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Thread: Revel Ultima2 Series

  1. #31
    Senior Member Valentin's Avatar
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    [quote=Mr. Widget]Dome... outwardly they may look similar, but the drivers look like really serious JBLs from the rear... at the show they had them all out on the table and we could pick them up and really look at them. What's more they aren't even made by the same vendor as the JBLs.

    you did not take pictures those would be great

  2. #32
    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    It would be quite a coincidence if you could just drop it in... the networks on these loudspeakers are designed with all of the quirks of each driver in mind... tossing in another tweeter will likely play music, but it will likely not perform as well as the original.


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  3. #33
    Senior Member Valentin's Avatar
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    I agree with you only wishfull thinking

    JBL did a great job on lsr and tweaking the system with out the know how is wasteful

    only wishfull thinking

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget
    Lansing Related Gear....

    I suppose we could move it up to General Audio Discussion, but does it really matter?


    Widget
    Actually, I started this in General Audio Discussion, and someone moved it. I missed the little detail Widget underlined in red. I think it's in the right place now.
    Out.

  5. #35
    Senior Member edgewound's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget
    Lansing Related Gear....

    I suppose we could move it up to General Audio Discussion, but does it really matter?


    Widget
    My bad...sorry
    Edgewound...JBL Pro Authorized...since 1988
    Upland Loudspeaker Service, Upland, CA

  6. #36
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    Smile Bits and pieces

    Stereophile lists the frequency response as 24Hz to 45kHz. No + or - dB is given in the brief report.

    http://blog.stereophile.com/cedia2006/091406revel/
    Out.

  7. #37
    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    My impressions of the Revel Ultima2 Salons.



    The cabinets.


    The fit and finish was rather poor, but we were told that it was because these were prototypes. I'd expect that is true since all of the previous Revels have been well constructed. Aesthetically, the original Ultima series was unique looking... I never particularly liked it, but it was acceptable. These have much less character. With the grilles removed the highly polished lumpy bumpy baffle was not particularly attractive, but purposeful. I had the opportunity to speak with one of the engineers who designed them and he told me that one of the design goals was absolute minimum diffraction. With the grilles on the speakers looked rather generic, but I did prefer it to the glossy lumps and bumps.

    The cabinets are built of many layers of MDF and seemed to be quite dense and non resonant. The connectors on the back are high end WBT binding posts and were hidden behind a gasketed plastic door that was handled quite elegantly.

    The sound.

    The room was about the size of a medium sized living room and there were some sound panels up on the walls to reduce first reflections and reflections off the rear walls. The listening sessions were limited to groups of 6 so that everyone had a chance to sit in the sweet spot if desired. The electronics were top flight Mark Levinson. The sole source was a Mark Levinson CD player. We listened to a wide range of music including classical music with strings, harp, and a variety of percussion instruments. We also heard female vocals, acapella singers, rock, and jazz. Immediately it was apparent that they were quite dynamic and had stage depth for days. The imaging and stage depth were really amazing... very solid and well defined. Sitting in the sweet spot brought the stage into focus... the other seats were perfectly pleasant, but far less outstanding. The most remarkable thing about the speakers was the sheer neutrality... I am usually quite sensitive to tweaked frequency response curves... many speaker designers "adjust" the response curve to mask a problem. If the speakers tend to be harsh they tone down the upper mids... if they are lifeless they may jack up this region... if the bass is boomy they may tone it down or mask it with an upper bass peak and so on. These speakers with these electronics in this room were remarkably free of any peaks or dips. The detail resolution was also very good without any sense of hardness or edginess. When turned up the sound character didn't get aggressive or unpleasant. (Even the much touted LSRs will drive me from the room at much lower levels than we were listening to during the let's crank it up portion.) Even though these speakers use rather tiny 8" woofers the three of them did an excellent job of recreating music... in an HT situation or if you are a serious bass head, you may want to augment them with a sub. That said, they did not sound thin or lacking bass in any way.

