Revel Salon 2 versus WP 8

I agree with Jkalman in general. This discussion shows why its so important to have a home demo period before you buy. These speakers cost a lot and if you have just a normal home environment you have to pick the best speaker that works in that environment.

I agree. If a person wants to get the sound they like in an untreated room then home audition is a must.
I still believe an independent evaluation(listening and measurements) of the relevant parameters can determine which of 2 speakers is the more "musically" "accurate" reproducer.
For me the room is a separate issue and my experience is that an untreated room is unacceptable.
My choice is to find the most neutral speakers and then address room issues after the speakers responses are heard & measured in the room.
From all the comments reviewed it sounds like the Salons
are very good and quite neutral.
I have a Spectral 200 watt @8ohm amp with about 50-60 amps peak current. I wonder if it is adaquate with the Salons?

The other three Salon2s I ordered will be arriving next week. By this time next week I'll have a full 5.2 compliment with all Salon2s and Ultima Sub 30s for the two subwoofers.

I'm impressed by how these speakers measure compared to the other speakers mentioned in this thread. I do miss the mid-range transparency of the W/P8, even if it was a product of intentional (albeit skillful) deviations in the frequency response. I can do this myself with a good PEQ, and hopefully get close to that mid-range clarity. Though, I can't change the materials being used, and I think that might leave me unable to get the mid-range as transparent as I would like.

Comparing the V3 to the Studio2 measurements in Stereophile, the Studio2 is just a much flatter measuring speaker, especially above 6.5KHz, where the V3 is up around 2dB more than the Studio2 off a flat response! So the Studio2 is getting ~-.5dB and +2.3dB (though, with treble correction and boundary compression, it is probably around -.5dB and +.7dB). This is compared to that -/+4dB on the V3. I've decided not to pursue an in-home test because of the frequency response differences between these two speakers... Of course, if someone wants to take a Saturday or Sunday drive and hook them up in my house, I wouldn't stop him/her. ;)

JK-Please keep in mind that whenever you are going to bring up the V3, you will have to reckon with me. Not sure what you have against these speakers, but if you want to trash them, at least try and keep it real. As I mention before, even JA pointed out to the “top octave shelved up” of the Ultima Studio2 (Same tweeter arrangement as the Salon 2). Buying or not buying a speaker based on that alone, is silly. Especially from one who has defended the W/P -/+ 10db FR and admittedly, miss their 6 db midrange shelved up!! That is all in the same paragraph complaining about the V3 extra 2 db abouve6.5K. Come on, get real. And then again, if you can correct it all with a “good PEQ”, does it really matter what speakers you end up having? BTW, if you are at all really interested in a serious evaluation between the 2 speakers, you can start by reading RH of TAS comparison between them. Take at as you wish but at least it is coming from a person that actually spent significant time with both speakers. (http://www.avguide.com/news/2008/01/30/robert-harley-compares-the-outstanding-revel-ultima-salon2-and-the-magico-v3/ ).

I wouldn't put too much stock into a review from a publication with the credibility problems that one currently has. In any case, it's getting old how every few months (now apparently month to month) they find a new benchmark.

However, your point with regard to the W/P measurements is valid, and I concur.