Revel f226be?

[tripitz]

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.

Curious what made you purchase the 328s if you already have the Salons. The 328s seem very close to the Salons except they are not. They're not that much smaller physically either.

I have been searching a bit also for the Salons and apparently they will not be available new for quite some time (my used dealer sold the last pair they had a week before I inquired!). The 226 has an advantage of being small and fits easily everywhere. 228/328 take up a lot of room which makes me just want to go to the Salons. Spinning in circles..

 

[MarcT]

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.

Excellent! I'd most interested to read in your subjective listening observations how much difference you perceive in bass extension, quantity, impact, and definition between the F328Be and F228Be. Revel is fighting hard to position the F328 as significantly better than F228 and worth the additional price, but how apparent will that be in an average sized listening room?

 

[HTNut1975]

Curious what made you purchase the 328s if you already have the Salons. The 328s seem very close to the Salons except they are not. They're not that much smaller physically either.

I have been searching a bit also for the Salons and apparently they will not be available new for quite some time (my used dealer sold the last pair they had a week before I inquired!). The 226 has an advantage of being small and fits easily everywhere. 228/328 take up a lot of room which makes me just want to go to the Salons. Spinning in circles..

FWIW, I worried a bit about the size of the f208’s because I thought they would be significantly larger than the towers I previously had that were approximately the same size as the f206’s (they were Goldenear Triton 5’s). The worry was they’d dominate the room by size or sound, and the sizing would be more apparent at home vs at the dealer, etc. I now look back on that and wonder why the worry was there In the first place. They really don’t seem that huge at home (and my room is only 11 x 19ish). I know this likely doesn’t mean much to read, as the sizing is objectively there and you can observe the size at the dealer. But if anything, my impressions have been affected the opposite from what I originally expected. Usually, buying something like a tv always screws with my perception (TV’s seem much larger at home than at the store).

Edit: So, I see you already own the F208’s! That pretty much makes this post moot.

 

[misteracng]

I guess the 228 could be beneficial in putting out more SPL than than the 226. I’m not sure with proper subs setup if that will really make much difference. It’s just the 2 woofers going from 6inch to 8 inch. If you cross them over at 80hz and let the subs handle everything lower, will there actually be much difference? I was thinking the 228 would be more ideal if someone did not want to run a sub.

 

[HTNut1975]

I guess the 228 could be beneficial in putting out more SPL than than the 226. I’m not sure with proper subs setup if that will really make much difference. It’s just the 2 woofers going from 6inch to 8 inch. If you cross them over at 80hz and let the subs handle everything lower, will there actually be much difference? I was thinking the 228 would be more ideal if someone did not want to run a sub.

I believe it does make a difference since the crossovers aren’t a hard-lined transition from speaker to sub. With that being said, there are many members who may be able to correct me or show that this is true with relative ease.

 

[samysound]

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.[/QUO

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

From what I can tell the 226 and 228 use the same/similar mid range driver. Assuming you are high passing the mains 80-100hz, I wound not think there would be much difference between the two. Maybe spend the extra budget towards a third sub instead?

 

[Lsc]

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.

I went from a F208 to F228Be and have been happy with the upgrade. I would have considered the F226Be but I got a good deal on the F228Be they had on hand so I just pulled the trigger.

Honestly based on the reviews I read it seems like the F226Be images better than the F228Be and is just as dynamic. I don’t think you will miss out my opting for the F226Be - May even gain a bit on the “Razer sharp imaging”.

 

[tripitz]

I am holding off on purchasing the 226 for now. Made an offer to a dealer and they stuck with their price and I'm sticking with mien! Trying to possibly pick up Salon 2s at a good price. Not easy to do given availability issues.

Also trying to deal with an AV Receiver issue and impact that has on my budget...

I own 208s and picked them over 228be in the past. The 208 were just a bit less forward and easier to listen to. Every time I hear them for 2 channel audio I just want to sit down and hang out. I think the be series is far better suited for mixed HT/2-chan setups.

