Revel F208 Tower Speaker Review

[Pio]

If high-passing to subs at 80Hz, 24dB/oct., any reason not to go with the F206 over the F208? Running M106 now.

Better dynamics / headroom, that's why I do it. Especially if you have robust subs to handle < 80hz.

 

[Steve Dallas]

If high-passing to subs at 80Hz, 24dB/oct., any reason not to go with the F206 over the F208? Running M106 now.

I did exactly that and saved the difference. It was worked well for me so far.

You can, of course, cross them lower if you want to. My AVR suggested 40Hz.

 

[JLGF1]

I am a non-expert at comparing specs. But, on FR alone, all other things being equal (which they probably won't be) should I assume these representative tower speakers should/could compare favorably to the F208's?

 

[Pio]

I am a non-expert at comparing specs. But, on FR alone, all other things being equal (which they probably won't be) should I assume these representative tower speakers should/could compare favorably to the F208's?


View attachment 279366

That looks like an excellent in room response prediction.

 

[Ricardojoa]

The f208 looks to dig a bit lower.

 

[MarkS]

The graphs are of the Ascend Acoustics Sierra Ribbon Tower V2:

SIERRA TOWER V2 PAIR

Introducing our new V2 Tower "The midrange on the Towers...is a main event. Inner detail is fantastic even on large-ensemble recordings, and they are free from distortion and retain a hefty amount of dynamic headroom when played at spirited levels." -Enjoy the Music.com Combining the most...

ascendacoustics.com

 

[JohnnyNG]

Is it a limitation of the associated gear that you can’t choose a lower crossover point?

In this room and (fixed of necessity) seating position I've found it's better to let my subs handle below 80Hz. The speakers also sound better to me, perhaps due to lower IMD as well as THD. Even 120Hz works well given how they're located.

 

[Laserjock]

The graphs are of the Ascend Acoustics Sierra Ribbon Tower V2:

SIERRA TOWER V2 PAIR

Introducing our new V2 Tower "The midrange on the Towers...is a main event. Inner detail is fantastic even on large-ensemble recordings, and they are free from distortion and retain a hefty amount of dynamic headroom when played at spirited levels." -Enjoy the Music.com Combining the most...

ascendacoustics.com

What about LX Bookshelf?

 

[iNetRunner]

In this room and (fixed of necessity) seating position I've found it's better to let my subs handle below 80Hz. The speakers also sound better to me, perhaps due to lower IMD as well as THD. Even 120Hz works well given how they're located.

Then maybe with that high of a crossover you could save some money and go with the F206. I sure absolutely love my F208, and haven’t heard the smaller F206 — but I’d wager that the bigger difference is from 60Hz down between the speakers.

Though, it’s possible that e.g. the bigger mass of the F208, or the “ease” that larger woofers would have to the sound, would translate to details in midrange clarity etc.. But if you could listen to them side by side in a showroom, that could give you some definite answers.

 

[JohnnyNG]

Then maybe with that high of a crossover you could save some money and go with the F206. I sure absolutely love my F208, and haven’t heard the smaller F206 — but I’d wager that the bigger difference is from 60Hz down between the speakers.

Though, it’s possible that e.g. the bigger mass of the F208, or the “ease” that larger woofers would have to the sound, would translate to details in midrange clarity etc.. But if you could listen to them side by side in a showroom, that could give you some definite answers.

Thanks! Then there's the outlier candidate the Concerta2 F36 which seems to still measure pretty well and be ahead of the F206 dynamically. Nice sale price too, admittedly.

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

Revel speakers stand out with low distortion. I wish Amir would test Revel sub. I'll bet low distortion. I don't like subs I have purchased including Rythmic and Infinity. I detect distortion painfully with perforated ear drum since childhood. I keep reading that 10% distortion below 40 hz is undetectable. Try that with a screwed up ear drum.

 

[JLGF1]

wish Amir would test Revel sub. I'll bet low distortion.

This is ASR where speculation doesn't count for much.

Nothing in the Revel published SW specs that would make one assume they would outperform a Rhythmik sub. Quite the contrary in fact.

 

[Sal1950]

Revel speakers stand out with low distortion. I wish Amir would test Revel sub. I'll bet low distortion. I don't like subs I have purchased including Rythmic and Infinity. I detect distortion painfully with perforated ear drum since childhood. I keep reading that 10% distortion below 40 hz is undetectable. Try that with a screwed up ear drum.

