Revel Concerta2 M16 Bookshelf Speaker Review. Best for someone who is not me.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- Reviewed Today: Revel Concerta2 M16 Bookshelf Speakers with matching speaker stands.
www.crutchfiel...
www.crutchfiel...
Preamp & Power Amplifier & Integrated amps used:
Kinki Studio EX-P7: www.kinki-stud...
Kinki Studio EX-B7 monoblock: www.kinki-stud...
IotaVX SA-3: www.iotaenterp...
Source: Bluesound Node 2i
www.crutchfiel...
(all music is hi-res streamed from TIdal)
RCA Cables: Analysis Plus Oval One and Oyaide PA02-TR
analysis.plus/...
www.oyaide.com/...
Speaker Cables: Maze Audio REF4
www.mazeaudio.c...
Subwoofers Used (individually):
REL HT1205: rel.net/shop/p...
Rythmik F12SE: www.rythmikaudi...
Your results may vary based on your ears, room, and associated equipment:
![If you can't hear this then you're not an audiophile [See description for link to followup video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/48PxwspDvrE/mqdefault.jpg)
**Corrections & Additions**
-You can only fill 2 of the 3 poles on the stands unless you weld up a hole on the bottom like I did.
-All dB references are A weighted.
-When I said they didn't have the tightest bass like the Elac DBR62 I meant the Elac have very tight bass but these do not.
Hey Nemo ! Appreciate your honest opinion ...Quick and Concise
Thank you!
It's possible that the 5 kHz resonance seen in the measurements is what caused your listening fatigue. I bet if that is flattened with EQ these would be giant killers.
it's possible, these have long been sold and the new owner absolutely loved them so they're not bad per se, just not for me.
I dont agree with you. I love my setup (Revel M16 + Arcam SA20). I like this canal.
it's okay, we don't have to agree, as long as you like your speakers you are winning.
I totally agree with you on this review. I have just tried a pair on my desktop set up as a potential upgrade for my Dynaudio Emit 10s which I rate highly. The Revels are too big for near field use, and as you say they need too much volume to produce image depth to be suitable for near field use. They also sounded hollow and congested in comparison despite experimenting with stands, placement and bungs etc. The Emits are now back in place and the Revels are going back! What would you recommend I try next? Quad S1 or Z1?
ooof yeah bro these are huge for desktop :D, I actually have a review coming for the Quad S-1, it's really good but really hard to drive and really a desktop only solution as it can't fill even a small room if you're more than a few feet away. Up close it sounds awesome but make sure you like the AMT sound and if you're in USA where they're $1000 I'd say that's just too expensive and you're better off with a used pair of KEF LS50.
Would you try the Emit 20 instead the Emit 10 ?
thanks! What do you find the best distance for these from the back wall?
every speaker in my room seems to sound the best in the exact same spot which is the front baffle of the speaker being 32"-36" off the main wall.
Folks seem to have gone insane on buying these speakers, is the price affecting the hearing? Lot better speakers for this money out there .
I have a pair of M16s and I love them. Sound amazing to me.
I love mine too... for TV duty though :D
Здравствуйте. С каким усилителем играют у вас? Какой усилитель посоветуете для электронной музыки для M16?
You cant be serious, the tweeter is anything but bright and forward, and its one of the cleanest you will hear in a speaker under 5k LOL, I have spent alot of time around these speakers and the whole Revel line and cannot disagree with you more, I have also been selling some of the highest end audio on the planet for decades now fyi.
Good for you man, we obviously disagree… I don’t think your ears are too good if you think these compete up to 5k but live your truth man. No sweat off my back.
Interesting, my setup tends to be a bit dark sounding with a neutral treble- not sharp at all. I'm also very sensitive to high frequency fatigue and had to send my Totem Rainmakers packing because of that. I don't have this issue with these speakers, I also seem to be getting a good amount of soundstage depth at lower volume. Weird. I'm running an AVI S21 LAB SERIES integrated. I dofeel the bass is a bit flabby though...would love a bit more definition out of them.
try pulling them out from the wall a bit? That might clean up the bass some.
never heard anyone call these bright. they measure flat. i have heard people say the focals are bright so its kinda odd you say this.
these actually measure slightly rolled off, anyway measurements don't tell the whole story but everyone is welcome to enjoy the hobby in the way that brings them the most joy.
@@NemoPropaganda well i hope there not bright to me i just ordered f36's. the jbl 580s i have are bright and/or forward to me like the horn is a little to loud but its not harsh.
