"The Ultra High-End Speaker."

Kenmy good for you a well matched and tuned system will work wonders I too have heard extremely expensive systems that didn’t sound magical

High end SOUND not high end gear begins when any speakers at any price is well embed mechanically, electrically and acoustically ( and i dont spoke about mere room acoustic here ) ...

Ultra high end sound ask for very ultra costly gear for sure ...

There is a difference in cost between a minimal acoustical satisfaction threshold and the higher acoustical optimal threshold possible ...

My point is : it is acoustic science not the gear price tag who define the conditions for the winner ...

My point is two subjective/objective thresholds in the law of diminishing returns are DETERMINED more by acoustics knowledge in the design and in the subjective acoustic experience than by the mere price tag ... Sorry for some of those who own one million bucks system , it is not a warranty for owning a ULTRA high end sound because the gear component cost such and such, it is way not enough ...

Then i will not speak mostly as the OP about the ultra high end speakers choices because this is less meaningful than speaking about this specific system/room or this other specific system/room with or without the BACCH filters for example correcting any faulty stereo system nevermind his price ...

Psycho-acoustics rule the show not the speakers price choices linearly ordered ...

My two cents ...

I've gotten to a point in my life when I no longer care about "best" if I can't actually live with it in my living room space. 

For me, I go with large dynamic range, laid back, low distortion in small packages. I know the dynamic range plus laid back seems like a weird combination. For commercial brands I like Monitor Audio a great deal, with some appreciation for the modern Wilsons, and Magicos. With the right amps I might see myself enjoying some Klipsch Heresy’s as well.

It’s hard to separate the room from the speakers though. The best high commercial speakers I could fit in my living room may be far smaller than the most expensive. As such there’s a lot of very large speakers I would not realistically consider. Perhaps the largest commercial speaker I’d consider in my home is the Arion Apollo. Always had a soft spot in my heart for line sources and AMT drivers.

For me no speaker is ultra- high-end unless it's a headphone. There you have a lot more possibilities to get as close as possible to the raw natural sound.

If you cannot perceive that the so-called "high end" speakers are better than yours, then you have probably crushed the competition.

My system is much less than yours. I think it sounds wonderful, even compared to more expensive systems. Often, they do things that my system cannot do -- bass and dynamic punch, super accurate sound staging. I've got my system doing something better, in some cases, than those systems -- intimacy in midrange, naturalness of soundstage, precision without hyper-articulation in instruments and highs.

I have heard a couple systems that do everything mine does plus the things it doesn't do. But they're not ultra-high-end. They are thoughtfully selected, matched, and placed in an intelligently treated room.

The soundfield of speakers and headphone are two different things ...

The timbre definition the immersiveness and all the spatial characteristics of sound which are numerous cannot be determined by the mere speakers choice...

Speakers exist only in a room, controlled one or uncontrolled ...

And any stereo system or speakers is impeding the spatial characteristic of sound by crosstalk ...

But headphone lack the body sensation of speakers and deep bass and they sound always artificial timbre ( my 9 headphones in particular) except for some very rare and costlier one ...The soundfield in most case STAY in the head ... ( save my K340 modified and perhaps top few others i dont know personally as the Raal or top Hifiman and Top Omega Stax )

Anyway timbre, immersiveness and spatial characteristics of sound dont come with speakers price tag ... They come with room acoustic coupling and with adding to that the necessary BACCH filters which is the acoustic last revolution ...

Nevermind the price you pay for your speakers ...Or even for your headphones... You will need acoustic material control and/or acoustic DSP ...With my K340 i need the two as with my speakers ...

My low cost system now is satisfying so much, but why ?

Because i succeeded creating a room/speakers relation very intimate as with headphone in a near listening position in a controlled small room ... And i succeeded in creating with headphone a soundfield speaker- like in timbre and spatial characteristics out of the head in many recording ... For me it was the goal... I listen music alone ...

Ok i spoke too much and we will go to the "Bugatti" and " Veyron" level speakers talk forgetting this new more affordable car that which is also a plane thanks to the BACCH filters .... 😁

Price tag  dont afford S. Q. ...Psycho-acoustics does at lower price nowadays ...

Ultra High End-ish Sound?

~10k onwards (possibly even 5k onwards if bought used) and subwoofer pairing.

Ultra High End-ish Sound+Looks+Bragging Rights+ Club Membership?

Spend half a million, file for bankruptcy, whatever...

