• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Revel M106 to Revel M126 Be, just made the switch

truwarrior22

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2020
Messages
55
Likes
15
SVS PB 2000 pro

ha
The 2" pads are just for extra height
So would you consider the M126 actually better across the board over the M106 or just different? Seems like you noticed the sound stage is wider, but how’s the clarity? I thought I heard the M126 is suppose to be a little darker? Anything special with the M126 your not hearing with the M106?
 
OP
My adventures in stereo

My adventures in stereo

Active Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2022
Messages
298
Likes
293
The treble is a lot more detailed but not harsher
This is pronounced with dirac activated

Both are very good speakers but the 126 has the edge
 

crappypanther

Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2021
Messages
64
Likes
42
I've always liked white woofers. These silver Revels look amazing. White woofers go well with your white walls.
 
OP
My adventures in stereo

My adventures in stereo

Active Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2022
Messages
298
Likes
293
The treble has a lot more detail, but the 126 has the edge? The 126 is better, but it's not significantly better...

This is a bit confusing. :D
The M126 has more detailed treble but is not fatiguing

Overall the M126 is a better speaker

Hope that is clearer :)
I've always liked white woofers. These silver Revels look amazing. White woofers go well with your white walls.
Glad you like ,how it matches the decor
I have never owned silver speakers before, liked the look
 

ROOSKIE

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
1,917
Likes
3,397
Location
Minneapolis
The M126 has more detailed treble but is not fatiguing
but how’s the clarity? I thought I heard the M126 is suppose to be a little darker?

I have the M126be's.
I must agree with OP that they are very detailed and present in the treble. They have some of the most vibrant and satisfying highs I have ever heard while simultaneously zero and I mean zero harshness.
I was very skeptical of the added costs for beryllium and was very prepared to return if need be. Turns out they were keepers.
Like OP I run dual subs and high pass the M126be's around 80hrs. Alone they do not have enough bass for me. They are physically smaller compared with many 6.5" driver designs.
I did not have the m106's but did have the m16's, JBL L82's, KEF R3, JBL 4309, BMR, Lintons and several others here simultaneously.

Notably, for me the m126be was a clear, across the board upgrade from the m16(which is a very enjoyable speaker for me). It really was not as close as I anticipated. Also notable was how much I prefer the m126be to the R3.

The L82, Linton and BMR handle 2.0 much better.

I ended up keeping the m126be, BMR curved cabs and the 4309.

I still have the Lintons here and a couple other speakers though I plan to sell them. They are decent speakers that can swing 2.0 very well but are outclassed by most of the others above bass, IMHO and I have two subs so 2.0 is less of a factor vs 2.2
 

Bren Derlin

Active Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
225
Likes
229
Location
Milwaukee, WI
I have the M126be's.
I must agree with OP that they are very detailed and present in the treble. They have some of the most vibrant and satisfying highs I have ever heard while simultaneously zero and I mean zero harshness.
I was very skeptical of the added costs for beryllium and was very prepared to return if need be. Turns out they were keepers.
Like OP I run dual subs and high pass the M126be's around 80hrs. Alone they do not have enough bass for me. They are physically smaller compared with many 6.5" driver designs.
I did not have the m106's but did have the m16's, JBL L82's, KEF R3, JBL 4309, BMR, Lintons and several others here simultaneously.

Notably, for me the m126be was a clear, across the board upgrade from the m16(which is a very enjoyable speaker for me). It really was not as close as I anticipated. Also notable was how much I prefer the m126be to the R3.

The L82, Linton and BMR handle 2.0 much better.

I ended up keeping the m126be, BMR curved cabs and the 4309.

I still have the Lintons here and a couple other speakers though I plan to sell them. They are decent speakers that can swing 2.0 very well but are outclassed by most of the others above bass, IMHO and I have two subs so 2.0 is less of a factor vs 2.2

When I was auditioning speakers, I preferred the Revel M16 over the KEF R3. I auditioned the R3 a small local boutique hifi shop. And I auditioned the Revel M16 at home. It doesn't sound like a fair comparison, but I'm positive I'd have felt the same way had I auditioned the KEF R3 at home as well.
 

