Shout out to Revival Audio Atalante 3 speakers
Normally I’d write a long review of something as I never seem to keep it short. Right now I’m looking at over two pages of handwritten notes and can’t bring myself to put it all to pen, so to speak. Throw in images and links and it becomes a thing unto itself. And it’s sad to say I won’t for what deserves pages of accolades.
I will say this though: if you want a great all around speaker that’s eminently musical at the expense of nothing of import, then the Revival Audio Atalante 3 speaker should be at the top of you short list.
If you crave tone, body and soul, then listen to this speaker.
If you enjoy air, ambience, shimmer and decay, again, listen to this speaker.
If etch, shrillness and a hot top end bother you, no need to look elsewhere.
If the bottom octave is not of paramount importance but a strong mid and upper bass done realistically floats your boat, this will easily suffice.
If coherence and presence is a big deal for you, no need to ask for any more cards as you have a winning hand.
If a beautifully finished cabinet is important, one that harkens back to better days, then this will fit into any decor.
If pedigree matters, then rest assured that this is designed and assembled completely in France. Also, the designer has over 30 years designing speakers for Focal-JM Lab, Dynaudio and others. The drivers are unique to the brand and not off the shelf for other brands to use.
Finally, if price is a factor, these retail for only $2500 and if made by another company, would command multiples of it’s asking price, which I was told, is probably going to go up soon. One member who I’ve been communicating with told me they got 5 pallets of speakers in and they were all mostly accounted for and 5 pairs sold while he was at the dealer auditioning them (2 were of the larger 5 series).
Demand is so high that they came out with a less costly design (two models) to take up some of the slack and to spread the love to those of lessor pockets, which is admirable.
I can’t tell you how much I love these speakers but this should give you an idea: I no longer listen critically to anything anymore. I no longer crave this or that. I can listen at lower volumes and hear all I want or need to. These speakers emotionally connect with me and did so within the first few minutes of listening. There’s no more wind in my audio sails but if I had the money and the space, I’d give the Atalante 5 a serious listen and most likely get them.
Now I find most of the discussions here amusing, at best. Too many unicorns chased and nothing to show for it. Too many lost in search of that perfect tree when you have the whole forest to enjoy at any time and at any angle you wish, if you chose to. Time to choose.
All the best,
Nonoise
I’m interested in Revival speakers and hope to hear them sometime soon but not a fan of that look, whatever it is. Looks like an ProAc design concept that got rejected and mothballed. And “Japanese flourish” just sounds like an oxymoron to me. Then again, I kinda like the Vivid Giyas even though they look like they belong in a Dr. Seuss book so what the hell do I know? |
I couldn't agree more. They hired a well respected design studio in France to come up with the looks and it's a combination of an old world speaker look with a Japanese flourish. They've recently came out with a darker color for all their models from customer demand. I like it better than the original.
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Yup, still off the merry-go-round with no urge to upgrade. Its pairing with the Technics SU-G700M2 still has me scratching my head as to how lucky I got. As for how close they get to the 3X more expensive Dynaudio Heritage Special, that's been pointed out by a couple reviewers who had or still have those speakers. They're not perfect by any means but you can say that about any speaker as they're all compromises of one kind or another. It's just that these speakers are tuned to a level that I never tire of listening to them and never find myself analyzing anything. I just plop down on the old sofa and enjoy the music. If I ever upgrade, it'll be when I get a bigger place and it'll be their big brother, the Atalante 5. I don't see any reason to look elsewhere. All the best," |
@nonoise you still off the merry go round and have these? Apparently the genius behind this brand, Daniel Emonts, was chief designer at Focal and Dynaudio, but in particular he was responsible for the Dynaudio Heritage Special, one of my favorite sounding bookshelf speakers. If the Atalante 3 can get close to that sound for 1/3rd the price, that would really be something. These are cheap enough to just buy on a whim. |
@nonoise I struggled saying the highs are edgy because I don't think that's fair. I think that comes from me being so used to the sound of the Cubes which are so natural sounding in the highs. I don't really want to compare because the Cubes are 5-6x the cost of the Atalante's but to me they are similar in that they are both very well balanced speakers. When listening to the Atalante's nothing jumps out as being "off" or excessive in either a good or bad way. I think just the highs I'm used to are a bit more open, refined and natural but they probably should be from a speaker costing 5-6x more. I am initially overly impressed with the Atalante's. Speaking of the Duet's, I think those are fantastically built speakers. Considering I got my pair for under $1k they are the best bargain I've ever had in HiFi. But, they need a lot of current and tend to open up at higher volumes. They aren't very efficient. However, once they're in their zone they sound very accurate, detailed and open. Maybe a even bit boring and less engaging, but very accurate. Im using them in a condo with a devialet 200 and its a good combo. I don't do a lot of critical listening there at all so they're more than up to the task. My wife just informed me she's going out of town in late february for a week. That means I get to set up speakers in other parts of the house while she's gone! I'm going to set the Atalante's up in the tv room/office with a Primaluna Evo300 amp that I'm not using right now and probably just use a Bluesound Node as a streamer/dac/pre and see how they sound. Should be fun.
