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Anyone upgraded Salon/Studio to Salon/Studio 2?

Hi
Since some time has passed after the introduction of a new Revel Ultima Salon 2,i am trying to gather some opinions on it.I own the original Salon and would never upgrade just for the looks of it but am curious as to how the old model stocks up against the new one.As far as i know even Peter Voecks admitted in print that the new Salon is not an improvement on the old model,it is just a different speaker alltogether.Also,it seems that a Stereophile reviewer intentionally avoided comparisons between the old and new models (even though the old one was his reference speaker before)and politely decided to compare it to B&W.He also was put down by fit/finish of the new model.A European dealer told me that the enclosure was designed by a Chinese company who shopped it for some time until Revel decided to purchase it.Any honest opinions from the actual owners of a new model (and a previous ownership of the original Ultimas)would be appreciated.
overhang

Showing 3 responses by kr4

kr4's avatar
kr4
3,649 posts
 
1. It's Kevin Voecks, not Peter. I think his statement should not be taken to imply that the 2 is not an improvement over the original but that it should be considered, independently, for what it is: A new design.
2. I didn't compare it to the original since I have not had or listened to the originals in more than a year. I have no doubt it is voiced similarly (from memory and theory) but is even more neutral which, to me, is desirable.
3. Politeness was not the issue. Having the B&W side-by-side with it was.

Thanks for reading.

Kal
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,649 posts
 
Sorry to disappoint you but there are only a small number of readers who have the older Studios and they can be assured that Kevin's philosophy and ear have not changed but that he has made a superior-performing speaker and an advance on the earlier one. How much? Well, such readers can and should audition them to decide. Their assessment will be keener than mine since their experience with the older Studios is much fresher than mine.

OTOH, there are more readers who may be in this market and the comparison with the B&W is of two current and viable competitors.

Kal
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,649 posts
 
I am currently using B&W 802Ds.

Kal
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