Revel 328Be owners...what do you think?


Been looking at this speaker and I'd love to hear from people who had it in their homes.  Does it live up to the hype?  How did it exceed your expectations and how did it let you down?

I will be pairing it with a sub so low end extension isn't a big concern for me.

Thanks for your thoughts!

samgupta101

@helomech  I can get these for few k above your threshold price of $5k.  I think my 228s have been so good that I'm really tempted to try the 328s.

I'll take a look at your recommended X3s and will do some reading on them.  Appreciate you taking the time to chime in and offering alternatives.

Honestly if you have the 228be I would not spend the money on the 328be. But if you can sell the 228be you are really not out that much. I think I would take the Borresen comments to heart and seek out a demo. Too much good press to ignore. Me personally I would really like to see some measurements of the Borresen X line. 
 

I think I just have to see what's up with the high-end of the Be Revel line.  But I do understand it's going to be incremental gains here. 

The one thing that concerns me about the Borresen is that I typically do not like ribbon tweeters. I just find the integration between a ribbon and the traditional cones extremely difficult to master. My mind automatically goes to gaps or dynamic differences between both of those drivers technologies.

On the 228 side, Good point about being able to sell these. I'm maybe able to do both the 328s and the Borresen with that approach.... hahaha, j/k!

I’m going through a similar process. I own the Revel 228be, and I’m very happy with them. They do so many things well----imaging, detail, midrange grip, good bass (provided that your electronics are up to snuff), versatility with different genres of music, and they're not finicky about placement. I’ve also had an itch for the 328be, since I’m in a large listening room that can utilize it, but something tells me to leave well enough alone.

Speaker changes are a dilemma. The mistakes can be expensive and auditioning is difficult---bad combination.

The one thing that concerns me about the Borresen is that I typically do not like ribbon tweeters. I just find the integration between a ribbon and the traditional cones extremely difficult to master. My mind automatically goes to gaps or dynamic differences between both of those drivers technologies.

The Borresen planar-ribbon tweeter is probably the most refined I’ve encountered, more so than any beryllium dome, expensive soft dome (Seas Excel, Esotar etc) or RAAL ribbon. It’s quite remarkable to me that Borresen uses them in their “entry-level” models because I find they are superior to most brands’ flagships. Like you, I am typically not a big fan of ribbons or AMTs, though the Borresen unit is technically neither of those. It’s more of a quasi-ribbon tweeter similar to the principle of that in some Magnepans, but considerably better than those of Magnepan.

I suspect the reason the Borresens have such great coherency between the ribbon/planar tweeter and the the cones is their use of a wave guide. FWIW, the Borresens are “end game” in my system. They are the first speakers among dozens that can make every genre and recording sound great, whether the recording is audiophile quality or compressed grunge rock. I have yet to encounter a track in which something rears its ugly head and makes me wince. They also have a remarkable ability to get me lost in the music rather than focusing on quality metrics—that’s the best endorsement I can give.

Regardless, I understand your apprehension with an unfamiliar brand and the desire to stay on the safe path. Speakers are a pain to flip if they don’t work out in your system, and the Revels are mostly a known quantity. I do like Revels but as already suggested, I would bet you’d be more enthralled with some Salon 2s, and those can be found for comparable prices to the 328s.