Revel F328Be Speaker Review

[cavedriver]

Just finally got around to auditioning the F328Be today after long last. For the sale price I have to say they are very attractive. Dealer's room was well set up and a good match to the speakers (as in not too small or cluttered). They had them toed in 5~10 degrees and due to their weight I didn't bother fiddling with them. Excellent stereo image with clearly apparent smooth dispersion, very cohesive bass, pretty "fast" seeming, good dynamics, vocals were balanced, neither too far forward nor back, with a reasonably deep soundstage, and perhaps their best strength- they felt "effortless" or "muscular", like I really wasn't working them. I did crank them up a bit but not super loud. I suppose the effortlessness was a reflection of the lack of distortion, they were very clean. Of course it would be nice to blind test these against something I haven't enjoyed, like the Paradigm's that seemed "dull" when I heard them at CAF. Perhaps the sighted listening is getting the better of me.

The bass was fairly weak by 30 Hz. I think Amir's measurements, despite his reservation about their accuracy, do point to a bass roll-off that makes Revel's ratings a bit optimistic. It would be nice to see them re-tested at >100 dB output with some DSP boosting of the bass to see where the limits are.

The acoustic center is rather high, but still lower than the Salon 2's. Thinking back on other 15-20k speakers I've heard, the Perlistens were very low, so low you would want to find a way to angle them up more than they provide stock. For the Revels, in a reasonably large room, it's not bad but in a smaller space I wouldn't pair them with low seating. Given the ugliness involved in changing the height of a tower speaker that isn't at one's preferred listening height, you would think manufacturers would pay more attention to listening height in their designs, or that there would be some kind of an "ideal".

 

[Descartes]

Just finally got around to auditioning the F328Be today after long last. For the sale price I have to say they are very attractive. Dealer's room was well set up and a good match to the speakers (as in not too small or cluttered). They had them toed in 5~10 degrees and due to their weight I didn't bother fiddling with them. Excellent stereo image with clearly apparent smooth dispersion, very cohesive bass, pretty "fast" seeming, good dynamics, vocals were balanced, neither too far forward nor back, with a reasonably deep soundstage, and perhaps their best strength- they felt "effortless" or "muscular", like I really wasn't working them. I did crank them up a bit but not super loud. I suppose the effortlessness was a reflection of the lack of distortion, they were very clean. Of course it would be nice to blind test these against something I haven't enjoyed, like the Paradigm's that seemed "dull" when I heard them at CAF. Perhaps the sighted listening is getting the better of me.

The bass was fairly weak by 30 Hz. I think Amir's measurements, despite his reservation about their accuracy, do point to a bass roll-off that makes Revel's ratings a bit optimistic. It would be nice to see them re-tested at >100 dB output with some DSP boosting of the bass to see where the limits are.

The acoustic center is rather high, but still lower than the Salon 2's. Thinking back on other 15-20k speakers I've heard, the Perlistens were very low, so low you would want to find a way to angle them up more than they provide stock. For the Revels, in a reasonably large room, it's not bad but in a smaller space I wouldn't pair them with low seating. Given the ugliness involved in changing the height of a tower speaker that isn't at one's preferred listening height, you would think manufacturers would pay more attention to listening height in their designs, or that there would be some kind of an "ideal".

That’s why I like KEF and Genelec with dual concentric drivers, you have a lot more flexibility for sitting above or below the tweeter!

 

[amper42]

Just finally got around to auditioning the F328Be today after long last. For the sale price I have to say they are very attractive. Dealer's room was well set up and a good match to the speakers (as in not too small or cluttered). They had them toed in 5~10 degrees and due to their weight I didn't bother fiddling with them.

My Revel F328Be are actually pretty easy to move. With little effort, I can grab the sides within 8 inches of the top and rock the speaker into any position. I have mine pointed toward the listening position.

Excellent stereo image with clearly apparent smooth dispersion, very cohesive bass, pretty "fast" seeming, good dynamics, vocals were balanced, neither too far forward nor back, with a reasonably deep soundstage, and perhaps their best strength- they felt "effortless" or "muscular", like I really wasn't working them. I did crank them up a bit but not super loud. I suppose the effortlessness was a reflection of the lack of distortion, they were very clean.

The F328Be is amazingly efficient. With just a few watts you can fill the room. The effortless sound you mention is what I hear as well. They are crystal clear and my listening height makes little difference at 9 feet away. Setting up an equal lateral triangle between speakers and the center of the listening location works well for me. The tweeter sounds great sitting or standing in my configuration. Unlike, my BMR Towers that sound noticeably better with the listener ear at tweeter height.

