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From Revel M105 to M126Be

roa51

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Hi All,
I am thinking about moving from a pair of Revel M105 to a pair of M126Be's. This is for two channels only.
Good choice or not? Maybe I should look at some other bookshelfs? Really need some help.

Thanks
roa51
 

ex audiophile

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I don't think you would notice a significant difference, and considering the large difference in cost it would not IMO be worthwhile. I had a pair of 126bes and they were excellent to my ears, however I wanted a bit more bass and didn't want to hassle with subs so I replaced them with 226bes which are now my favorite speaker. I also put a pair of M106s into another 2 channel setup and I'm certain I could not tell them apart from the 126bes. So IMHO I think you'd get a lot more bang for the buck moving to a floorstander, even a smallish one like the 226be. Alternatively if you don't have room eq/bass management you could purchase an Anthem STR preamp and benefit from the superb new beta version of ARC :)
 

beren777

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I went from a pair of M106's to M126Be's and have been happy with them in a small room. At this point I am not applying room EQ to them.

I bought open box instead of full retail. There's no way I could afford to pay MSRP for them.

You should first try to identify what you don't like about your M105's and whether other, less expensive changes could improve those issues.
 

phoenixdogfan

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Seems like an enormous price boost for just that tweeter. I doubt most audiophiles (who no longer have much high frequency hearing above 10khz) will even notice the difference.

I bet the cabinets and baffle have nicer finishes as well which might actually be a better reason for most people to pony up the extra cash.
 

groovybassist

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There are less costly alternatives to the M126be. I was running LS50 Metas, and while I loved the transparency and balanced frequency response, I wanted just a little more bass. After a bit of research, I settled on the PSB B600. They measure well, are well built/finished, sound great to me and provide much better bass response than the LS50M. I was able to get them when PSB had a 20% off deal and before the price increased recently. There is a Soundstage review that has measurements and compares them directly to the M126be - might be worth checking out.
 

dkinric

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Considering Amir's measurements and preference score, not sure you are going to get much better unless you need more SPL for a really big room. If you don't already, adding a sub(s) and addressing the biggest room flaws will be the most significant improvements.
I have the M105s paired with two subs controlled with MiniDSP Dirac Live in a medium size room and it sounds phenomenal.
 

mj30250

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I've never listened to a Revel bookshelf, but I do own the F226Bes, which are fantastic. Depending on where you live, I'd also check out the Ascend Acoustics LX bookshelf. It's a very tonally neutral speaker (as is the M126Be), is of a similar size, outputs much more bass, and is significantly less expensive.
 

Beave

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Seems like an enormous price boost for just that tweeter. I doubt most audiophiles (who no longer have much high frequency hearing above 10khz) will even notice the difference.

I bet the cabinets and baffle have nicer finishes as well which might actually be a better reason for most people to pony up the extra cash.

Not "just that tweeter." Different woofer too, and crossover.
 
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roa51

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Hi All,
Thanks for your reply to my post. I really like my Revel M105 but was hoping with a move to the M126Be
I would get better sound quality, better sound stage/image and more refinement. I don't want new speakers
just to have new speakers. 4K plus is a lot of money for very little change in SQ.

My listening room(13x20 ft.) is my living room, so eq/bass management is not an option. My wife would have my
head if I moved stuff around. What move, if any, would you recommend? I would like to stay with bookshelf speakers
and subs or maybe a small Floor-standing speaker.

Thanks
roa51
 

amper42

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I compared my Revel M105 to the $1700 BMR Monitor in my office. The BMR monitor is a huge upgrade in sound and offers a significantly fuller sound to my ears. In a medium size room the BMR monitor is awesome and makes the M105 seem meek.

In a larger listening room I have the F328Be. It's sensitivity is much higher and definitely prefer it over the BMR monitor for a big room. Frankly, I don't think the M105 is all that great even in a smaller room. The 5.25" driver doesn't have the control I'm looking for. If I try to use them in stereo I have to EQ the lower bass. If I don't cross them over at 80Hz or put in a bass shelf the low end distorts and sounds boomy with lots of my tracks. I really should just sell my M105. :D

For the 13x20 room the BMR Monitor would be a huge improvement at only $1700 and you could probably get near $1000 for the M105. Or the Revel F226Be would be fabulous but you are talking 3-4x as much.
 
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muad

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Hi All,
Thanks for your reply to my post. I really like my Revel M105 but was hoping with a move to the M126Be
I would get better sound quality, better sound stage/image and more refinement. I don't want new speakers
just to have new speakers. 4K plus is a lot of money for very little change in SQ.

My listening room(13x20 ft.) is my living room, so eq/bass management is not an option. My wife would have my
head if I moved stuff around. What move, if any, would you recommend? I would like to stay with bookshelf speakers
and subs or maybe a small Floor-standing speaker.

Thanks
roa51

I would consider mj30250s recommendation of ascend sierra Lx. I've owned the F206, BMR, LS50Ms, KEF R3 and whole bunch of other towers and bookshelf speakers. I think the LX is my favourite. Clear, full, smooth, great soundstage, great bass, no fatigue and tower like room filling sound. Other speaker may sound better with the odd song or two, but the LXs do everything well, and work for any music genre.

