Revel M106 Bookshelf Speaker Review

[Gatordaddy]

All I fixated on way the possibility of a grey and white Performa lineup. They would look incredibly good. The f206s looked great in white with the black drivers. Grey would be even sexier.

If they had grey F206s or C208 i'd be in a tricky financial situation

 

[USER]

Hey @BYRTT I was wondering if you could process the optimized EQ found on Pierre Aubert's speaker measurement site the same way you did for TimVG a while back. Assuming you have the time, of course. I'm sure many here would appreciate it. The EQ is the following:

Preamp: -2.8 dB

Filter 1: ON PK Fc 2862 Hz Gain +2.44 dB Q 0.09
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 3649 Hz Gain -1.42 dB Q 1.17
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 855 Hz Gain -1.35 dB Q 2.16
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 124 Hz Gain -0.91 dB Q 2.96
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 9590 Hz Gain +0.83 dB Q 1.78
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 312 Hz Gain +0.75 dB Q 2.59
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 2271 Hz Gain +1.02 dB Q 2.98
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 2804 Hz Gain -0.74 dB Q 2.99
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 10120 Hz Gain -0.50 dB Q 3.00


I just received these, which will be replacing a pair of M16s in my basement. I really, really like the M16s when EQ'ed and would not have "upgraded" if I didn't find the M106s for the M105 sale price at an online retailer. (Before anyone asks, it appears to have been a mistake as the price was raised to the sale price found across the internet after my speakers shipped.) The only reasons I bit were the crazy good price and the fact that I use my CD player in my basement. I find the M16s to need EQ for that bass boost but luckily they take it extremely well. The issue is that I can only EQ there through Roon. So it was either get something like a miniDSP or upgrade to "set and forget" speakers and the opportunity for the latter presented itself.

This EQ is quite different than TimVG's, which I very much like (it is very subtle but I think the boost at 300 makes a difference), and brightens up the sound to my ears. It would be nice to see what is going on. That said, I am very happy with these speakers in my difficult space even without EQ.

 

[Bren Derlin]

I found this AudioDrom review of the Revel M106 speakers. I understand speakers and audio are subjective... so enjoy the read.

-----

Here are the other AudioDrom stand mount speakers reviews. Click the photo on the left for the full review.

...The guy certainly likes his Focals and Sonus Faber (and Franco Serblin) speakers.

He reviews floor standers, amps, pre-amps, integrated amps, speaker cables, power cables, inter connects, conditioners...

AudioDrom Rating system explained...

 

[iulianm]

One of the reviewers at that website seem to have Revel Ultima Studio2 based on bio: http://www.audiodrom.net/en/the-audiodrom-backstage

I'm just listening now to Madonna - Vogue on my M106

 

[Bren Derlin]

One of the reviewers at that website seem to have Revel Ultima Studio2 based on bio: http://www.audiodrom.net/en/the-audiodrom-backstage

I'm just listening now to Madonna - Vogue on my M106

Yup. Saw that. The reviewer said the M106 were a step down compared to the M22.

These reviews seem 100% subjective opinion, filled with plenty of bias. Which all subjective opinions/reviews are biased.

 

[norman bates]

I had luck adding acusta-stuf inside.
For the objectionivists, you can see on danny's (gr research) video how it smoothed out the z-plot (helped with box resonances ?).

I also am a believer in diffraction control, so i added foam to the face.
Someday I'll plunk down $$ for f10 felt.

 

[Chromatischism]

The foam looks too thick and will absorb the off-axis sound from the tweeter.

 

[Beave]

I had luck adding acusta-stuf inside.
For the objectionivists, you can see on danny's (gr research) video how it smoothed out the z-plot (helped with box resonances ?).

I also am a believer in diffraction control, so i added foam to the face.
Someday I'll plunk down $$ for f10 felt.

Errr, uhmm, that's probably *causing* more diffraction if anything.

Not to mention that it will also act somewhat like a waveguide on top of the already-there waveguide, and will alter frequency response in unpredictable ways.

 

[USER]

 

[iulianm]

For the objectionivists, you can see on danny's (gr research) video how it smoothed out the z-plot (helped with box resonances ?).

I would love if you can do GR Research upgrade kit and send it to Amir for a measurement.

Revel M-106 Upgrade Kit (pair) | GR-Research

gr-research.com

 

[Acerun]

It can play a lot louder and even cleaner.

View attachment 229543

All hooked up and rolling. It's funny. I just plopped these in place, generally where I had the M16 speakers sitting, and gave them a slight toe-in, and started going. The clarity, detail, resolution, and separation resolved by these speakers is just goosebump city.

