I can speak highly of the Thiel 7.2's they are a wonderful speaker very tight and accurate with a big soundstage when properly setup. They need quite a bit of current to get them moving but I am sure that the Krell can do that I am using a McIntosh MC-602 and Nordost Valhalla's which give a great presentation. As a side note Thiel is an allstar when it comes to customer service I had Cs-6's before the 7.2's and I poped a tweeter they fedexed me a replacement at no charge so I could be up and running for some out of town company. I am not very familiar with the Revel but I have heard good things about them I just have had such good luck with Thiel I could not give anyone else a fair shake Thanks and good listening |
Between the two, I prefer the Thiels because they are so revealing. For my taste, the Revels are too laid back. I fully support Jdevine's observations about the great customer service at Thiel. But, from my experience, the Thiels can be a bit harsh sounding when partnered with a bright amp -- synergy is critical with any speaker. When I owned the Bryston amps, I needed to move to MIT speaker cables to find the magic with my Thiels. If the Krells falls into the "bright" category, you may want the Revels if you don't want to change too many other parts of your system (it's been a long time since I've heard Krells so can't remember how they sound). Otherwise, my vote would go to the Thiels based on my tastes. |
Revel Studios are more musical to my ears. Thiel has always been a bit grating on my ears. FWIW. |
Two clear, detailed, good imaging, well balance sounding speakers that are very musical sounding. I've sold Thiels for years, and have experience with the Revels somewhat, and heard at shows and clients homes as well.
Both probably do best with slighly different gear selection choices from what I recollect. But that goes with anything.
I think you should try whichever is more accessable and or apractical for you(unless you like the looks of one over the other).
If you like the sound, then stick with em. But make no mistake, you can get good balance out of either with careful gear selection.
To me, these are both the typical "high end sounding" audiphile speakers these days...pretty, clear, detailed.(like Wilson's, Talon's, Maggies, Joseph's,Apogee's, etc) |
Keep 1 fact in mind: Revels take hundreds of hours to break in. Have a lot of patience if they don't sound as good at home as the demo's in the store. |
I agree will all of the above. One other consideration is your room. Thiels like very wide spacing, with ample distance to side walls, pointing straight ahead. Revel is a little less picky on placement, but if you get the Thiels dialed in, I think they have the edge. |
I believe the Studios are slightly better. IMHO.
(Since I own them, they must be the best, right?!)
However, the Theils are also quality speakers.
I doubt you would go wrong with either one.
I don't think it takes hundreds of hours to break in the Revels though. Maybe a hundred hours or so. They sound pretty good straight out of the box, but I will agree that they do sound better the more they break in.
The Revels should sound good with your Krell amp. I use a Mark Levinson myself.
Good Luck in your search. |
I personally prefer the Wilson Sophias in the same price range, or the Dyn C4s a bit above, which you should audition as well. It's all about taste at this price point. |
I want to thank everyone who took time out of their busy lives to give me some good imput concerning the Thiels or Revels. Considering that my listening room is 25'x 22' the Thiels would do a better job with a room that size. However I do not like a bright sounding speaker and I would be willing to change out my Krell. I talked to the tech people at Thiel and Krell was their amp of choice to power the 7.2. The Revels from my understading do not tend to be bright. Jdevine how does the Mac 602 sound with the Thiels. |
The mc 602 made a big improvement I was using a Mc 500 with the 6's and for a short while with the 7.2's but the 602 was a big improvement nice tight bass and plenty of it my room is smaller than yours so I needed some help with sound treatments from echo buster's Mike Kochman .My biggest thing about the Thiels is the holographic soundstage it is as deep and wide as I have heard yet very realistic in it's presentation Good luck John |
Sounds like you might want to indeed try your Mac amp with those 7.2's, should you go that route. Then at some time, compare a slighly more extended/agressive amp for comparison, like the Krell is. I personally like the Pass amp's on the Thiels. X350 or mono's is good on the 7.2's.
I think the Krell's would do better on Revel's byenlarge. But you gotta tinker. It's called "tweakin'!" |
I know it's a little bit off topic but I have to sneak-in my two cents. I do not belive Mac power amps match well with Thiels. I have CS2.3 myself and tried to power it up with MA 6900 then MA 402 and MA 252 power amps from MAC. I really loved Mac looks and special feeling it gave me but sound-wise I always knew there was something wrong. To make long story short - I was convinced by a fellow A-goner to try SIM W5 power amp. Now we are talking. Absoloutly no comparition. Mac was beaten and left bleeding asking for mercy. Oh how I am glad I had tried W5. It exells in bass control, weight and timing, has marvolous mids with harmonics that are die-for and top end that while never aggressive tells like it is. I am so much happy with SIM that I want to share it with others. Go figure for yourself. You will find Mac then as dull, boring, with obscured detail and wooly bass. |
Irish, if Thiel recommends the Krell, I'd wait to see how that combo works before spending too much time on evaluating other amps. With a room that big, you definately need some hefty speakers (or near field listening preferences). Good luck -- let us know how things turned out. |
At that price range I'd bypass both of those selections and buy a pair of C3's by Green Mountain Audio. From the people I've talked to who own them, there's nothing under $20k that can touch'em. |
Irish,
I did a lengthy demo with Krell 350's and Thiel CS6's. I now own a pair of CS6's and I am powering with McIntosh 1201's. On robust classical the sound is pure amazement. I don't want to enter my personal issues into your thread but if you have a preference to rock music I would rethink about purchasing Thiels, just my opinion and I apologize to any offended Thiel fans. I can't offer any input on the Revel's. |
I've heard the same thing about the Thiel's concerning rock music. |
Revel is junk compared to Thiel.
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"Revel is junk compared to Thiel."
Now, wasn't that a stupid thing to say!
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Rock music on thiels aren’t bad as long as it’s well recorded... running luxman 510x as a pre and adcom gfa 5800 as a power amp with a pair of thiel cs 3.5. This might just be my opinion cause I only have the 3.5. Selling my second stereo to get a musical fidelity tri vesta 300 and then to get a thiel 3.7 for the tri vesta. |
