Revel Salon2s: Seeking Advice


All,

 

There's a closeout on new Revel Salon2s locally and it's a speaker that's always intrigued me and been widely praised for characteristics I like in a speaker (detail, neutrality, punches above its weight, good midrange and bottom end). My concern is if it would be a lateral move based on my current speakers so I wanted to ask your opinions.

 

Current setup: Focal Kanta 3s, Parasound JC5, Pass Labs xp22, Denafrips T+, Lumin U1 + X1 PSU, great cabling, dedicated 20amp circuits, etc.

 

Any thoughts on if I should look into the Revels further versus what I currently have? Tangentially I have also considered trying tube pres but consider speakers as the foundation of the system and don't want to pass up this up unnecessarily. TIA!

christianb5s4

You'd have to listen to the Salons (driven correctly) - all you'll get here is subjective opinion...

Here's mine based on previous experience: you'll probably find that the Kanta have more pronounced highs than the Salons (Kanta are designed to be flat from one end to the other, the Salons' FR are designed to drop a bit from bass to high frequencies).
I found the Kantas' mid-range detail excellent and probably easier to drive than the Salons. Also keep in mind that the Salons are more expensive.

Both speakers measure quite well by the way and sound like they do.

The Salons when properly driven would be considered by most as an upgrade over your Kantas, but keep in mind their relatively low sensitivity. The designer of the Salons recommends driving them with an amp of 500 watts and while you can get away with less than that they do thrive on high power/current.

What are you hoping to improve, honest question? 

 

I have not heard the Kanta but have owned a few and heard a lot of focals. I have demoed the Salon 2 many times as they sit on the floor of my local shop in a dedicated room, I owned the Revel 228be for a few years.

 

as a whole the Revel Salon is technically about perfect and technically a better speaker which can be seen in the measurements. Subjectively I find them a touch lacking in transients but they do play silly loud if wanted. The bass goes very deep but it is tuned very flat and does not have that kick of lifted bass unless your room adds it. When I was shopping for speakers the Salon is the only one that made my own system at the time less enjoyable when I got home as the Salon was just all around better.  A great speaker but I would worry about driver support as they are officially discontinued. 
 

looking at the measurements the Kanta shows something a little off with on off axis peak around 6khz (cone breakup?, poor crossover design?) and a touch more bass around 100hz but less extention. Treating the first reflection/side walls should help the Kanta. I would imagine while the revel goes deeper it might have less perceived kick due to the stronger peak in the Kanta’ and the lower efficiency but this is just a guess. 
 

I know when I was demoing the Salon 2 and the Sophia 3 I actually like the Sophia a little better for it having more kick in the bass, but their was no argument the Salon was the better more accurate speakers with more detailed highs, but the Sophia moved the soul more with bass kick/punch.

My point is, perfect might not be what you like. If they are local demo them, they are some of the best speakers made imo. They set the bar high and it has taken years for other brands to catch up (I believe they have). I have personally found JBL 4367 (also part of the Harman group) to be more enjoyable than the Revel Salon and would not do a straight trade. They are also super smooth but far more dynamic/transient.

 

 

It’s totally up to you. Personally I am a Revel fan.  Some will prefer Focal. Go figure!