Seeking Alternatives to Revel F226Be

[Markie Warkie]

Hi all,

I’m currently considering the Revel F226Be for my setup, but I’m exploring alternatives under €4,000 per pair.

My listening is roughly 50/50 music and movies, and I listen to a large variety of music. My room is 5 m wide × 7 m long. My main seating position is about 3 m from the speakers, and the second theatre row is about 5 m away. I don’t mind DIY projects, so suggestions for DIY-friendly speakers are welcome too.

I’d appreciate any advice or personal experiences with speakers that could match or come close to the F226Be in performance and tonal balance.

My main issue with the Revels is that the centre channel seems difficult to find, and where I can find it, it’s €6,000—completely out of my budget.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[Mort]

Do you have or are you using a subwoofer? If you are, a set of HT towers plus center will go for ~$6k at philharmonic audio.

 

[Markie Warkie]

Do you have or are you using a subwoofer? If you are, a set of HT towers plus center will go for ~$6k at philharmonic audio.

Hello, yeah i currently have 2 15 inch diy subs that cover me for movies but i plan on making 2 sealed subs for music in the future i was looking at the philharmonic audio stuff but im in Europe so buying them would be pretty hard

 

[Nondemo01]

Are the Revels that you're looking at used? They normally go for $4K each so a pair is close to $8K US. there are sales (Crutchfield in the US has them for $3199 ea right now for example.) If you are getting a new pair at $4K, then I'd think you already have the "best" for that price. They're a little long in the tooth but very well behaved. Erin from Erin's Audio Corner did a complete battery of tests and they were nearly flawless. If you are looking at $4K each, then you have a LOT of good options such as the Arendal 1528 Monitor 8, Bookshelf 8, KEF R11 Meta, KEF R5 Meta (the later also well reviewed by Erin), Mofi Sourcepoints (they don't have a dedicated "center" but if you get three of their Sourcepoint 8s for the front three, that'd be pretty killer. You've got a pretty big room so you'd want something with good dynamic range, good vertical and horizontal dispersion, and depending on room acoustics, good linearity on & off axis. Those Revels are all of that. **Adding in GoldenEar T66 which are VERY good for the price and have a built in and well behaved subwoofer. I own their on-walls and couldn't be happier for my theater needs right now. I forgot about Focal Aria Evo as well. Audioholics reviewed their tower and thought they were very good and Focal has a lot of options.**

 

[Markie Warkie]

Hello no they are 3.698 a pair at MD sound also i dont have an Acoustically transparent screen so i need a dedicated centre

 

[IngMishael]

Hi all,

I’m currently considering the Revel F226Be for my setup, but I’m exploring alternatives under €4,000 per pair.

My listening is roughly 50/50 music and movies, and I listen to a large variety of music. My room is 5 m wide × 7 m long. My main seating position is about 3 m from the speakers, and the second theatre row is about 5 m away. I don’t mind DIY projects, so suggestions for DIY-friendly speakers are welcome too.

I’d appreciate any advice or personal experiences with speakers that could match or come close to the F226Be in performance and tonal balance.

My main issue with the Revels is that the centre channel seems difficult to find, and where I can find it, it’s €6,000—completely out of my budget.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Get three R6 Metas and set two upright for L and R and use the third as centre

 

[Mort]

Get three R6 Metas and set two upright for L and R and use the third as centre

I don't know for sure, but I would guess that would sound different as typically Revel will have wider dispersion than KEF.


OP have you thought about a different Revel center? They will be in the same ballpark sonically, usually more than enough to carry the center channel of dialog. That's less true of multi-channel music where you might want them to really match.

 

[tifune]

My main issue with the Revels is that the centre channel seems difficult to find, and where I can find it, it’s €6,000—completely out of my budget.

This strikes me as strange, not that I doubt you but wondering how it could be? Are the 226's used or b-stock? For 6000EU I'd get an 8351 and keep the change.