The bass was fairly weak by 30 Hz. I think Amir's measurements, despite his reservation about their accuracy, do point to a bass roll-off that makes Revel's ratings a bit optimistic. It would be nice to see them re-tested at >100 dB output with some DSP boosting of the bass to see where the limits are.

When I setup the F328Be at approx. 18" from the rear wall, bass response down to 29Hz is strong in my REW readings. Proper room placement of the dual rear ports can maximize bass response. In fact, I prefer using my F328Be without sub as I enjoy the smooth integration of the bass with this speaker. I'm not looking for booming bass that overwhelms the room but instead a more natural balance. I really appreciate the clarity and amazingly low distortion of the Revel 328Be. They have been a joy to listen to for the last 2 years. I haven't found another speaker I would prefer over them and it's not for lack of trying.

 

[cavedriver]

When I setup the F328Be at approx. 18" from the rear wall, bass response down to 29Hz is strong in my REW readings. Proper room placement of the dual rear ports can maximize bass response. In fact, I prefer using my F328Be without sub as I enjoy the smooth integration of the bass with this speaker. I'm not looking for booming bass that overwhelms the room but instead a more natural balance. I really appreciate the clarity and amazingly low distortion of the Revel 328Be. They have been a joy to listen to for the last 2 years. I haven't found another speaker I would prefer over them and it's not for lack of trying.

This is a good point that I overlooked in my comments- the speakers were maybe 4 feet from the rear wall so there was very little bass reinforcement. In my smaller room with a more typical ~12" to the rear wall the bass would be significantly stronger. But I will add that there was plenty of mid bass. One of the most remarkable tracks was the way they punched at the beginning of the Beatles' "Come Together". It was a palpable launching of the song out into the room with plenty of 50-100 Hz content that the song is known for. I would hope that placing them in my room would not over-emphasize this range, and of course testing and possible tweaking with REW would be in order. But I should be clear- these are still not completely "full range" speakers if your definition of full range includes playing down to 20~30 Hz. If your playlist includes a lot of content in this range then subs or something else are still needed.

 

[steve59]

amper42, have you posted your room size and associated equipment? It's notable that you state that with just a watt or 2 your speakers have great bass. I'm not an engineer and have no clue why power ratings are so meaningless, but component matching is important when we get serious about hifi and going by brand name and ratings isn't enough. The amp is as important as the room.

 

[amper42]

amper42, have you posted your room size and associated equipment? It's notable that you state that with just a watt or 2 your speakers have great bass. I'm not an engineer and have no clue why power ratings are so meaningless, but component matching is important when we get serious about hifi and going by brand name and ratings isn't enough. The amp is as important as the room.

The room size is 24' x 28' with 9' ceiling. I'm running the Revel F328Be with a Purifi stereo amp connected to the RME ADI-2 FS DAC via XLR cables which is fed with a MacBook Pro via USB using Audirvana for local CD rips and Qobuz streaming.
Shorthand = MacBook Pro ->Audirvana -> USB -> ADI-2 -> XLR -> Purifi -> Revel F328Be

I have also used the NC502MP amp with this setup instead of the Purifi and it's really hard to tell a difference. The Purifi might be a little more refined but in my blind A-B test it was very difficult to tell a difference. That's why I find speaker selection is far more important than the amplifier. If the amp offers measurements comparable to the NC502MP or Purifi anything more expensive offers no better audible result in my tests.

As to Revel F328Be energy efficiency here's some data I collected using Kill-a-watt.
The Buckeye 1ET400A Purifi stereo amp uses 14W while idle. With the Revel F328Be stereo pair playing at 75dB the Purifi amp is using 14.5W. Increase the volume to an 81dB level on the sound meter and the Purifi amp is using 15.5W. That's almost nothing and the Purifi only weighs 6lbs 2.2 oz. It's crazy how this light weight Purifi amp can provide great measurements and power at a very reasonable price. My March Audio P452 Purifi is 8.75lbs and offers a 75dB sound level at 16W. It's a tiny, tiny difference in power usage difference compared to the Buckeye at 14.5W.

Meanwhile, my RME ADI-2 uses 6W at -32.5 Vol. setting. You start to put the pieces together with 6W on RME and 16W for Purifi (81dB) and the MacBook Pro draws more power than the amp or the Purifi.

If you switch to the Buckeye NC502MP amp it idles at 23W and the Revel F328Be is playing at 81dB once the amp reaches 24W energy usage. After performing these energy tests it was clear how little power is needed for the F328Be speakers to play at reasonable volume levels.