Ultra high end speakers are carried by high end electronics w.r.t sonics. When such electronics are paired with many speakers in non-ultra high end price brackets (i.e., when such "relatively affordable" speakers are given the same opportunity), the ultra high end-ness of such speakers shall be revealed.

my opinion is that you can achieve ultra high end sound with Revel Salon 2’s. given the appropriate sized room, meticulously treated, top notch power grid, solid well matured signal path and superior sources.

there is nothing about a Salon 2 holding you back from musical reproduction nirvana.

OTOH there is a ceiling to ultimate degrees of bottom octave, scale and authority in a system with the Revel 2 Salon’s. and a ceiling on ultimate levels of resolution.

but i would rather have this ’optimized’ ultimate Salon 2 system, than an average level effort with a more capable speaker in a larger room. the Revel Salon 2 is formidable enough to take you far along the path. it’s over the hump into high level transducers.

it’s the sweat equity and high level thinking behind systems that become the difference. and there is more than one approach to skin the cat.

of course; what we mostly find is that someone willing to go all out on the effort side, will probably pay the piper to start with a more capable speaker so the ceiling is higher at the end. but this does not invalidate what the Revel Salon 2 can accomplish.

Thanks great post indeed from someone who knows better by owning some of the best ... ... 😊

my opinion is that you can achieve ultra high end sound with Revel Salon 2’s. given the appropriate sized room, meticulously treated, top notch power grid, solid well matured signal path and superior sources.

If "ultra high end" is defined, even in part, by price, the Revel speakers do not qualify.  But, if it is performance, as measured by the owner satisfaction, it is entirely possible for that speaker, or one even less costly to qualify.  Even taking subjectivity out of the equation, there is no such thing as a best speaker that is superior in all aspects of performance, and not everyone agrees on which aspects have higher priority.  Add back subjectivity and there is nothing close to a consensus on ANY speaker being "good" sounding, never mind anything close to "best" sounding.  On top of this, there is no speaker that is appropriate to all rooms.  I personally find that low-powered tube amplifiers tend to be the best sounding amplifiers, and I have very specific favorite amps; that necessitates using certain types of speakers that then relegate others to less that ultra high end for my personal selection.

I've heard ultra expensive custom speakers that sound fantastic.  One such system was about 5 ft wide, by 4 feet deep by 8.5 feet tall.  It has twin 18" woofers, a giant horn midrange with field coil midrange compression drivers and a field coil tweeter.  Truly no expense was spared.  But, even it could not do everything, and the "compromises" might disqualify this speaker for another listener.  The woofers were quite restricted in output below about 35 hz.  Why? Because the requirement of ultra fast and nimble performance to match the midrange compression driver and the extended range for the shallow crossover at 400 hz or so, meant the driver had to be built with ultra low weight cones, and a surround that restricted the range of movement.  This meant compromising ultra deep response. 

In other respects, I suspect that great subjective performance in one area necessarily means affecting performance in another area; for example, the sense of midrange clarity might be a product, at least in part, of a leaner upper bass response because that bass tends to "muddy" the sound, but, if one also likes the warmer sound of a richer upper bass response, one cannot "optimize" both.  Hence, ultra high end might minimize compromises, but, it cannot eliminate them and the right balance could be found in a speaker that is cheaper, better suited to one's taste, and more appropriate for the particular room.

It does my heart good to hear about someone who really enjoys having exquisite sound. Congrats on your system. Too many high rollers haven’t really earned their audio stripes, and are more adept at writing big checks than they are at identifying the true performers. To some degree it’s all relative to what we’ve been exposed to, but those who’ve owned and lived with that "ultra high end sound" truly know the difference.  It still boils down to synergy of the individual components.

My experience has been that price is not a guarantee of fantastic sound, and there are definitely diminishing returns, but it’s difficult to avoid incurring some substantial costs to get that upper level sound. Fortunately, there are still plenty of companies driven by their passion for audio who focus more on performance than profit.

@erik_squires  +1

Since retirement I have had to be very selective with my finances and my audio purchases. Even within those parameters and with full knowledge that my system is midfi at best, I still find myself sitting in the dark, glass of wine in hand and completely lost in the music.

Isn't that the essence of why we do this?

Good review of the Salon 2: https://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/608revel/index.html

And, they're on sale at a great price via Music Direct!
$7500 each 
https://www.musicdirect.com/equipment/speakers/revel-salon2-tower-speakers-pair/

It did not boil down to the synergy which is only the basic starting factor requirement here ...