 

[tripitz]

I disagree with this. The Be series, at least the floor-standers, have much more bass and thus can all be used standalone. This was the main reason I jumped up to that series.

I think you may have mis-understood me. The 228 and 208 have the exact same frequency response range as per Revel. Bass extension between them should be roughly equivalent.

For *me*, the non-be tweeter was just a bit more "smooth" and "laid back". For 2 channel it was a characteristic I preferred (also why I picked over other brands such as B&W). I think the be tweeter of the 228 would shine in HT a lot more than the 208 (confirmed by a friend who owns 208s and some B&W speakers). He prefers the laid back nature of the 208s for music and the B&W forwardness for movies. I concur when listening to all of these speakers. That's my preference.

I think the 228 is a terrific speaker and a bit more of a "do everything" speaker than the 208.

For reference, I use 800-series speakers in a dedicated HT setup (some mixed use). I have my Revel 208s in a 2 channel setup. My use case for the 226be is for mixed usage.

 

[Chromatischism]

"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."

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

Interestingly, I picked the 208s over the 228 because the 208 was a bit more laid back and relaxed.

Sounds like your impressions were similar.

 

[Chromatischism]

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.....

I just picked up some moving straps called the "Forearm Forklift". They should help in moving speakers and subwoofers around.

 

[richard12511]

I own 208s and picked them over 228be in the past. The 208 were just a bit less forward and easier to listen to. Every time I hear them for 2 channel audio I just want to sit down and hang out. I think the be series is far better suited for mixed HT/2-chan setups.

Looking at the LW measurements, they do seem to kinda agree with what you're saying here.

F228 seems to have a bit more treble energy. Interesting that you prefer more treble for movies, though. I'm kinda the opposite. I prefer a little bit more treble for music.

 

[tripitz]

Looking at the LW measurements, they do seem to kinda agree with what you're saying here.

F228 seems to have a bit more treble energy. Interesting that you prefer more treble for movies, though. I'm kinda the opposite. I prefer a little bit more treble for music.

My friend who owns 208s and B&Ws in the same system (he switches!) puts it, the precision that these berrylium or diamond tweeters provides is beneficial with certain movie effects. Breaking of glass. Dirt crunching under feet. etc.. I tend to agree with him which is why I reference his comments. Anyway, I don't think anyone can go wrong with any of these speakers.

As to other comments stating that the 208 has much less bass drop-off, I do not see much difference in the charts. The characteristics of the room are going to make a bigger difference than 1-2db at a particular frequency. Also, I plan on running my 208s with a sub again (I would do the same with 228 and even 328). It's a moot point.

Thank you for sharing the comparison graph.

 

[misteracng]

I also got a pair of f226be recently and they sound excellent to me. Mids and highs are clear and accurate, I run them with a benchmark ahb2 and a sub. No regrets at all. I did consider 228s as all, but got a better deal on the 226 and I felt the bass would not be an issue with a separate sub.

 

[richard12511]

This is not the case. The Revel measurements are based on a problematic anechoic chamber set up and are not correct. Revel seems to have admitted to this. (Their measurements as of Jan 2020 should be dependable--which is what I was referring to in my post.) Amir shows that the F208s have much less bass than spec.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-f208-tower-speaker-review.13192/#post-394199

I have no doubts that they are fabulous speakers, but they don't have the bass Revel says they do.

If I'm reading that LW plot right(that I posted above) the F208 and F228 have identical extension(which makes sense given their woofers and enclosures). That comes from a very recent (4-5 months old?) spin posted by Kevin Voeks and should be accurate. I don't think you can really compare to Amir's NFS measurement as the NFS has shows 5-10db less extension for almost all speakers tested so far.

I think the main advantage the 228 has over the 208 is in the refinement of the mids and highs. You can see in that plot I posted that the F228 is a bit more neutral through the mids and highs, and I'd therefore expect it to sound better.

 

[hardisj]

FWIW, I got my review pair in today. I made a quick unboxing video. Which isn't typical of me. But, this was too cool not to share.

Not sure when the review will be done. But stay tuned.

