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Revel f226be?

tripitz

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Long-time lurker new to the forums. Appreciate the objectivity here (thank you!).

Has anyone objectively measured the Revel f226be speakers? I currently own f208 speakers for my main listening room and am super happy with them. I have also listened to the new 328be and they are also pleasing, if not too big (plus the roadie shipping cases are absurdly large). I have heard the f206 in the past and liked them. Unfortunately I cannot find f226be to listen to in person.

I am looking for great smaller footprint speaker for a 2 channel system with a Matrix Element X streamer and tbd-amp (still need to browse forums here).
 

garcus

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I'd also like to see objective measurements of the f226Be but from the perspective of the m126be (which I recently acquired). I'm interested in the difference of the floorstander vs the bookshelf format aside from obvious things like low-end ext/FR.

Also test driving my posting credentials as, after being a long-time lurker as well, I just pulled the trigger as a Supporter. Looks like I've got to wait a little longer for my "badge."
 

Grandzoltar

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Look up Cea 2034 they have an index of a lot of speakers from revel and other brands. ASR findings are published there too.
 

Sal1950

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Long-time lurker new to the forums. Appreciate the objectivity here (thank you!).

Has anyone objectively measured the Revel f226be speakers? I currently own f208 speakers for my main listening room and am super happy with them. I have also listened to the new 328be and they are also pleasing, if not too big (plus the roadie shipping cases are absurdly large). I have heard the f206 in the past and liked them. Unfortunately I cannot find f226be to listen to in person.

I am looking for great smaller footprint speaker for a 2 channel system with a Matrix Element X streamer and tbd-amp (still need to browse forums here).
I could also enthusiastically recommend the new JBL HDI-3800 from Harmon
Their little brothers the 1600 and 3600 have both been measured here by Amir
YMMV
JBL_HDI_3800_Pair_Wanlut_Web.png
 

garcus

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FWIW, there is a post on avsforum initiated by Rex Anderson (a dealer) that provides a subjective description of the listening differences among the f208, f226, and the JBL HDI-3800, presumably by a seasoned listener.

The main observation: "Percussion had more of a “snap” and immediacy as well with the F226Be. So, as good as the F208 is, we feel that it has genuinely been bested by the new Be series. The dynamics are better, the treble and midrange more refined. Compared to the F226Be, the F208 sounded a bit muddled in the midrange and treble frequencies."

Not much of a discussion correlating spinorama with the listening impressions, so perhaps something that can be picked up here. I've got an interest in this as I'm considering the f208 at roughly $4,000/pair, and the f226be at $5,000/pair. Would like to see a pointed list of puts/takes for that extra $1,000.
 

Dzhaughn

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FWIW, there is a post on avsforum initiated by Rex Anderson (a dealer) that provides a subjective description of the listening differences among the f208, f226, and the JBL HDI-3800, presumably by a seasoned listener.

The main observation: "Percussion had more of a “snap” and immediacy as well with the F226Be. So, as good as the F208 is, we feel that it has genuinely been bested by the new Be series. The dynamics are better, the treble and midrange more refined. Compared to the F226Be, the F208 sounded a bit muddled in the midrange and treble frequencies."

Not much of a discussion correlating spinorama with the listening impressions, so perhaps something that can be picked up here. I've got an interest in this as I'm considering the f208 at roughly $4,000/pair, and the f226be at $5,000/pair. Would like to see a pointed list of puts/takes for that extra $1,000.

I'd take what seasoned listeners say with a grain of salt.
 
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tripitz

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Thank you for the responses/links. I have read many of the forums and looked at the published specs. I think I may pull the trigger today and roll the dice (buying from a dealer referenced on this site - they have great prices with unfortunately no return policy).

Interestingly, I picked the 208s over the 228 because the 208 was a bit more laid back and relaxed. I have a tube preamp with a solid state amp and it just works for me on a subjective basis. For this system, I believe I want a bit more of the crispness that the be series is going to offer. I am now trying to figure out what to pair it with on the front end.
 
