Floorstanding loudspeakers — Revel Salon2

The Salon2 is the four-way floorstanding model at the top of Revel's Ultima2 series, which the company describes as the highest expression of its technology and performance in loudspeaker design. Ultima2 comprised four loudspeakers - the Salon2, the Studio2, the Voice2 centre and the Gem2. The owner's manual for the Salon2 and Studio2 was issued in December 2007 by Harman Specialty Group of Bedford, Massachusetts.

Key specs that matter

Six drivers are used - a 25 mm (1 in) beryllium tweeter, a 102 mm (4 in) midrange, a 165 mm (6.5 in) mid-woofer and three 203 mm (8 in) woofers. High-order acoustic filters divide the band at 150 Hz, 575 Hz and 2.3 kHz. Measured in a 4 pi anechoic chamber, the frequency range is 23 Hz to 45 kHz at -3 dB, with low-frequency extension of 20 Hz at -6 dB and 17 Hz at -10 dB. The predicted in-room response stays within 0.5 dB of target from 29 Hz to 18 kHz, and the listening window within 1 dB from 26 Hz to 20 kHz. Each cabinet is 1354 mm tall, 356 mm wide and 584 mm deep and weighs 66.3 kg, or 80.7 kg packed. The finish is high-gloss piano black or mahogany veneer.

Engineering and use context

All Ultima2 woofers and midranges were designed from scratch for the series, each combining a dual neodymium motor, distortion-reducing mechanisms, a titanium diaphragm and an oversized voice coil. The pure beryllium tweeter, common to all four Ultima2 models, sits in a third-generation waveguide. The curvilinear single-piece enclosure is laminated from nine layers of MDF, with 25 mm walls, extensive bracing and a narrow baffle of about 64 mm whose computer-designed shape reduces diffraction. Separate filter boards for woofers, mid-woofer, midrange and tweeter keep network parts from interfering with each other. Each Salon2 is hand-tuned in production to within a fraction of a decibel of the reference unit. The in-room curve is derived from 72 anechoic measurements taken every 10 degrees horizontally and vertically. A cast aluminium input and control panel hides behind a rear door, holding a three-position low-frequency switch and a tweeter level switch adjustable from -1 to +1 dB in 0.5 dB steps. Grilles attach magnetically.

Pairing

Sensitivity is 86.4 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, and impedance is 6 ohm nominal with a 3.7 ohm minimum at 90 Hz. Revel states that, with moderate phase angles, this load suits any reasonably designed power amplifier. Two pairs of gold-plated binding posts with jumper straps accept single wiring, bi-wiring or bi-amping. Vertical bi-amping needs identical amplifiers, while horizontal bi-amping allows different models if their gain is matched.

Alternatives

The Revel Studio2 is the three-way Ultima2 tower, with two 8 inch woofers and a 5.25 inch midrange.