This of course depends on musical tastes, but since I do not listen to heavy metal or rap at 110dB sound levels, the Soundlab M-1's must be given consideration as one of the all time great cost no object speakers. I have had extensive listening experience with the Revel Salons in my room, and the Salon's do not have the ability to portray microdymaics and scale of the musical experience like the M-1's. I also find bothersome inconsistancies within drivers of the Revels that simply do not exist with the single full range panel of the M-1's. Certainly the Salons have macrodynamics that an electrostat can not approach, but the M-1's come very close. The midrange is simply stunning with the M-1's. The microdynamics and tonal qualities of instruments cannot be reproduced by the Salons as convincingly as heard with the M-1's. The M-1's are easily the least fatiquing speaker to listen to for hours on end. The only other cone-based speaker system I have heard that might approach this charcter is the KEF Maidstone. Having likewise spent time with the Innersound Eros and various Martin Logan speakers (CLS's and hybrid models), the Soundlab M-1's exist in a class beyond what these other speakers are capable of offering to the musical experience. I feel the M-1's exceed the performance of the great Apogee Studio Grands. Given the trade offs one encounters with speaker systems as well as musical tastes, the M-1 msut be considered a great speaker and a true bargin for its performance is far beyond what price would suggest.
