Build quality iside and out, aesthetic, black grille cover, low level resolution, Bass response with right associated equipment...

Difficult to remove Grille, Bit of Treble promenance...

This speaker does a lot of things right. The overall structural integrity of the unit and the care and attention to detail given to the components that make it inside a Hales speaker definitely gives one reason to believe the sound is going to be something to cherish. And the sound is quite nice, especially for the price. I chose this speaker because of it's reputation as a good full range speaker with true low level detail and Bass articulation. And I was not dissapointed. Speaker placement is definitely something that needs attention. Reading the manual and working with a few of the equations is definitely helpful with the overall sound scape.
If your running these with a regular reciever, the overall visceral impact may not be quite as good as you would want. But when you pair these with a nice seperate combo the real true character and assertiveness of these speakers really comes alive. The soundstage becomes much more dynamic and the musical picture becomes much more coherent. Prominance in any one area of the spectrum diminishes and the overall musical aesthetic and the musical nature of the Hales comes out of the woodwork.
Costomer support from the company, as mentioned in an earlier post, is quite good. And i would not expect that to change with the partnering of Hales and Wadia. I imagine there will be a bit of sorting out but with the streamlined nature of any joining, but i would imagine the output from Paul Hales will continue to break new ground, especially at this price point.

Similar Products Used:

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Low end - bass- authority- solid-clean

Hales produces the most accurate and musical speakers bar none! This is not just opinion, for I have no allegiance to any particular manufacturer; this is Fact. I put together a reference system to get me as close to the "Live" event as possible in my home..at any cost. The Rev 3's speakers will convey whatever the rest of the system gives them..pick musical gear and you will be transported!.Not Wilson, Genesis, JML or any other companies speakers bring a listener closer to natural music.

Exceptional imaging, tonal accuracy, clarity, focus, and overall balance across the full dynamic range, with surprisingly good transparency and soundstaging to boot. A stunning value in the bang-per-buck department.

1. Long-ish break-in period, but well worth the wait. 2. Grille cloth and cross-bar difficult to remove, impossible to put back on, but why would you want to? Look and sound a lot better "naked." 3. Not bi-wireable.

Awesome full-range floorstanding loudspeakers for the price, although the natural cherrywood pushed mine to around $2400. They really start to sing after 100-200 hours of use, gradually emerging from a moderately constrained voice into a full bloom of fabulous sound. As with any high-end speaker the room placement is critical, but Hales provides excellent information to dial in positioning on these puppies. I'd advise use of their geometric formula, amended somewhat for the idiosyncrasies of your particular measurements, combined with a slight toe-in and at least 2 feet of clearance from the wall behind them, plus a distance from the side walls that is DIFFERENT from that of the rear wall situation. The Rev 3's resolve low-level detail quite beautifully, but are especially superlative at a middle to higher volume. Bass is tight, concise, deep, and incredibly solid; mids are lush and vivid; and the treble is mighty sweet, though this can vary depending on the original sonic quality of the recording you're playing (these are pretty revealing speakers, which can be both a blessing and, occasionally, a curse). I've got mine configured with a Classe CAP-150 integrated amp, Classe CDP .5 integrated CD (Burr-Brown 1702 20 bit DAC), Audio Power Power Wedge 112 AC conditioner, Kimber Power Kords, Kimber Silver Streak balanced interconnect for the CD-to-amp, and Kimber Monocle X cable to the speakers, all of which makes for a wonderfully coherent rig that's relatively affordable. The Rev's are a little tough to drive at 87 dB/4 ohms, so the 150 watts at 8 ohms rating of the high-current CAP-150 comes in handy. I've virtually given up on going out to movies in favor of staying home and listening to this system, but my ever-expanding CD collection is making it tough to save for the 2 or 3K phono section I'd like to add to it, which is the only thing I can think of that might make these speakers sound better, with the possible exception of separate components such as a Classe CA-200 amp and appropriate preamp, and perhaps the CDP 1.5 player. Anyway, I highly recommend these speakers; they will definitely give Thiels and even ProAcs a run for your audiophile money, and were I ever able to afford an upgrade I'd listen closely to the Hales Transcendence group.

