Dynaudio v Revel

The Revel's are outstanding. I spent many months auditioning many different speakers. For some reason the Studio's just did it right for me....so I stepped it up and bought the Salon's. Absolutely fabulous speakers. Definitely blows away most setups I've heard. Imaging is unbelievable....I can sit back with the lights off and the musicians are all out in front of me. truly amazing.

I must be missing something. I auditioned the Dynaudios twice. I will admit that they have a large sound stage and have good detail, but the sound stage seemed to be 7 feet in back of the speaker. This drove me nuts. I asked the sales person if this is normal, she stated that the sound stage is in back of the speakers. I have to assume that the speakers were set up right. This is basically the only speaker brand that they carry. They even have the Evidence setup in the store. I am pretty sure that Atlantic Stereo in Costa Mesa, CA is the number one selling store that Dynaudio has. I also listening to the Revel's that same day and thought the Revels were much more enjoyable to listen to. I must like a more forward sounding speaker. The third store that I went to that day, was where I heard the best sounding set up that I have ever heard. It consisted of the: Pass 350 Amp Pass Pre Amp Sony SCD-1 Wilson Cub II's Using all Harmonic Technology cabling. They were playing some incredible well-recorded music, Blues and Vocals. I never knew music could sound so good. I am building a new Home Theater room and have decided on the Wilson Cub II's and Watch surround, including the new Watch Dog Sub that will be released in March (hopefully). I will say that I do like a more forward sounding speakers and believe that the Wilson Cub II (which are much improved over the Wilson Cub I's) are very equal to the Revel Studio's. Now that I have written this, and put some more thought into your question, you need to identify what sound you are looking for. These are two completely different sounding speaks. I would also imagine, appeal to two different types of listeners. All three of these speakers have incredible detail, and large sound stages, the question comes down to, do you like your music very very very laid back or more engaging in your face, this will be your mission.

Ah, if only everything in life was as difficult to deal with as choosing between a pair of nice Dynaudios and a pair of nice Revels :-)

I own the Contour 3.0's, and the local shop that carries Dynaudio is first rate all the way, while the shop that carries Revel has them set up in a display room that has all sorts of other gear in it and a 2-story glass wall along one of the long sides of the room, so I have no real hands-on experience with the Revels. I have found the Dyanaudios not only positively enjoyable, but anything other than laid back. In fact, given that the Dynaudios have first-order cross-overs and the Revels a higher-order crossover, I'd expect the Dynaudio to sound more up front. In any case, I find the Contour series to be very involving.

The Revels have been so well reviewed everywhere, both by professional reviewers and by owners, that it's hard to imagine going wrong either way. It is true that for some strange reason, you can find the C5's very cheap slightly used much easier than most other Dynaudio models. In any case, my advice is that you should step back from the price and ask yourself if you have a clear favorite regardless of price, and if the answer is yes, find a way to go for it. The LAST thing you want is to be sitting there listening to the C5's (hopefully for years and years) constantly thinking, "man, I wish the price on those Revels had been a little better!".

To Kthomas thanks--you are one hundred percent correct. I appreciate all the feedback from all who responded. And yes,wouldn't it be nice if everything in life were this difficult.

Like some of you have mentioned, speakers are very personal thing. but calling Dyn "distortion at high volume and not detail" is definitely an insult. other than the old companies like Tannoy and B&W 801, Dyn Estotar are the third most popular drivers in professional studio. they are third because they are new to the market and relatively expensive, not because they are not good. good because they can handle infinite power and still be detail and accurate, can't say that with ScanSpeak or Focal, can you? I mate my C5 with Pass X350 and Sonic Frontier Line 3 (BTW, Line 3 is wonderful, better than ARC Ref 1 I replaced). again, like many of you have pointed out, high current is essential to make Dyn shine. I had great success driving them with McCormack DNA-2, Rowland 8TiHC, and Krell FPB300, but I like Pass X350 the most. being an audiophile is about trying out all different things, and I would not mind own a pair of Revel for fun. but Dyn C5 are here to stay.