@@jhue73 treble is a common thing us audiophiles disagree on, one mans bright is another mans neutral and so on. I can tell you the gentleman I sold my Conerta's was absolutely in love with them. It's a speaker a lot of people like, it just wasn't for me.
@@NemoPropaganda I dont like bright speakers but I do like accurate and real sounding speakers which there really not many of those that I've heard.
@@jhue73 I'm curious to hear your feedback :) feel free to hop in the free discord and let us know how it goes brother. Discord Link: discord.gg/3PkFQf4y6Z
Man, this review couldn't be more wrong about the M16's. Nowhere near being bright, nowhere near being fatiguing, nowhere near being 2-dimensional. Then again, I pretty much disagree with the majority of your videos that I've watched, which aren't many at all for that very reason. Wow... No wonder you hardly have any subscribers.
usually if I eat at a restaurant and I don't like the food I just won't return. I would never walk into the kitchen and tell the chef he's a cunt because that would make me the cunt, but buy by all means you do you and I'll do me, maybe stop watching my videos though, I would appreciate that. Have a nice day.
I have paired my M106 speakers with a Hegel H190. The Hegel works well with the Revels.
Using the built in streaming function and using Transparent Musicwave Plus cable, most of the time, the treble is smooth.
I am using MConnect UPNP/DLNA to connect to Tidal and play Tidal media at full resolution.
Using my Marantz SA14S1SE as a source, the treble can sometimes be a problem. I am going to borrow a digital cable to try the Marantz as a transport and use the Hegels DAC.
Also going to try Tellerium Black Diamond speaker cable.
No system will play all your media perfectly. Each system is biased a certain way. Some systems will play a wider variety of your media well.
the m106 uses a different tweeter, I have heard many people enjoy it :) of course you are correct, it is hard to find a system that plays everything with perfection.
Wait what?????? You said they are $900 and the stands are $300 but you aren't going over the specs cause nothing stood out, in other words nothing special lol.... $1200 for nothing special no thanks
Well anyone can look up the specs on the website so i won’t really go over specs much anymore in any of my videos but yeah nothing really special about these in my opinion but i do think HT guys will like them but the price makes them a tough recommendation for sure.
@@NemoPropaganda I feel you man that's what I was wondering.... I still have a set of jbl northridge surrounds and I love those
Why is it that some people who have reviewed these say they are laid back, dark, rich sounding? What are you powering these with?
associated equipment is always listed in the video description.
Auditioned a pair and sent back for reasons you mentioned. In my weird listening situation, they did not bloom and fit in. Personally I preferred the Elac 62s and the Bro 2 Triangles. I also enjoy a pair of Dynaudio Evoke 20s. Smooth and true to what I think music should sound like.
Nice, I love the 62s!
Late to the party but I have the Dynaudio Evoke 20's as well. They are good for some genre's of music but for heavier music they can sound really thin!
But they measure so well…..🙄
In all seriousness, it’s very interesting that a sizable chunk of the comments agree with your assessment that they’re bright, and a sizable chunk have the opposite assessment. I’ve had my eye on these for a while, but it looks like I’ll definitely need to hear them before throwing any money down.
yeah, I'd say it's all the more reason for everyone to remember that personal taste and a demo are VERY important aspects of buying gear and reviews should just help narrow things down a bit.
I’ve been out of Hifi for a while and I’m acquiring some F35/C25 and I was going to order the M16 for surrounds. I need to go with a receiver at least to start. I don’t have much experience with Revel. Will Denon/Marantz/etc. get the best out of these or do I need to step up to NAD/Anthem? Thanks.
mmm, they did scale with quality front end gear, I generally recommend spending up to your budget and not cheaping out with most items. I believe in the "spend more, buy once" type of mind set. But I also understand everyone has a budget and some of us have other goals/hobbies the money needs to go to.
just want to say i appreciate your videos. it helped me a lot in making my choices over the years. i feel like you have a more 'average person taste' then most of the reviewers. Most hifi reviewers like the high treble hifi sound that you can only listen to for half an hour at the edge of your seat. I like fun speakers, engaging with a nice rumble of the subs.
Hey Roy, thank you for the kind words, I'm happy you found the vids helpful, that was the whole reason I started the channel. It sounds like we have similar taste :). I like to listen for around 2 hours at a time, sometimes longer if I fall asleep so I like gear I can enjoy over extended lsitening sessions and absolutely with some rumble from the subs, accuracy? No thank you, give me that extra bass!
Thanks for making this review, not a lot of reviews on this speaker.