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B & W, Infinity (the late great), Genesis

great tight bass ,smooth mids and accurate non bright highs good soundstage and depth.

supplied cones

This is just a first impression as I just purchased a used 2 year old pair that is well broken in.I still need to find best placement.In any decent system with no weak links and with proper setup these speakers are hard to fault.With the exception of damaged speaker cones or components,any low scores do not carry much weight.

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DCM 2000 Reference, Energy ,Vandersteen ,Thiel

1) Very neutral frequency response, 2) excellent midband, voices sound wonderful through these speakers, 3) alot of bang for the buck.

1) Low impedence (less than 3 ohms) in the bass demands a hefty amp--otherwise wimpy bass will be the result, 2) the grill cover is a pain in the ass--all cloth with no frame. DO NOT TAKE THESE OFF UNLESS YOU PLAN ON KEEPING THEM OFF.

Considering the asking price, these speakers offer much in return. If you truly want a neutral speaker--not some expensive tower that emphasizes the frequency extremes--then this speaker is for you. The treble is neither recessed nor tipped up. Therefore, you will get no extra zing with your cymbals, but poor recordings will be revealed for the sow's ears that they are.
As for the bass, make sure the partnering amp can deliver the goods. The impedence drops down to around 2.7 ohms at 35 to 40 hz. Also, placement is important as is a firm foundation. If you set the Hales up on suspended wood floors, be sure to either spike them or place them on concrete slabs (or do both). The bass runs fairly deep (below 30 hz.) and your floor will shake, rattle and roll when you rock the house.
The imaging is fairly specific as far as placement between the speakers, and a fair amount of depth is apparent. Not much happens to the outside of the speakers, but that could be my setup. My room is about 12 ft. wide by 20 ft. long by 8.5 ft. high. The Hales fronts are about 4 ft. out from the front wall but only 2.5 to 3 feet from the side walls.
Just to give the reader an idea as to my sonic references--I auditioned several Thiel and B&W models. The Thiels sounded too bright in the treble, I didn't like them very much. The new B&W systems sounded very visceral and dynamic, but after awhile, I found them to be somewhat harsh. And since they were two to three times the asking price of the Hales, I considered them unacceptable.
Finally, I give the Hales Revelation Threes a 5 star rating for value and a 4 star overall rating (only because there is always something better out there--that is, if you're willing to increase your expenditures a considerable amount).

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Compared with my old Energy Ref. Con. 22's as well as various Thiels and B&W models.

Hales went bankrupt!

I agree with all the positive reviews below that this speaker does very little wrong, and in this price category it is in my top 3. I would strongly recommend anyone looking in this price category to seek these out.
The only areas where the Rev 3s fall a little flat is in the area of transparency and in projecting a true 3-dimensional soundstage(it's more like a 2.5). Let me be clear. The Rev 3s do exhibit these characteristics, just not quite as much as my top 2 choices in this price range, which are the Joseph Audio RM22si and the Thiel CS1.5. However, in the areas of dynamics, clarity, and bass response the Hales have the edge. So I think it really comes down to individual preferences.

Personally, I put the highest priority on the speakers having the ability to disappear and let me forget I'm listening to equipment at all. In this regard, the hands down winner is the Joseph Audio RM22si(see my review of that speaker if you want further detail). It lifts, separates, and imparts a sense of air and realism better than anything near its price. The Thiel CS1.5 does a good job of this too, but it has a very limited sweet spot(due to the 1st order crossover) and I'm just not a big fan of metal dome tweeters vs. a good silk dome(although I really didn't have any problem with the Rev 3s tweeter).

All in all, between these three it really comes down to personal preference. If I could I'd give the Hales and Thiels 4.5 stars and the Josephs a 5, but all three of these speakers should be heard and are of unbelievably high quality for the price(by the way, they're all Stereophile Class B recommended, for those who care). Except for Vandersteen, I have auditioned just about everything in this price class and these three are the cream of the crop in my opinion.

p.s. Associated listening equipment was all high end, including Pass, Theta, Bryston, Arcam, CEC, Electrocompaniet...just so you know that none of these was being driven by mid-fi stuff.

