Revel in Luxury

By Scott Wilkinson • Posted: Apr 9, 2009

As part of megaconglomerate Harman International, Revel has access to some of the finest speaker-design and development facilities in the world. And yet it retains its identity as a separate, relatively small company whose sole focus is producing the best possible speakers without compromising or cutting corners.

At the pinnacle of Revel's lineup is the flagship Ultima2 series, which incorporates new transducers designed specifically for these exceptional speakers. The woofers and midranges feature dual neodymium-magnet motors with distortion-reduction mechanisms, titanium diaphragms, and oversized voice coils with ribbon wire, while the 1-inch tweeter sports a beryllium dome and custom-designed waveguide. Each Ultima2 speaker is individually hand-tuned during manufacturing to match the original engineering reference to within a fraction of a decibel, ensuring unsurpassed consistency from one speaker to the next.

Of the two floorstanding models in the Ultima2 series, the Salon2 is the top dog. Standing over 53 inches tall, it's a 4-way design with three 8-inch woofers, a 6.5-inch mid-woofer, a 4-inch midrange, and a 1-inch tweeter. Magnetically attached grilles eliminate the need for mounting hardware, and the acoustically optimized baffles help minimize diffractive distortions.

The center channel is served by the 3-way Voice2, which includes two 8-inch woofers flanking a 5.25-inch midrange and 1-inch tweeter. As with the Salon2, the curved baffle is designed to minimize diffraction and thus distortion, allowing the speaker to match the tonal characteristics of the Salon2 perfectly.

For the surround channels, the Gem2 is another 3-way design with an 8-inch woofer, 4-inch midrange, and 1-inch tweeter. An optional stand is available, but this unique speaker has a very thin profile, allowing it to be easily wall-mounted with the included bracket. In addition to serving the surround channels, the Gem2 is equally at home as a smaller front speaker.

The Ultima2 series includes no subwoofer at this time, though Revel is hard at work on one, the Rhythm2, which should be available by mid-year. Meanwhile, the Performa B15a is a fine choice to compliment an Ultima2 multichannel home-theater system. Its 15-inch driver with inverted metal dome is powered by an built-in 1000-watt amp that boasts a 40% reserve, allowing it to deliver 1.4 kilowatts as needed. To help tame the inevitable resonant peaks that arise whenever a sub is placed in a room, the B15a provides a 3-band parametric equalizer along with highpass and lowpass filters with adjustable slopes.

I've visited the Revel facilities within the Harman campus on several occasions, and I was extremely impressed with the technology and passion that are brought to bear on all Revel speakers. Computer-aided design, 3D modeling, anechoic chambers, and real-world listening rooms are just a few of the tools used to refine these beauties.

Also critical in the development process is Harman's Multichannel Listening Lab, in which trained listeners hear audio clips played by several different speakers in a random sequence behind an acoustically transparent but visually opaque screen. Even more impressive, the speakers are mounted on moving platforms that shift the positions of the speakers for each run. Why is this important? Harman's research shows that, below about 300-400Hz, a speaker's position in a room has more effect on the sound quality than the speaker itself, so one cannot make valid comparisons of speakers at different fixed locations. Shuffling the speakers around eliminates this biasing effect and allows the listeners to focus on the sound of the speakers themselves.

I've listened to my fair share of Revel speakers in various home systems, and I have to say they are among the finest I've ever heard. And they ought to be—a 5.1 Ultima2 system with one Performa B15a sub will set you back nearly $43,000, which doesn't include a pedestal for the Voice2 ($600) or stands for the Gem2s ($1400/pair). That's some serious coin, but for those who can afford it, I guarantee a superior sonic experience.

Comments

Submitted by Bruce in CO on April 9, 2009 - 3:40pm.

While I consider taking on another job to save up for the Ultima2 surround system, have you listened to the entry level Concerta series? Due to cost and space limitations, I'm seriously considering the LCR8, M8 and B120 surround system. Any thoughts about doing a full-review of the Concerta series LCR8? And yes, I have read Michael Fremer's Dec 2005 review of the F12 surround system, which is one of the reasons I'm in the serious enough to purchase mode.

Submitted by Bruce in CO on April 9, 2009 - 3:44pm.

Your honest, thoughtful reviews are always the first place I look before making a purchase.

Submitted by Scott Wilkinson on April 9, 2009 - 9:34pm.

Thanks so much for the kind words, Bruce! It's very gratifying to know I'm helping people make good buying decisions. I haven't heard the Concerta series, but I will certainly look into it...

