Revel’s Sound Signature

I would say that SOME of the Revel line requires a bit of power to get singing (Ultimas) but not that it is a universal given across all of their product line.

My auditions in 2011 included both the Paradigm S8s and Revel Salon 2s. To me the Paradigms’ tweeter was way too hot and the Revels ended up in my room and have been there ever since, so no, to me they weren’t remotely comparable.

There were a few other brands in the mix but the competition ended up between the Salon 2s and Wilson Sashas. The Sashas had really good dynamics and punch, but the Revels just sounded right to my ears. 

IMO the Salon 2 is a buy and keep for a long time. It really is an outstanding loudspeaker and can be found used in the 10-12k range. I’ll never forget a Jeff Rowland demo with Salon 2’s that simply blew my socks off. 

When we get to this level all the speakers I had in my home were of excellent resolution and dynamics with differences being more in personal preference as every single speaker is a compromise and there's nothing like having a few pair in your basement listening room at the same time to really get a feel for it. In my system the salon2 was best on better recordings, but took on a metallic edge on the average to poor recordings, as did the kanta 3. The usher be20dmd was my favorite and if I hadn't gotten a deal on my meridians I would have kept them. Very nearly pulled the trigger on the persona 7f with a pathos driving them.