You want low distortion, get the biggest sucker or 4 that will fit in your room with lots of power.
All the marketing BS aside, you can't change the laws of physics.

 

[Lsc]

Revel speakers stand out with low distortion. I wish Amir would test Revel sub. I'll bet low distortion. I don't like subs I have purchased including Rythmic and Infinity. I detect distortion painfully with perforated ear drum since childhood. I keep reading that 10% distortion below 40 hz is undetectable. Try that with a screwed up ear drum.

Have you tried JL audio? Very clean sounding.

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

You want low distortion, get the biggest sucker or 4 that will fit in your room with lots of power.
All the marketing BS aside, you can't change the laws of physics.

I was looking back at Amir's distortion figures of Revels. High end speakers vanishing low and low end speakers real good. I suspect measurements of Revel subs might beat the internet wonders significantly.

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

This is ASR where speculation doesn't count for much.

Nothing in the Revel published SW specs that would make one assume they would outperform a Rhythmik sub. Quite the contrary in fact.

My Rythmic distorts about same as all the others. I turned it off.

 

[iNetRunner]

I was looking back at Amir's distortion figures of Revels. High end speakers vanishing low and low end speakers real good. I suspect measurements of Revel subs might beat the internet wonders significantly.

Don’t know about Revel subwoofers. But their [LINK=“https://www.crutchfield.com/p_265B1102WA/Revel-Performa3-B110v2-High-Gloss-Walnut.html”]single customer review[/LINK] on Crutchfield’s website is a one star review.

The above mentioned JL Audio definitely is not an “internet wonder” company, but a dedicated subwoofer manufacturer. And I certainly like my JL Audio e112.

But you do have to pay a premium over the “internet wonder” manufacturers (Rythmik Audio, HSU Research, PowerSoundAudio’. Though, that wouldn’t be issue if you were planning on going with Revel subs (about equal prices compared to JL Audio’s two lower series — Fathom series being more expensive).

 

[Everett T]

I was looking back at Amir's distortion figures of Revels. High end speakers vanishing low and low end speakers real good. I suspect measurements of Revel subs might beat the internet wonders significantly.

I wouldnt say so, at least not as an end statement. This is the distortion plots of the JTR RS1, it has distortion under control under high output.

 

[Sal1950]

My Rythmic distorts about same as all the others. I turned it off.

If your subwoofer badly distorts there are 3 likely reasons.
1 It's a really cheap POS (not yours)
2 It's been incorrectly set-up.
3 It's too small for your needs. (the most likely).
First thing you need to do is determine your needs.
1 How low do you want it to go.
2 How loud do you want it to play
3 How big is your room.
Once you outline your parameters I'm sure you can find a great
sub that doesn't distort from any of the major manufacturers.
I have 2 SVS SB2000 here and I've never heard it make any audible distortion
that wasn't on the source.
If you want Revel, I'm sure your can find one from them that will meet your needs.
They tend to be a bit pricey but they are a top quality product that is also very attractive.
Just like all other speakers, your gonna pay extra for that furniture quality finish beauty.
Here's a couple links that might help you make your decision.
Our member here @sweetchaos has done a lot of work puttinng together some charts.

Subwoofer Comparison

I've created a *slightly large* subwoofer comparison spreadsheet. :D Info: -==Link to my Subwoofer Comparison spreadsheet ==- https://bit.ly/SubwooferComparison

www.audiosciencereview.com

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The guys at Audioholics have measured and reviewed many, great reference material.

Audiophile Home Theater Subwoofer LFE Reviews

A subwoofer is designed to deliver the Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel in a surround soundtrack. We rate bass output and set the industry standard in objectively testing and reviewing all

www.audioholics.com

 

[Lsc]

I was looking back at Amir's distortion figures of Revels. High end speakers vanishing low and low end speakers real good. I suspect measurements of Revel subs might beat the internet wonders significantly.

Based on this, it appears that Revel subs are not the best value. https://www.musicdirect.com/equipme...lZMAHHue-kaGrNWoQq6O518E8bUwesRxoC5G0QAvD_BwE

I don’t know if there is a lot of R&D that Revel put into the subs like they put into their speakers.