Dynamics, transparency

a little uggly

These are very special loudspeakers, with excellent imaging, realistic dynamics, and superbly smooth even in a neutral way.

Voices are extended, and with great control. Amazing sound space with symphonic music and very powerfull with rock. A truly audiophile speaker.

Not beeing vey demanding as to other componentes, they are at best with quality electronics, that can get out all of what they have to offer.

Similar Products Used:

Thiel 2.3, Sonus Faber Electa Amator II, B&W 803

Clean,detailed sound,good value.

A little ugly. Grills extra!

Hey Johnathan, chill out! As you know, audio equipment is a VERY subjective thing. What sounds great to you, might not sound so good to the next person. If everyone liked the same thing you would have just one speaker manufacturer in the world! I really think the Thiel 2.3 is the best sounding in the $3,500 price range. It seems to have tighter bass, a little more open sound & it looks very good.The Revel's sound great,but I still think the Thiel's are a little better.

Similar Products Used:

Thiel 2.3, Monitor Audio Studio 20 & Kef Ref.3. Proceed & Mark Levinson equipment

Dynamic Range

none yet

I recently sold my Genesis V speakers which I never really liked in the eighteen months of using them. I read HP review and I found these speakers completly opposite in my listening room. It could of been that my room was not the best room for the V. I asked my dealer for a recommendation on speaker and he suggested the Revel Perform F30. My system consist of a CAT SL1 mk11 preamp, CJ Premier 11 a 70 watt tube amp, Classe CDP5, VPI Hw 19 Jr with Benz Glider, all cables are MIT 750 tube terminators and 330 tube interconnects. I picked up the demos from Overture and put the fully broken in speakers in my 13x20 listening room set up at 3ft froom the side walls and 3ft from the rear wall and spaced approximatly 6 ft apart with my listening position about 7 ft from the speakers. I should also not that the speakers were toed in and pointed directly at the listening position. The walls directly behind the speakers is a dead wall as I have my equipments rack on one side and a cd rack on the other with an opening in the middle of the room leading to the foyer. There are no acoustical room treatments in the room.

I began my listening session using my standards for auditioning equipment. The first disc I used was Patricia Barber Companion disc which has outstanding bass and is well recorderd. The first impression was wow. The bass on the Revel is rated at 31hz and I felt that I was not losing much compared to the Genesis V and their 8 sub woofers. The Revels reproduce the bass and never leave you wanting more. The vocals shine and the tremble was clean and fully extended. On Reference Recordings Copland album you can hear how dynamic, clean and fast this speaker is. It does thing thare are unbelievable in this price range. These speakers completly disappear. The sound stage is wide and as deep as the recording allows.

I was surprised by the wide dynamic range and the speakers ability to completly disappear. The PSB Golds never did that nor did the 15k Genesis V. This speaker can be played very low and nothing changes. The soundstage is still wide and it does not shift at low or loud levels. The 70 watt tube amp has not clipped and while I feel a solid state amp may provide better bass control , the CJ really shines with these speakers. I have ordered a Odyssey Stratos and I will update this review when I finish the evaluations.

As HP describes in the absolute sound about gestalt and Robert Harley uses the term musicality and the endless other high end terms we hear used, the Revels F30 deliver the goods and never let you want for more. I never felt the Genesi V had gestalt and in my opinion were very hi fi and aggressive sounding. I think the Revel F30 are the best speakers I have owned and are among the best that I have ever heard. I think you can spend thousands more and you wont find better. This speaker is non fatiguing and downright musical. It can boogie when you want it to and be gentle and dynamic on other recordings. I recommend that before you spend more on speakers audition this one. You may very well find as I have that this magnificient speaker gets it right.

Kevin Voecks is a brilliant designer and has designed what I feel will become a classic in its own right. At $3770 with the grill covers the Revels is a super charged bargain.It provides me with endless hours of enjoyable listening and has my wife actually sitting down and enjoying music. Unlike the Genesis V she has never asked me to lower the speakers and my kids enjoy TV again. As I am sure you are aware the demos never went back to the store. I purchased them and thanked my dealer for recommending that I listen to them. I feel that with the purchase of the Revel F30 music has returned to my home again for the first time in eighteen months. I cannot recommend this speaker more highly. Listen and I am sure you will agree that this is one great speaker. If you do audition be prepared you will end up buying them as I did. Also note I did listen to the Salons and this speaker is very close. It has made me stop wanting to spend more. Now let me get back to my listening session.

Similar Products Used:

PSB Stratus Gold, Genesis V

Image, musicality, integration

Looks

Revel has created one of the finest speakers at the price. I can see people who dislike it because it has no fireworks, it is a loudspeaker for those who like music not for those who look just sound.
It deserves the best electronics that you can handle.
Tonal accuracy, three dimensional soundstage, realistic dynamics are the major qualities. An excellent product at a fair price.