With Pink Martini, and I've seen them live with the vast number of musicians on stage, every instrument had it's place. This was a definitive worthy upgrade over the M16. ...I'm guessing the point of diminishing returns begins very shortly after these speakers.

We watched the first half of GOTG Vol 1, then had to put the kiddos to bed. But we're hearing minute details in the audio soundtrack we hadn't heard in the M16's. ...and with the M16's we were hearing details we hadn't heard with the Polk LSi15. That goes with the music as well - it's like you can hear INTO the movie or into the music. That in itself is really cool...

Paired with the simple and modest REL HT1003 Sub for both home theater and music use, I can pretty much end my speaker search here and now. Can't wait to dig into these further tonight and into the weekend.

Before I went up stairs, I did a little cable management on the loosey-goosey speaker wire on the right.

On a side note, as I need to replace the receiver upstairs where the M16's now reside (the Denon x2600H here will move upstairs), what would be a good HT receiver pairing with the M106 that'll double for music, trying to keep the budget between $1,000 and $2,000. Two that first tripped my trigger were the Arcam AVR5 or the NAD T 758 V3i.

Thanks,

c

How about a Denon X3700H? Highly rated by Amir and fits your price range. Also, is that a Sony A95k TV?

 

[Bren Derlin]

How about a Denon X3700H? Highly rated by Amir and fits your price range. Also, is that a Sony A95k TV?

That is an option, as is the new Marantz Cinema 60. The more I read about the NAD and the Arcam, and the headaches people are going through to get these receivers set up, the more I appreciate the ease of use of Denon's archaic menu design. The MRX 540 is also in play. ...I have plenty of time to decide. I'm not in a rush. Just really need to think this through, and probably wait for reviews of the new Marantz Cinema line, and the Denon x3800H.

 

[Bren Derlin]

How about a Denon X3700H? Highly rated by Amir and fits your price range. Also, is that a Sony A95k TV?

Forgot to add: The TV is the 77" Sony A9G

 

[norman bates]

(danny) "But there was a problem in that there just really wasn't enough insulation. And this is it for the insulation………… And when i did my testing on it, i took a little piece of fiberglass insulation and filled that area there that was pretty empty, and those two issues that we saw in the impedance curve, those two resonances completely went away. It was just a matter of some of that, uh, some of that reflecting around in the box and some of it was exiting the port. So, that was an easy fix."

(danny) "So, I took a little piece of no res which is um as a little damper with a pressure sensitive adhesive on the back and it has a foam layer. I took a little piece of it and stuck it on one side of the cabinet, took another measurement. And lo and behold, that knocked some of that tweeter's roughness out of it, so cut another little piece there picked I picked a piece from scrap stuck it on the other side, took another measurement, and this tweeter's response curve just smooth dried out."

Subjectively, the added stuffing cleaned up Alison Krauss "hundred miles or more: a collection".
I swear she is humming more than singing most of the time.

(danny) "Uh, with the pieces of no-rez stuck to the face of this thing doing away with that diffraction. Right there took away that lumpiness in the tweeter's response and smoothed it right out."

graphs are there.

Is my foam cutout doing the same or better ? don't know.

Is it better than the rounded cabinets of the more expensive revels, I doubt it, but it is free.


But, yes.

Perhaps I could send a foam cutout to someone and they could measure if it smoothed out tweet's response.
I can send different thicknesses also.
The foam is pretty porous, 1 layer thick doesn't know much hf ambient down, but 3" from tweet to edge should make a difference.

45 degrees off axis, I can still see the tweeter.
So it shouldn't narrow the +/- 50 degree measurement that we see here on the front page.
I sit 10' away, although 6' away sounds better.

I'm sure the up and down peak / dip past 5khz is caused by the tweet's sound reradiating after hitting the cabinet edges.
F206 has a similar peak 4-5khz then perhaps dip past.
f208 has peak 5-6khz.
m126be has a bit of a peak 4.5-5.5khz.

Could I do a better x-over ? nope.
but perhaps it can sound better for minimal cost.

Overall I am thrilled with the speaker for what it is, a 6" 2-way.

Diffraction Doesn’t Have to Be a Problem

This article shows an easy way to control baffle diffraction using a stepped baffle example. The author experiments with the use of felt, directly applied to the baffle and measures the results. Each piece of felt and its placement has different results. The article clearly demonstrates the...

audioxpress.com

 

[Bren Derlin]

(danny) "But there was a problem in that there just really wasn't enough insulation. And this is it for the insulation………… And when i did my testing on it, i took a little piece of fiberglass insulation and filled that area there that was pretty empty, and those two issues that we saw in the impedance curve, those two resonances completely went away. It was just a matter of some of that, uh, some of that reflecting around in the box and some of it was exiting the port. So, that was an easy fix."