To attain ultra high end sound you need an acoustic room and a dedicated one for specific speakers ... Ask Delavigne what role play his room in his sound quality experience snd say to him that he throw his money out of the window with his room , all we need is the higher price tag and synergy between components .........😁

To some degree it’s all relative to what we’ve been exposed to, but those who’ve owned and lived with that "ultra high end sound" truly know the difference. It still boils down to synergy of the individual components.

Ask Lavigne what role play his room in his sound quality experience and say to him that he throw his money out of the window with his room , all we need is the higher price tag and synergy between components ....

you don’t need a custom designed large room, but a good room is a prerequisite to ultimate performance. something that won’t hold you back.

then.......(1) having the room the right shape and size for the speaker, and (2) tweaking the room to a high degree........is where the code gets broken.

there are quite a few speakers that can be a part of an ultimate system. that just takes a check book. but then it’s up to the end user to chase perfection. it’s not for everyone. but dollars are not the main thing. gear lust will not be the end game. but nothing wrong with nice pretty things. modest systems can sound really great.

i did not have ultimate performance with lots of dollars invested until i figured out how to get the room to work right. so dollars do not equate to success. it can raise the ceiling, but not deliver the promise.

Thanks for your wise answer from experience ...

My experience with low cost good components is they benefit tremendously from the well done coupling with the room acoustic ...Your experience with high end components confirm my own experience ...

my best to you ...

i did not have ultimate performance with lots of dollars invested until i figured out how to get the room to work right. so dollars to not equate to success. it can raise the ceiling, but not deliver the promise.

The ONLY way to get the best performance out of ANY speaker is to first, use the best electronics and front-ends, second, to tune the room, and third to set up the speakers in the best position and then tune the crossovers to the room and electronics.  

You are right but it will not be enough...😁

Because of the lost of some acoustic information in the spatial dimension of the sound by crosstalk and this IN ANY STEREO SYSTEM at whatever price and perfection level ... ...

It is the reason why my only recommended upgrade, for those who are happy as Lavigne and me with their system/room, is the BACCH filters by Dr. Choueiri ...

It is true for Mike Lavigne system as for my very low cost system , we are happy with our own; any other upgrade would be problematic or perhaps marginal in the Lavigne Case ; in my case any real upgrade will be more costly and less impactful than the BACCH filters themselves ...

Psycho-acoustics science  rule the gear and room and their relation ...

Nevermind the price tag here  this will not change the basic fact about hearing  ......

The ONLY way to get the best performance out of ANY speaker is to first, use the best electronics and front-ends, second, to tune the room, and third to set up the speakers in the best position and then tune the crossovers to the room and electronics.

Mahgister-what makes you think you are the only 1 that knows certain things? For most of us that spend tens of thousands of dollars on gear, don’t you think these same people know how to treat their room? The room is a must to do right first. A good treated room can cost many thousands of dollars. But the thing is, even if you spend tens of thousands building your room with all the acoustic treatments with the right dimensions, a cheap stereo will still sound cheap. But this same room will allow your better equipment like the Revels the OP has, to sound their best. It would be foolish to spend thousands on the room if you have cheap equipment, but at the same time, it would be foolish if you didn’t do this if you have good quality equipment, like the Revels. 

It depends on room size mainly. Larger rooms require larger speakers and larger good quality speakers cost more.

$24K for speakers should be able to do it in most cases if spent wisely. More cost may or may not yield some marginal improvements. The devil is always in the details. The Revels are very good quality and a very fine choice.

Speakers must be more than excellent but it's not the speakers that take the system to the reference level, it's the source and the amps.

Here’s an example. In a smaller room it is hard to fault the sound quality of a pair of tiny kef ls50 metas plus a good quality sub. But that is only within their limits which is mainly how loud they can go without distortion.

So for around 3K properly setup in a smaller room you can basically have all there is to have up to say 85-90db SPL or so.

Now some might want to go louder and some may just not care for the sound. But the sound is without question technically very high end.

As the room size gets larger so will the cost of best possible sound. But a pair of $32k Kef Blade metas can do the job in most any room found  in most people’s houses.  

Mahgister-what makes you think you are the only 1 that knows certain things?

For most of us that spend tens of thousands of dollars on gear, don’t you think these same people know how to treat their room? The room is a must to do right first.

