Aprude51
Member
I recently purchased a pair of Revel F35s, and besides feeling that I could have gotten similar audio quality for less money with active studio monitors, I'm very happy with them. I wanted to share with the forum, but know that anecdotal comments about sound quality are useless, and so I decided to summarize my research into them for the benefit of others.
F35, by the numbers
Audioholics
Videos
F36, frequency response, Brent Butterworth. 0° on-axis and 10°, 20°, 30°, 45° and 60° horizontal
Audioholics, Provided By Revel
F35, by the numbers
- Style: 2.5 Way Floorstander
- Sensitivity: 90dB (verified by 3rd party measurements)
- -3dB: 55hz (verified by 3rd party measurements)
- Impedance: 6 ohms (stated, closer to 4 ohms measured)
- Why I Bought Them: I set a $2,000 budget for my full system (speakers, amp, streamer/EQ, room treatment), and the F35s were the best measuring speakers I could find that fit that criteria. I ended up paying $1,100 for them, new open-box. Although my room is small, I wanted to go with floorstanders for aesthetic reasons. I have a large (100") projection screen on the wall and I felt monitors looked out of place next to that.
- Alternatives I listened to: Elac Uni-Fi UF5, Buchardt S400, JBL Stage A170, KEF R3
- Appearance: The finish, which Revel describe as "automotive grade" is impressive and looks much better in person than in photos. That, combined with the curved sides, gives the F35 a very refined look.
- Audio Quality: they sound as good as their measurements imply they should. Bass doesn't extend super deep, but is well controlled.
- Other: I was happy to find rubber feet installed by standard, with spikes included as an option
Audioholics
- Very positive review
- Review of F36 (extremely similar speaker in the same line, with slightly larger mid/bass drivers)
- Includes data & charts from Harman
- Very positive review
- Review of (F36), written by Brent Butterworth. Includes independent measurements
- Excerpt: "The response plot of the F36 could be used to illustrate the ideal dispersion for a loudspeaker. Except for a roughly half-octave-wide dip in the treble, the on-axis plot is almost perfectly flat. As the microphone moves further off-axis, there's no crossover dip or anything like that, just an increasingly gradual treble roll off."
- Very Positive Review
- Includes very limited measurements
- Excerpt: "But a bargain these most certainly are: The Revel Concerta2s are clearly aimed at the audio enthusiast. Whether you’re on a budget or are able to spend a lot more, it’s your loss if you don’t have a serious listen to the F36s."
Videos
- Concerta2 Overview w/ Kevin Voecks (Revel designer)
- Cnet Review:
- Harman Concerta2 Marketing / Launch Video
F36, frequency response, Brent Butterworth. 0° on-axis and 10°, 20°, 30°, 45° and 60° horizontal
Audioholics, Provided By Revel