So, I've been enjoying this site for about a year. And low and behold my system is now entirely composed of products praised in these hallowed halls. This includes a clean Yamaha RX-596 I picked up for $50 (and always run with the pure direct and cd direct engaged). I also I have a WIIM pro running through an SMSL SU-1. And now, I have the Revel M106 speakers that I grabbed on sale and open box for a nice price. Fairly budget system when you do all the math, even though the speakers were still a chunk of cash. For my source I use Tidal, and the WIIM pro now recognizes the FLAC tracks in Tidal Connect so I think I'm doing pretty well there.
The meat of this post is the experience of moving from the Dali Oberon 1's up to the Revel M106. Well, I now understand what "neutral" sound means. Without having to A/B the speakers I noticed a stark difference in the way higher frequencies are treated differently with these two speakers. Gone was the immediate sizzle of boosted highs, replaced with a much more natural sound. With a little comparison, I can understand the "fatigue" people talk about with brighter speakers. The Revels are very easy to listen to for a long time and never do I feel the need to turn them down. While I sometimes think I'm missing some upper end due to my familiarity with the Dali's dialed up treble, I soon notice it is replaced with clarity in every other area of the frequence range. Not sure the words to use, but realistic and broadly detailed come to mind. I have nothing negative to say about the Revels.
All that said, I am still pretty impressed with the Dali's for their size and price. If used as prescribed (pointed straight ahead not toed in) they are impressive speakers. Yeah, they are brighter.. but not obnoxiously so. And the low end is tight, albeit not deep. For moderate volumes that I play in my apartment, I would not say the difference between the sound quality and usefulness of these speakers is enormous. There is an easily noticeable, but not startling improvement. I am certain at louder volumes the gap would widen significantly. My room is too small fully benefit from the levels these speakers can push. Not to mention the neighbors.
Anyway, in case there is someone out there looking to upgrade their Dali's, now you know what to expect. And if you only have $600 to spend and a small apartment, the Dali's are great unless you absolutely can't tolerate the bump in brightness. If you only listen at ultra low volumes, the Dali's are probably a better choice. Beyond that, I think you will greatly appreciate the pure quality of the Revel's if you upgrade. Trying not to use goofy words here, but it's a sophisticated sound that does not need tricks to impress. They are undeniably excellent.
The meat of this post is the experience of moving from the Dali Oberon 1's up to the Revel M106. Well, I now understand what "neutral" sound means. Without having to A/B the speakers I noticed a stark difference in the way higher frequencies are treated differently with these two speakers. Gone was the immediate sizzle of boosted highs, replaced with a much more natural sound. With a little comparison, I can understand the "fatigue" people talk about with brighter speakers. The Revels are very easy to listen to for a long time and never do I feel the need to turn them down. While I sometimes think I'm missing some upper end due to my familiarity with the Dali's dialed up treble, I soon notice it is replaced with clarity in every other area of the frequence range. Not sure the words to use, but realistic and broadly detailed come to mind. I have nothing negative to say about the Revels.
All that said, I am still pretty impressed with the Dali's for their size and price. If used as prescribed (pointed straight ahead not toed in) they are impressive speakers. Yeah, they are brighter.. but not obnoxiously so. And the low end is tight, albeit not deep. For moderate volumes that I play in my apartment, I would not say the difference between the sound quality and usefulness of these speakers is enormous. There is an easily noticeable, but not startling improvement. I am certain at louder volumes the gap would widen significantly. My room is too small fully benefit from the levels these speakers can push. Not to mention the neighbors.
Anyway, in case there is someone out there looking to upgrade their Dali's, now you know what to expect. And if you only have $600 to spend and a small apartment, the Dali's are great unless you absolutely can't tolerate the bump in brightness. If you only listen at ultra low volumes, the Dali's are probably a better choice. Beyond that, I think you will greatly appreciate the pure quality of the Revel's if you upgrade. Trying not to use goofy words here, but it's a sophisticated sound that does not need tricks to impress. They are undeniably excellent.
