way I can describe it. At times and with different music it does seem pretty good and others not so good. On the flip side I do love detail and crisp treble and wonder if the beryllium tweeter has some magic.

At the end of the day it’s primarily driven by upgrade-itis on a speaker I’ve been eyeballing for quite a while that’s currently on sale. I plan to keep the B&W’s and repurpose them in another room.

Below are results from the BK target correction up to 300hz, non-boost mode (cut only). The spike around 1,500hz was subsequently EQ’d with a -3db adjustment. So far, that’s the best I’ve come up with after many many many attempts. The problem is I don’t know what I’m doing.