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......

 

[vilpukkaulpukka]

Hi all, my first post to this forum (and sorry in advance)!

I have been thinking about getting these for music listening and home theater 7.2.4 system (maybe 50/50), if I can order them from the UK. The center could be C426Be, surrounds e.g. S16 or M106, and Atmos C763L.

At the moment I have older pair of Genelec 8351A and Arendal 2S sub (because my future wife did not want to have original Genelec). For a second option I thought of Genelecs (LCR 8351A, then smaller Ones as surrounds, and Atmos smaller 2-way monitors), or the 1528 / 1723 series from Arendal.

I was still wondering whether Revels would be too big for my room (approximately 4,5 x 4,5 x 3 meters, D x W x H). What do you think?

Thank you!

vilpukkaulpukka

 

[MediumRare]

Hi all, my first post to this forum (and sorry in advance)!

I have been thinking about getting these for music listening and home theater 7.2.4 system (maybe 50/50), if I can order them from the UK. The center could be C426Be, surrounds e.g. S16 or M106, and Atmos C763L.

At the moment I have older pair of Genelec 8351A and Arendal 2S sub (because my future wife did not want to have original Genelec). For a second option I thought of Genelecs (LCR 8351A, then smaller Ones as surrounds, and Atmos smaller 2-way monitors), or the 1528 / 1723 series from Arendal.

I was still wondering whether Revels would be too big for my room (approximately 4,5 x 4,5 x 3 meters, D x W x H). What do you think?

Thank you!

vilpukkaulpukka

Great set of options. They aren't too big as you would just run them at lower levels to get the SPL you want, so vanishingly low distortion and great dynamics. But you could probably get the same effect from the F228Be https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/revel-f228be-review-speaker.23659/ and save a lot of money with the also wonderful F206 https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/revel-f206-tower-speaker-review.53691/

 

[vilpukkaulpukka]

Great set of options. They aren't too big as you would just run them at lower levels to get the SPL you want, so vanishingly low distortion and great dynamics. But you could probably get the same effect from the F228Be https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/revel-f228be-review-speaker.23659/ and save a lot of money with the also wonderful F206 https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/revel-f206-tower-speaker-review.53691/

Thank you @MediumRare!

These could be really good options as well, have to think about it. Would want to have the "end game" setup at once.

Reading the review from amirm, the Atmos speakers C763L didn't seem that good, have to think this more too.

Have a great weekend!

vilpukkaulpukka

 

[CJPopovich]

Non-objective initial thoughts:

Got these for a great price a few weeks ago, previously had the F226BE's, and still use M126BE's in my office system. I do my own bass systems, and the major things that pulled me towards the F328BE's were the sale price, curiosity surrounding the improved tweeter/waveguide vs F226BE/F228BE, but perhaps a little more so my opinion that a speaker with high output capability in the upper/mid bass (60hz+) is easier to seamlessly integrate with a multi-sub system. I pulled the trigger on these without listening to them, relying on the magnitude of the sale opportunity as well as my experience with other Revel products/similarity of engineering to consider the move low risk, so you can read that as bias as needed.

My room for these is not very bass friendly, and I am a bit of a basshead (hence the plan to use multiple subs and despite the sin of not being true to the original signal, I sometimes use a subharmonic synthesizer) so I wasn't shocked that with no subwoofer in my setup I thought they were a little lean on the bottom end. Not terrible, mid/upper bass was fantastic, just need a little boost towards the bottom for my personal satisfaction. Within a few hours of listening I high passed them at 25hz and added a low q boost of 4dB at 40hz. I will likely dial this back out once the sub build process is complete and raise the highpass slightly. I'm powering them with NC502's, so plenty of power. Stavroz "The Ginning" was quite rewarding, they're an organic electronic band with a lean towards a cinematic sound -punchy fun acoustic/electronic music that feels like it could be missing a montage in a spy movie to go with it.

