Revel and Dynaudio thoughts

[ematthews]

Had a chance to hear both of these at a local Hifi store in Orlando this weekend.
Revel Performa3 F206 and the Dynaudio Excite 38. Both were very impressive. I couldn’t narrow down either one if I was to purchase. The Excite’s seemed a little warmer and maybe more enjoyable. The Revels maybe a bit more acurate. The Dynaudio are a little more expensive and the Revel are made of real wood. This would be a hard decision if it came down to these. If compared to my Ascends by memory the Revels had the clear top end but more low end than the Ascends. The Dynaudio a bit more exciting. No pun intended. Any thoughts on the two???

 

[Mikado463]

my take on the Revel 206 and 208's is they perform well above their price point, I spent more time listening to the 208's, which I was very impressed with. As for the Dynaudio, I can't say other than they have a good reputation.

Only your ears are the ones needing to be satisfied .........

Good Luck !

 

[ematthews]

Thanks. The 208 are out of my budget at 5 grand before any discounts. I keep going back to Revel, or the RBH 6500. Problem with RBH is I haven’t cared for my 6300 R in music only applications. Muddy bass and dull top end. They are in my HT set up and are performing well. And let’s not forget about the temptation of the Klipsch RF7 2’s with their big sale price right now.

 

[highfigh]

Had a chance to hear both of these at a local Hifi store in Orlando this weekend.
Revel Performa3 F206 and the Dynaudio Excite 38. Both were very impressive. I couldn’t narrow down either one if I was to purchase. The Excite’s seemed a little warmer and maybe more enjoyable. The Revels maybe a bit more acurate. The Dynaudio are a little more expensive and the Revel are made of real wood. This would be a hard decision if it came down to these. If compared to my Ascends by memory the Revels had the clear top end but more low end than the Ascends. The Dynaudio a bit more exciting. No pun intended. Any thoughts on the two???

The Dynaudio speakers that aren't painted white or black are "real wood", too. Veneer, just like everyone else uses, but still real wood. I don't know of anyone who uses solid wood for speaker cabinets.

How were the Revel more accurate? What did you use to define that? Curious, not trying to be argumentative.

I installed a pair of the Excite 34 in a decent-sized living room and at their second home, I installed three pairs of the Excite 14- for a small bookshelf speaker on the first floor, they do a great job of filling a large space without lacking bass. If you get a chance, check those out.

I find that the lack of any emphasized frequencies makes the Dynaudio very easy to listen to for a long time.

 

[shadyJ]

Both Dynaudio and Revel have very similar performance goals, flat frequency response with uniform off-axis response. My guess is that they will sound more alike than different, and both are solid loudspeaker manufacturers. I have liked every Dynaudio and Revel speaker I have heard. You can't go wrong with either. Both should present a relatively neutral sound.

 

[ematthews]

The Dynaudio speakers that aren't painted white or black are "real wood", too. Veneer, just like everyone else uses, but still real wood. I don't know of anyone who uses solid wood for speaker cabinets.

How were the Revel more accurate? What did you use to define that? Curious, not trying to be argumentative.

I installed a pair of the Excite 34 in a decent-sized living room and at their second home, I installed three pairs of the Excite 14- for a small bookshelf speaker on the first floor, they do a great job of filling a large space without lacking bass. If you get a chance, check those out.

I find that the lack of any emphasized frequencies makes the Dynaudio very easy to listen to for a long time.

Just by ear. Nothing as a measured fact. The Revel just sounded maybe more analytical to me which makes me think that. I think the Dynaudio had a more enjoyable sound. It’s as if adding a tube amp to the Revel would give you the Dynaudio sound. I know this isn’t the best way to describe it but it’s all I have to put it into words.

 

[highfigh]

Just by ear. Nothing as a measured fact. The Revel just sounded maybe more analytical to me which makes me think that. I think the Dynaudio had a more enjoyable sound. It’s as if adding a tube amp to the Revel would give you the Dynaudio sound. I know this isn’t the best way to describe it but it’s all I have to put it into words.

I like the Dynaudio because they don't force me to think about what I'm hearing, the way some speakers do. I can just listen.