ROOSKIE

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
1,917
Likes
3,397
Location
Minneapolis
When I was auditioning speakers, I preferred the Revel M16 over the KEF R3. I auditioned the R3 a small local boutique hifi shop. And I auditioned the Revel M16 at home. It doesn't sound like a fair comparison, but I'm positive I'd have felt the same way had I auditioned the KEF R3 at home as well.
Yes, I did direct comparison at home (sighted) and both myself and my gf(who has a pretty solid love for hifi now) preferred the M16 to the R3.
I really wanted to love the R3 due to the look and the very competent design strategy, alas they were sold and not missed.
I deff think the R3 is good but the sound of the M16 was just far more captivating for me. Then the M126be was even better. Expensive though, so negotiate well. ($4400 is not what I paid new)
 

truwarrior22

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2020
Messages
55
Likes
15
I have the M126be's.
I must agree with OP that they are very detailed and present in the treble. They have some of the most vibrant and satisfying highs I have ever heard while simultaneously zero and I mean zero harshness.
I was very skeptical of the added costs for beryllium and was very prepared to return if need be. Turns out they were keepers.
Like OP I run dual subs and high pass the M126be's around 80hrs. Alone they do not have enough bass for me. They are physically smaller compared with many 6.5" driver designs.
I did not have the m106's but did have the m16's, JBL L82's, KEF R3, JBL 4309, BMR, Lintons and several others here simultaneously.

Notably, for me the m126be was a clear, across the board upgrade from the m16(which is a very enjoyable speaker for me). It really was not as close as I anticipated. Also notable was how much I prefer the m126be to the R3.

The L82, Linton and BMR handle 2.0 much better.

I ended up keeping the m126be, BMR curved cabs and the 4309.

I still have the Lintons here and a couple other speakers though I plan to sell them. They are decent speakers that can swing 2.0 very well but are outclassed by most of the others above bass, IMHO and I have two subs so 2.0 is less of a factor vs 2.2
Thank you, very helpful, but do you feel there is a genre of music which won’t work well? Can it play from say punk rock to classical well, or is it suited for better recordings? :)
 

ROOSKIE

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
1,917
Likes
3,397
Location
Minneapolis
Thank you, very helpful, but do you feel there is a genre of music which won’t work well? Can it play from say punk rock to classical well, or is it suited for better recordings? :)
No, they can rock out very well. You will tap your toes and want to let loose as they say.(again note I did require subs with them) Additionally poor recordings are not made worse though they are not 'fixed' . Honestly so far these are the best Jack of all trades monitor sized speakers I have ever heard.
I listen loudly often and have a very, very wide taste in music that includes very sophisticated stuff and very rugged stuff. Everything sounds great they do not require a cherry picked playlist.

I kept the BMRs for something different and for slightly mellower moods and the extremely wide dispersion they have makes certain things sound huge. Plus they are so cohesive they are truly a work of art. I had to keep them.

The 4309s are not as refined as several others but they sound very good despite that and they can easily play music with a live sound so realistically it is as being at a show. High pass around 80-90hrz and they can handle any volume with ease.

I have many speakers and tried many others as I am slowly learning to design them at a competent level which due to the contributions of many is far easier now than 15 years ago.
 
OP
My adventures in stereo

My adventures in stereo

Active Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2022
Messages
298
Likes
293
How can you evaluate Focals relative to M106 and 126?
I went through a phase, when I had the Kef LS 50 , Revel M16, Focal 906 & the Revel M106
I found the KEF LS 50 the weakest off the lot, it was a reasonable speaker but I preferred the others over it
I still have all the rest and finally picked up a Revel M126

The focals are now doing desktop duty, I like them in the nearfield
The Revel M106 are my home theater fronts and the M16 the rears

The focals are really nice as nearfield speakers but I prefer the Revels for farfield listening
 

spamilton

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2021
Messages
83
Likes
64
I recently tested some M126Bes. I liked them so much that I kept one as a center and returned the other because I plan on getting the 226Bes at some point. The sibilance from the M106 is pretty much gone. Extremely open and clean. Probably as good as you can get for a center of that size - better than the R2C to my ear. I was previously anti-center for a long time because everything always felt too "small" coming from a single speaker, but this one finally changed my mind.

I was also very surprised when comparing them to my Sierra Towers. I did not expect the 126 to sound that much more open. Maybe it's the vertical dispersion.
 
Last edited:

Bren Derlin

Active Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
225
Likes
229
Location
Milwaukee, WI
I recently tested some M126Bes. I liked them so much that I kept one as a center and returned the other because I plan on getting the 226Bes at some point. The sibilance from the M106 is pretty much gone. Extremely open and clean. Probably as good as you can get for a center of that size - better than the R2C to my ear. I was previously anti-center for a long time because everything always felt too "small" coming from a single speaker, but this one finally changed my mind.

