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Help me decide – Revel or Focal

I have been narrowing down my list for new speakers after selling my Avalon and believe I have arrived at my final two. After months of going to all the local dealers, I believe I am close. The entire process, though frustrating since in store comparisons are difficult, has brought out my passion again for the hobby.
My question is, has anyone heard the Focal 1038 BE and the Revel Studio 2 or Salon 2 in the same room using the same electronics? I have heard both speakers separately but no one seems to have both to do a real comparison. I read the reviews and that really does not help. The Focal seems to be a very good all-around speaker but not perfect. They seem to have a minor integration issue between the tweeter and midrange that shows up in the female voice with a small lack of clarity and being a bit recessive. I am still hoping to hear the new Sopras but I do not think I want to spend the extra cash especially since the 1038s are available in a low luster finish and reduced MSRP. The Revels, even though they came out in 2007, still seem to be a very good speaker and can be purchased used ~50% of MSRP. I am reading that their replacement may be revealed at the CES in January. At first I had eliminated them thinking they were too lean and analytical sounding. The music was just not coming out. After hearing them again, I am wondering if that may just be that they are accurate but I have read this complaint all over the internet so it does make me wonder.
I have a 16 x 20 room with 10-foot ceilings and have Anthem Statement electronics. Help me decide (but please try to keep it to the Revel and Focal since I have eliminated almost everything else in this price range available in New England).
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dave_72
1,399 posts
 
Tough choice imo. Focal is great but overpriced here in the US. It's half the price in France and Europe. If the dealer won't give you a healthy discount on the Focals, then focus on the Revels. Unless you really, really like the sound of the Focals. To me, the Revel is the better speaker overall. I heard them at CES a few years back and they really were very good. They are a bit lean, though, but so are the Focals, so the say.
p59teitel
314 posts
 
If Revel Salon 2s were particularly lean, they wouldn't have lasted a month in my room.
james633
1,036 posts
 
Nice looking room P59teitel.

As always room plays a big part. I heard them in a giant room with them well away from the walls and they were softer in the bass than expected. But in a normal home's room I am sure the base is much stronger with room gain.
dave_72
1,399 posts
 
Well, I said a "bit" lean, not very much so. This was compared at CES with some top end JBLs. So, that's my take. I can't really say if the Focals are fuller sounding or not.
p59teitel
314 posts
 
Thanks, James. The room is pretty hot with all the glass and the tile floor. The glass, sheetrock and a 10' X 8' X 5' bumpout at the left rear of the room also tend to munch bass. Thank God for the suspended floor, as tile over concrete likely would have been a dealbreaker for a nice stereo in this room. At some point I will add a larger Oriental to cover more of the tile between me and the speakers.

The palms behind the speakers actually helped a lot to cut down on reflections and made the perceived tonal balance a bit warmer. I'm thinking of putting more behind me to cut down on rear wall reflections - at less than $50 a palm with pot they are certainly a lot cheaper than hopping on some endless cable merry-go-round or something!

All of which kind of gets back to my point about the Salon 2s not being that lean - because a truly lean speaker would have driven me out of here very quickly! To your particular observations about how they sounded with Mark Levinson amps, I agree, they just don't show much oomph in that pairing. But put them with amps that hit hard down low, and they will, in spades.
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