rainsoothe
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revel performa 3 m105 vs pmc db1i (or gold)
bierfeldt
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I will caveat this by saying I have not hear the PMCs but I have hundreds of hours spent listening to the Revel's/

I own that exact model, the Revel Performa3 M105 and have tried to drive it with a Rega Brio R which is a very clean 50w of real power and a nice comparison to your Naim NAP100. It was completely inadequate. Even at modest levels you would hear the sound get thin. You won't damage the speakers but you won't get the most out of them with 50w of power.

I switched to a 100w Rogue Hydra and they open up and sound amazing. Not just good, stupidly good. Right now I am demoing speakers that are 4x to 5x the price and am not finding a clear step forward though I have high hopes for the Raidho's and the Wilson Benesch which I haven't heard yet. That being said, I would not try and drive the Revels with anything less than 70-80w into 8 ohms so unless you are going to upgrade your power amp, move on.

Just based on that I would get the PMCs as they are a bit more efficient with a rated SPL of 87dB and are much more likely to be driven adequately with 50w of power and you like the way they sound.

rainsoothe
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Thank you, it helps a lot. I'm actually considering an upgrade to Nac-n 172 xs and, maybe, nap 155xs or 200, especially if the speakers are worth it. Also, having heard the brio, imo it has nothing on the nap100.

How are the revels on their own, though, pipe'n'slippers, or do they have enough energy for Genesis / Dream Theater - that kind of stuff?

bierfeldt
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This will be longwinded but I want to give you as much info as I can.

Genesis and Dream Theater are two of my favorites. ABACAB is one of the records I use as a reference when setting up my system and I think "No Reply at All" is one of the best sounding tracks I can think of through my system.

The criticism of the Revel's is that they are a little forward/bright vs. neutral. If you like a system that is a little forward or your room is overdamped then they are amazing. As I have gotten older, I have steadily liked a more forward sound. I think this has to do with the fact that your hearing deteriorates slightly as you get older or maybe my tastes have changed. Who knows.

Check out this article - http://www.stereophile.com/content/tale-two-speakers#R1b2eKqlsbHVqDwH.97

It is a compare of the Kef LS50s vs the Revels though it is the M106s vs the 105s. Additionally, I find that a subwoofer helps balance and fill out the sound. I am using a Sunfire Tru SuperJunior.

I agree that the Naim and Rega have different sound profiles and the Rega is VERY warm where the Naim is more neutral and balanced. This is less about the quality/sound profile of the amplification and more an issue with the power levels. I have heard the Revels driven by a variety of power amps - NAD D 3020, NAD C356BEE, Bryston, Crown and Mark Levinson during my demo of them pre purchase. I have connected them to my Rega Brio R, Marantz M-CR510, Marantz MM8003, Carver TFM 15-CB and Rogue Hydra. What was noteworthy is that 50w and below amps (NAD D 3020, Rega Brio R and Marantz M-CR510) sounded thin while the 80w plus amps sounded great, even the modestly price NAD C356BEE and my 20 year old Carver TFM 15-CB.

I don't know what the tipping point power is for the Revel's and room size I am sure is a factor. I was in a 12 x 20 room with the speakers 15' away from my listening position. If your room is smaller, that may make a difference. The key more than anything is once you get the speakers into your room with your equipment, that is when you will really know how they sound and not until. Demo's are great to give you a directional idea of sound, but often are in ideal conditions and in practice, once in-home, speakers will sound radically different.

I recently moved and when I went from the room I described above to my current setup, I struggled to get the sound right and discovered the Revel's need to be tilted back just slightly once on the OEM stands in my room. Initially, I was concerned that they might not work in my space after a lot of adjustments. It was going out and listening to a speaker (verity finn) that is designed at an angle that gave me the idea to tilt them back and now I am happy again but it took time.

What is the store's return policy? That could be a factor. If you special order and can't return vs. stock inventory that can be returned, that could make a difference. I bought the Revel's from the Harman store in Manahattan directly and paid a higher tax on them just for the flexibility to return them if I hated them.

rainsoothe
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Thank you, it's exactly what I was looking for.

First of all, the dealer doesn't stock the standmounts, that's why I'm inquiring on the web. They only have the floorstanders, which I auditioned with Nac-n 172XS + Nap 155. Their room, however, is pretty damped, and I had the unpleasant surprise of bass boom / brightness at home because of that - a problem solved by my current Focal Aria 906 and DNM Reson speaker cable (QED XT40 would still make bass overpowering - not boomy, though - and Chord Rumour 2 would be a bit boomy).

Also, I find the comment about the Revels being possibly bright very useful for me, because I don't really like brightness. So the Revel's possible brightness might've been tamed by the Nap155xs, which I only heard in that occasion, since some reviews say it's a bit rolled off on the top and bottom.

About the Brio, maybe that's why I hated Rega, because I only auditioned it with B&W CM5 and Kef R300 (both very tame sounding speakers) - two combos that made things really dull. Naim (well, most of their amps) can vere into brightness, so perhaps the Revel isn't such a good idea, especially in my not-so-damped room.

Thank you again, your info made a world of difference.

Much luv! :)

rainsoothe
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quick update, in case anyone is still watching, I ended up getting a NacN 172xs, Nap 200 and a pair of pre-owned Spendor S2E. Dealer made me an offer I couldn't refuse :)

bierfeldt
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Sounds like a nice system. good luck with it and thanks for following up and sharif your decision

rainsoothe
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thanks :) And to elaborate a bit: home demos are crucial. The PMCs sounded amazing in the dealer's place, but in my room, they sounded way too forward - they would get tiresome after 20 minutes, and bass would bloom too much every once in a while. Again, it's the room's fault, not the speakers' - the dealer's room is more damped then mine.

And the speakers are Spendor S3E, not S2E - my bad.

Again, whenever possible, demo stuff in your own room, people :P

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