 

[KEW]

I like the Dynaudio because they don't force me to think about what I'm hearing, the way some speakers do. I can just listen.

Sold! (j/k)
You should go into marketing, if you aren't already!
Seriously, I'm not sure I've read any single sentence that made me want to listen to a speaker as much as this!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I like the Dynaudio because they don't force me to think about what I'm hearing, the way some speakers do. I can just listen.

You mean some speakers sound unpleasant and they make you think about what's wrong, instead of just enjoying the music?

Which speakers?

 

[lovinthehd]

The Revels do talk about being made from contiguous wood by fine Italian cabinet makers...

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I've listened to and owned speakers from both brands.

Comparing within the same price class, I think they both sounded pretty good. I didn't think one sounded better than the other.

 

[ematthews]

I've listened to and owned speakers from both brands.

Comparing within the same price class, I think they both sounded pretty good. I didn't think one sounded better than the other.

So what made you go with RBH over these??? And you already know I’m an RBH owner.

 

[TLS Guy]

I like the Dynaudio because they don't force me to think about what I'm hearing, the way some speakers do. I can just listen.

I agree with you. I have never heard a Dynaudio speaker I did not like. They are very consistent across their range.

Their drivers are beautifully made with very robust motor systems. It is a great pity they withdrew their drivers from the DIY market. Their drivers were very popular among the DIY community. I have lots of Dyanaudio drivers in my systems. That is 18 Dynaudio drivers altogether and I treasure them.

Dynaudio speakers are not recommended nearly enough on these forums. If you buy a Dynaudio speaker system you can be sure you have made a good decision.

 

[ematthews]

I agree with you. I have never heard a Dynaudio speaker I did not like. They are very consistent across their range.

Their drivers are beautifully made with very robust motor systems. It is a great pity they withdrew their drivers from the DIY market. Their drivers were very popular among the DIY community. I have lots of Dyanaudio drivers in my systems. That is 18 Dynaudio drivers altogether and I treasure them.

Dynaudio speakers are not recommended nearly enough on these forums. If you buy a Dynaudio speaker system you can be sure you have made a good decision.

Good to know. I have seen some bad reviews on their X14 book shelf. Is this true? Most everything I read is very positive.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

So what made you go with RBH over these??? And you already know I’m an RBH owner.

I think it’s Speaker-specific, not just a brand.

For RBH, the SX-T2 and SVT Towers impress me, both feature the Average-Dispersion-Array, which is a shortened-modified or “truncated” version of the Line-Array.

I think full line-array (like the Funk Audio) would be even better than average-dispersion-array, but it would require additional dual Subwoofers.

With the RBH T2 and SVT Towers, I get the best of both worlds - partial line-array plus full subwoofers in one modular tower.

The other RBH speakers (SX-6300 or SV-6500) are more traditional Direct-radiating speakers like most speakers out there.

I prefer the average-dispersion-array or line-array.

 

[TLS Guy]

Good to know. I have seen some bad reviews on their X14 book shelf. Is this true? Most everything I read is very positive.

That speaker measures well and gets a good review in Stereophile. You have to remember it is a very small speaker, and an f3 of 50 Hz is pretty good, although the measurements show it at -6db. Really it measures very well for a speaker of that size. I personally am not in the habit of listening to small speakers. This notion that small bookshelves and a sub equal good floor standers and a sub is absolute nonsense.

 

[highfigh]

I agree with you. I have never heard a Dynaudio speaker I did not like. They are very consistent across their range.

Their drivers are beautifully made with very robust motor systems. It is a great pity they withdrew their drivers from the DIY market. Their drivers were very popular among the DIY community. I have lots of Dyanaudio drivers in my systems. That is 18 Dynaudio drivers altogether and I treasure them.

Dynaudio speakers are not recommended nearly enough on these forums. If you buy a Dynaudio speaker system you can be sure you have made a good decision.

