RM7si-II or Revel M20 or .....need help please

No experience with the RM7si--however I own a pair of M20s with a somewhat tweaked system (Audio Magic Stealth, VD + Cardas AC cords, Bryston pre, Ps Audio amp). My speakers are no more than 18" from the wall behind them--less actually since one is in front of a bookshelf and the other in front of a window. Sounds bad, right? But I'm getting truly excellent soundstaging and imaging. The speakers are toed in a lot (they face the listening position directly).

My impression of the M20s is that they have a LOT of potential that can be brought out by good associated components and appropriate tweaks. They seem to be a great value for the money. I prefer the M20 sound to that of the F30 (next up in the Revel line) and don't hear that much of an improvement with the Gem or the Studio (OK, maybe the dealer did not do a good job of setting these up).

I would opt for a sealed design in this less than ideal situation...maybe a Spendor design...or something similiar...or a front firing bass reflex design...anything else...the bass is going to be very boomy....good luck....and remember....speaker placement and room size...more so than the speaker themselves....dictates how good or bad your system will sound....

I agree with phasecorrect 100%. I cannot remeber if the revels have a rear port but I think so. Best avoid this if at all possible.

Lastly, If you can spare the space in the corners, room treatments (bass traps etc) can take care of a lot of the boom that you will get from the speaker placement.

Thank you all! I believe the Joseph's have a port in the front. Also, don't the Revel's have an adjustment of some kind on them in case you plan to put them close to a back wall?

I would appreciate any other feedback you all can give. Thanks,

Yes, the Revels are rear-ported but have an adjustment control for stand or shelf-mounting. I use the stand-mounting option without any bass boominess. I don't think this control will make a big difference...the deciding factor is likely to be the room and the setup.

I have ProAc 2.5s which are rear ported and in my 11 x 13.5 room. The bass was awful for the first 40-50 hours and didn't get good until over 100 hours. It then got real good with amp, pre-amp, and CD upgrades. I'm able to keep the rear cabinet side 38" from the rear wall and 36' from side walls. I use a REL subwoofer and run speakers full range. The system makes beautiful music - it can be done with rear ported speakers in a small room. And, 4 out of 4 seasoned audiophiles who've heard the system agree!

Tomryan: I will be lucky if I can even put the speakers 18 inches from the back wall. So rear ported speakers might not work for me. Atleast you had 3 feet to work with. I will have to consider the use of a subwoofer though.

The Energy c-3 monitor with front firing port was favorably compared to the Revel at soundstage.com...and can be had for around $400 online...dont get me wrong...the Revel is a better speaker hands down...but the C-3 at 1/4 the price is a better cost vs. performance option....they look cool too...