(danny) "So, I took a little piece of no res which is um as a little damper with a pressure sensitive adhesive on the back and it has a foam layer. I took a little piece of it and stuck it on one side of the cabinet, took another measurement. And lo and behold, that knocked some of that tweeter's roughness out of it, so cut another little piece there picked I picked a piece from scrap stuck it on the other side, took another measurement, and this tweeter's response curve just smooth dried out."

Subjectively, the added stuffing cleaned up Alison Krauss "hundred miles or more: a collection".
I swear she is humming more than singing most of the time.

(danny) "Uh, with the pieces of no-rez stuck to the face of this thing doing away with that diffraction. Right there took away that lumpiness in the tweeter's response and smoothed it right out."

graphs are there.

Is my foam cutout doing the same or better ? don't know.

Is it better than the rounded cabinets of the more expensive revels, I doubt it, but it is free.


But, yes.

Perhaps I could send a foam cutout to someone and they could measure if it smoothed out tweet's response.
I can send different thicknesses also.
The foam is pretty porous, 1 layer thick doesn't know much hf ambient down, but 3" from tweet to edge should make a difference.

45 degrees off axis, I can still see the tweeter.
So it shouldn't narrow the +/- 50 degree measurement that we see here on the front page.
I sit 10' away, although 6' away sounds better.

I'm sure the up and down peak / dip past 5khz is caused by the tweet's sound reradiating after hitting the cabinet edges.
F206 has a similar peak 4-5khz then perhaps dip past.
f208 has peak 5-6khz.
m126be has a bit of a peak 4.5-5.5khz.

Could I do a better x-over ? nope.
but perhaps it can sound better for minimal cost.

Overall I am thrilled with the speaker for what it is, a 6" 2-way.

Diffraction Doesn’t Have to Be a Problem

This article shows an easy way to control baffle diffraction using a stepped baffle example. The author experiments with the use of felt, directly applied to the baffle and measures the results. Each piece of felt and its placement has different results. The article clearly demonstrates the...

audioxpress.com

You can view this video on the previous page...

Danny is a dope

You can also find this video on page 28...

Danny is still a dope

 

[tw 2022]

You can view this video on the previous page...

Danny is a dope

He strikes me as half used car salesman and half con man pretending to be a politician...

 

[USER]

I don't mean to sound rude but I just don't see how anyone can read the measurements on page one and then do this to $2000 speakers. This is tragic.

 

[tw 2022]

I don't mean to sound rude but I just don't see how anyone can read the measurements on page one and then do this to $2000 speakers. This is tragic.

View attachment 234215

I don't bother watching his vids anymore, that isn't really his fix ?.. That's gotta be some Jethro job from the Arkansas hills ...Edit : no offense to anybody from the great state of Arkansas, i took some poetic license ....

 

[USER]

I don't bother watching his vids anymore, that isn't really his fix ?..

Edit: Sorry, I read "his" as "a." I still blame that guy for riling people up with half truths and getting them to do crazy things like this.

---

As mentioned, this video was completely covered here. It is more a different voicing.

Revel M106 Bookshelf Speaker Review

I don't want to watch the video. What did he change?

www.audiosciencereview.com

If this is something you really want you can do it for as cheap as free with EQ. But even an better EQ was already posted.

Revel M106 Bookshelf Speaker Review

@BYRTT Could you process this for the M106 into your comparison set when you have some spare time? :)..... 1st class EQ work thanks, on paper well theoretical my own take is that M16 is better because its directivity index is unique smooth among two wayers relative big diameter piston jump down...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Or you can simply turn the speakers 10 degrees. That's definitely a free fix.

Revel M106 Bookshelf Speaker Review

Use an amplifier with A/B speaker terminals and put one Revel speaker on the left channel, one Infinity on the right. Level match the speakers with say pink noise using the balance/gain controls on the amplifier. Playing a mono source with one of each speaker side by side (single speaker of...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Hope everyone realizes that the graph scales make this all look like a MUCH WORSE than it is. This is a ridiculously good speaker. That guy is doing all he can to make this a problem. Even if his crossover fix is a magic fix, if you are that concerned about 1-2dB dips you are going to freak out to learn about room modes, LOL. Measuring your in room response and EQ is your best option no matter what.

 

[norman bates]

I agree, it is a "ridiculously good speaker".

(user) "I don't mean to sound rude but I just don't see how anyone can read the measurements on page one and then do this to $2000 speakers. This is tragic."

let me see ....................

(me) I don't mean to sound rude but I just don't see how anyone can read the measurements on page one and then add eq to $2000 speakers. This is tragic.



So, mods = bad, eq = good.

got it.

We don't dare try to improve this ridiculously good speaker.