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Yet another Revel F206 thread

typericey

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TL;DR - I created this thread with the hope of compiling thoughts, opinions, experiences, resources, etc. about the F208's smaller sibling.

Long version: I was finally able to sell my B&W 705S2, the last relic of my personal dark ages, before I was enlightened by ASR. With funds from the sale I am looking at the F206 to replace it and below are my reasons/criteria:
1. I am decided on the Revel brand because of its reputation of well measuring, well made and neutral products.
2. The speakers will be for a smallish bedroom, around 5 x 4 meters (sorry not sorry for being metric). The F208 will be overkill in this room. The wife will also kill me.
3. I simply cannot afford the F208, nor the M126Be.
4. The limited inventory of the local dealer "helped" narrow my choices.
5. I was able to briefly audition the F208 pre-pandemic and loved what I heard. Unfortunately, I will be unable to audition the F206 (will spare you the details).
6. I am hoping the F206 will sound and measure 98% of the F208 from 100Hz up. Is that too much to ask? Of course power handling is another matter.

Like any normal, modern human, I asked Google first for reviews, videos, specs, etc. though the results were pretty scarce. Which leads me here, because there is nothing like the insight I get from the ASR community. On that note, I hope to get some responses, and make this a useful repository of knowledge, not only for me but for anyone who will be looking into these speakers.

I'll get the discussion going by posting this interesting cutaway graphic, that somehow added some reassurance that I am making the right decision:
Revel-F206.jpg


Happy Holidays, ASR!
 

MrPeabody

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One property that the F208 shares with its smaller sibling is the virtual absence of audible distortion at the lower end of the tweeter's range. If part of what impressed you with the F208 was its bass performance, you should demo the F206 before buying it, and avoid assuming that the F206 will be the same as the F208 in terms of bass performance. The price difference for a pair of F206 vs. F208 is $1500, and you should be able to save at least half of that by buying a pair of F206 and then supplementing the pair with a good subwoofer. If you aren't opposed to pre-owned, you might get lucky by finding something like a pair of F52 on one of the used audio sites.
 

richard12511

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Based on the published Revel spins, the F206 doesn't measure as well as the F208 above 100Hz, but it still measures really well. Below are the two spins to hopefully help you decide.

F206 spin-min.png


F208 spin-min.png


If you want a cheaper option that measures as well as the F208, look at the M106/M105 + subwoofer. The M106/M105 + a couple decent ($750) Rythmik subs will actually measure and sound significantly better than the F208 :), due to much more neutral, distortion free bass, and it costs the same as the F206 :D. If you're absolutely set on towers, and you're willing to sacrifice a bit of performance, the F206 will still be a great speaker.
 

Steve Dallas

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The F206 is a fine speaker. True, it doesn't measure as well as the 208, but it still measures very well. What matters most is what it does your room.

Here is what they do in my [terrible] room without correction:
Revel F206 Stereo Uncorrected 112.png


Below 500Hz is dominated by room modes, and up to 1000Hz is heavily influenced by the room.

As far as bass extension and quantity is concerned, they hit 33Hz at 75dB in that graph (or 38Hz at 80dB, if you prefer).

I find these to be excellent speakers and am very happy with them. I suspect you would agree.
 
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typericey

typericey

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@Laserjock the piano white is speaking to me :cool: The color adds just the right amount of "modern" to an otherwise ageing and conservative aesthetic of the F line.

Revel_F206 White_Front_Hero_WEB.png


@Steve Dallas thanks for taking time to reply. It's these kinds of insight that I simply couldn't get anywhere else.

Hoping for the other owners, past or present, to chime in.
 

Laserjock

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@Laserjock the piano white is speaking to me :cool: The color adds just the right amount of "modern" to an otherwise ageing and conservative aesthetic of the F line.

View attachment 101399

@Steve Dallas thanks for taking time to reply. It's these kinds of insight that I simply couldn't get anywhere else.

Hoping for the other owners, past or present, to chime in.
Nice. I have the walnut front stage F/C208 but opted for white F206 for side surrounds.
 
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typericey

typericey

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typericey

typericey

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Seeking help to make sure I read this correctly. Which line would be the most relevant: black (on-axis), green (window)? Also, what does Total Sound Power (blue curve) mean?

If I would attempt to interpret this, it's quite disheartening to see a +/- 2.5dB variance in the critical 1.5khz to 5khz region. Should I obsess over this? Otherwise the rest of the curve seems fine. Is this an above average response curve compared to other speakers in it's price range?

Spin - Revel Performa3 F206 raw.png


If there is any consolation, the F206 does measure better than the B&W705S2 it will be replacing which has a distinct "V":
*I forgot which review site I got these from.
Screen Shot 2020-03-21 at 10.49.14 AM.png

Screen Shot 2020-03-21 at 10.50.11 AM.png
 

Robh3606

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For what it's worth I have a pair I use with a subwoofer. They are great speakers! The RED is the curve.

Rob:)
 
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typericey

typericey

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For what it's worth I have a pair I use with a subwoofer. They are great speakers! The RED is the curve.

Rob:)

Please do say more! I'm fishing for any insight from owners. Photos would be nice too.

I do have a subwoofer on hand (SVS SB-2000) to augment the last octave if needed.
 

richard12511

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The F206 is a fine speaker. True, it doesn't measure as well as the 208, but it still measures very well. What matters most is what it does your room.

Here is what they do in my [terrible] room without correction:
View attachment 101363

Below 500Hz is dominated by room modes, and up to 1000Hz is heavily influenced by the room.