I was also very surprised when comparing them to my Sierra Towers. I did not expect the 126 to sound that much more open. Maybe it's the vertical dispersion.

On the flip side, I use my pair of M106 speakers in my HT with a Phantom Center. Tis quite awesome. No issues with clarity, especially with low level vocals - which can become muddy and incoherent with a bad dedicated center channel speaker.

As a comparison, I had the Polk LSiC as my center channel for a good 18 years in our living room. I replaced that old center earlier this fall with the Revel C205, which was a significant step up from the LSiC. ...but the phantom center with either the M16 or the M106 in our HT is still far and away, better than a center channel. I don't the space to add a vertical speaker as a center, so can't even try it. And to be clear, I'm sure there's a giant center channel speaker out there that would be outstanding - but as it is, it's hard to go away from two speakers creating a giant stereophonic sound stage for movies, that feels absolutely cinematic vs. using a little singular speaker as a center. I can literally walk up and down the stairs and compare the two options, and the phantom center, for me, is so much better than a center. It's night and day.
 

spamilton

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2021
Messages
83
Likes
64
On the flip side, I use my pair of M106 speakers in my HT with a Phantom Center. Tis quite awesome. No issues with clarity, especially with low level vocals - which can become muddy and incoherent with a bad dedicated center channel speaker.

As a comparison, I had the Polk LSiC as my center channel for a good 18 years in our living room. I replaced that old center earlier this fall with the Revel C205, which was a significant step up from the LSiC. ...but the phantom center with either the M16 or the M106 in our HT is still far and away, better than a center channel. I don't the space to add a vertical speaker as a center, so can't even try it. And to be clear, I'm sure there's a giant center channel speaker out there that would be outstanding - but as it is, it's hard to go away from two speakers creating a giant stereophonic sound stage for movies, that feels absolutely cinematic vs. using a little singular speaker as a center. I can literally walk up and down the stairs and compare the two options, and the phantom center, for me, is so much better than a center. It's night and day.
Yes, I really do prefer everything being in stereo as well, but without the ability to adjust the center channel information, I've had occasional issues with large discrepancies in volume - usually with older content. It's definitely a tradeoff, but the Revel bookshelf is the best I've heard of the reasonably-sized centers.
 

Acerun

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 13, 2021
Messages
1,100
Likes
489
Location
San Francisco
On the flip side, I use my pair of M106 speakers in my HT with a Phantom Center. Tis quite awesome. No issues with clarity, especially with low level vocals - which can become muddy and incoherent with a bad dedicated center channel speaker.

As a comparison, I had the Polk LSiC as my center channel for a good 18 years in our living room. I replaced that old center earlier this fall with the Revel C205, which was a significant step up from the LSiC. ...but the phantom center with either the M16 or the M106 in our HT is still far and away, better than a center channel. I don't the space to add a vertical speaker as a center, so can't even try it. And to be clear, I'm sure there's a giant center channel speaker out there that would be outstanding - but as it is, it's hard to go away from two speakers creating a giant stereophonic sound stage for movies, that feels absolutely cinematic vs. using a little singular speaker as a center. I can literally walk up and down the stairs and compare the two options, and the phantom center, for me, is so much better than a center. It's night and day.
What happened to your C205?
 

Bren Derlin

Active Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
225
Likes
229
Location
Milwaukee, WI
What happened to your C205?

The C205 is paired with my M16 speakers in our living room system. A center is needed in that space to ground the primary audio to the display, as the speakers and display can’t be set up in an optimal configuration.

The M16 speakers replaced my old Polk LSi15
The C205 replaced the Polk LSiC center. The C205 was a much needed upgrade here.

The M106 speakers are in our HT space.
 

Acerun

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 13, 2021
Messages
1,100
Likes
489
Location
San Francisco
The C205 is paired with my M16 speakers in our living room system. A center is needed in that space to ground the primary audio to the display, as the speakers and display can’t be set up in an optimal configuration.

The M16 speakers replaced my old Polk LSi15
The C205 replaced the Polk LSiC center. The C205 was a much needed upgrade here.

The M106 speakers are in our HT space.
Have you tried the c205 with the m106s?
 
Top Bottom