A good treated room can cost many thousands of dollars. But the thing is, even if you spend tens of thousands building your room with all the acoustic treatments with the right dimensions, a cheap stereo will still sound cheap.

But this same room will allow your better equipment like the Revels the OP has, to sound their best. It would be foolish to spend thousands on the room if you have cheap equipment, but at the same time, it would be foolish if you didn’t do this if you have good quality equipment, like the Revels.

In a larger scale commercial application the cost of great sound goes way up proportionally beyond anything found in a persons home.

For example:

https://venuesnow.com/las-vegas-sphere-unveils-audio-system/

World’s most advanced!

My point being:  There's a number of super high quality moderately priced speakers out there like mine that perform at such high levels of proficiency and produce such astonishingly superb sound quality that, inch for inch, pound for pound, one has to question the need to spend more.  My beloved Revel Salon 2 speakers are a prime example of that.  Yes, I've heard a number of moderately priced speakers just like mine, where pure sound quality is concerned, can go toe-to-toe with any of the megabuck, ultra high-end, cost no object, speakers costing multiples of their retail price.  Were a lot of the ultra high-end speakers really have a distinct advantage is with their size and "Scale."  Just one mans opinion.       

I have heard a number of rooms built from the ground up as audio rooms with full blown complete room treatment.  Even with such rooms, subjective impression of the rooms vary greatly.  Most of such rooms were, to me, disappointing—too dry and analytical sounding with bleached out harmonics.  
 

The best was a $250,000 room designed by an acoustic architect.  That room did not look like it was treated because most treatment was hidden behind the wall coverings, including the truly giant bass traps in all four corners.  The front wall had a very large convex wood diffusor that looked like room decoration, not treatment.  But, even this room, which I liked, got mixed reviews.  Two of my friends did not like the sound and both are audio professionals.  So much of good sound IS subjective.

A good treated room can cost many thousands of dollars. But the thing is, even if you spend tens of thousands building your room with all the acoustic treatments with the right dimensions, a cheap stereo will still sound cheap.

False.... A purpose built room+a sizeable investment in treatments that actually work can drastically reduce the perceived performance gap (and all associated metrics of audiophilia) between high end gear and relatively affordable gear.

For example, I could demonstrate to guys like you how a 60k speaker and a 1k speaker sound in the same room (one of my rooms)...a good one with about 40k to 50k worth of treatments that work, i.e. how close it starts to get.

Of course, if such truths get demonstrated too much, the "high end" sales guy (which is maybe half the forum) may start to freak out that his sales numbers could suffer. But then again, he need not worry...because most audiophiliac dudes love to buy a few hundred thousand dollars worth of gear, plop it down in a sht house and hope for miracles anyways. Such dudes may usually buy 2 doofus panels, put it up in a couple of spots for decorative purposes and claim that their room is treated! Hence, the high end sales guys has nothing to worry about...high end sales will be great as usual. All is good in the world...Amen.

The Salon’s are great speakers but they’re not the peak of the speaker designer’s art.

I don’t think that you can get the measure of a speaker at a show or dealer’s shop. I think you have to live with them for a while. Especially the ultra-high-end type. Your ears or brain have to adjust to them.

If someone like @mikelavigne is willing to put the money AND the time and effort into an ultra-high-end system, I think he can probably build one that sounds noticeably better than yours, no disrespect intended. Diminishing returns will surely also be noticeable, but if someone has the money and wants a system and room that’s the best he can buy, I don’t have a problem with that.

There seem to be a lot of posts on this forum that imply or state that high-end audio or some aspect of it is a scam or that everybody should listen to a system like the poster’s or at least one based on what the poster has found works for him. I think we all hear differently, have different tastes, have different listening rooms, have different budgets, different wives 😁, etc. and that is why we all have different systems.

I say live and let live, and that’s just my opinion.

OP  I honestly believe that my system (speakers) produce that ultra high-end, reference quality sound.

Do you have any uploaded live recording of your system? I love to hear it. Alex/Wavetouch

My system live recording => Pink Floyd – Time - David Gilmour, Wavetouch audio, Live recording

Edith Piaf - Non, je ne regrette rien, Wavetouch audio - Live recording

Ultra High end? Borressen 05 SSE, the best speakers I have ever heard,
Stenheim 05 SE, Estellon X Diamond Mk 11, Gauder Berlina RC9. Any one of those are my endgame speakers.