I absolutely love the F328BE's. The upper and mid bass seem to be a large step better in my room than the F226BE's. What does better mean? Fills the room with sound more effectively, giving a nice tactile effect on the couch, quick REW sweep shows frequency response at the listening position follows the Harmon target closer. The extra cone area of the triple 8's makes a difference, the F226BE's are wonderful speakers but a couple of 6-1/2" drivers can only move so much air, particularly as volume levels increase. The high point for me in the bass department was the upper/mid bass. The F328BE's are very satisfying there, as as Amirm pointed out in his review the integration is done in a way that is difficult to do with smaller speakers and subs. I consider this a big win. As far as frequency response goes, this is going to be very room dependent but if you're targeting a house curve similar to Harmon, they will need a subwoofer for robust high SPL capable output down to lower limits of hearing.

I have read about concerns regarding the tweeter height, and they are definitely above my ear level once seated, so it was on my radar as something to be neurotic about. My impression on the imaging was "bigger", not "taller" whatever that's worth.

One of my favorite things about these speakers is that you can turn them up and it just keeps getting better. My wife used to play upright bass, and with some friends over she picked out a couple of Ray Brown live recordings that we got more than a little aggressive on the volume with. Lights down, some wine, and near live levels is enough to make non-audiophiles understand why we're (speaker heads) all a little crazy. Suspension of disbelief is super strong as volume levels rise and while I am not going to explore limits, they can belt it out as needed.

This is the largest single audio purchase I have made to date, and I expected them to be incrementally better and that incremental improvement to be a poor value outright but the price of admission to get to the next level of performance -diminishing returns and all that. Perhaps it was about managing expectations plus the normal biases we all work through, but the most surprising element of these speakers was the way my own personal judgement on the value formed and how that differed from what I expected. On paper, it would be easy to make an argument that these are not as good of a value as the F226BE's for those using subwoofers. I accepted and expected this. In practice, I found myself feeling like the satisfaction to dollars spent ratio was in favor of the F328BE's. I will be curious to see if this impression holds as my familiarity with them grows.

 

[amper42]

There is no doubt the F328Be sings!

Placement of the rear dual ports about 18" from the front wall maximizes performance for me. And if you really want to try something that makes them even more fabulous connect the RME ADI-2 DAC and use the ADI-2 software app to dial in the bass and treble "loudness" settings exactly where you want it. It absolutely blew me away how much difference this can make! All I can say is WOW!

If you are interested in how to setup the ADI-2 app it's pretty easy.
1. Download the app for your computer or the iPad.
Go to https://rme-audio.de/adi-2-dac.html - click on "Drivers". Next click on "Software". I use the Mac version so I downloaded
adi2remote_mac.zip
This is version 2.1 released March 23, 2024. Install the software. Verify your DAC firmware is up to date before starting.
2. Restart the computer, plug the computer into the USB port on the ADI-2 DAC FS then turn on the DAC. I use an 18' USB cable for configuring my "Loudess" setting.
3. Sit in your favorite listening position and start playing your favorite tunes. Pick something with a driving bass line and also music with great vocals. While listening to your music adjust the Bass and Treble settings to your liking.
4. Verify the "Loudness" volume setting is at your normal listening level. When the RME "Loudness" button on the remote is engaged these settings are active. You can easily hear the difference with the push of the "Loudness" button. This feature allows music at lower volumes to sound just as impactful as at higher volumes. The settings are slowly reduced automatically as volume increases on the RME. Now you have an automatic "Loudness" curve in place that allows the speakers to sound fantastic at any volume level.

 

[cavedriver]

The upper and mid bass seem to be a large step better in my room than the F226BE's.

I accepted and expected this. In practice, I found myself feeling like the satisfaction to dollars spent ratio was in favor of the F328BE's. I will be curious to see if this impression holds as my familiarity with them grows.

That upper and mid bass "punch" was my favorite part about these speakers. drum slaps are immediate and carry excellent oomph. The opening drop in the Beatles Come Together is better on these than on any other speaker I've heard it on yet, although I don't always use it in my demos. I also whole-heartedly agree about your experience integrating subs. Just not happy with higher crossover points. To me, the lower models in the Revel line are just not worth the money having heard the 328 and given the other models shelved bass and higher F3's. My focus now is on including this performance in any DIY solution I build now that I have that reference point.