No problem, thank you for watching :)
Great stuff again ! Yo do a video about speaker positioning ( a little more in depth in general) would love to hear your opinion (cuz I know you got different rooms/ dimensions).
That's hard because every room and seating arrangement is a little different. Ron from New Record Day did a great video on this already also but experimentation is key.
What amp would u recommend for these speakers, would denon dra800ha be good enough i really dont wand to spend more than 1k, what would u recommend?
I don't have too many reference points with amplifiers but something that is not too bright and can control the bass well should be good.
Thanks for the review Nemo. When you were describing the speaker performance characteristics the first thought that came to mind was that it reminded me a lot of a pair of Canton GLE 403 v2 speakers I used to have. Based on your comments I would agree the M16's are a solid choice for H.T. Did you try using some different snake oil products to see if you could tame the top end?
ahahaha, yeah I had the Oyaide PA02-TR cable plugged in which is one of my smoother cables but the changes cables make are so minor I don't believe they can make a big enough change to affect the fundamental sound characteristics of a product. If a product needs so much finagling to sound good though I don't really like that because at this price you can't expect the consumer to have all kinds of gear on hand to experiment with. The $900/pair is full of guys that are saving money to buy their speakers, they don't have extra amps, cables, and stuff laying around so eh... I just don't like these lol.
shame on all those harman engineers and sean olive
Every comment in this"review" is so far off the actual design of the product that I have to assume the room or the set-up is to blame for the perception that these are bright. Possibly the reviewer is incredibly sensitive to high frequency energy. Revels are designed to have very flat frequency response and this is correlated in the Spinorama data. They also produce very flat frequency response off axis. They do not measure "brightly"
They actually measure a bit rolled off, I had them in 3 rooms over a period of 2 years. This is why first hand experience is more important than bosessing over measurements. Even the new owner in his room with his tube gear felt they were bright but that was the sound he enjoyed so he loved them. Bench racing may be fun on the internet but I think its a poor substitute for real world listening.
@@NemoPropaganda I'm assuming you meant obsessing. Just so we're clear, measurements in audio gear are very important. VERY. Also, "bench racing"? That hilarious. I've been reading about, listening to and installing audio gear of all sorts in real world rooms for over 17 years. I've got the "real world experience" covered. Anyone who claims Revels are bright is either not setting them up correctly or is extremely sensitive to treble. Anyone who knows anything about revel and the wealth of research their designers have done in the world of audio would Never say "these speakers are designed for home theater"
@@donalddluckerii3147 sorry english was not my first language but feel free to correct my gramatical mistakes if it makes you feel better. The intention of language is communication though so as long as you understood what I meant the communication was effective. Anyhow I digress, you are welcome to enjoy this hobby in the way that makes you happy and it seems focusing on measurements is a big part of that for you. Personally that's not how I enjoy the hobby. I won't force you to do it my way so please don't be a vegan and try to force me to do it your way. It's a hobby man, its supposed to be fun. If my style is not to your taste there are other youtubers that focus on measurements more that you may enjoy.
@@NemoPropaganda Wow, someone is very sensitive. There is a big difference between verification (which is what I did) and correcting (which isn't what I did) Sorry, of I see a "review" that's filled with misinformation and no way of backing up viewed with facts I'm gonna call it out. I bet you have a bunch of videos about how cable y sounds better than cable x and so on. People like you and synergistic research are the reason measurements are so important.
@@donalddluckerii3147 like I said man, enjoy your hobby your way. You like bench racing so keep doing that. Stop being a vegan, nobody cares about your personal “superior” belief system.
Interesting. I did not experience a sharp bright fatiguing personality with these. Driven by Anthem STR, they were quite laid back and warm.
I have not heard the Anthem so I cannot comment on that but perhaps it is a great pairing :) If you own these and like them that's all that matters!
@@NemoPropaganda I listened to them at an audio store. Next to Performa series. They were way more laid back than the Performa. I am curious what you had these paired with for the review?
@@tritiumglo4699 It's all listed in the description, about $10k worth of neutral gear essentially. They're not brightest speakers in the world but they certainly do have some rough edges in the top end. It may be worth mentioning that a recent hearing test showed I can hear very clearly up to about 18.5khz for whatever that's worth so if someone's been to a few too many live concerts this slight harshness I'm hearing may be indistinguishable to them. I've said this a few times in the past but I'm fairly confident as most of us get older we will gravitate towards speakers that are brighter and not realize they're brighter as they will sound neutral to us. I have no idea how old you are but I'm just speaking generally :). Hearing is like tasting food, at some point it only matters if you like the thing you're eating (or hearing) and no other opinion really matters because as long as you're having fun with the hobby that's winning!