Your speakers are good but can be Much Better, Being honest the internal Xover 

parts are average at best like a 7 out of 15  just unscrew a bottom driver 

there areNo name brand capacitors ,or resistors,

 I owned aAudio store for a decade and this is one area modt speaker companies fail it’s all about profit , some of your drivers are made in the far East 

look at your Xover inside 

go to Humble homemade hifi capacitor test the tops are Duelunds best capacitors 

rated 14.5 on down these yellow caps are made in Taiwan. ,Solen another very popular company rated a 7  and $3 resistors ! Mills much better $12 , Path Audio best resistors $30 each and 100% better sonically .if you plan on keeping them. 
a Xover upgrade is well worth the effort , good parts cost $$/ that’s why companies 

just put in decent ,it’s all about profit . Sad but true.

My 2 cents:

Over the past 30 years I have listened to too many speakers to list. Ranging in price from a few thousand to nearly $100K for a pair. In many different settings with a large variety of expensive gear. A few months back a friend bought a used pair of Klipsch Chorus ll’s. He couldn’t brag about them enough. So for fun I brought a pristine pair for $1000. I hooked them up to my Luxman L-509Z and I was blown away. One song I always use to audition gear is Hotel California from When Hell Freezes Over (Eagles). I had to play it several times to make sure I was hearing was real. The band was literally in my listening room. When Don Henley starts singing it was amazingly easy to pick out his position on the stage. Each member of the band was in a position easily discernible. My point? Outstanding sound quality from a set of speakers is not solely related to amount of money spent.

I will never sell the Klipsch, but I will sell off others I currently own.

I'm sure the OP has a nice system but, with no disrespect to the OP, the post is a bit self-serving. If the op approaches listening to other more systems from the perspective of the argument in his/her post then it is likely that his/her discriminatory powers are disrupted by confirmation bias.

A good system at a particular price point is a good system but it doesn't imply that systems at higher price points can't be a lot better.

By way of contextual comparison, the Wilson Sabrina X's are broadly comparable in price to the OP's speakers and they are a fabulous sounding speaker. But an Alexia V is quite substantially better, especially in more accurately reproducing scale and dynamics. In summary, both speakers are great, but one is greater.

Very interesting post! Thanks....

This illustrate my point that acoustics science dont reduce to room acoustic and room acoustic dont reduce to passive material treatment but may include active mechanical device as resonators and DSP as Choueiri BACCH filters and this illustrate why psycho-acoustics is the ultimate ground of audio ...

The relation between specific brain/specific ears /a specific filters EXCLUDE simplistic recipe as we read often ...

Acoustics applied to Great Hall and to very small room differe very much and it is why as medecine is a curative and preventive ART grounded in science , it cannot be reduced to a technology excluding human thinking ( save for diagnostic by A. I. as a tool )...

This is why it takes me a year to do my room full time ... I learned making errors i corrected all along 7 days a week ... It cost me a great amount of time but there is no price for learni9ng and anyway those who dont pay with time will pay with their money and big ...Or stay frustrated ...

Psycho-acoustics rule audio not the reverse ... Price tags dont matter as much many claim...

I have heard a number of rooms built from the ground up as audio rooms with full blown complete room treatment. Even with such rooms, subjective impression of the rooms vary greatly. Most of such rooms were, to me, disappointing—too dry and analytical sounding with bleached out harmonics.

The best was a $250,000 room designed by an acoustic architect. That room did not look like it was treated because most treatment was hidden behind the wall coverings, including the truly giant bass traps in all four corners. The front wall had a very large convex wood diffusor that looked like room decoration, not treatment. But, even this room, which I liked, got mixed reviews. Two of my friends did not like the sound and both are audio professionals. So much of good sound IS subjective.

Your post is very true to the general marketing /consumers situation ...

It is why i posted for years  these facts also ... Snobbism does not exist in acoustic circle , at least less than in audio marketing circle ...

Thanks for the post ...

False.... A purpose built room+a sizeable investment in treatments that actually work can drastically reduce the perceived performance gap (and all associated metrics of audiophilia) between high end gear and relatively affordable gear.

For example, I could demonstrate to guys like you how a 60k speaker and a 1k speaker sound in the same room (one of my rooms)...a good one with about 40k to 50k worth of treatments that work, i.e. how close it starts to get.

