New HT Room

[rmk]

Ultima2's inbound

Now that the quad Fathoms are installed, EQed and working better than anticipated, I am now going to address the final piece of the speaker side upgrades. I ordered a pair of Revel Ultima Studio2's to replace my Studio1's. I believe that this "upgrade" is more to match the front three speakers aesthetically rather than an upgrade in SQ but we shall see.

 

[Matt34]

Now that the quad Fathoms are installed, EQed and working better than anticipated, I am now going to address the final piece of the speaker side upgrades. I ordered a pair of Revel Ultima Studio2's to replace my Studio1's. I believe that this "upgrade" is more to match the front three speakers aesthetically rather than an upgrade in SQ but we shall see.

I saw your Studio 1's on audiogon and thought what the heck is rmk doing now?

 

[mike c]

what's the difference between the studio1's to studio2's?

i wish you had 220v stuff ... i could be happy snapping up all the "obsolete" stuff you get by "upgrading" every 2 days.

(let me know if you plan to replace one of your F113's )

 

[rmk]

I saw your Studio 1's on audiogon and thought what the heck is rmk doing now?

What the heck indeed Just following the Audioholics 12 steps program.

what's the difference between the studio1's to studio2's?

i wish you had 220v stuff ... i could be happy snapping up all the "obsolete" stuff you get by "upgrading" every 2 days.

(let me know if you plan to replace one of your F113's )

Now Mike, as a guy with multiple theaters and umpteen subwoofers you are hardly in a position to mock my humble upgrades.
But seriously, I believe (and hope I'm wrong) the difference will be relatively small. I got a very attractive deal on the new Studios and now have a matching LCR. At a minimum, that gives me some aesthetic improvements and some liquidity for my next upgrade ... in two days.

 

[Matt34]

What the heck indeed Just following the Audioholics 12 steps program.




Now Mike, as a guy with multiple theaters and umpteen subwoofers you are hardly in a position to mock my humble upgrades.
But seriously, I believe (and hope I'm wrong) the difference will be relatively small. I got a very attractive deal on the new Studios and now have a matching LCR. At a minimum, that gives me some aesthetic improvements and some liquidity for my next upgrade ... in two days.

Yes, you do indeed live up to the title of "Audioholic".

I personnally like the odd look of the studio1's over the more mainstream studio2's but I see what your going for by having a matching LCR.

 

[rmk]

Yes, you do indeed live up to the title of "Audioholic".

I personnally like the odd look of the studio1's over the more mainstream studio2's but I see what your going for by having a matching LCR.

Yes I do.

I liked the Studio1's looks too and they REALLY sound great but I wasn't able to find a decent Voice1 to match and then got a great deal (see a trend here?) on the Voice2 thus setting up the latest unnecessary upgrade.

 

[mike c]

i was looking over the revel website one time (because i was curious about your mains)

i didn't see your mains there, which means the new speakers you'll be getting won't be as unique as your existing mains (wilson look)

 

[rmk]

i was looking over the revel website one time (because i was curious about your mains)

i didn't see your mains there, which means the new speakers you'll be getting won't be as unique as your existing mains (wilson look)

Thats true, the new Ultima2's look more pedestrian than the Ultima1's but many folks didn't like the Ultima1's looks (if you look at the Legacy Products section of the Revel site you will see them). For me, I really don't care that much how they look. The Ultima1's sound great and based upon the pro reviews and some user opinions I trust, the new Ultimas are even better plus now I have matching LCR's so I'm happy.

Oh and Mike, don't count on my selling the Fathoms any time soon. Now that I have the quad subs, the bass in my HT is for lack of a better description, perfect!

 

[mike c]

perfect my a&&.

when the G212 comes out, you'll break.

 

[rmk]

perfect my a&&.

when the G212 comes out, you'll break.

Naw, the G212's are nothing special. Now quad Gothams ... that's what I'm talkin about.

 

[mike c]

try one already!

 

[rmk]

try one already!

You are a bass head Mike. My Revel/JL dealer has a G213 in his demo room. I have spent some time there and it is a fantastic sub. But, my dual F112's and F113's are really ideal for my room. Now, if I had 8,000cf it might be a different story.

 

[mike c]

no no no, you are getting flat response ... not unlimited headroom ...

4 G213's is headroom + flat response

besides, pairing 12's and 13's is a no-no. F113 + G213 = much better.

just joking around. although jokes are half meant.

 

[westcott]

Now that the quad Fathoms are installed, EQed and working better than anticipated, I am now going to address the final piece of the speaker side upgrades. I ordered a pair of Revel Ultima Studio2's to replace my Studio1's. I believe that this "upgrade" is more to match the front three speakers aesthetically rather than an upgrade in SQ but we shall see.

I really like your hardware selection. I am not a big direct radiating speaker fan but if I were to buy some, it would probably be the Revel Ultima's.

I may have gone with the Epik Conquests for subage but there is nothing wrong with those Fathoms.

I hope you enjoy your system for years to come. I consider it money well spent and they should provide decades of pleasure!!!!

 

[rmk]

I really like your hardware selection. I am not a big direct radiating speaker fan but if I were to buy some, it would probably be the Revel Ultima's.

I may have gone with the Epik Conquests for subage but there is nothing wrong with those Fathoms.

I hope you enjoy your system for years to come. I consider it money well spent and they should provide decades of pleasure!!!!

Thanks Westcott, there are a lot of very nice speaker options out there and it really comes down to budget, taste and personal preference. I find the Revel Ultima's do everything I want them to and more so I should be set for a while (Mike will disagree).

Regarding the subs, 4 Conquests would really be something but honestly, the small form factor of the Fathoms and their build quality make them a much better choice for me. I have a nice flat FR at the seating positions with tons of headroom. In fact, since adding the second sub pair, the LFE output of my system exactly where I have always wanted it to be. Powerful tactile bass for movies and yet very accurate bass for music. It is all good!

 

[rmk]

Knowing how we all like pictures the Ultima Studio2's arrived today. I unboxed & humped them (140 lbs each) up the long light of stairs solo. After a quick setup, I listened to one of my ref disks AIX Records Hi Rez DVD's 96kHz/24 bit recording of Laurence Juber called Guitar Noir. You won't find a much better recorded disk than this one.

I'm kind of drooling at this point but suffice to say, this was a very good purchase. They are really stunning looking speakers (the photos don't do them justice).

Fresh out of the box

Size comparison with my Studio1

Straight on

 

[Bluesmoke]

They look sweet!! I am so jealous!

 

[mike c]

i take it back. this new one doesn't give anything up in looks.

 

[Bluesmoke]

i take it back. this new one doesn't give anything up in looks.

I think the new one looks CONSIDERABLY better than the Studio 1 - which, granted is an amazing speaker, looks bland.

The Studio 2s look like how speakers should!!

 

[Matt34]

Those do look sexy! Did they use a different tweeter in the studio2's, looks different?