New Revel Performa4 / Arcam Radia speaker line-up -- with Anechoic EQ

[TurtlePaul]

$3,000 for a 10” sub is certainly a price.

 

[Imakeller]

I’m interested to see Revel does an Ultima3 series. There’s supposed to be a press release/event in early March. Hopefully it’s not just an announcement of what we already know. We’ll see.

 

[kyuu]

$3,000 for a 10” sub is certainly a price.

Yes, Revel has never priced their subs sensibly. Even with a sale and/or dealer pricing, still doesn't make sense unless you just don't have to care about what things cost and want a matching system all around.

But ff you can get one on a weird open-box discount of $500 , as I got mine (well, mine is the Concerta subwoofer I believe), you will discover that they make probably the best 10" subwoofers out there.

 

[amper42]

To me, this doesn't seem like a Revel speaker. It's kind of a letdown. Reminds me of the old Paradigm 800F speakers.

 

[kyuu]

To me, this doesn't seem like a Revel speaker. It's kind of a letdown.

In what way?

 

[MarkS]

The P3 Revels seemed more physically imposing and gave off a more of an "engineering first" vibe (IMO):

 

[FrantzM]

$3,000 for a 10” sub is certainly a price.

Agreed. Let’s also drop the euphemisms: if it’s indeed $3000, it’s not competitive, at least for us ASR-informed. You get for that cash outlay, a pair or even a trio of powerful subwoofers from the likes of HSU, SVS, Rythmik, Monoprice, etc, each capable of obliterating this or most any 10 inchers.
Curious, HEA-like pricing.
Let’s wait for confirmation. We’re still in the Internet fueled zone of wild speculations

 

[amper42]

In what way?

Once you experience amazingly powerful deep ceramic composite aluminum 8" woofers mounted in beautifully crafted, rounded cabinets and the signature crazy wide dispersion of Revel F328Be and F228Be, its hard to go back to a smaller, 6.5" design that's obviously as much about reducing shipping size and production costs as the actual audio experience. These speakers ring of compromise. Did the previous Revel engineering team get pink slips? Not my Revel.

 

[Chester]

To me, this doesn't seem like a Revel speaker.

Totally agree. Subjectively, they look more mass market and cheaper to me.

 

[Beave]

Once you experience amazingly powerful deep ceramic composite aluminum 8" woofers mounted in beautifully crafted, rounded cabinets and the signature crazy wide dispersion of Revel F328Be and F228Be, its hard to go back to a smaller, 6.5" design that's obviously as much about reducing shipping size and production costs as the actual audio experience. These speakers ring of compromise. Did the previous Revel engineering team get pink slips? Not my Revel.

You seem to be comparing the new Performa 4 lineup with the Performa Be lineup, when the comparison should be the Performa 4 versus the Performa 3.

 

[amper42]

You seem to be comparing the new Performa 4 lineup with the Performa Be lineup, when the comparison should be the Performa 4 versus the Performa 3.

Hmm.. both have 8" woofers.
Performa 3 and Be share a lot of features.

Downgrading to 6.5" woofers is not one of them.
Calling the new design "F346" is begging for an F328Be comparison.

 

[3125b]

$3,000 for a 10” sub is certainly a price.

It’s just there to advertise a 70% discount and still make a good amount money.

 

[3125b]

Subjectively, they look more mass market and cheaper to me.

They look like a premium Infinity.

 

[Beave]

Hmm.. both have 8" woofers.
Performa 3 and Be share a lot of features.

Downgrading to 6.5" woofers is not one of them.
Calling the new design "F346" is begging for an F328Be comparison.

Three 6.5" woofers in the new ones versus two 8" woofers in the previous series. Not really a downgrade, more a sideways move. There are pros and cons to each approach, but the surface areas are comparable.

 

[amper42]

Three 6.5" woofers in the new ones versus two 8" woofers in the previous series. Not really a downgrade, more a sideways move. There are pros and cons to each approach, but the surface areas are comparable.

3 x 8" woofers will leave 3 x 6.5" in the dust
and
2 x 8" will sound more effortless at lower volumes and offer more bass than 3 x 6.5"
Larger cones offer a lower natural resonant frequency.

 

[Buckchester]

You seem to be comparing the new Performa 4 lineup with the Performa Be lineup, when the comparison should be the Performa 4 versus the Performa 3.

I disagree. I think they are both fair comparisons. After all, didn’t Kal R do a blind comparison a few years back that included both the f208 and 228be and he couldn’t reliably tell the difference because they were so similar sounding?

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I disagree. I think they are both fair comparisons. After all, didn’t Kal R do a blind comparison a few years back that included both the f208 and 228be and he couldn’t reliably tell the difference because they were so similar sounding?

I do not recall doing that but I would have liked to.

 

[Nopiano]

Purely on a visual point, I don’t think a thin yellow trim will age well. The cabinet might look nice in some more contemporary colour options, or natural wood.

 

[Buckchester]

I do not recall doing that but I would have liked to.

Oh, I just found your article from 2019. It was the 228be and Salon 2 that you found hard to distinguish. My bad.

In your opinion, do you think it would be easy to distinguish the f208 and 228be in a blind test?

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Oh, I just found your article from 2019. It was the 228be and Salon 2 that you found hard to distinguish. My bad.

In your opinion, do you think it would be easy to distinguish the f208 and 228be in a blind test?

I suspect not.