 

[steve59]

interesting, I didn't say anything about picking power amps first, but i have enough personal experience to know the more complex the speakers i've brought home the bigger difference my amps make. You all have a happy new year.

 

[cavedriver]

I'm wondering - has anyone ever measured the T/S parameters or otherwise tested the midrange or woofer drivers in the current Revels? Would be interesting to see how these proprietary drivers perform...

 

[amper42]

Amir's ASR Revel F328Be review chart displaying "Driver Component Near Field" measurements, show the impact of the rear F328Be ports on low frequency reproduction. Positioning the speaker in a location that optimizes low end bass response to your liking can provide amazing results. Verifying measurements with REW while identifying the optimal speaker location in the room removes the guess work. As you see in the chart below the rear ports (orange line) offer a nice boost in the 25Hz-60Hz range. Use the rear ports to your advantage. Without this knowledge, I can see why some listeners might think the F328Be has amazing low bass while others listening with the F328Be far away from walls might have a different opinion.

 

[Whoareyou]

Amir's ASR Revel F328Be review chart displaying "Driver Component Near Field" measurements, show the impact of the rear F328Be ports on low frequency reproduction. Positioning the speaker in a location that optimizes low end bass response to your liking can provide amazing results. Verifying measurements with REW while identifying the optimal speaker location in the room removes the guess work. As you see in the chart below the rear ports (orange line) offer a nice boost in the 25Hz-60Hz range. Use the rear ports to your advantage. Without this knowledge, I can see why some listeners might think the F328Be has amazing low bass while others listening with the F328Be far away from walls might have a different opinion.

Having just purchased, and now after a few weeks of listening and measuring in my room, I find the placement somewhat important to bass. My meassurements show good bass down to around 25, plus my usual room nulls that drive me crazy. Moving the sepakers around changes things a bit, but at least for me, not so much.

If the source material has bass, the speaker obliges with wonderful bass and doesn't miss a beat. I find it amazing. When source material is lacking the bass, the speaker does not "manufacture" any more than is in the source.

If the original master was lacking, and if you want more bass, that's what DSP is for IMHO.

My conclusion with the 328 is that this speaker consistently provides what the source gives it to play, and it sounds great.

 

[Descartes]

Having just purchased, and now after a few weeks of listening and measuring in my room, I find the placement somewhat important to bass. My meassurements show good bass down to around 25, plus my usual room nulls that drive me crazy. Moving the sepakers around changes things a bit, but at least for me, not so much.

If the source material has bass, the speaker obliges with wonderful bass and doesn't miss a beat. I find it amazing. When source material is lacking the bass, the speaker does not "manufacture" any more than is in the source.

If the original master was lacking, and if you want more bass, that's what DSP is for IMHO.

My conclusion with the 328 is that this speaker consistently provides what the source gives it to play, and it sounds great.

Congratulations on your purchase enjoy!

 

[CDJ123]

I have had many speakers over the years including Aerial 10t’s, Avalon Eidolon Vision’s, and Focal Sopra 2’s, and the F328Be’s are by far the best speakers I have ever owned. I have also spent some time listening to Magico, Rockport, B&W, and other high-end speakers two to three times the price of the Revels and the Revels are worth every penny. I drive them with Nord Acoustics Amps with Hypex NCore NC500 Modules and they truly sound wonderful. I have experimented with placement in my 16 by 20 foot room which has been room corrected with sound panels etc. and the best sound is with the ports plugged and pulled away (4 feet) from the front wall and close to the side wall. If you are considering them, don’t hesitate, they are truly that good.

 

[Terry Stahly]

I have had many speakers over the years including Aerial 10t’s, Avalon Eidolon Vision’s, and Focal Sopra 2’s, and the F328Be’s are by far the best speakers I have ever owned. I have also spent some time listening to Magico, Rockport, B&W, and other high-end speakers two to three times the price of the Revels and the Revels are worth every penny. I drive them with Nord Acoustics Amps with Hypex NCore NC500 Modules and they truly sound wonderful. I have experimented with placement in my 16 by 20 foot room which has been room corrected with sound panels etc. and the best sound is with the ports plugged and pulled away (4 feet) from the front wall and close to the side wall. If you are considering them, don’t hesitate, they are truly that good.

I concur there is simply no reason to look any farther than the 328be’s.

 

[Dreborn]

is is the sound I am always looking in a speaker." It sounded very familiar to me as it should. What surprised me though was the deep bass. I had not heard such clean and deep bass out of any speaker I have tested so far. My own Salon 2 sp

I concur there is simply no reason to look any farther than the 328be’s.

good to hear cause i just ordered them! =) got the matching center and rears too. debating on the amp but excited to take these for a spin......