I consider these my end game speakers. I'm not sure how much better it can get, and these will likely be my speaker for the next 10 years. (Never said that before)
 

aarons915

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I compared my Revel M105 to the $1700 BMR Monitor in my office. The BMR monitor is a huge upgrade in sound and offers a significantly fuller sound to my ears. In a medium size room the BMR monitor is awesome and makes the M105 seem meek.

In a larger listening room I have the F328Be. It's sensitivity is much higher and definitely prefer it over the BMR monitor for a big room.

These comments are exactly why I normalize the bass when I compare speakers, bass performance is responsible for something like 30% of preference. Of course I always plan on using dual subs so it makes sense for me, if you don't use subs then bass is definitely important.
 

ROOSKIE

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I don't have much time, I can add more later.
The M126be is stunning. I was totally prepared to return them if they did not seem truly worth so much money. 1 single session was all it took to make them my reference monitors.
I have the BMR's as mentioned by previous folks. BMRs are greats speakers. The m126be is notable more dynamic despite the smaller size. It is the by far the most impressive bookshelf speaker I have tried.
Completely met my personal tastes. Very vibrant but never ever harsh, brash or etched/grainy.
Capable of substantual clean effortless SPL when HPed at 80hrz. Also sound great at all volumes.
The one thing about the BMR is the super wide dispersion can be really nice, almost like a cloud of sound. It is quite nice.
The Revel is a bit better speaker overall to my tastes.
I'd be very interested in your impressions over the m105. I have the M16 and the M126be is significantly better and quite frankly the measurements don't suggest it by themselves but 10 seconds of listening did. I don't know what else to say...
 

muad

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I don't have much time, I can add more later.
The M126be is stunning. I was totally prepared to return them if they did not seem truly worth so much money. 1 single session was all it took to make them my reference monitors.
I have the BMR's as mentioned by previous folks. BMRs are greats speakers. The m126be is notable more dynamic despite the smaller size. It is the by far the most impressive bookshelf speaker I have tried.
Completely met my personal tastes. Very vibrant but never ever harsh, brash or etched/grainy.
Capable of substantual clean effortless SPL when HPed at 80hrz. Also sound great at all volumes.
The one thing about the BMR is the super wide dispersion can be really nice, almost like a cloud of sound. It is quite nice.
The Revel is a bit better speaker overall to my tastes.
I'd be very interested in your impressions over the m105. I have the M16 and the M126be is significantly better and quite frankly the measurements don't suggest it by themselves but 10 seconds of listening did. I don't know what else to say...
I really wish they came in at a slightly more affordable price point. They sound like the ideal bookshelf. $4k is just alot of money.
 

ROOSKIE

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I really wish they came in at a slightly more affordable price point. They sound like the ideal bookshelf. $4k is just alot of money.
A good dealer will go below $3k. Quite a bit of margin on these.
Still expensive.
I am deff into my audio but not rich and appreciate how good some speakers I have tested in the $300-1500 range are now.
Really though I was actually impressed with these with no hyperbole, just honest to goodness great speakers. I would completely believe that these stood the rigor of blind testing against tough competition. I do hope Harman still does that.
None of the less expensive speakers I have tried are as good for me.
The best test is after listening to the new set for awhile can you go back to what you already appreciated or has the new speakers raised the bar in a meaningful way?
 
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roa51

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Hi All,
I would really like to thank all of you for replying to my post, very good info, but I have
another question for you. Below is a list of my current equipment and a list of speakers I
have been searching. Can someone tell watch one's you think would sound better with my system?

Current system:
Rogue Audio RP-5
Rogue Audio Hydra
Gold Note PH-10 w/PS-10
Rega planar P8 W/Ania Pro
Revel m105
SVS SB1000

Searching:
-Dynaudio Special 40
-B&W 705 S2 Signature
-Revel M126Be
-ProAC Response D2/R/D
-Monitor Audio Gold 100
-Monitor Audio Gold 200 - I picked the Gold 200 because of its small size and it sounded good in the store.
I have not auditioned the others.

Thanks
 

Beave

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It's not so much about matching your speakers to your current gear as it is matching the speakers you select to your room and your listening habits and your preferences.

Why is bass management/eq out because your room is a living room?

How are you implementing your current subwoofer with your amp?
 

beren777

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FWIW, my listening room stack in a similar small room:
  • Revel M126Be (open box purchase from a dealer, you should be able to find a dealer who can provide a good deal on new vs retail cost)
  • SVS SB-3000, probably going to sell it, barely use it
  • MiniDSP SHD (MiniDSP Flex + Dirac license probably a better value now)
  • Purifi EVAL1 in Ghent case (buying prebuilt from Buckeye would probably be a better value)
  • Audio from either laptop or streaming plug-in in the SHD
  • Tidal, usually, as the music source

I don't have EQ running currently, so far I enjoy the speakers as they are. If I enable the subwoofer, I do enable EQ and crossover to blend the bass response.

I find everything sounds better with the windows open. I imagine it's because it lessens standing waves in my small room, or maybe I just enjoy music more with a breeze and fresh air.
 
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roa51

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Hi All,
I finally pulled the trigger on a pair of Revel M126Be's (Gloss Black). I really like this speaker. It checks all the boxes for me and sounds great in my listening room. To top everything off, I really got a very nice price on the set. So, I think my search is over.

I would like to thank everyone for replying to my post, it way a big help, thanks.

Herbert
 
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