@@NemoPropaganda Please do not perceive I am criticizing your review. Quite the opposite. I consider it valuable. I do not like bright speakers. I was considering this particular speaker and the Dynaudio S40. If this is not a pairing issue, the M16 may not be right for me. I heard them on Anthem but the room I have is Marantz/Carver. I put the Revel purchase on pause until I do more research. Thank you.
@@tritiumglo4699 Oh no problem at all my brother, I didn't take it that way :). So you're actually right. I recently sold my Concerta2 M16 and the new owner of them doesn't find them as bright as I did, in fact he was very surprised I didn't like them and what we discovered was it came down to the slight differences in our hearing but more importantly musical taste! He like a lot of classical & opera where the thicker bass of the M16 really gave the music a full sound. Even I had to admit listening to them with his selection of music was rather pleasing :).
Have you listened to the Quad s2 speakers?
Sorry I have not :(
Lacking air, and requiring turning up to get them to have some. I couldn't turn them up enough, and found them fatiguing too. Thanks for putting it in to words for me! I never tried them for home theater. You may be right about them being intended for that rather than music.
no problem man! crazy thing is they measaure like they're rolled off but they're totally not.
I use these for music listening. I have a simple set up. Bluetooth in a DBX driverack for EQ processing and Xover at around 70hz. The lows go to a small Emotiva sub and the highs go thru a QSC class A/B amp to feed the Revels. I find them "nice". They don't "excite" me. They are like a reference speaker to me. I did try the Focal Chora 806. LOVED THEM in every way. I don't listen at high volumes but nevertheless for some reason, my ear would ring after listening to the Choras. So I had to sell them. Keep in mind, I've been DJing functions for the last 30 years so my audio nerves can be aggravated easily...even a little caffeine will make my tinnitus active. UGH. But overall, my guidance to anyone would be that the Focals are Magnificent compared to the Revels. They are full of life and completely disappear. The Revels are..."eh"...nice, unoffensive, disappear somewhat, not exciting, but nice. A completely first world complaint, y'know, while some people don't have food or water or shelter, I can complain that my speakers lack vitality and excitement.
That's a bummer, I've run into that a few times but luckily was able to solve it with minto placement tweaks.
I don't mean to be disrespectful or a jerk (mainly because I love this channel and Nemo's honesty), but I feel that the "brightness" problem is highly likely to be influenced by other components, not the speakers. These are, objectively speaking, very neutral speakers. This aspect might cause them to reveal the brightness in other gear.
Hey Karani, I owned these speakers for about 2 years, I tried the speakers in different rooms, with different amps, and even let other audiophile friends borrow them that have warm gear like tube amps or mcntosh amps and everyone's assessment was the same. The only difference is some people liked the brighter sound while others did not but the assessments were all the same. Other reviewers also found them to be a little forward or a touch rough in the top end, naturally the warmer the gear the more that roughness was rounded away and the more neutral or bright the gear was the more the top end seemed forward but everyone was in agreement. I explain this only to show that I don't just listen and report, I actually spend a lot of time with these items and anytime I find an issue I bring in other people, check with other reviewers, etc to make sure my assessment is not wrong or skewed by some other component. With this speaker I was extra careful and brought in even more people than usual since the Freq chart shows a roll off but at the end of the day I stand behind my assessment.
@@NemoPropaganda interesting. Thanks a lot Nemo.
@@NemoPropaganda There could be other variables that contribute to the issue. Klippel data shows that the M16 is a neutral speaker with roll off at the top end. A bump at the mids would make this speaker bright, but there is none (both Klippel data and Harman's own chart). The conclusion here is that the speaker might be damaged, or something that Nemo and his audiophile friends use that is introducing distortions, which are are now audible due to the speaker being neutral. Nemo, do you or your friends have something like Audioquest cables etc..? (I said audioquest because audioholics data did show that the cable introduced serious distortions, especially when using that battery thingy).
@@SonicSavannah no, audioquest is not a company I support. This is one of those scenarios in which measurements don't paint the whole picture. Like what measurement will tell us if a speakers sound is lifelike, what measurement will tell us if there is good texture to a guitar strum, what measurement will tell us if the vocalist will sound like they have space and air around them, the list goes on and on. I think measurements are important but I also do not believe they are too important. Maybe they are important for the guy who is making the speaker but for the end user they are meaningless. I have speakers that measure to a certain sensitivity but are far more sensitive in a real world environment, and vice versa too. I've seen subwoofers who's measurements indicate they lack extension only to find they extend for days on end. And then how do we explain why tube watts seem to be stronger than Class AB watts, and why do class AB watts seem to be stronger than class D watts. There is just so much stuff measurements don't' account for.