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@abd1 Nice take on your Atalante 3s. I used to own the Clearwave Duet 6s as well but feel the Atalnate 3s to be a nice step up from them. I used to have Tonian Labs TL-D1s and their clarity and see thru is very hard to beat. Saying that, I found the Clearwaves to have a darker presentation, like there's too much smoke in the venue. With the Atalantes, they have all the resolution and about 95% of the detail but just enough "smoke" to calm down the treble. Unlike your findings, I detect no abnormalities in the treble. No harshness, etch or anything that I would consider irritating, unless I turn the volume way up and then it's only SPL levels that get to me (being in a smallish room). It may all boil down to system synergy (I use a Technics SU-G700M2 and matching SACD player). I completely agree with you on the balance of these speakers. You can tell they were designed by a person steeped in speaker design. They are the most unoffensive sounding speakers I've heard to date, and I mean that in a good way. Everything I play sounds good, to my ears, without the highlighting of certain qualities at the expense of others. Let them break in for a good time (about a month or so) and you may find them even more enjoyable. I related to the dealer how impressed I was after a week and he said to call him back after a month and then tell him what I thought. He was right. 😄 All the best,
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This thread is a bit old but I just received a pair of Atalante 3's that I picked up from The Music Room. My normal speakers are Cube Nenuphar Mini's V2. These are single driver, no crossover speakers that cost about 12k. I love them but single drivers sometimes beam higher frequencies that leads to sound coming right from the driver, like wearing headphones. Through careful positioning I've been able to get the Cube's to disappear but I've been wanting to try some standmount speakers in my room to see if the imaging can be better, and I may use them in another room as well. I hadn't heard about these speakers and then saw a pair come up at The Music Room. I quickly did some research, including reading this thread, and decided to purchase them. I received the speakers a couple days ago and dug out my sand filled Dynaudio stands, unhooked the Cube's and hooked up the Atalante 3's. My system right now is an Auralic Airies G1 streamer > Holo Audio May KTE Dac > Holo Audio Serene KTE preamp > Line Magnetic LM845 Premium amp. I also have a pair of REL S510 subs and a Project The Classic EVO turntable w/ Soundsmith Carmen MKII MI cartridge and Hegel V10 preamp. Build quality on the Atalante's is very good. Simple "box" construction, but well finished and build quality is consistent with the price. The cabinet feels relatively solid. While not as fancy looking as the Sonus Faber Sonetto 2's that I tried a few months ago, I think the build quality here is better. Something about the SF's felt a bit cheap to me. They were very light for their size and seemed a bit hollow. The sound disappointed as well as it seemed a bit lifeless IMO. Not so with the Atalante 3's. I've only listened for about 2-3 hours so far. I can see these are very well balanced speakers. Detail is very good and they have a nice lively sound but aren't bright. I haven't turned up the volume much as I've mainly listened while working in the evening. However, bass sounds full and very good texture for a speaker at this price. Imaging and soundstage are also very good so far. I haven't played much with location and my speakers are about 7-8' apart and about 8-9 feet from the listening sofa. They're about 2' out from the rear wall and one speaker has a side wall about 6' away, the other is open to the side, so they have some space to breath. The most I can say about the imaging is the speakers have disappeared in the room, which is what I struggle with a bit with the Cube's. I'm not really going to compare these with the Cube's as those cost significantly more and do sound better. However I will say these are very enjoyable and, like the Cubes, seem to do everything really well with nothing really standing out as "off" or as a major compromise. The biggest criticism I can give is while the tweeter is presenting very good detail and air, it may be just a touch edgy. However, that could be because I have primarily been listening to the Cube's for the last couple of years and their treble is very natural, open and refined. Not to say the Atalante's aren't, but they're just a slight step down in refinement. Again though, when thinking about some standmounts I've spent some time with (Sonetto 2's, KEF LS50 Meta, Usher 718BE, and Clearwave Duet 6 which uses Accuton ceramic drivers) the Atalante tweeter is amongst the best in that group. Considering the group consists of a berylium tweeter, a ceramic tweeter, and a concentric tweeter with some spaceage damping material, that's a compliment to the Atalante. I'm going to keep these speakers in this room for a couple of weeks and I plan on giving them some time this weekend at some higher decibels to see how they do, but right now I'm thinking I scored a great deal on these and I initially concur with everything I had read about them. |
