Revel M16 Speaker Review

[enio nery]

Getting the room under control would be my first choice, upgrading to the next line of Revels is not a bad plan. Upgrading to the F36 towers is also a good plan, and if you are in the US, Crutchfield has them on sale now.

FYI, no one should pay list price for Revel speakers in the US. Dealers are willing to discount them considerably. I paid $3,000 for a pair of F206s and a C25, for example.

Another excellent suggestion would be the Philharmonic BMR monitor. This is a wide-directivity speaker that extends down to ~25Hz in room and does not require a sub, assuming adequate power to drive them.

If narrower directivity suits your tastes and/or room, the KEF R3 is on sale for $1700 and is also an exceptional passive speaker.

I'd still like to know what aspect the OP is interested in upgrading, however. Does something need improvement, or is this a case of upgrade-itis?

im afraid its more of the latter, aha but thank you guys for talking me out of it. i did however purchase a new amp instead. might also order a minidsp flex with what is left of my original budget.



here's what i bought, a Denon PMA 2000II Sorry for the lousy photo, it looks better in person.

 

[enio nery]

Have you considered subwoofer integration with DSP room control?

not really but now that you have mentioned it. im itching to try the minidsp flex. aha thanks for the idea!

 

[biniek]

For better imaging and soundstage these or Polk R200?

 

[Chromatischism]

For better imaging and soundstage these or Polk R200?

Revels will create a wider soundstage. It's hard to say which would image better, as I believe that's a function of off-axis consistency and the room.

 

[Fvecchi76]

Steve, which dealer did you go through to get a deal like that for the revel speakers. I didn't realize they could be that affordable.

 

[Fvecchi76]

Getting the room under control would be my first choice, upgrading to the next line of Revels is not a bad plan. Upgrading to the F36 towers is also a good plan, and if you are in the US, Crutchfield has them on sale now.

FYI, no one should pay list price for Revel speakers in the US. Dealers are willing to discount them considerably. I paid $3,000 for a pair of F206s and a C25, for example.

Another excellent suggestion would be the Philharmonic BMR monitor. This is a wide-directivity speaker that extends down to ~25Hz in room and does not require a sub, assuming adequate power to drive them.

If narrower directivity suits your tastes and/or room, the KEF R3 is on sale for $1700 and is also an exceptional passive speaker.

I'd still like to know what aspect the OP is interested in upgrading, however. Does something need improvement, or is this a case of upgrade-itis

Getting the room under control would be my first choice, upgrading to the next line of Revels is not a bad plan. Upgrading to the F36 towers is also a good plan, and if you are in the US, Crutchfield has them on sale now.

FYI, no one should pay list price for Revel speakers in the US. Dealers are willing to discount them considerably. I paid $3,000 for a pair of F206s and a C25, for example.

Another excellent suggestion would be the Philharmonic BMR monitor. This is a wide-directivity speaker that extends down to ~25Hz in room and does not require a sub, assuming adequate power to drive them.

If narrower directivity suits your tastes and/or room, the KEF R3 is on sale for $1700 and is also an exceptional passive speaker.

I'd still like to know what aspect the OP is interested in upgrading, however. Does something need improvement, or is this a case of upgrade-itis?

Steve, which dealer did you go through to get a deal like that for the revel speakers. I didn't realize they could be that affordable.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Someone tell me I’m wrong.

These are looking like the ultimate affordable audiophile speaker, especially used.

On eBay U.K. you can pick up a decent used pair for £500-£600. Is there anything in the £1,000-to-£2,000 range that’s better?

 

[Ramsay]

I plan to buy the M16's and am looking for an integrated amp (up to $1,000) that will be a good match for these speakers. I don't yet have a good understanding of figuring power requirements, effect of impedence, etc. on choosing a well matched amp. I would appreciate some suggestions for a good amp for these speakers. I would like the amp to contain a good DAC and phono input. A couple of amps I am considering are the Arcam S10 and the Rotel A 12, but I don't know if these are good fits for the M 16's. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Everett T]

I plan to buy the M16's and am looking for an integrated amp (up to $1,000) that will be a good match for these speakers. I don't yet have a good understanding of figuring power requirements, effect of impedence, etc. on choosing a well matched amp. I would appreciate some suggestions for a good amp for these speakers. I would like the amp to contain a good DAC and phono input. A couple of amps I am considering are the Arcam S10 and the Rotel A 12, but I don't know if these are good fits for the M 16's. Thanks for the advice.