@@NemoPropaganda Everything you've mentioned is the reason you need a neutral speaker Nemo. A speaker should not add anything to the recording. Also, sensitivity increases in-room, which is the reason Klipsch gives in-room sensitivity to make their speakers seem more sensitive than others. The sensitivity bump is around 3-5dB on top of free space/ anechoic sensitivity. On subwoofers, room gain also plays a significant role. Sealed subwoofers are the best for closed small to medium rooms because room gain adds significantly to the extension. Ported subs might not benefit much from room gain since they have High Pass Filter at the port tuning to protect the driver. On amps, I don't know what you mean by "stronger," but I will tell you that most subwoofers today use Class D amps because they give a tremendous amount of power without much heat to affect their operation (benefit of their efficiency).
I have a challenge for you Nemo, how about you buy a studio monitor (a objectively reviewed good studio monitor like Genelec 8030C, Genelec 8050B, or even Yamaha HS5. You can even go all in with Dutch & Dutch 8C) then use one as a reference point to your reviews? You might say, "I am not listening to measurements." Well, records are mastered with studio monitors, and if you want to hear exactly what is the sound engineer's intention, you have to use it. Through this approach, you will have an objective view of what sound characteristics you really like. Research shows that 86% of all people like neutral speakers. Maybe you are an outlier, but having a point of reference can help you judge speakers fairly. Using studio monitors will also help identify whether speakers are the problem or it's the other components you have in your system.
Steve's review was opposite of yours.
I don't know which steve you are referring to but if its Guttenberg I respect that man tremendously however I do not always have the same opinion.
@@NemoPropaganda Erin's measurements show highs are rolled off and not bright at all. I am confused...always listen before buying.
@@keith6872 yeah, listening is themost important for sure. I had these for 2 years in my home in multiple rooms, later when I sold them even the new owner with a tube amp feels they are forward & energetic. I've never heard a revel speaker that sounded rolled off. Measurements have their place but I think they tend to cause a lot of confusion too. As you said, listening is best, even YT reviews are only so helpful.
This lockdown thing is killing me not being able to listen before I buy... I am between the Revel, the Chora 806 and the Wharfedale Evo 4.2. All cost the same here in UK. I like a lively presentation and dynamics and great sound stage and imaging. Any recommendations?
Definately not the Evo, it’s considered a warmer speaker. The Revel M16 has stronger bass but the Chora 806 is better at everything else. The Chora is the option i would go for hands down.
Did you see me Chora review? Maybe that will help :)
What size is your listening triangle @75 db?
about 9ft from tip to base in this room.
Hello Nemo, thanks for a detailed review. You mentioned these are not great for low volume listening. Do you have speaker recommendations for that? I prefer low volumes without a sub, for music ( not av).
That's going to be challenging if you also want them to be small. What is your budget and what do you consider lower volumes? Do you mean 60, 70, 75 80db? Also what is the room size.
@@NemoPropaganda Hello there, Room size: 10X10 ft, Budget around $1500, volume dB, unsure - it can be perhaps ~75 -80dB level, size: I am okay with Evoke 20, 706 sizes. Thanks for looking.
@@AD-wk2hh man that's gonna be tough. The only small bass monster in that price range is the CSS 1TD but it's not a low volume champ. Low volume champs generally don't have too much bass like Focal Aria 906 or Chora 806. There are some low volume champs that have strong bass but then they are going to be really big (towers) like Tekton. What's worse is the room is square which can cause poor bass performance. With that said there are a couple speakers you might like that I can think of, KEF Q150 or Q350 Dynaudio EMIT 10 or 20 (newest version), those are well under budget so you incase you need a sub you have a little cash left over but those speakers are good at lower volumes but still have some nice bass!
@@NemoPropaganda Thank you for taking time to respond. Appreciate it.
Can you get your hands on some Tekton Lores? Please👊
Probably not but NBT did a good review on them :) th-cam.com/video/yCIj-g86UhE/w-d-xo.html
M16s or JBL 530?
I have not heard those JBL.
How do they compare to the Klipsch RP600?
Sorry Ron I haven't had a chance to listen to the RP600M yet, the Klipsch look isn't really for me so I probably won't buy them as I do buy most of the gear I review.