High resolution, clean sounding, good soundstaging

for my tastes, bass could be tighter

I retired my Counterpoint SA-100 amp in favor of the smoothness, warmth, and dimensionality of Single ended Triodes. I would pull out the Counterpoint every so often to reconfirm that the SETs sounded much more lifelike and pleasing. When I got these speakers, I hooked up the Counterpoints and found that what I had previously thought was harshness and glare, now came through as detail and resolution. The quality of the recording now seems to be the much more dominate factor in sound quality. I am now thinking that a lot of high end gear is a crutch for poor recordings. Although I have yet to encounter any audio system that can reproduce a piano to my liking, these speakers do a credible job. Also, I have never been happy with massed violins. The resolution of the Revels help mass strings sound like a group of individual instruments rather than some electonic haze.

The most noticable impact I noticed with the Revels was on close miked acoustic music. Not that I particularly care for this type of music, but for a sonic demonstration, the Revels reveal minute details of background sounds, room noises, actuation of instrument keys, russling music etc.

I ended up with these a result of an online auction. Really didn't think I would win the auction and was not all that excited about getting them. However, my experience to date has sold me that Revel is doing something right.

The speakers are being used in the following system:
Well Tempered Record Player and Benz L04 cartride
Lehman Black Cube,
JVC 1050TN transport, Audio Alchemey DTI2.0/DDE3.0 with Dusty Vaughter upgrades and Monolithic power supply
Goldmund Memisis 2 Preamp, Counterpoint SA-100
PS audio Power Plant 300
MacWire Delta interconnects
Wireworld gold eclipse II speaker wire

Full range; strong dynamics

Grilles are a $240 option

Every so often a speaker appears that exceeds the sound quality typical at its price point. The Revel F30 is one such speaker. If you know the sound of live music, you will recognize the F30 as being an accurate reproducer. It may not have the artificial excitement that some other speakers create, but by the same token, listener fatigue is unlikely here. So what's so special about the F30's? From the bottom up, the low end is properly supported. Listeners used to listening through small monitors may hate this speakers precisely because they won't know what hit them. The midrange is lifelike and dimensional- though perhaps not totaly grain free, and the upper extremes have a proper amount of sweetness and air. The looks of the speakers are nothing to write home about, and I certainly can see why some people would distinctly dislike the speakers' looks. Overall, for $3500, or $3740 with grills (grills should be included at this price point), you could buy far inferior speakers; I'm not sure you could get speakers significantly better without giving something up. At $3750, the Magnepan MG3.6/R is very close in price. Yes, Maggies have magic, but they still lack the last bit of dynamics needed to bring large scale music to life. To bring the 3.6's alive, you need a quality sub, thus adding about $1500; this comparison favors the F30's. A high quality product!

Similar Products Used:

Magneplanar MG3.6/R; B&W N804; Proac 2.5

soundstage, clarity, "crankability," transparent

These speakers have an awesome sound for their price. I have heard speakers that cost 5 times as much, but they do not hit me the way these do. Revel speakers certainly have their own sound. The Salons are the mecca of the product line, and sound absolutely excellent. Studios are the next down but sound arguably as good or even better than the salons. I find it hard to compare the performas against anything but speakers in the revel line, because nothing I have heard comes close to the sounds they produce. If you can, check them out and you wil not believe it. Even the little brother to the F-30's, the F-20's sound absolutely incredible and are small and only cost 1 grand a piece.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, LINN, Meridian, Magnepan

Clarity, soundstage,bass

Placement

for all thoes people out there that gave these speakers a rating of 1. really dont know what they are talking about. this is a Fantastic speaker. the quality of it is astounding. granted you have to find the "sweet spot" its well worth the moving around for a day or two to find it. for the price the speakers top most others, ive herd people say that they beat out B&W in the 3200 range. give em a listen if you have the chance.

Products used

Classe Cap 151
Classe cdp.3
Kimber Kables
NBS balanced interconnect

Similar Products Used:

Martin logan

Clarity, soundstage,bass

Placement

for all thoes people out there that gave these speakers a rating of 1. really dont know what they are talking about. this is a Fantastic speaker. the quality of it is astounding. granted you have to find the "sweet spot" its well worth the moving around for a day or two to find it. for the price the speakers top most others, ive herd people say that they beat out B&W in the 3200 range. give em a listen if you have the chance.

Products used

Classe Cap 151
Classe cdp.3
Kimber Kables
NBS balanced interconnect

Similar Products Used:

Martin logan

Clarity, soundstage,bass

Placement

for all thoes people out there that gave these speakers a rating of 1. really dont know what they are talking about. this is a Fantastic speaker. the quality of it is astounding. granted you have to find the "sweet spot" its well worth the moving around for a day or two to find it. for the price the speakers top most others, ive herd people say that they beat out B&W in the 3200 range. give em a listen if you have the chance.

Products used

Classe Cap 151
Classe cdp.3
Kimber Kables
NBS balanced interconnect

Similar Products Used:

Martin logan