I only had possession of the Oracio speakers for a week and it was some time ago but I'll give it my best shot. All of Tony's speakers excel at transparency. If you want to hear everything in a recording you need not look any further. What they do lack in is in a bit of heft and weight, the muscle that accompanies the leading edge. You still get tone, timber and some extension but it's on the lean side. Your mind fills in the rest as the Oracio takes you most of the way there. With the Atalante 3, I still hear everything I need to and it comes with heft, body and a more saturated sound. That's from the top down. Having more flesh on the bone makes it all the more real sounding and I never tire of it. It's a very fine balancing act and it does it superbly. The big plus for the Atalante 3 is the basalt (lava rock) used in the mid woofer. It has a higher Youngs modulus (stiffness) than fiberglass and Kevlar and as a result, it can more faithfully reproduce the mids and upper bass without breaking up at lower points where the other two do. It stay more elastic before going plastic in the depths and volumes needed and sounds all the more convincing because of it. Even the shape of the tweeter is unique and coated with a proprietary solution to ensure a smoother and less fatiguing sound. All drivers are made in-house and not off the shelf or "modified" by a mass producer from their present stock. Like I said earlier, I'm off the merry-go-round, having grabbed that brass ring and will only consider the bigger brother (Atalante 5) if and when I get a bigger place. Heck, I'm even tempted to just get them for the depths they can plumb as they are only down -3db @ 28Hz and it'd be a joy to hear some truly and properly done bass in my room. All the best, |
I've owned my Atalante 3's for a few weeks, bought them from someone who only owned them for 3 months. Luckily they were already broken in. Been every so slightly used I got a great price for them. I've never been happier with a speaker. Driving with Bryston 3B cubed and VTL tube pre. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned they offer a transferable warranty. That's kind of rare for speakers. Cheers |
@sunshdw I've got the 5's in an 18' x 18' room per my post above. I would agree with goldprint you might get them to work with the plugs but I feel like my room is just large enough and in fact, Revival's guidelines for the 5's put my room size at minimum suggested size. |
@sunshdw Tough call......that's perhaps a touch small for them. But you never know, run the included port plugs and give them a little breathing room off the back wall and they could work. |
@roguejester The Rogue PharaohII is fun match....that's what I've been running both 5s and 3s on lately. As such, if you want to go separates, the DragoN and RP5/RP7 would also be a great match. |
I'd give them some more time to break in before getting a newer amp. Mine sounded wonderful from the start but the dealer told me to just wait a couple more weeks to see how they really sound, and he was right. Once they've fully settled in, then you can experiment with a newer amp and be better able to judge how they sound together and not worry about having two components braking in at the same time. For the price of Rogue separates and the Sugden integrated, there's a lot of competition in that price range. Take your time. All the best,
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I have recently purchased these and unfortunately are having to run them with an older Yamaha AVR (RX-V3800). While they sound nice, I was wondering what everyone else is using? It was recommended to me to use components from European brands vice American but am considering Rogue Audio separates or maybe the Sugden ANV-50. Would appreciate any suggestions you all would have. Room is 13x26, moderately treated, genres mainly classic rock and blues. |
As an fyi to any that's following Revival, the new Sprint series speakers are now shipping in the US. https://revivalaudio.fr/sprint-4/ https://revivalaudio.fr/sprint-3/
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@gandalf Glad you're loving the Pulsar2s! They are fantastic speakers. The Atalante3s had a small price bump since Nonoise grabbed his pair, they are $2595. |
When I bought my Atalante 3 monitors, they went for $2499. As for the ARID and the Hexis looking similar, I'd like to know just how new the Hexis is as Daniel Edmonts' ARID has been around since 2021-22 and he was the lead designer at Dynaudio for 7 years before going solo with his Revival Audio speakers. Who copied who could be up to debate. All the best, |
goldprintaudio: You sold me some JA speakers Pulsar2 love them, more so than any other monitor speakers I have had over the years. Just curious how long does it take to break in a pair of Prisms? Great speaker, I just wish they had better finishes on them, but about 80-85% of what the Pulsars can do in a smaller box. Bass response for this speaker out of this world for this size.