When I bought my Revel M16s I was actually going to buy the RP600M’s. However, on advice from the audio store I compared them to the M16 and it was crystal clear that the Revels were better. I had never heard of Revel before so looked them up and with good reviews I bought them despite the price being higher. On first installation in my house they sounded as good as in the shop, however with some experimentation with positioning and experimenting with amps they now sound so much better. The sound stage is amazing not just in width but depth too, it’s almost 270%. For home theatre they are great too, but unlike the reviewers opinion, in my set up are amazing for music too.
I’m going to message real to send you a s812 to review
oh man that would be sweet, I would die if they sent me a carbon special :D
I just emailed them let’s hope
God bless 😎
hi, Will yamaha r n602 work?
I'm not really sure sorry, I have not heard too many amps :( I focus mainly on speakers and subwoofers :D
@@NemoPropaganda ok I understand, thank you for the answer
Nice quick review! What makes a speaker better for HT vs Music? Why were they so enjoyable for HT?
Hey JAS! For HT you want a big soundstage, good top end energy, sharpness, and sparkle with a midrange that's good enough for clear vocal articulation and enough bass to sound full. These speakers deliver in all those areas. While the vocal performance was not impressive for music it was damn good for movies/netflix content. For music it's not so simple as personal taste is a big factor.
@@NemoPropaganda I figured that is what you meant, but I feel the opposite. I think HT speakers need to be way better than "good enough for clear vocal midrange." I feel that for HT, that's the most important thing.
@@DJJASProductions not really because there is the center channel that will handle most of the dialogue. And with the higher volumes that HT is usually experienced in a speaker like this that has good enough music vocal performance will open up a lot more and be great at those higher volumes.
@@NemoPropaganda I am just running in stereo, so no center here. But I feel the same, just in regards to the center. People seems to overlook the center, but the center should arguable be the most clear, articulate, and natural sounding of all of them sine it does so much during HT. What do you think?
@@DJJASProductions I actually do a phantom center channel myself also... I'll say it depends on the rest of the equipment. Some setups can be very convincing without a center channel. I don't think any 1 component is "the most important" I think overall harmony in the system is the most important aspect.
keeping it real! nice review!
Always!
Good info, I was considering purchasing these, but every aspect you didn't like is what I don't like in a speaker.
Both these and the Focals are pricey, what could I get that sounds like the Focals for a couple hundred less? I listen to music about 65-75 DB.
Honestly nothing I've heard sounds like the Focal Chora 806 so that's a tough one. I would just keep an eye out for a used set. I got mine for $600 second hand. The much cheaper Emotiva B1+ is the only thing I can think of that's a bit similar in sound signature. I guess that could kind of be like a baby version of the Chora but actually has more bass.
If you can find a place to give these a listen, or just order them for $800 off of Crutchfield's outlet page (sometime you can find the M16 outlet speakers on the regular Crutchfield Revel Bookshelf speaker page), and return them if you don't like them, give them a try. My experience with these speakers is very different. I totally respect Nemo's take, as everyone hears these speakers differently. Everyone's ears have differing sensitivities. In my space, the M16 has a very full natural sound for a speaker this size. I don't find them very detailed, though not bright nor sharp. The mids are full for a very good vocal presentation. If you pull the speakers away from the wall, the bottom end thins about a bit, but put them about 12-18" from the rear wall, and the bass begins to extend, though doesn't sound boomy. It's super tight, but it's not flabby either.
However, if your listening room has a lot of hard surfaces with very little acoustic treatment, I can understand how the highs could be brighter with sharpness. So as always, YMMV.
Guessing you can find the Focal on the outlet page.
www.crutchfield.com/outlet_category_4/Home-Audio-Outlet-Products.html#&nvpair=FFCategory|[rank11999]Home%20Speakers&nvpair=FFSubcategory|[rank37900]Bookshelf%20Speakers&nvpair=FFBrand|Focal
Enjoy the hunt, it's always a fun ride. :)
@@craigjohnchronicles2504 I don't mean this in any disrespectful way but are you possibly older or have you been to a lot of concerts? Your experience is inline with what I would expect from someone with slightly rolled off hearing to have with these. In fact I even told a fellow audio friend if I was about 20 years older I would love these speakers. Nothing wrong with that either, plenty of us have blasted our ears through the years. These are a highly detailed speaker though and that's regardless of what gear you connect them to honestly and the sound is really on the sharper side but if your hearing is a bit rolled off due to any various factor I imagine this would sound very balanced. This is something I wanted to say in the video but I was worried I may offend some people. I've also noticed some more expensive speakers that generally only retirees can afford are usually on the sharper/brighter side too a la Wilson Sabrina for example but the older gentleman in my local audio society while admitting they have some sparkle to them don't find the speaker overly sharp like some of the younger crowd does.
