Having owned f-30's until just recently and now owning revel studios, it has been my impression that the highs are definitely more revealing on the studios. the midrage is to die for and that the bass did not have the "wow factor" i was hoping for.
I have to be honest, i really liked my f-30's (they are a GREAT value!!!!!!) and I do like my studios. I do not know if i LOVE the studios yet. Granted, I have not yet spent the time required for proper set-up. That will be an evolving process. I do believe that the studios are really honest speakers- they exactly reproduce what you feed them and this is true for the original audio signal (cd) as well as equipment upstream of the speaker. To be honest, when i first got the f-30's i was underwhelmed as well but after a lot of set-up time i came to love them more than any other speaker i had owned. I do think placement is key as just a little movement in these speakers has made a huge difference in soundstage, etc...
room treatment is also key and i have yet to go down that road.
in terms of how they sound compared to the salons. a friend of mine has salons and they are a no holds barred unbelievable speaker. i think that paired with subs, the studios hold their own against the salons but they lack the dynamic "slam" that the salons have. keep in mind that for both of these, you do need a big room.
both of these speakers can be somewhat tiring on long listens-at least this has been my impression. i think that once you start down the revel line- many people are mistaking "brightness" with merciless reproduction of the presented material and this can be fatiguing. Personally, i find the b&w nautilus line to sound a lot more "bright" and tinny than the revels do.
i have just started experimenting with turning down the front tweeter and have noticed a huge difference as of yet.
the rear tweeter is key for the sense of "air" that these speakers can reproduce and a such i would be hesitant to turn them down.
I would love to hear others thoughts on amplification (tube versus solid state), placement and components (including cables).
in terms of cables, i am using alpha core mi 2 veracity biwires- they are ok but i have heard nordost and analysis plus are excellent matches for this line.
I have to be honest, i really liked my f-30's (they are a GREAT value!!!!!!) and I do like my studios. I do not know if i LOVE the studios yet. Granted, I have not yet spent the time required for proper set-up. That will be an evolving process. I do believe that the studios are really honest speakers- they exactly reproduce what you feed them and this is true for the original audio signal (cd) as well as equipment upstream of the speaker. To be honest, when i first got the f-30's i was underwhelmed as well but after a lot of set-up time i came to love them more than any other speaker i had owned. I do think placement is key as just a little movement in these speakers has made a huge difference in soundstage, etc...
room treatment is also key and i have yet to go down that road.
in terms of how they sound compared to the salons. a friend of mine has salons and they are a no holds barred unbelievable speaker. i think that paired with subs, the studios hold their own against the salons but they lack the dynamic "slam" that the salons have. keep in mind that for both of these, you do need a big room.
both of these speakers can be somewhat tiring on long listens-at least this has been my impression. i think that once you start down the revel line- many people are mistaking "brightness" with merciless reproduction of the presented material and this can be fatiguing. Personally, i find the b&w nautilus line to sound a lot more "bright" and tinny than the revels do.
i have just started experimenting with turning down the front tweeter and have noticed a huge difference as of yet.
the rear tweeter is key for the sense of "air" that these speakers can reproduce and a such i would be hesitant to turn them down.
I would love to hear others thoughts on amplification (tube versus solid state), placement and components (including cables).
in terms of cables, i am using alpha core mi 2 veracity biwires- they are ok but i have heard nordost and analysis plus are excellent matches for this line.