    Despite my not being excited by their visual appeal like I am with the DD66000, I would be thrilled to own a pair of these speakers. At $22K a pair, I really doubt that I ever will, but for anyone looking for a pair of speakers at this level of performance, you really must give them a whirl. I'd imagine they are superior to the DD66000 in imaging and tonal neutrality, but come up short in the dynamics and maximum SPL department... I didn't find either of these two areas really lacking though... the speakers got loud and had punch.


    Widget

  8. #38
    TimG
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    I hope I will be able to hear these speakers at the next CES, although I'm going mostly to hear the DD66000. I agree with Widget that the new cabinet designs are really not very unique. The first thing I thought when I saw them was, Oh a new set of Paradigms. The old cabinets at least made a unique statement that set them apart from other brands.

    About buying Revel drivers, good luck. I have tried in the past to purchase Revel drivers through various Harmon channels and I always got the same answer, "The Madrigal division does not sell parts to consumers." However, I could have bought some similar parts from the JBL TiK line of speakers which appeared to be using similar midranges to the old Salons.

    I know some of the other lines from Revel are using drives made by Harmon's new aquistion, Audax, so I wonder if these new drivers are being made in France as well.

  9. #39
    Senior Member JBLnsince1959's Avatar
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    Well hopefully someone will take this to the next level:

    Be - tweeter
    Be - mid-range
    Ceramic composite - mid-bass and bass

    Hey JBL..come on guys, make us something that can answer Revel....

  10. #40
    Senior Member edgewound's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JBLnsince1959
    Well hopefully someone will take this to the next level:

    Be - tweeter
    Be - mid-range
    Ceramic composite - mid-bass and bass
    Look here:

    A company that has similar lineage:

    http://www.tadhomeaudio.com/specs.html


    I'm certainly tiring of the homogeneity of multinational conglomerates that inbreed their technology to a family of brands through acquisition.

    I'll refrain from certain examples to keep the peace.
    Edgewound...JBL Pro Authorized...since 1988
    Upland Loudspeaker Service, Upland, CA

  11. #41
    Senior Member JBLnsince1959's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by edgewound
    Look here:

    A company that has similar lineage:

    http://www.tadhomeaudio.com/specs.html


    Close, but no cigar.....wrong type of woofers. But thanks for the tip I've got something new to learn

  12. #42
    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    No those TADs are quite different... but then despite the fact that the JBL Performance Series look very similar they too are very different and made by a different vendor than the Revel as well.

    The TAD Model One was $65K a pair and a limited run. The new Model Two will be available shortly and will be a veritable bargain at ~$40K a pair.

    Now these Pioneers are a real bargain... very similar voicing to the TADs, the exact same Be tweeter and a similar design. These are $9K a pair for the towers and less for the rest.


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  13. #43
    Senior Member edgewound's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget
    No those TADs are quite different... but then despite the fact that the JBL Performance Series look very similar they too are very different and made by a different vendor than the Revel as well.

    The TAD Model One was $65K a pair and a limited run. The new Model Two will be available shortly and will be a veritable bargain at ~$40K a pair.

    Now these Pioneers are a real bargain... very similar voicing to the TAD the exact same Be tweeter and a similar design. These are $9K a pair for the towers and less for the rest.


    Widget
    These Pioneers EX's look to be a true trickle down from the TAD's.

    They were on display in cutaway fashion at last years CES, but not available for listen....but very impressive looking construction and design.

    Pioneer has a new company store...the first and only, so far,...at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA, near Newport Beach.
    Edgewound...JBL Pro Authorized...since 1988
    Upland Loudspeaker Service, Upland, CA

  14. #44
    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by edgewound
    These Pioneers EX's look to be a true trickle down from the TAD's.
    They are... Andrew Jones designed both systems. I know him and was able to get a private demo... these speakers while not quite the Revel Salons, were absolutely outstanding. I'll start a thread soon and go on and on and on... well maybe not that bad.


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  15. #45
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    Smile Voecks Speaks

    Here's a six minute video with Kevin Voecks articulating the many innovations of the Ultima2 Series.

    Highlights include
    —he talks about baffle design
    —we get to see the grilles
    —he says "...inverted Titanium domes..." (I almost swooned. )

    http://www.avguide.com/features/cedi...os/revel-l.php
    Out.

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