So what price for the Atalante 3’s, also that ARID technology in their tweeter sure looks like the Hexis that is in Dynaudio new Esotar tweeters. |
Here's another nice review on both the 3s and 5s -- https://www.subwooferstereo.com/2023/03/revival-audio-atalante-3-and-atalante-5.html |
Thank you…i had placed an order for the Mission 770s last Friday, but canceled Monday morning because of their size, cost and making my REL unnecessary. Still, i really liked their big sound potential and particularly, their ability to maintain a full and rich presentation at low volumes. I might reorder, but the Atalante 3s are half the price, though i hate the grills and am not really drawn to their overall look. Decisions, decisions. I had the Lintons in house for 6 weeks and liked their presentation with the exception of their coarse treble. Thought the Missions might improve in all areas. |
I'm using a 70 watt/channel integrated and have tons of headroom to spare. Your Simaudio should have no problems driving these speakers. Reviews and online comments have users with tube amps with as little as 15 watts driving them to realistic levels. The drivers alone are rated at 91db before being installed in the cabinet with the crossover, which accounts for the lowering of the sensitivity. Any well made amp will drive them. Here's a video explaining how much power is used by a speaker rated at "only" 87db sensitivity: All the best, |
I’m looking at the 3s to mate with a REL t/9i in my Great Room. I wonder about the amplifier demands of driving these speakers. It’s a 4 ohm speaker with 87db sensitivity. Do you find they need some power to bring out their best ? I have a 50w Simaudio 240i (85w into 4ohms). I wouldnt hesitate to buy these if it was an 8 ohm speaker. |
I've never had a speaker that sounds as good off axis as on axis with these speakers. I can be in the kitchen (which adjoins the living space in my apartment) and they sound almost as good. Because of the low amount of toe in, my sweet spot is the widest it's ever been. I believe it has to do with the design of the drivers, the materials he uses. Daniel eschews any use of petroleum products in the driver cones and concocted his own solution to coat the domes to get the sound he wanted out of them. The way they project out into the room must be from all he learned designing speakers for 30 years and not settling for off the shelf drivers. All the best, |
Thanks! @goldprintaudio |
Hey @nonoise At first, I didn't hear much of a difference with grills on or off. But the more I've done some critical listening I prefer grills off for sure. Not huge, but noticeable. I am the same as far as toe-in. I started with aimed at ears, then kept tweaking the placement before what is now just outside the shoulder. I also tried the tweeter "inside" but that shrunk the soundstage and Revival recommends outside tweeter placement when 9' or less. And I messed with placement for many sessions before this setup shown just snapped into focus. And yes, they not only sound great but they look great. And they are huuuge stand speakers :) |
@jcoehler Thanks for those wonderful shots of your set up. I have to admit I’m a bit jealous.😃 The Atalante 5 were the first speaker I was thinking of getting but my room is too small to accommodate them, which is why I gave up on my JBL 4319 monitors. They’re actually smaller than your 5s and even they loaded up my room with too much bass. Have you found that the grills don’t really take much, if anything, away from the sound? I’m still undecided as to whether or not they do with my 3 series. Aside from protecting the drivers, they way they did it by having two sections add a lot to the looks, in my opinion. It’s quite a design statement. I noticed that you have them just slightly toed in, which is what I settled on with my 3s. I used to have all my past speakers pointing directly at my ears, or at my shoulders to get the best soundstage but with these speakers I now have them firing at where my hands would be if full extended to the side. That would amount to about a 6-7° toe in. I noticed when I did move them out that far that the musical info seemed to be more revealing, as if the performer themselves turned to the correct orientation as when performing (if that makes sense). All the best, |
@nonoise thought I'd share some photos of my 5's in my system...
Also... Room size: 18' x 18' (Speakers are 8' apart / 5' from side wall / 42" from front wall / 10' from seat) I played with positioning for days and this setup snapped everything into focus. |
@mrdecibel , Yes indeed, that is what I mean. I've always leaned towards very informative speakers that had that leading edge but it was always at the expense of body and soul. These speakers give up nothing in being informative but they don't hit you over the head with it. They just kind of lull you, caressing your ears. I've done more toe tapping, foot wagging and head bobbing and swaying than I've ever done. All the best, |
@nonoise , I am happy for you. It is wonderful when you acquire a component, in this case, speakers, that emotionally connect with you. Are you meaning to say, " emotionally connect with the musicians " ?, as this is what it is all about. Enjoy ! MrD. |
All the best,
