Revel 328Be owners...what do you think?

thanks @willyht and @helomech ...I think you both are onto something by suggesting that I find it easier to stick to the safe path here.  I need to think about that a bit more.  

The Revel 328s offer a known quantity to me...not just in terms of the sonic signature but I also know they will play nicely with my electronics and cabling.  With any other speaker all that could get thrown into disarray.

I find myself in a unique situation due to some extensive remodeling going on at my house. I'll have a new system that I can build, so this means I'll likely be moving the 228s into this new system to make room for the 328s.  One thing I could do here is perform the side-by-side with the 328s and then determine if it's worth keeping them or unloading to then move onto the Borresen or something else.

@helomech thanks for the breakdown on the technology behind the Borresen ribbon/planar tweeter and the greater background on them.  It's interesting that you find their tweeter better than the Esotar.  Having a pair of the Dynaudio Heritage Specials I have found that implementation of the Esotar to be pretty spectacular. I'll poke around more on the Borresen.

The one thing that concerns me about the Borresen is that I typically do not like ribbon tweeters. I just find the integration between a ribbon and the traditional cones extremely difficult to master. My mind automatically goes to gaps or dynamic differences between both of those drivers technologies.

The Borresen planar-ribbon tweeter is probably the most refined I’ve encountered, more so than any beryllium dome, expensive soft dome (Seas Excel, Esotar etc) or RAAL ribbon. It’s quite remarkable to me that Borresen uses them in their “entry-level” models because I find they are superior to most brands’ flagships. Like you, I am typically not a big fan of ribbons or AMTs, though the Borresen unit is technically neither of those. It’s more of a quasi-ribbon tweeter similar to the principle of that in some Magnepans, but considerably better than those of Magnepan.

I suspect the reason the Borresens have such great coherency between the ribbon/planar tweeter and the the cones is their use of a wave guide. FWIW, the Borresens are “end game” in my system. They are the first speakers among dozens that can make every genre and recording sound great, whether the recording is audiophile quality or compressed grunge rock. I have yet to encounter a track in which something rears its ugly head and makes me wince. They also have a remarkable ability to get me lost in the music rather than focusing on quality metrics—that’s the best endorsement I can give.

Regardless, I understand your apprehension with an unfamiliar brand and the desire to stay on the safe path. Speakers are a pain to flip if they don’t work out in your system, and the Revels are mostly a known quantity. I do like Revels but as already suggested, I would bet you’d be more enthralled with some Salon 2s, and those can be found for comparable prices to the 328s.

I’m going through a similar process. I own the Revel 228be, and I’m very happy with them. They do so many things well----imaging, detail, midrange grip, good bass (provided that your electronics are up to snuff), versatility with different genres of music, and they're not finicky about placement. I’ve also had an itch for the 328be, since I’m in a large listening room that can utilize it, but something tells me to leave well enough alone.

Speaker changes are a dilemma. The mistakes can be expensive and auditioning is difficult---bad combination.

I think I just have to see what's up with the high-end of the Be Revel line.  But I do understand it's going to be incremental gains here. 

The one thing that concerns me about the Borresen is that I typically do not like ribbon tweeters. I just find the integration between a ribbon and the traditional cones extremely difficult to master. My mind automatically goes to gaps or dynamic differences between both of those drivers technologies.

On the 228 side, Good point about being able to sell these. I'm maybe able to do both the 328s and the Borresen with that approach.... hahaha, j/k!

Honestly if you have the 228be I would not spend the money on the 328be. But if you can sell the 228be you are really not out that much. I think I would take the Borresen comments to heart and seek out a demo. Too much good press to ignore. Me personally I would really like to see some measurements of the Borresen X line. 
 

@helomech  I can get these for few k above your threshold price of $5k.  I think my 228s have been so good that I'm really tempted to try the 328s.

I'll take a look at your recommended X3s and will do some reading on them.  Appreciate you taking the time to chime in and offering alternatives.