They're not cheap, but they really sound great. You should listen to their in-ceiling speakers- I installed a pair of the 6-1/2" two-way in the kitchen of the house I have mentioned repeatedly (and the second home in this thread), with reservations because I had never heard them, but I took a leap and bought them anyway. I had installed blocking to create an enclosure above the ceiling, to prevent most of the sound passing through the floor of the room above and on first listen, I just laughed. The bass response is real, not the crappy-sounding mid-bass that falls flat. The sound is exceptionally smooth and it's really the first time I have heard real imaging from in-ceiling speakers and that was before I aimed them. I can't wait to install the larger ones.

WRT the Excite X14- we had talked about using a sub in that house, where the kitchen is roughly 14'w x 9'h and opens to the dining area and at the far end is a small-ish Sun room with the corners of the end knocked off, to make it similar to a large bay window. One pair is in the upper cabinets at the end of the kitchen, another pair is in the Sun room, close to the walls. I added another pair in the Living room, which is accessible through a large pair of sliding doors and the other end of that room opens to the main entry hall which also flows into the kitchen. In the center are the stairwells to the basement and 2nd Floor. I connected the speakers and out of the box, they filled the whole 1st floor extremely well and we decided that a sub isn't necessary. I even played some Hip Hop and Rap, to see if they would handle it- no problem, since the low droning note is usually in the 40-50Hz range. These speakers really punch above their weight. Their main house has the Audience series in the Den, Sun Room and foyer, X34 in the Living Room on an Audio Research VT-150 and the dining room has a pair of Snell, which he got from his dad before he passed. The landing to the 2nd floor has a pair of less expensive Dynaudios, but I don't remember the model- they still sound good and when the system is on in all areas, it's seamless and it sounds great. I have been a fan of Danish drivers, since I started working at a stereo store 40 years ago- we sold raw drivers and as much as I agree that retro-fitting isn't the best way to go, it was a lot better at the time, considering the level of quality of most low to medium-priced speakers. Lots of speakers had phenolic ring tweeters and I don't even think I would use those to hang something on my fridge.

 

[highfigh]

Sold! (j/k)
You should go into marketing, if you aren't already!
Seriously, I'm not sure I've read any single sentence that made me want to listen to a speaker as much as this!

Thanks- I'm a Dynaudio dealer, but I'm realistic enough to know that not all speakers will satisfy all people and there's no reason to argue because we all don't perceive sound in exactly the same way. However, unless someone really screws the pooch when they design a crossover, I haven't heard many Scandanavian drivers that were hard to listen to and these are among the best I have listened to.

The house where I installed all of those Dynaudios is set to flat- no Audyssey, no EQ, no Dynamic EQ, compression or anything and the House speakers are fed by a Parasound P5 going to a Mac MC300 with the tone controls bypassed. As I wrote, I walk in, I listen and I don't have to think about the sound.

 

[highfigh]

You mean some speakers sound unpleasant and they make you think about what's wrong, instead of just enjoying the music?

Which speakers?

Too many to list. Some are brighter than I like, some don't live up to the hype I have heard and read- there's a reason we probably have more options in speakers than any other product. Some speakers cause ear fatigue and others just don't have a good balance.

I will say that I have heard a lot of speakers that needed to be set in their sweet spot and in rooms that were bad from an acoustical standpoint, so I temper my opinions based on that. It's rare that I say that a speaker actually sucks, but I have listened to literally thousands of different speakers and there were definitely some dogs in there, but they're no longer made and they often weren't made for long.

 

[highfigh]

The Revels do talk about being made from contiguous wood by fine Italian cabinet makers...

You mean this- "These fully-curved enclosures are inherently stiffer than conventional box shapes and are formed with contiguous wood layers that prevent splitting."?

First, curved panels that are attached firmly to others as a unit will be inherently strong but contiguous wood layers? That sounds like another way to describe plywood which, as a speaker enclosure material, is perfectly fine. However, if it can't be seen, why bother using exotic wood? I have no problem with plywood or MDF used as cabinet materials and even particle board is very sturdy, as long as it's sealed and can't absorb moisture.

FWIW, I liked the Revels I have heard and don't mean to sound critical of their materials in any way. I also don't know why they needed to use Italian cabinetmakers- the US has plenty of them.