 

[hardisj]

Can't edit my post above.

I recreated my video with a quicklook at the F226Be, which I have for testing.

And, a recent post I made in my other thread:

As part of my review process, I’ll listen to speakers in different settings (rooms) over multiple days. I feel like this helps to get me acclimated to the speakers' sound instead of me giving a knee-jerk reaction. Often times first impressions do not live up to long-term scrutiny. Kind of like how bright speakers may sound detailed at first but over time are just aggravating and annoying.

As I listen, I often use my phone to take quick notes on things I do or do not like while I am enjoying different music or a movie. This is one such note I jotted down about the F226Be:
“Incredible dynamic range. I can listen at 65dB and feel content. Good speaker to sit and go through your entire library. But.., they will play 105dB at 14 feet without breaking a sweat.”

These speakers were shaking the walls in my living room. And there was no audible distortion (mechanical or acoustical) even when playing at very high levels. The below picture shows I was hovering around 100-105dB at 14 feet. That's without a subwoofer.



Then, Saturday night I took the opportunity to fire up Huey Lewis and the News’ Sports tour via YouTube. Yea, YT Audio quality sucks. But, I tell you what... I absolutely enjoyed that hour sitting on the couch listening to that through the Revels. No ear fatigue from having to turn it up like normal to get good dynamics. I can’t tell you the last time I was able to listen to music for that long without having ear fatigue. This might just be my favorite feature of these speakers; that I don't feel the need to turn the volume up to unsafe levels for extended listening times.


These speakers kick ass.


As for testing... these speakers are kicking my ass. They're heavy. I tried to start measuring this past weekend but it was too windy.



Few photos. Oh, and if you haven't heard these songs, you might want to check them out.

View attachment 84115

 

[Sparky]

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."

Care to share your personal thoughts on the M126be's you've bought? I'm hovering over the "buy" button but something is holding me back. They're £4k over here in England so the M106 is a safer purchase but the M126 looks to be something special....

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Can't edit my post above.

I recreated my video with a quicklook at the F226Be, which I have for testing.

And, a recent post I made in my other thread:

As part of my review process, I’ll listen to speakers in different settings (rooms) over multiple days. I feel like this helps to get me acclimated to the speakers' sound instead of me giving a knee-jerk reaction. Often times first impressions do not live up to long-term scrutiny. Kind of like how bright speakers may sound detailed at first but over time are just aggravating and annoying.

As I listen, I often use my phone to take quick notes on things I do or do not like while I am enjoying different music or a movie. This is one such note I jotted down about the F226Be:
“Incredible dynamic range. I can listen at 65dB and feel content. Good speaker to sit and go through your entire library. But.., they will play 105dB at 14 feet without breaking a sweat.”

These speakers were shaking the walls in my living room. And there was no audible distortion (mechanical or acoustical) even when playing at very high levels. The below picture shows I was hovering around 100-105dB at 14 feet. That's without a subwoofer.



Then, Saturday night I took the opportunity to fire up Huey Lewis and the News’ Sports tour via YouTube. Yea, YT Audio quality sucks. But, I tell you what... I absolutely enjoyed that hour sitting on the couch listening to that through the Revels. No ear fatigue from having to turn it up like normal to get good dynamics. I can’t tell you the last time I was able to listen to music for that long without having ear fatigue. This might just be my favorite feature of these speakers; that I don't feel the need to turn the volume up to unsafe levels for extended listening times.


These speakers kick ass.


As for testing... these speakers are kicking my ass. They're heavy. I tried to start measuring this past weekend but it was too windy.



Few photos. Oh, and if you haven't heard these songs, you might want to check them out.

View attachment 84115

They definitely need to be on my short list. With a Purifi Eval 1 driving them, and a good DAC, an SB2000 to handle the lowest bass, and Diract Live 3 to integrate it all, I could have something really special. Should work killer, and look killer in my smaller room.

 

[Fancypants]

Curious if any other members have listened to the f226be? I’m considering it against the f208. I heard the f208, and loved it - but my dealer does not have the f226be to demo.