Submitted by Tumara Baap on April 13, 2009 - 1:24am.

For those who balked at the $43,000 cost of the system and decided to move on, there may be worthy alternatives from Harman's professional divisions. The JBL LSR 6328 is an active loudspeaker that is just as accurate as anything from Revel and yet more compact and versatile. What you don't get are Revel's fabulous looks. But for a HT where you don't want the loudspeakers seen and are hidden acoustically transparent fabric, the JBL's utilitarian appearance is not an issue. Cost should be a third or less of what's reviewed here, and dedicated amps per transducer are included in the deal.

Submitted by Tyler on April 14, 2009 - 7:10am.

Bruce in CO, I am a Concerta owner of the F12/M12 system, and have heard the on-wall series. The LCR8 is a very wide speaker, but if you have a 40"+ TV, the LCR8 is a very clean fit if mounted underneath the TV. I found the LCR8/M8 to be identical in sound style relative to the other Concertas- neutral without emphasizing treble/bass, etc. The LCR8 does a good job simulating front LCR, but I preferred the M10/C10 LCR setup- the front soundstage seemed more defined and concise. Either way, these perform admirably for an on-wall. The area that they fall short in is bass extension, so I would definitely get a subwoofer. As far as looks go, at 4" thick they might not be flush-mount, but if you're looking to strike a medium between looks and performance, the on-walls deliver it in spades. Very clean and modern lines. I am not a dealer, only an owner and admirer of the Concerta series. I think it is an incredible value for the performance you get out of this speaker line. Good luck with y

Submitted by Bruce in CO on April 18, 2009 - 4:35pm.

Tyler, I appreciate your thoughts very much. I have extreme architectural limitations which make stand mount or floor-standing speakers next to impossible to use(older house, brick wall and a door) unless they are really small. I may revisit the M10/C10 combo based on your experience. The LCR8 would sit on the TV stand (45" wide) just below the TV. Just about a perfect fit. Your comment about the subwoofer is well taken. I am considering the B120 because of the wireless capability, but REL makes some really nice subs, too. Any thoughts on the sub are welcome, too.

Submitted by Tyler on April 21, 2009 - 5:30am.

I would consider the REL T1 to be a comparable model to the B120. Both in the same price range (~$1,000), similar power amps. T1 uses 10" woofer/10" passive radiator, B120 a 12" woofer. B120 has wireless option. I have not heard both in the same room, but I personally think they are almost identical in performance. Both very musical and articulate, blend in well with main speakers. On HT, since both are smaller subs, you will be sacrificing a lot of output and extension, and if you have a larger room, you might need two of these subs or just one larger one- both start rolling off around 30Hz, which is sort of the meat and potatoes of explosions in most movies. The Revel is more flexible due to the wireless option, which worked without fault in a 20'x15' room at many distances from the receiver. So if you need to hide the sub, you won't have to run wire. In either event, both subs are very well suited in music applications, but depending on size of your room/loudness requirements, mi

Submitted by Bruce in CO on April 29, 2009 - 9:04am.

Sorry for the delay in responding. Work overload. I hate how it gets in the way of fun. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Anyway, I have limited subwoofer experience. What is the affect of placing a sub, such as the B120, off to the side of a room? There is the claim of non-directional sound, but I'm not convinced of it. I only have room for one sub. The best SAF (spousal acceptance factor) is off to the side of the room, which makes the wireless option wonderful. I hate to have a sub pounding my right ear and throwing off the balance. If it isn't a huge difference from the front of the room, then it would be a great option.

Submitted by Tyler on May 20, 2009 - 6:25am.

Bruce in CO, as long as you take the appropriate steps to integrate the subwoofer, you should not notice it. One important part of this is level matching- if you can, get a RadioShack SPL meter (about 40 dollars), and use test tones in your receiver to match the subwoofer's output level to that of your speakers. For example, you raise and lower the speaker levels so that they all put out 75dB on the SPL meter, and you'll have equal output from all speakers. Speakers that are not level-matched are a frequent culprit in localization of the subwoofer, where you can tell where the sound is coming from. With that in mind, you should not have much trouble integrating the sub if it is off to the side. One other note- depending on your room dimensions and where the sub is located, it may be in an area that has a null (frequencies will sound softer than in other areas) or a peak (frequencies sound louder than others). If it sounds bad, try moving the sub a foot or two from the current spot and listen again.