As far as bass extension and quantity is concerned, they hit 33Hz at 75dB in that graph (or 38Hz at 80dB, if you prefer).

I find these to be excellent speakers and am very happy with them. I suspect you would agree.

Indeed the F206 are excellent loudspeakers, and actually, your room doesn't look all that terrible. Quite a good pre-eq response, imo.
 

richard12511

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Seeking help to make sure I read this correctly. Which line would be the most relevant: black (on-axis), green (window)? Also, what does Total Sound Power (blue curve) mean?

If I would attempt to interpret this, it's quite disheartening to see a +/- 2.5dB variance in the critical 1.5khz to 5khz region. Should I obsess over this? Otherwise the rest of the curve seems fine. Is this an above average response curve compared to other speakers in it's price range?

View attachment 101712

If there is any consolation, the F206 does measure better than the B&W705S2 it will be replacing which has a distinct "V":
*I forgot which review site I got these from.
View attachment 101716
View attachment 101715

Definitely a well above average graph for the price range, and certainly better than the 705S2. My previous point was just comparing it to the F208 to show that the extra money does buy you a bit more refinement. Compared to the average passive speaker(at any price, really), that F206 spin is really good. Note that the green line(which seems to be a bit flatter) is more important than the black line.
 
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typericey

typericey

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Thanks @richard12511. I drew a line over the curve and it looks better. The variations of the green curve doesn't seem as bad. Again not 100% sure I'm interpreting this correctly. No doubt the F208 is smoother.

F206 response.JPG


Aside from the neutral FR I'm also looking forward to the greater sense of scale that the F206 (floorstander) will bring vs. 705S2 (bookshelf). I was gobsmacked by the F208's scale when I auditioned it, and hopefully some of it trickles down to the F206.

Order placed and if everything goes well I should be able to get my pair before the new year. :)
 

muad

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Please do say more! I'm fishing for any insight from owners. Photos would be nice too.

I do have a subwoofer on hand (SVS SB-2000) to augment the last octave if needed.

Fwiw, I had the f206 adnd compared them to the BMRs for a few months. All my listening is in an untreated room.

About their sound: really really solid imaging. Clear defined voices, and instrument are rock solid in placement. Probably their most notable quality to me. It's a very neutral speaker, but has a natural fullness to the sound.

Though the bass is weak. The quality was fine but I felt it lacking in quantity. A sub would benefit them. As a caveat... My right speaker speaker is placed near a descending staircase, so some energy is lost there... But for a floor stander I would have expected more bass than the much smaller BMRs.

Also something to note, they had the worst far off axis performance of any speaker I've heard. To be clear, I listen in the kitchen sometimes which is about 60 deg off axis, and the f206 didn't sound good at all for that purpose. They sound good from anywhere on the couch... So this is more of a niche concern that most people won't care about.

The reason I didn't keep them is there was something I didn't like around the crossover region that was a little harsh at times. Not sure if it was the tweeter or the mid. It almost sound distortion or some sort of break up. I don't listen that loud... So I'm not sure what was going on there. That being said, they were head and shoulders above all the other speakers I had heard up until that time. Clear, and balanced, and their biggest weakness being their bass.

Edit: one thing I forgot to add... I tried to keep everything I've written as objective as possible. No flowery language etc. But one thing I have to mention. I at no point found them danceable. I thoroughly disliked the tonal balance of the BMR but it had me hopping and singing along. The F206, nothing. Not really sure what's up with that. Maybe the wide dispersion or the BMRs deeper bass? Who knows
 
Last edited:

Bear123

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F206 LW from SoundStageNetwork:
fr_listeningwindow.gif
 
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typericey

typericey

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Thanks @Bear123. Wasn't able to find that one with Google. Looks smooth, though with early bass roll off.

The format looks familiar which leads me to think my 705S2 graphs came from SoundStageNetwork as well.
 

theyellowspecial

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Another option would be the M105/M106 and dual subs in stereo with high crossover and room correction.
 

YSDR

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Edit: one thing I forgot to add... I tried to keep everything I've written as objective as possible. No flowery language etc. But one thing I have to mention. I at no point found them danceable. I thoroughly disliked the tonal balance of the BMR but it had me hopping and singing along. The F206, nothing. Not really sure what's up with that. Maybe the wide dispersion or the BMRs deeper bass? Who knows
That's why loudspeakers needs to be auditioned before purchasing. Or having a forum member to write this down. Objective data tells us some things, e.g. there is (big) flaw or like this, but the measurements doesn't tells the whole story or it's hard to interpret to get the full picture. The loudspeaker is tuneful, it's danceable, it can bite (in a positive way)? These things can be heard immediately, but hard to get data to show.
Of course I like objective data too, it's important.
 
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typericey

typericey

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Thanks @YSDR, @muad. I auditioned the F208 and loved what I heard. The F206 can't be too far off (from 100hz up). Aside from the measurements and sound, I also considered these factors:

- buying into a brand whose principles resonate with me
- "Goldilocks" size and price
- build quality that everyone's raving about
- dat sexy piano white cabinet contrasting against the matte black drivers, can't get the visual off my mind!

The 705S2 did sound "pleasant" because of it's V profile. The treble sounds hyper detailed (though artificially induced by the FR). But in the back of my mind, it bugged me that I own and am listening to colored speakers.

Yeah I sound like my mind's made up. :D No shame in admitting that. But I'd still like to keep this thread going as a data bank.
 
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