@@craigjohnchronicles2504 It is also possible your associated gear smoothens these out a bit more than mind does. My gear is a bit smooth but just a touch and is mostly neutral/analytical.
@@NemoPropaganda - How old is 50? :) ...not been to lot of concerts. ...Been to a good number of weddings though... ;)
Great review. This mirrors my experience with them. And generally with Revel.
Aye! That's good to know, so most of their speakers are voiced similarly then it seems.
@@NemoPropaganda That’s right. They actually brag about it. Granted, they don’t all sound identical... and they are definitely better with the Be tweeter. But that kinda forward-and-dry sound is normal for Revel.
Yeah that’s def not my taste. I like the smoother and more relaxed sound.
@@NemoPropaganda Same, bro. Same. I got my music playing literally all day. No headaches allowed. Oh and, like you, I want that big imaging and scale at lower volumes. 👍
@@DBravo29er Just curious since we have similar taste, what speakers do you use now?
Cool to see a review on these speakers. I just bought M16s after listening to Vandersteen VLR, Sonetto 1, and KEF R3, and my take is a bit different - likely attributed to the room dynamics.
I can listen to these speakers all day. I literally have to be pulled away, as I just lose myself and melt into the listening session. The M16 are detailed, though not as much as the KEF R3. However, the brightness and "in your face" presentation of the KEF R3 were fatiguing to my ears. I don't get that sharp brightness from the M16 speakers at all.
The overall sound feels full and rich, and excellent with natural sounding vocals - which I didn't get with the Vandersteen VLR nor the Sonetto 1 speakers, both of which felt a bit hollow. I didn't have the opportunity to listen to Focal, Dynaudio nor Elacs, so I can't compare those.
One fantastic aspect of these speakers: you can stand totally off axis - as in, beyond the speakers to the left or right, when you answer the door or walk into another space, and the sound is still excellent. Other speakers tend to lose definition when you wander "outside of the listening box".
I also agree these little things are phenomenal with movies. Even in a two channel set-up. I watched JJ Abrams Star Trek on a 77" OLED in a two channel set-up, turned up the volume, and was just pulled into the movie. The sound scaled up perfectly to match the size of the image, and I didn't miss the center, sub nor the surround speakers. They rendered the vocals beautifully - never felt thin or unnatural. To me that's a testament to the M16 mid-range tonality. As the movie played on, we realized we were hearing details with these speakers we had never heard before in Star Trek. Again - a real testament to the M16s.
The stands are a bit expensive at $300 for the pair, but the stands are securely fastened into the speakers with screws. A very nice feature if you have two kids under 10 years old. :)
You can buy these for about $800 on the Crutchfield outlet page. Which makes them a great buy.
Oh yes, these are fairly room dependent. I'm guessing your room is a bit wider than mine, I have room treatment at the first reflection points but if your room is wider than mine that will really change things. My front wall is only 10ft wide with 5ft GIK panels at the first reflection points so my goal is to take the room out of the equation so it's more focused on the speaker. This hobby is odd in that way that a piece of gear can sound very different in another room.
i totally agree and it shows how many factors influence the overall sound. i bought these after demoing them the the CXC system by Cambridge audio. they were so big, bold and warm sounding compared to the others which were bright fatiguing very quickly. these i listen to all day. however they do sound best at high volumes so can agree with that. further proof that reviews can be a general guide but you must listen to things for yourselves before drawing any conclusions :)
Owned a pair since January 2021...love them...The last thing i want is a pair of speakers that give you ear bleed...In my opinion, nothing better under a grand and better than most well over a grand....Don"t let this review sway you from checking these out...give them at least 25 hours of burn-in time and sit back and enjoy....for 900 bucks, you can"t go wrong!
@@marianneguertin5627 Exactly right. The imaging and accuracy with these M16's are probably best in class. Many professional reviewers have stated that also. This goes to show you everyone prefer different sounding speakers. These are about as good as it gets for $1000/pr.
@OH Deer the mid range is fantastic. Especially when compared to KEF R3, Vandersteen VLR, Sonus Faber Sonetto 1 and 2, B&W 707 S2. The Revel is anything but harsh.