Not sure of your space and listening requirements, but something like the Kali IN'5 with a good dac would be my choice for a cheaper solution with no loss of quality, even gaining some.

 

[sojun80]

They're on sale right now on most web sites.

 

[cd45123]

Just picked up a pair, had the m106 a while back, but eventually sold it to hear other speakers. I’m looking forward to seeing what I think of it against the R3

 

[cd45123]

Wow, these have been really fantastic, selling the R3s…

 

[sojun80]

I grabbed a pair too...using them as a center channel

 

[Chaconne]

I've tried to check if this has been posted previously in this thread, and came up with nothing. But apologies if I missed it. This is a YouTube reviewer who claims the M16 is too bright to listen to for very long. I've never heard the speaker, but the video seems to contradict everything I've read about the M16 here. Just thought some of you would find it, um, interesting!

 

[theyellowspecial]

Wow, these have been really fantastic, selling the R3s…

Did you like the R3 better than the M106, and now the M16 better than the R3?

 

[cd45123]

Did you like the R3 better than the M106, and now the M16 better than the R3?

No, not exactly. I would actually take a listen to the M106 again. I remember that when I heard it, I loved the clarity and it was enjoyable, but I just preferred the tone of the Elac that I had a little more at the time. I do enjoy the bass hump a bit on these, but I plan to revisit the M105/106 later on.

 

[More Dynamics Please]

I've tried to check if this has been posted previously in this thread, and came up with nothing. But apologies if I missed it. This is a YouTube reviewer who claims the M16 is too bright to listen to for very long. I've never heard the speaker, but the video seems to contradict everything I've read about the M16 here. Just thought some of you would find it, um, interesting!

YouTube also has an official Flat Earth channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZr-1L6LibUuo5QiGlzMZ7w

 

[kniff]

Crutchfield has them on sale for 346$ /ea for you guys across the Pond https://www.crutchfield.com/S-yssTmIOvsgb/p_265M16BK/Revel-Concerta2-M16-High-Gloss-Black.html

Also, i do not agree with anything that guy in the video feels about these speakers. Fatigue is pretty much the opposite of my experience, some days working from home i'm playing music for 8-14 hours a day. If anything i'd say the mids are somewhat elevated, which i happen to enjoy (and felt was lacking in my Gen1 LS50s)

Maybe it's a trope or a too simplifed way of demoing a speaker (i'm only an amateur..) but when i first got them i played pretty much only metal music for the first weeks. If a speaker sounds good across a range of rock recordings from the 70s/80s, till modern quality recordings it will do well with pretty much any genre. Just my opinion.

 

[whyfi]

I've tried to check if this has been posted previously in this thread, and came up with nothing. But apologies if I missed it. This is a YouTube reviewer who claims the M16 is too bright to listen to for very long. I've never heard the speaker, but the video seems to contradict everything I've read about the M16 here. Just thought some of you would find it, um, interesting!

I saw this guy's video before I bought my M16s from Crutchfield. I chose the M16 over the Focal 806 which I was planning to buy. All I can say is my experience with the M16 has been wildly different that this guy's. I do agree the Focal 906 and 806 are very nice at low volume but I find the M16 just as nice at what I consider low volume. The M16s are the first nice pair of speakers I've purchased and I am very happy. Even my wife liked them and asked if we could get a pair for the living room. What more can I ask for, hahaha.

 

[dominikz]

This is a YouTube reviewer who claims the M16 is too bright to listen to for very long.

The M16 is definitely not bright. At one point I had compared mine side-by-side with my Neumann KH120A and JBL LSR305, and the M16 is IMHO the least bright / warmest sounding of the three.
All three are however within what I'd call 'neutral' tonality - just slightly different tilts.