Do you agree that top-line Revel and B&W have very similar sound?

Never heard the Revel or Signature 800, but i've my dad owns a pair of B&W Nautulis 801's and i've auditioned the JMLab Mezzo Utopia and personally i would much rather the Mezzo Utopia, it is bar none the most incredible speaker i've ever heard. The shop i use is supposed to be getting in a pair of Grande Utopia's soon, i can't wait to go hear them. Of course i'll never be able to afford 'em but i can always dream.

 

yes, Revel and B&W are similar. FWIW, I have an uncle who owns the Revel Salon and Studio set up in 1 home and a full B&W line in another.

 

I haven't heard the B&W Signature 800 or the Nautilus 800, but I have heard the B&W N801 and N802, and I can easily tell the differene between them and the Revel Salon or Studio. While the two brands share certain similar characteristics, the Revel's top end isn't as bright as the B&W's, and the Revel's treble is more open, airy, and extended. The midrange of the Revel also seems a bit more laid back, and the overall soundstage is larger, and the sound is more exciting. Bass is similar.

That said, I do think the B&W Nautilus and Revel Ultima speakers sound more alike than the Sonus Faber Amati Homage or the JM Lab Utopia.

 

Arnel you could very well be right about the electronics and the JMLab speakers. I got to listen to them with on two 250 Watt Monoblock YBA ampliphers and YBA's top of the line 2 channel pre-amp and CD player. With the speakers it was a $40,000 set-up. It was quiet impressive, unfortunately most of us, myself included cannot afford anything remotely close to this. I listened to the B&W 801's through the same amps, but a much lower quality pre-amp and CD player. Personally i liked the sound of the Utopia's just a little more, i liked the bass a little more, seemed sharper though not as deep, and like you said they seemed to have more detail. Could have easily been the electronics like you said though.

I defenitely didn't mean anything against the B&W's though. I own a pair of 805's and an HTM-1 both in dark cherry and love them. I think my next purchase though will be to the JMLabs Electra 946's, then move my 805's to my surround. Anyways, they are both great speakers and you couldn't go wrong with either.

 

The B&W Nautilus line has a bright top end regardless of what it's mated with. Of course it's not as bright as the ear-bleeder Paradigms. I'd say Revel is pretty neutral.

I've heard the B&W Nautilus line with Krell, which is bright and forward, Classe', which is warm, smooth, and laidback, and Levinson, which is neutral. I've heard the Revel Ultima line with Levinson and Classe'. I personally think Levinson makes the best gear on the market, and it mates beautifully with Revel. I prefer the Classe' gear with the B&Ws as it helps smooth out the highs and the midrange.

 

Justin said

 

i am dying to hear a revel speakers. too bad the chance of doing it is minus 100 percent.

 

Concerning the last few exchanges, I'd have to say I agree with you as a B&W owner, Arnel, but in the end it all depends on what you are accustomed to.

After all, one person's bright is another person's detailed and another person's neutral is yet another person's laid back.

DJ

 

Arnel:
You're point about studios using B&Ws is well taken, as is the idea that we all perceive differently. Obviously, each of our replies will reflect how we feel and while I am not a big fan of the B&W sound, I accept that my tastes are not shared by all.
As far as B&Ws and Revels sounding similar to you, I agree with the posts above that while they are not polar opposites, they are certainly quite different sounding. Out of curiosity, have you listened to many speakers in this price tier, and are you accustomed to really high-quality electronics? If the answer to these questions is "no" then my guess is that the differences between these speakers will become more apparent to you as you gain more listening experience. (BTW, I assume you are comparing them using music, not HT.) On the other hand, if your answer is "yes," then I have no explanation.
Larry

 

"The B&W Nautilus line has a bright top end regardless of what it's mated with."

I'm sorry fellas. Justin and Larry...B&W is not a bright speaker, it is an exact speaker...revealing and true of the recording and source fed to it. Especially into the Sig and Nautilus series, treble is not rolled off like many speakers are today. Obviously, there is a tendency to brighten many, many recordings today because of the roll off that is done by many speaker manufacturers. Regardless of the speaker being Revel or B&W, they will BOTH show weaknesses in the system quickly...whether it be an interconnect or source, amplifier or speaker wire. But the biggest factor is the recording the speakers are reproducing.

There is a reason more than 80% of classical recording studios and Lucas Ranch uses the Nautilus speaker from B&W, because of it's honesty and ability to reveal everything.

Jeremy

 

Justin,

Do you listen to the Classe with the Revels? I heard the CA-201 with the F50's and thought they were a nice match not as forward as the No. 436's I also heard but big price difference too!

Arnel,

What do those Classe Omega monoblocks cost? Do U see the price tag? My bet is $20K!

Mike

 

Jeremy:

 

"If you think the B&Ws are truthful, what adjective are we to use for the Watt Puppies?"
What does that have to do with anything?
Jer