Hello, I found you today after your convo with Randy, so I hope you see this. I have a pair of Concerta 2 F36 towers. I spent 2k for them. I was able to listen to them in a brick and mortar store. I thought they sounded fantastic. When I got them home, it was a different story. I can’t tame the top end. I have vintage McIntosh gear. Warmer the usual stuff. Sometimes on some recordings they are still stupendous but then there’s the rest of the time....I’m an older guy and retired. I expected to love these....especially for the amount of doh rae me I spent. I’m going to talk to the store tomorrow about my options. They are an excellent dealer and have been receptive.
Hey Steve, the Revel's really are room dependent unfortunately. It's a bummer you're having this experience. The good news is they do respond well to 3 things. 1 is easy, don't toe them in, face them straight out into the room. The 2nd things is get some room treatment at the first reflection points. I understand not everyone can accommodate that and it's an added cost but it really does help. Personally I use the Gobo panels by GIK, $250 for the pair. They also have wall mounted options but I didn't want to hang panels on my walls and as a reviewer I wanted to be able to move them around for when I have to experiment with placement. This 3rd bit not everyone might believe but these speakers really did break in for me. Not all speakers do but these seemed to be shrill for the first 50-80 hours with hardly any bass at all. Around the 100 mark the shrillness went away and bass filled in considerably.
@@NemoPropaganda Thanks much for the reply! I really appreciate it. Well, the first suggestion is a great one and I’m trying it now. I did tow them in a good bit. As far as room treatments, they won’t pass the wife test. We have rugs, furniture and drapes on the windows. She indulges me with my hobby but doesn’t want them. Uh...Maybe portable ones...as far as burn in is concerned, I’ve had them months trying various hardware methods. I’ve added and withdrawn tube preamps and DACs. I’m sure I’ve got a couple hundred of hours on them.
@@stevezeidman7224 oh man, you might have similar ears to me then. I can hear up to 18k which makes me sensitive to some metal dome tweeters. Ironically if you look at a freq response chart of the Revel it's slightly rolled off actually but that damn titanium tweeters snappy presentation is just something my ears do not appreciate. If pointing them straight out doesn't do the trick something by wharfdale might be more up your alley :)
@@NemoPropaganda Hey Nemo, this is pretty funny. I have a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 230 towers as well. They are very smooth and warm which I like. I just wanted a bit more detail. I bought the Revel because I thought $2k over $600 would bring me a significant upgrade in clarity and space. I’m using them for TV cause I still like them. We seem to have sonic synergy.
I hadn’t bought speakers for 38 years. I had A/D/S speakers I bought in 1978. Awesome 3 ways with silk dome mids and tweeters. The sound was open and sweet. They had dual 7” woofers, sealed. They had some wear from years and exposure to kids, but they still spoke! They were $1k in 1978 new. I bought them open box for $800...Stupidly, when we downsized I gave them away. I was suffering from moving mania and felt like I had get rid of them. What a mistake!
Thanks for the review! Is that same price range which speaker would you consider will have the same sound fullness and not be as sharp!! I try to stay away from too airy speakers. Thanks!
The wharfdale Evo 4.2 could be a fit for you but they are really hard to setup. I would try and hear the Revel, you might like them a lot. The gentleman who bought them from me was a little older than me and my guess is his hearing was a little rolled off compared to mine and he absolutely loved the Concerta2 speakers.
@@NemoPropaganda Thanks for the reply Nemo! I will at least try to audition the wharfdales!!
Thanks for the review, I have enjoyed the M16’s for 18 months and agree on some points but in my setup experience the sound shows marked differences. I use mine for music and AV in equal parts. The AV experience is great especially when paired with the C25 centre channel, so no differences in opinion there. I agree with the wide soundstage and would add imaging is spot on too, as well as volume does add to sound all round, although it’s still very listenable at lower volumes. I do not hear any brightness though, which is something I would not expect from the graphs or other reviews. Sounds like cymbals are amazing, last and are a highlight. They are not fatiguing at all either, I listen to them for 1 to 4 hours without discomfort. The soundstage also has great depth as well as width almost 270 degrees on some tracks, almost surround sound like. Listening the Chocolate Chip Trip by Tool is a great example of this. To get this performance you have to spend time with setup, I spent weeks playing with mine to arrive at the perfect position for my room. Adding a good amp helped too for music and as a bonus running these from the pre-outs of my Marantz 6013 , rather than drive them direct greatly helped the AV performance, I was really surprised by this. I would love to try the JBL’s after seeing this video to compare they sound interesting especially at the price you mentioned. Thank you for the review.
Thank's for sharing your experience Colin, you're right that these really do need care and proper time spent setting them up.
I guess they are so neutral (objectively speaking they are) that they are revealing other issues with his set up. Revel is the last speaker anyone can call "bright."