Of course there's the question of if you need, or just want, a center. Somewhere on ASR I read a good comment along the lines of "if you spend more than 50% of your listening ttime watching movies/TV with another person, get a center. Otherwise just sit in the sweet spot". YMMV

Another option is using a m126Be for a center. I did that with my 226s and, combined with 3 subs, it was good enough for my habits. My main use case is 2ch/atmos music, which doesn't leverage the center too much.

Re: Kef, i suspect in Germany (assumed since you mentioned MD sound) you'll find them cheaper and easier than Revel. I've not heard the Meta series, but I had the entire Kef R non-meta and the 226 beat them handily to my ears on literally everything I threw at them. 226's with proper sub integration are an endgame 2ch system for most people, IMO.

 

[Matias]

Maybe KEF R Series Meta if you can find a good deal on a front trio like R7 Meta + R2 Meta?

https://assets.kef.com/product-support/r-series-meta/KEF_R_Series_with_MAT_WhitePaper_v2.pdf

 

[Titurel]

I don't know for sure, but I would guess that would sound different as typically Revel will have wider dispersion than KEF.


OP have you thought about a different Revel center? They will be in the same ballpark sonically, usually more than enough to carry the center channel of dialog. That's less true of multi-channel music where you might want them to really match.

Don't scrimp on the center channel. In a lot of modern film mixes, the center does a lot of the heavy lifting. The idea that the center is a "dialog" channel died a long time ago. Even in mixes where the center is predominantly speech, gross mismatches between the center and the L & R channels can really degrade intelligibility.

BTW, I'm using a Revel C426Be for my center channel. Yes it was relatively expensive, but it was also easy to integrate into my system for both music and film/tv.

 

[ry_]

Hello, yeah i currently have 2 15 inch diy subs that cover me for movies but i plan on making 2 sealed subs for music in the future i was looking at the philharmonic audio stuff but im in Europe so buying them would be pretty hard

They ship to Europe! I would reach out to [email protected] and get a quote

 

[Markie Warkie]

Don't scrimp on the center channel. In a lot of modern film mixes, the center does a lot of the heavy lifting. The idea that the center is a "dialog" channel died a long time ago. Even in mixes where the center is predominantly speech, gross mismatches between the center and the L & R channels can really degrade intelligibility.

BTW, I'm using a Revel C426Be for my center channel. Yes it was relatively expensive, but it was also easy to integrate into my system for both music and film/tv.

Completely agree that's why im having a hard time making my decision

 

[Markie Warkie]

This strikes me as strange, not that I doubt you but wondering how it could be? Are the 226's used or b-stock? For 6000EU I'd get an 8351 and keep the change.

Of course there's the question of if you need, or just want, a center. Somewhere on ASR I read a good comment along the lines of "if you spend more than 50% of your listening ttime watching movies/TV with another person, get a center. Otherwise just sit in the sweet spot". YMMV

Another option is using a m126Be for a center. I did that with my 226s and, combined with 3 subs, it was good enough for my habits. My main use case is 2ch/atmos music, which doesn't leverage the center too much.

Re: Kef, i suspect in Germany (assumed since you mentioned MD sound) you'll find them cheaper and easier than Revel. I've not heard the Meta series, but I had the entire Kef R non-meta and the 226 beat them handily to my ears on literally everything I threw at them. 226's with proper sub integration are an endgame 2ch system for most people, IMO.

i found the price quite strange also but MD sound is reputable, Im Based in Cyprus so i need to look for EU options

 

[Markie Warkie]

I don't know for sure, but I would guess that would sound different as typically Revel will have wider dispersion than KEF.


OP have you thought about a different Revel center? They will be in the same ballpark sonically, usually more than enough to carry the center channel of dialog. That's less true of multi-channel music where you might want them to really match.

Cant seem to find many Revel products in europe

 

[Jiraya369]

Hi all,

I’m currently considering the Revel F226Be for my setup, but I’m exploring alternatives under €4,000 per pair.

