B & W N802's Vs Revel Studios Vs. Mezzo Utopias

Goone, IMO none of the two speakers you mention get the prize for "warmth". I would EXPECT the Mezzo to sound better in clarity & bass with your Pass -- BTW, JM has used Alephs to check their speakers... As Brandon above, I too find that bigger B&Ws suck the life out of amps -- or conversely need extraordinary amounts of power to sing.

I have B&W N804's with Sound Anchor stands. I have been listening to several speakers over the past year to try and find one that could replace the B&W. If you are real about your search and you trust your ears, the search is fun and educational. I was able to hear Revel Studio's with the same amp as mine and this was almost my choice. But after an honest listen to my set-up at home and visualizing how they would look in my sound room and the added cost I decided to keep searcing. What I have sounds Great!! I know people may be biased, but I need to TRULY hear a strong difference to justify spending the extra cash. I have the money, my kids are finished with college and my retirement is set. I'm still working at a job I enjoy and they pay me well enough to take care of my family and still participate in this crazy hobby of ours. So what I'm trying to say is don't be in a hurry to replace your speakers just for the sake of making a change and don't make it a latteral move. Try playing with your room accoustics and try Sound Anchor stands or somthing else. But most importantly have fun!!!!! I did like the Wilson Sophias. My next adventure is Avalon and Eggleston Works. Peace and Good Listening,Pat.

Hi, I'v heard both speakers. To me the JM Lab Mezzo Utopias are better. I heard them on an unbelievable system, Krell Amps, Pass O1 preamp, Jadis JS 1 tube dac, with a separate tube power supply. There are like 4 tubes in the Jadis power supply, along with 2 tubes in the dac. Jadis JD 1 transport, MIT 850 speaker cables and MIT interconnects. The JM Lab sounded so articulate. The bass was fast and tight. What I really liked about these speakers was the crossover, the bass blended in so perfectly with the midbase driver. The midrange on these speakers is top notch. That Jadis dac is unbelievable sounding to. I heard the BW Nautilus 802 on an all Proceed system, Proceed 250 watt amp, Proceed preamp processor, Proceed CD Player. The Nautilus 802s have a nice articulate sound to. I just felt they lacked alittle bass. The bass response on the JM Lab Mezzo Utopias was so much better then the Nautilus 802s. I heard the Montana XP speakers. Personally, I dont like that Scanspeak Kelvar Midbase driver they use. The Montana's just sounded to edgy. I emailed the designer of Montana and told him to use the new Scanspeak 5 inch Revelator midbase drivers. Those drivers are light years better then the Scanspeak Kelvar drivers. The Kelvar midbase on the Nautilus speakers sounds really good. It has a warm articulate sound. I just think the Nautilus 802s lack bass.

I've listened to all 3 speakers before but only listened to the Studio's and Mezzo Utopia's extensively. The Studio's have a polite/laid-back midrange. They can play fairly loudly but represent a more difficult load than the Mezzo Utopia's. The studio's have excellent soundstage and imaging qualities (except in the treble). The studio's are accurate but harmonically lean, they'll reproduce the beginning of the note but not the decay. I describe the studios as clinical (as in dead), they get the notes right yet fail to present the essence of the music. The big problem that I have with the studios is that they are not coherent from the upper-midrange through the treble. They sound a little bright or tipped-up inspite of their laid-back nature. High-hats image in front of the band instead of behind. Careful component matching is a must with these speakers. Front and rear tweeters can be adjusted to some degree.

Mezzo Utopias on the other hand present a more musical/editorialized sound. The note decay seems to go on forever. Soundstage and imaging are at least up to the standards of the Studios. Coherency is excellent, with none of the problems the Studio's have. Bass is a little loose for my tastes, even when mated with an amp that has a high damping factor (800+). Microdynamics are excellent.
This speaker sounds best when reproducing acoustic instruments or cleanly amplified (no distortion) instruments where the listener can appreciate the big hall sound presented by the Mezzo Utopia's and the extended note decay/harmonics. Some good examples are Jesse Cook, Al Di Meola, Branford Marsalis, Miles Davis etc. With amplified instruments the sound will tend to sound smeared. This is true with most rock and pop recordings.

To sum it up. The studio's annoy me because of their lack of coherency. I enjoy listening to the Mezzo Utopia's with the proper source material, however their extended decay colors the sound and while I enjoy listening to them I would never buy them for their lack of accuracy.

Which one is warmer mezzo or 802?