Hi everybody! Finally registered and donated to the cause after lurking on ASR for a while. Hats off to Amir and all the folks who participate to create this awesome resource and community. Based on the info on ASR, I recently purchased an Atom DAC+ to round out my simple home office rig (Roon -> Laptop –> Atom DAC -> Emotiva Stealth 6s). The DAC made a huge improvement.
Given the success of that upgrade, I decided it was time to upgrade the speakers in my primary rig. I’m currently auditioning the Revel M126Be bookshelves through Crutchfield (can’t beat their return policy). My primary home rig is Roon -> Burson DA-160 DAC -> Parasound Halo P6 -> Halo A21+. The Revels are replacing a pair of tired Bose 10.2s from the ‘90s and have some help from an Elac 3010 Sub. The only correction applied thus far is to EQ the 10” sub.
The Revels are a huge improvement. I mainly listen to Classical and Jazz but grew up on rock and heavy metal. The Revels seem to handle electronic music spectacularly. I simply can’t believe the sound coming from these bookshelves when playing music like Queen and Rush. They play plenty loud. The timing and control are spot on, but I can’t help wonder if the Parasounds and Burson are partially responsible for that.
Acoustic music reproduction and vocals are also exceptional. They get the timber of piano, strings, and woodwinds right. I can’t say I hear a soundstage, but that may be my setup. Instrument separation is mostly very good. The only time I ever wonder if the Revel bookshelves leave something to be desired is with large symphonic works. In Beethoven’s 9th for example, several of the loudest crescendos seem a bit strained and unrefined, almost compressed sounding. And the dynamic impact was not quite what the old Bose deliver. Could a 12” sub fix this lack of dynamic music impact (my 10” sub thumped electronic music)? That said, symphonic music is still a delight with the Revels. I can hear the nuances in the decrescendos where the melodic theme gets handed off from one part of the orchestra to another (utterly lost with the Bose).
So I’m left wondering if these shortcomings in the little Revels are due to their bookshelf size or their 2-way design? Would the larger F226BEs handle large symphonic works better? Conversely, how would a competent 3-way fare in place of the Revels, like BMR Philharmonic?
My concern with floor standers is our primary listening position. It’s about 11 ft from the speakers in a 10x13x9 room. The floor is an open layout, with the listening “room” flanked on one side by a hall 4x13x9, then another room again 10x13x9 (½ wall separates rooms and hall hence quotes around room). Behind these rooms are some other open spaces (kitchen and hall leading to other small rooms). The Revel bookshelves can fill the entire floor with sound, and they are very listenable from the other room (maybe 60-65 degrees off axis).
I’m very satisfied with the Revel bookshelves overall but am wondering if there’s room for improvement. Any advice with respect to my questions is appreciated, and I’m happy to answer any questions with the understanding that I am simply a middle-aged dude who loves music and learning.
Given the success of that upgrade, I decided it was time to upgrade the speakers in my primary rig. I’m currently auditioning the Revel M126Be bookshelves through Crutchfield (can’t beat their return policy). My primary home rig is Roon -> Burson DA-160 DAC -> Parasound Halo P6 -> Halo A21+. The Revels are replacing a pair of tired Bose 10.2s from the ‘90s and have some help from an Elac 3010 Sub. The only correction applied thus far is to EQ the 10” sub.
The Revels are a huge improvement. I mainly listen to Classical and Jazz but grew up on rock and heavy metal. The Revels seem to handle electronic music spectacularly. I simply can’t believe the sound coming from these bookshelves when playing music like Queen and Rush. They play plenty loud. The timing and control are spot on, but I can’t help wonder if the Parasounds and Burson are partially responsible for that.
Acoustic music reproduction and vocals are also exceptional. They get the timber of piano, strings, and woodwinds right. I can’t say I hear a soundstage, but that may be my setup. Instrument separation is mostly very good. The only time I ever wonder if the Revel bookshelves leave something to be desired is with large symphonic works. In Beethoven’s 9th for example, several of the loudest crescendos seem a bit strained and unrefined, almost compressed sounding. And the dynamic impact was not quite what the old Bose deliver. Could a 12” sub fix this lack of dynamic music impact (my 10” sub thumped electronic music)? That said, symphonic music is still a delight with the Revels. I can hear the nuances in the decrescendos where the melodic theme gets handed off from one part of the orchestra to another (utterly lost with the Bose).
So I’m left wondering if these shortcomings in the little Revels are due to their bookshelf size or their 2-way design? Would the larger F226BEs handle large symphonic works better? Conversely, how would a competent 3-way fare in place of the Revels, like BMR Philharmonic?
My concern with floor standers is our primary listening position. It’s about 11 ft from the speakers in a 10x13x9 room. The floor is an open layout, with the listening “room” flanked on one side by a hall 4x13x9, then another room again 10x13x9 (½ wall separates rooms and hall hence quotes around room). Behind these rooms are some other open spaces (kitchen and hall leading to other small rooms). The Revel bookshelves can fill the entire floor with sound, and they are very listenable from the other room (maybe 60-65 degrees off axis).
I’m very satisfied with the Revel bookshelves overall but am wondering if there’s room for improvement. Any advice with respect to my questions is appreciated, and I’m happy to answer any questions with the understanding that I am simply a middle-aged dude who loves music and learning.