My listening is roughly 50/50 music and movies, and I listen to a large variety of music. My room is 5 m wide × 7 m long. My main seating position is about 3 m from the speakers, and the second theatre row is about 5 m away. I don’t mind DIY projects, so suggestions for DIY-friendly speakers are welcome too.

I’d appreciate any advice or personal experiences with speakers that could match or come close to the F226Be in performance and tonal balance.

My main issue with the Revels is that the centre channel seems difficult to find, and where I can find it, it’s €6,000—completely out of my budget.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

KEF Q11 Meta cus it's a coaxial so you it's going to sound similar in the midrange on the other rows, gets pretty loud and has a great in room response albeit a little dark. If you can, the R11 Meta, at least imo, looks to be the F226Be but better. Gets just as loud in terms of dynamics, deeper bass, coaxial nature so people in different rows wont get a hugely compromised sound. Then for the center channel there's the R6 Meta.

Due to the distances you're looking at, I think the R11+R6 Meta would do you good because they can get loud af with ease. But the KEF Q11 Meta and a Q6 Meta would still be excellent choices as they can get to 96 db with ease based on Erin's testing. So if you're looking for reference loudness, you should take a look at the R lineup. Reference loudness is 85 db with 20 db of dynamic range, so 105 db peaks. The R series stuff do that with ease. The Q series stuff aren't bad, and when watching movies i doubt you'd really hear the difference between them but just informing you.

I'd personally go with the Q11 + Q6 Meta and pair them with a pair of RSL Speedwoofer 12S. A home theater without subwoofers is a bit of a tough sell. Make sure to get a UMIK-1 and calibrate the low end. The Revel was nice when it came out but newer things are either better at the same price or do a similar job at a cheaper price. Btw the Revel would sound "huge" and less focused in the soundstage whereas the KEFs will sound narrower but will be precise. Something else to keep in mind.

 

[Markie Warkie]

KEF Q11 Meta cus it's a coaxial so you it's going to sound similar in the midrange on the other rows, gets pretty loud and has a great in room response albeit a little dark. If you can, the R11 Meta, at least imo, looks to be the F226Be but better. Gets just as loud in terms of dynamics, deeper bass, coaxial nature so people in different rows wont get a hugely compromised sound. Then for the center channel there's the R6 Meta.

Due to the distances you're looking at, I think the R11+R6 Meta would do you good because they can get loud af with ease. But the KEF Q11 Meta and a Q6 Meta would still be excellent choices as they can get to 96 db with ease based on Erin's testing. So if you're looking for reference loudness, you should take a look at the R lineup. Reference loudness is 85 db with 20 db of dynamic range, so 105 db peaks. The R series stuff do that with ease. The Q series stuff aren't bad, and when watching movies i doubt you'd really hear the difference between them but just informing you.

I'd personally go with the Q11 + Q6 Meta and pair them with a pair of RSL Speedwoofer 12S. A home theater without subwoofers is a bit of a tough sell. Make sure to get a UMIK-1 and calibrate the low end. The Revel was nice when it came out but newer things are either better at the same price or do a similar job at a cheaper price. Btw the Revel would sound "huge" and less focused in the soundstage whereas the KEFs will sound narrower but will be precise. Something else to keep in mind.

Thanks for your feedback, Im worried about the dark sound of the q11s as i like quite abit more treble than that, as for subs i already have 2 15s, my issue is the budget is far bellow 9k and the r11+r6 its 8700 and the revels are about 9100

 

[tifune]

Would you consider a m126be for center until you find a reasonable price on 426? It worked well for me, better than expected if you have subs

Thanks for your feedback, Im worried about the dark sound of the q11s as i like quite abit more treble than that, as for subs i already have 2 15s, my issue is the budget is far bellow 9k and the r11+r6 its 8700 and the revels are about 9100

 

[Jiraya369]

Thanks for your feedback, Im worried about the dark sound of the q11s as i like quite abit more treble than that, as for subs i already have 2 15s, my issue is the budget is far bellow 9k and the r11+r6 its 8700 and the revels are about 9100

Bruh just eq the kefs have nice directivity, just slap an eq on em and you're good to go