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Revel F35, MonitorAudio S300, Or Wharfdale 4.3

MuseIcal

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Hi,

I'll be powering the speakers with a Denon AVR X6500H and the lower end will be compensated by a SVS12 NSD.
Plan on getting an external amp at some point.

I was running Monitor Audio Silver 200s, until the tweeters went south.

Now, I'm trying to be very careful with my next purchase and want to ask for opinions on my choices.

Revel F35 Leaning toward this one, but it's listed as 6 ohm speaker. Not sure how far it will dip below that, but it may be too much for the 6500 to handle.
@amirm and What HI-FI? like it, but I'm concerned the Denon won't.

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/revel-concerta2-f35?region-switch=1603926743

The Monitor Audio Silver 300 is a beauty for sure but is it style over substance? Rated at 8 ohms and should be fairly easy to drive at 90dBs.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/monitor-audio-silver-300-loudspeaker

And the dark horse; Wharfdale EVO 4.3. I like the looks of this. Another one that should be easy to drive.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-XutCUlFgc9i/p_336EVO43BK/Wharfedale-EVO4-3-Black.html

Room is 14' X 17' and carpeted. The speakers will only be 16"-18" away from the front wall (was looking for front ported because of this) and at least three feet away from side walls.
Room is carpeted except for a small area of tile on one side.
Main listening position is 16 feet from the front wall. No acoustical treatments other than soft furniture and some wall art.

Any suggestions on a brand I missed and thoughts/opinions will be much appreciated.

And, yes, I'm only considering passive towers/floor standers.

Thanks!
 

andreasmaaan

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@Kal Rubinson reviewed the Silver 300s positively and they measure quite well - the only thing I see there that's really amiss is a bit of an apparent lack of lower-midrange energy, and a slightly resonant cabinet (which is not unusual for a floorstander in the price range).

The F35's impedance won't be a problem for your amplifier, and it's a decent all-round performer (measurements here).

I don't know about the Wharfedales. Can't find measurements online other than some very rudimentary ones here, which don't tell us much.

Oh and 16-18" is plenty of room for a rear port, so I wouldn't let the port location determine your decision.
 
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MuseIcal

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Hi @sweetchaos, thanks for the prompt reply! $2000 - $2500.00.
$2500.00 is pushing it... I am open to suggestions. Oh, I'm in the U.S.

@Kal Rubinson reviewed the Silver 300s positively and they measure quite well - the only thing I see there that's really amiss is a bit of an apparent lack of lower-midrange energy, and a slightly resonant cabinet (which is not unusual for a floorstander in the price range).

The F35's impedance won't be a problem for your amplifier, and it's a decent all-round performer (measurements here).

I don't know about the Wharfedales. Can't find measurements online other than some very rudimentary ones here, which don't tell us much.

Oh and 16-18" is plenty of room for a rear port, so I wouldn't let the port location determine your decision.

Okay, thanks @andreasmaaan! I'm being overly cautious since the episode with Silver 200s. But yeah, the Revel F35 is the speaker I keep going back to.
 

andreasmaaan

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Hi Okay, thanks [USER=2367]@andreasmaaan! I'm being overly cautious since the episode with Silver 200s. But yeah, the Revel F35 is the speaker I keep going back to.

Yeh, they seem to be the safest bet. I'd find it hard to choose between the F35 and the Silver 300 based on the measurements I've seen. No chance of listening first to any of these options is there?
 

BillH

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Were are you located? $2500 doesn't sound that far off from a good discount on Revel f206.
Otherwise I have no advice on you current considerations.
 
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MuseIcal

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No chance of listening first to any of these options is there?

Unfortunately, no.

Yeh, they seem to be the safest bet

Okay, good. I was really second guessing myself on these. Thanks!


Were are you located? $2500 doesn't sound that far off from a good discount on Revel f206.
Otherwise I have no advice on you current considerations.

From what I've seen, the F206s are about $1000.00 - 1500.00 over budget.
 

andreasmaaan

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Okay, good. I was really second guessing myself on these. Thanks!

Glad I could help a bit :)

I haven't researched floorstanders in this price range much though, so keep in mind all my comments are comparing only the speakers you've suggested with each other. I couldn't say much about what other options there might be available out there.
 

Beershaun

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MuseIcal

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Beershaun

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While I have no personal experience with Revel speakers the Brand seems to consistently get recommended ratings and high preference ratings on this forum so they seem like a shop that engineers and tests all their speakers well.
 

swampbrain

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I've been shopping for new speakers for a couple of month's. Have some of the same challenges as you, particularly not being able to audition speakers 1st.

Same approximate budget, many of the same speakers considered.
Revel f35 (and f36)
Monitor Silver 300 (and 500)
Wharfdale Evo 4.3 (and 4.4)
KEF Q750 (and 950)
Focal Chora 826

A few models by Dali, Canton etc

I asked for feedback here and on several other audio forums, read everything I could find on speakers I was considering.
Finally narrowed it down to the Revel F36 and the Focal Chora 826. Read and re-read everything I could find on them until finally, yesterday, I made my decision. ----------------------- Revel Concerta 2 F36

I'm hoping to purchase these puppies right after the 1st of Feb. Can't wait!

SO many happy purchasers on the forum. Haven't found a single person with buyers remorse after getting these. Rave reviews, good measurements.

I originally thought the F35 would be sufficient but then I had a feeling that if I got the 35's instead of the 36's I'd always be wondering what if, and since these are possibly my last speaker purchase, I didn't want to be less than as pleased as possible with my purchase. I've been told that Revel dealers will sometimes negotiate on their products so I'm hoping I can pick up a pair for cheaper than MSRP (2k). I believe (hope) I'll be able to get them for 1800 or less. If not I'm willing to pay the full 2K although I'm poor as shit.

Based on my research I just don't think you can find a better sounding (or measuring) speaker (mass produced anyway), in the 2k and below range than the Revels..... either the f35's oor the f36's.

Good luck !

PS. If you do look to upgrade your amp you might want to check out Buckeye amps. He's a member here and Amir tested and did a tear down of one of his amps. I did an amp upgrade also, prior to starting the speaker hunt and I'm really happy with the performance and price of my (Buckeye/Hypex) amp.
 
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