I've had the Rev. 3's for 14 months now and I still love them. Anyone in this thread that says this speaker is lacking in bass is probably a jealous Hales competitor. You must have some "axe to grind" because the bass that these speakers deliver is phenomenal. There are many cost no object speakers that I've listened to that don't do bass as deeply or accurately as the Rev's. You are obscenely wrong! There simply is no speaker anywhere near this price that does so little wrong.

Equipment:

Bryston 7BST monoblocs
Melos SHA Gold Reference
Rotel RCD-991
Harmonic Technology Pro 9+
Harmonic Technology Truthlinks

Here are my thoughs on the Rev 3 after listening to them following the repairs completed by Hales.

I'm not going focus on characterizing the sound. I'd rather give my opinions about placement for one simple reason. Anyone complaining about poor performance, primarily in the bass, is doing theirself considerable injustace because you don't have them positioned properly. Once the Rev3's are properly positioned THERE IS ABSOLUTLY NO LACKING PERFORMANCE IN THE BASS REGION PERIOD. IF THERE IS YOU DON'T HAVE THEM POSITIONED PROPERLY! END OF STORY!

My listening room is 14' x 17' x 8'. I have the speakers positione on the long wall. All of the following measurements are taken from the center of the front baffels.
The speakers are 39" from the front wall, and seperated with 114" in between them. I sit 8' away and have the speakers toed in about half way between straight ahead and facing right at me.

The front wall has Soundex Foam place floor to ceiling 8'wide between the speakers. I have found the reflective area on the left wall and position 2-4' pieces of Soundex there while I listen. There is actually a fireplace on this wall with glass doors that reflect the sound and confuse the imaging. The right side of the room is open to my kitchen so no reflective problems there. Additionally, while I listen I place a piece of Soundex behind me on top of the couch leaning aginst the glass picture. All this Soundex considerably cleans up any unwanted early reflections and tightens up the image. It's well worth the cost, about $35.00 from Mc Master Carr.

My system consist of a Linn LP-12 TT and Moscode Super-it phono pre amp, Ultech UCD 100 CD player, BAT VK3i pre amp, Carver 1.0mt amp, Nakamichi LX-5 cassette, Teac 3300SX R to R. All connected using Audioquest cables, Opalx3 to Rubyx3. I know my amp is by no means great. Even still the Rev3's bass is more than adaquit. I have 3 threaded spikes on the bottom as well. Two in the front one in the back.

I found that positioing the Rev 3's in my usual places proved fruitless. They need the reinforcement of the wall behind them for bass ballance. The sound stage in one word, FANTASTIC. Deep, defined, and very satisfying.

I used older mono LPs and female acoustic music to focus the system in. Try Jewel's Pieces of You or the sound track from Practical Majic, HDCD by the way. Both CDs provide simple music to dial the toe-in, and spacing and will net astounishing images. I get the goose bump feeling from both every time I play them. One particular trac on Practical Majic, a Joni Mitchal track, A Case of You, is an old recording with stunning acoustic guitars left and right stage and Joni Mitchal locked in the center. The mono LPs are RCA Shaded Dogs, Capilals, Columbias, Warrner Brothers, and VOX. It is truly amazing how well a mono recording can sound. All the labels mentioned have unique characteristic which make listening to music incredibly gratifying.

That's about it. Take the time to place the Rev 3's properly. Tell the old lady you have too much $ wrapped up in your system and want the room arranged around the stereo, not vise versa. You won't be disapointed I guarantee.

My only complaint is the rather unusual method to keep the grills on. It stinks! Don't take them off they're a pain in the a-- to get back on.

One final note:

Those of you pissing and moaning about poor bass etc... Go out and by some )*&%^*^$!%$#&^%)(_(** because you don't *&$%#!$*&(*^^( from a hole in the wall.

Greg

PS: How's that Pete!!!!

P.S.Forgot to mention my most used components or system:
Classe CAP 150 integrated
Linn Karik CD table
Audio Logic M-34 DAC
JPS Superconductors interconnects and cables
VPI bricks, sundry cones, red rollers, etc.

Would not disagree with adding a Rel Strata subwoofer crossed over at 38 -45 HZ
and turned down a bit