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tripitz

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I'd take what seasoned listeners say with a grain of salt.

That's why I posted here. I do not know what to believe. I have done blind A/B/C tests between similar speakers and could never reliably pick one or the other (price range $5-22k from same manufacturer). I am extremely skeptical of anything in the audio world (cables, power conditioners, etc.) that reviewers provide.

I jumped on the PS Audio sale for their DAC before I found out about this site. It took all of 5 minutes for my wife and me to decide that it was a total joke and that we had to argue with them to take it back in the return period. It sounded *awful* and far worse than a 17 year old DAC I was using at the time. That's how I found this site. I have to admit, sometimes it is hard to really believe that a company like Matrix that has some website/communications issues is really better (plus lack of supporting dealer network, etc.). I am trying to learn/educate myself. I am struggling with buying a name brand integrated floor model at discount vs. getting a Benchmark Amp and Matrix front end recommended here.

The challenge is connecting the science with the reality and our perceptions. A learning process for sure.
 

murraycamp

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I'd take what seasoned listeners say with a grain of salt.

Or about 25 lbs. of salt. I have auditioned the f208 multiple times and the last thing I would call the midrange or treble was "muddled." But that's why we look at measurements.
 

amirm

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I'd also like to see objective measurements of the f226Be but from the perspective of the m126be (which I recently acquired).
I *think* a local member has F226Be and can loan it out when I find the time. Meanwhile I have the F328Be to test which I have purchased myself.
 
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tripitz

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I am also very curious how the 328s test in the wild. I have listened to them subjectively and was very pleased by what I heard.

We did a few A/B tests with subwoofers on/off to see how well they do with low frequencies and they do a better job than I would have thought given the published specs. The dual ports on the back apparently require a fair bit of space required from a wall.

The roadie cases, while very cool, take up the size of a small city apartment. LOL.

Given my experiences with the 328, 228, and 208s, I'm going to jump in soon on the 226bes. I am just trying to figure out the front end for it.
 

amirm

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Testing and listening experiences between your F328be’s and your Salons, please!
I don't know if I can manage to get it upstairs to do that. But I appreciate the interest. Question remains how to entice my wife to help.....
 

richard12511

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I don't know if I can manage to get it upstairs to do that. But I appreciate the interest. Question remains how to entice my wife to help.....

You gotta find a way to do that. I watched a youtube video where one of the Revel engineers was comparing them. He said the Salon2 is still the flagship, but the 328be is not far behind, and actually has a much better waveguide. I'm(and I'm sure many others) are really curious just how close it can get.
 

HTNut1975

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Anyone have a thought about the benefit of going with f228 instead of f226, if you will also have subs anyways?

Wouldn’t the F228 excel at higher volume? Even with subs, if its bass output is significantly better, I believe it can make a difference.
 
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HTNut1975

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Anyone have a thought about the benefit of going with f228 instead of f226, if you will also have subs anyways?

There is another factor you might consider that I’m interested in, and that is based on a mention I found in a review of the f226 (which subjectively compares the f226 and f228 throughout the article). The author mentioned something about “imaging“ and that with the f226’s, the imaging was more “precise.” You can find the review here:

https://hometheaterreview.com/revel-f226be-floorstanding-loudspeaker-reviewed/

With that said, if I’m understanding what the author means, it seems to me that some simple room treatment is an option if the F228’s wide dispersion left its imaging less precise. I would be curious what @amirm thought about this description because it may relate to my own brief experience with the F208’s I currently own. I understand that as a general rule, there is not much of a need for room treatment for sidewall first reflections for Revels because of their excellent off-axis performance. I’ve been currently experimenting with a couple of bass traps that are currently located where the first sidewall reflections are. I don’t know if I prefer it that way or not (worst case—I’ll simply move them to the front wall towards the corners). It does seem, however, that directivity is more pronounced?
 
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