Revel Salon 2 versus WP 8

Dhaan,

Most people won't hear the break-up mode. Keep in mind that the average adult can only hear 12Hz to 16KHz well and the breakup occurs at ~20KHz. Also, the frequency range it occurs in is responsible for qualities of sound that are fairly ethereal in nature if not completely unnoticeable in practice. So, it is a little over the top to make an issue out of it IMO. If you were a Dolphin or a Bat, perhaps it would bother you. :)

The Studio2 measures very similar to the Salon1. I had the opportunity to hear those a few times and didn't like them. Despite any awards in the objective measurements category, I thought they sounded flat dimensionally and lacked midrange transparency. I had the opportunity to buy some Salon1s fairly cheap but was not taken with their sound. Objective measurements are a nice starting point, but they aren't everything IMO; I've noticed that in my experience there is a direct correlation between extremely flat frequency responses and a "lifeless" sound to the music they reproduce. People do hear differently when it comes to stereophonic effects, not in terms of dB levels, but in terms of the illusions certain combinations of sounds create in our brains. So it is possible that a flat frequency response won't be a great thing for everyone in terms of the perceived authenticity of the event being recreated.

I was also a little peeved to find out that Revel cherry picks its testers, teaches them to listen for their speakers in particular (by teaching the testers to listen for specific sonic traits their speakers have) then use their test results to prove that their speakers are subjectively "better" sounding. Meanwhile, Paul Barton, who also worked under Floyd Toole, said something to the effect that uninfluenced blind tests showed that most people actually prefer additional bass in their frequency response rather than a truly flat frequency response. All the Revel tests prove is that they can pick the right people, that those people can be taught to learn to hear the Revel speaker sound qualities and that those people can use what they learned to pick the Revel speakers out of a group of other speakers.

Personally, I would use my ears over a graph to decide what sounds best to me. I can't hear with a graph, and a graph can't tell me what I like to hear. I use graphs to get a generally decent confirmation that a speaker is in the ballpark, then use my ears to decide if I like how it sounds.

In short, as others have said about subjective opinions, such as Branimir, use your own ears to decide...

Regarding W/P8 sounding bright... To my ears they sound little bit "hot" in lower treble(not high treble). I even personally discussed that "quality" with Peter Mcgrath on one of his presentation of W/P8s(he setup the system with W/P8s on that presentation)... So, we can asume that prominent lower treble is Wilson sonic signature.

I wouldn't say you have a good rationale for making the above assumption. My measurements and my room don't reflect those qualities you describe.

My guess is, it was just a bad room without adequate lower treble room treatment. I've noticed that Wilson only puts up a curtain in its demonstration rooms, which would not be adequate room treatment for anything but the highest frequencies. You aren't going to hear how great a speaker sounds unless you put it in a well treated environment. Unless the speaker is rolled-off at the higher frequencies, you will get a cacophony of high frequency sound in untreated or partially treated spaces. The exact frequency spectra being affected will be determined by the frequency ranges not being acoustically treated...

I've heard demonstrations at shows, et al., as well and I know what you are referring to, but that is an issue with the room, not the speaker. I've also been to dealer demo rooms that were properly treated and the difference is stark. Not to mention listening to them in my own room...

BTW, regarding my post about W/P8 highs if it was not clear I didn't mean to imply that Peter McGrath had stated that the W/P8
has prominent lower treble. He actually stated that many other
speakers are deficient in that area while the W/P8 is not.

The Studio2 measures very similar to the Salon1. I had the opportunity to hear those a few times and didn't like them. Despite any awards in the objective measurements category, I thought they sounded flat dimensionally and lacked midrange transparency.

When I refer to "those" in the above sentence, as in "I had the opportunity to hear those a few times," I mean the Salon1, not the Studio2. Sorry for the confusing post...

Call me a bat but the Watt sound to me exactly like they measure. I believe that the word “bright” should be change to “harsh”. In regards to the break-ups, you need to keep in mind that when these get agitated, distortion levels of the entire tweeter rises. That is where the harshness come from.