@james663 - classic rock is often recorded “poorly” to my years, lots of mids together. Yes comes to mind… I usually bring some Jethro Tull, Yes and Purple. I want to hear all instruments at reasonable volume as I never crank it to 11. Also, sometimes “colored” sound actually fixes a bit poor recording. My amp is E-650 Accuphase with tone and loudness controls which I find handy in some cases.

Revel did not play well for me in that sense. YMMV depending on your sound and music taste.

i recently purchased ProAc 38R and also have GR Bully on order.

I have the opportunity to pick up a second hand pair of the 328s at a pretty good price, and am currently running the 228s paired with a big rel. 

What is a “pretty good price?” Personally, based on the performance I would not be tempted by 328s unless I could snag them for under $5K/pair.

I say that because Børresen X3s can be had for <$10K pair with a typical dealer discount. They have far less audible cabinets and higher SPL capability despite the “4.5 inch” woofers (which are really 6” woofers by any other’s standard.” They  X3s would be a clear and worthy upgrade over your 228s, while the 328s will only surpass your current speakers in a couple areas. 
 

I’d also consider a pair of pre-owned YG towers, especially since you already have bass reinforcement with the subs. 

it’s one of the best reviewed brand and speaker. A tremendous value. As for "boring" - only YOUR ear can tell.

thanks @james663 @mikhailark and @steve59 for your thoughts.  

I have the opportunity to pick up a second hand pair of the 328s at a pretty good price, and am currently running the 228s paired with a big rel.  Knowing the tweeter is different on the 328s and that the bass drivers are different has me a bit intrigued.  I might just go for it  and then I'd be able to compare these side by side in my home. 

After I bought a dealers salon 2 demos he invited me back a couple days later to listen to the 228be's and the first thing I noticed  was the sound drawing me back to the speakers. The latest performa's cabinets are a bit noisy, not bad, but enough to distract me from the stereo illusion the bass was also lacking, but more bass would probably excite the cabinets even more. I agree that a used salon 2 if you have a powerful amp or the studio 2 if you want the best representation of revel speakers. 

Like helomech said tho', While the ultima 2 was pretty special for the money in 2006, there's been forward progress made and many of us have moved on.

Hmm define a “rock speaker”. I listen to mostly hard rock in general terms and felt revels did fine due to the downward sloping frequency response. Never harsh even on poor recordings. They play supper loud, silly loud before breaking up. Not sure I ever found the compression point honestly. The JBLs I have now do have more snap/impact of notes.

speakers that don’t rock to me are bright or lack dynamics. The Revels are neither bright or lacking dynamics but they are not the last word in dynamics either. 

You did not mention your music tastes. For me it is not a rock speaker

I was not impressed by the 328Be despite being a longtime Revel fan. IMO it is overpriced relative to Revel’s more entry-level products. I would rather own a pre-owned pair of Salon2s, or even get Performa F208s and spend the savings elsewhere. 

That said, I recommend auditioning the Børresen X series which is within the same price range. To my ears they are simply on another level—treble, midrange, bass texture, imaging—they outshine the Revel Bes in all those metrics, not to mention outright musicality. The only area the larger X towers fall slightly short of the 328Bes is in lowest octave extension.

I owned the 228be for about 1.5 years and demoed the 328be both with and without the revel subs.

it is a good speaker that sounds as good as it measures. The reason to buy this speaker over others is the very smooth (extremely smooth) frequent response and wide even dispersion. It is a really easy speaker to live with but maybe not the absolute best at anything. If you find you don’t like other speakers because of a wart you nitpick the 328be could be a good choice as they are wart free.

The mids are comparable to any other highend box speaker, transparent and neutral. The highs are a bit softer than some other brands (focal etc) but just as detailed. I however find the bass extension a bit lacking for its size but fine. You really need boundary reinforcement to get down low. If pulled out into the room you might still want subs (I would) but in a smaller room 2-3’ off the wall they might be ok. I had my 228bes 5.5’ off the wall and highpass to subs at 60hz. That there is the issue for me. Once running a sub system you could almost just buy the 226be as they sound very similar and save a lot of money. I do think the larger tweeter motor of the 328be and does translate to better highs (just a touch) than the 228be/226be. I also think the 328bw highs are tuned just a touch softer.