Of course, if such truths get demonstrated too much, the "high end" sales guy (which is maybe half the forum) may start to freak out that his sales numbers could suffer. But then again, he need not worry...because most audiophiliac dudes love to buy a few hundred thousand dollars worth of gear, plop it down in a sht house and hope for miracles anyways. Such dudes may usually buy 2 doofus panels, put it up in a couple of spots for decorative purposes and claim that their room is treated! Hence, the high end sales guys has nothing to worry about...high end sales will be great as usual. All is good in the world...Amen.

Everything matters is the short answer as always. But to over amplify the importance of one aspect of audiophilia over another is not a fruitful argument imo. Room construction, size, acoustic treatments, speakers, amps, preamps, sources, cables, etc..., all that matters if getting the best sound to your ears truly matters to you. Unfortunately there is no easy short cut, not even high end speakers.

Lavigne never said that the Revel speakers in a well treated living room compare in design and potential quality to his TOP speakers and to his actual speakers/room ...He said that he could live happy with that... Then read him right ...

You must understand that OBJECTIVE acoustic satisfaction in a dedicated acoustic room where all acoustic factors work without being impeded cannot be confused with the quality design evaluation of the gear which is another matter ...

I am happy with my low cost speakers ... Where did i said that buying the superior design of the Revel speakers is useless BECAUSE i designed acoustically my room ? Nowhere did i suggest that ...

Neither Lavigne suggested that the Revel will replace his actual system , even if he said that as any of us we can live happy with them... Good acoustic experience dont reduced to design quality price of high end ... There exist a minimal subjective treshold of acoustic satisfaction ...but we need a dedicated room acoustically controlled to experience it the most and for the better with good design to begin with at any price ...

Minimal acoustic satisfaction is not TOP OPTIMAL acoustic satisfaction ...

The quality of design of each components play a role ...Only idiots will equal my low cost performance speakers even well embedded to Revel speakers and the Revel to the Lavigne speakers ...My low cost system dont compare a second to his even if i am as happy he is with his system ...I am not an idiot ...

But if acoustic passive treatment and active mechanical and digital control play the greatest part in acoustic satisfaction experience NOT THE PRICE TAGS... This dont means that price tag of higher design is snake oil ...

I never say that high end audio is a MERE scam and only idiots will claim this , but high end audio WITHOUT acoustics is a STOP GAP nevermind the price (i dont speak about few acoustic panels here and there ; read wikipedia definition of psycho-acoustics to begin with )

If someone like @mikelavigne is willing to put the money AND the time and effort into an ultra-high-end system, I think he can probably build one that sounds noticeably better than yours, no disrespect intended. Diminishing returns will surely also be noticeable, but if someone has the money and wants a system and room that’s the best he can buy, I don’t have a problem with that.

There seem to be a lot of posts on this forum that imply or state that high-end audio or some aspect of it is a scam or that everybody should listen to a system like the poster’s or at least one based on what the poster has found works for him. I think we all hear differently, have different tastes, have different listening rooms, have different budgets, different wives 😁, etc. and that is why we all have different systems.

If you invest upward of (say $250) in an audio system and do NOT BUILD a house (or at least 'barn' or complete addition from ground up) to put it in (including floor, walls, ceiling, power supply (obviously, nothing but a solar powered bttery bank and purely DC equipment), then you lost your mind, and are considered Ultra STUPID High End. 

I'm with @baylinor 

Everything matters is the short answer as always. But to over amplify the importance of one aspect of audiophilia over another is not a fruitful argument imo.

Too often these threads overemphasize the room (by people who can't or won't buy better gear) or the gear (by people who can't or won't pay attention to their room).

It seems painfully obvious that a good room with good gear is good, and a great room with great gear is better. 

All of that is "personal" taste, but really -- good is only good and better is better. And if you can't hear the difference, it's you -- not the room or the gear.

Thee most magical sound I've ever heard coming from any speaker was from a set of Snell Type B's It has yet to be bested. Joe

@hilde45 

Looking at your system, I truly respect the attention you strive to give to EVERYTHING.

At the time I heard it, I too thought the Snell Type B (the big version) was a quite nice sounding speaker--very rich and full bodied and authoritative sounding.  It was a bit overpowering in bass response in the room I heard it in, but, it was quite a nice system.  I do wonder how it would fare after all these years.  I would expect that any reassessment would be more the case of my personal taste evolving rather that the technology being superseded.  

Mike Lavigne did built a state of the art room.I agree with Him don’t spend big dollars until you really understand how things work in this hobby.I never want to spend money on vynil, until I knew how good it will sound.Mike is also right , dollars alone will not do it.Now a days there are many good speakers under 5k if you know what you are doing, you can easily make them sound like ultra highend.

Go to Axpona and you will be shocked, many speakers cost above 100k don’t even sound untra highend, it’s because they were not set up right, rooms are still too small or too big as well and untreated.Then you go to ELac room Andrew Jones demoing all you hear is good sounding system.

I always said that everything matter ...

Electrical and mechanical working dimension and acoustical ... And even other things as cables or tweaks ...

But nothing can replace acoustic at any price for any system because our experience is acoustical anyway nevermi9nd the gear price ...My point is not about negating the value of pricier design only a fool can negate the evident fact that there is High end products with a real improved acoustic value potential ... ...

But a dedicated room can be created with time at low cost ...That is one of my point and creating a dedicated room at low cost beat often many upgrades which can be marginal one anyway ....

When i spoke about acoustic people are so confused they think about GIK panels on a wall not about acoustic concepts and the way to experiment and play with them ...

Buying gear is not enough ...

If you dont know what is the listener envelopment concept for example and how to create it in a room forget buying 100000 bucks speakers and even 1,000 bucks one will not sound optimal ... or then pay 100,000 bucks for a PRO ACOUSTICIAN ...😁

Acoustic had nothing to do with taste ...

Anyway ...

My goal is motivating people to experiment and have fun ... Not to throw their money in illusions of high end without any applied knowledge in their own room FIRST ....

I think as this poster :

Mike Lavigne did built a state of the art room.I agree with Him don’t spend big dollars until you really understand how things work in this hobby.I never want to spend money on vynil, until I knew how good it will sound.Mike is also right , dollars alone will not do it.Now a days there are many good speakers under 5k if you know what you are doing, you can easily make them sound like ultra highend.

@baylinor Thank you! I almost went down a rabbit hole with cables and power conditioning before reading a bit more. I realized that they were not the weak links and probably would not make a very big difference. Diffusion improvement was the better expenditure (with lots of measurements) and also continuing to focus on source. I improved my streamer and DAC. Updated the photo, here.

Congratulation for your room Hilde45 not only esthetical but certainly good in an acoustic way ....😊

Diffusion is key ....

Updated the photo, here.

...Ultra High-End Speaker...

I don't put labels on performance and or price levels.  Rather, I demo to find the sound I like, then try to reproduce it within my budget.  

I also owned the salon 2 and several other speakers in their price group. The persona 7f and usher be20dmd at the same time and being able to rotate speakers at will and listen as long as  wanted I was able to hear specifically to what they did different from each other. I didn't have the same luxury with components and used a Hegel H360 with all 3 speakers. The salon 2 with an 82 db sensitivity was significantly harder to drive so possibly why they sounded so lifeless compared with the other two, Yes matching with a db meter the salon 2 was still dynamically restricted  compared to the others, but a more powerful amp might have helped. The Persona 7f are excellent, but have to be 3-5' away from any reflective surfaces, they can change their stripes like no speaker i've ever heard. They can soundstage like a pair of mini monitors or large floorstanders just by changing placement. The 2x8" woofers are actually 8.25 inside the basket and can really push some air. Ushers had my favorite presentation regarding soundstage, imaging and tonal balance, but bass was too fat for my room and the speakers were to physically large to get away from boundary reinforcement. 

I found that all 3 speakers while different still had comparable quality with similar resolution ability and after owning all 3 at the same time I can't say 1 is better than the other. All 3 meet the bar of diminishing returns with excellent resolution and the deciding points after taste are room acoustics and components.

I landed on a different speaker entirely, but still couldn't help but add my .02.

Steve59:  You are correct.  Based on my own personal experience, the Hegel H390 are definitely underpowering the Revel Salon 2 speakers.  I tried it and experienced the same underwhelming results that you did.  The H390 doesn't have enough juice to wake up the Salon 2 speakers drivers.  But, when I switched to the Hegel H590, "HUGE DIFFERENCE."  Because my listening room is not very large, the extremely powerful and very high current H590 works especially well driving the Salon 2s.  If I were in a large room, I'd go with separates as to increase the power in order to drive the Salon 2s to their fullest.  But, still, in my smaller room, the H590 works great!!!