Revel Performa M20


I presently own the Thiel CS 1.5s and have them with a great sub. I heard these M20s after reading Stereophile's review. JA was understating their greatness. I'm stuck for room so size does matter. Anybody own them? I'd love some feedback about them. I've heard the new Thiel 1.6 and the B&W Nauts 805. They're all wonderful, but I preferred the sound of the Revels. Feedback would be apprecited about the Revels specifically, particulary if you own or heard them first hand. Thanks,
Warren
whirshfield
I also own a pair of M20s and the center channel C30 as well. The M20's are phenominal! I looked for about a year and it came down to B&W versus Revel, and Revel was the winner. Now that I have owned them for a while, I must say I am completely satisfied with them. The sound is unbelievable for a speaker of that size. Highly recommend.
This is what I love about this hobby. It's wonderful getting feedback from people that do not have an agenda other than to share their honest experiences about audio stuff. Anyway: the responses are great and I thank you all. Keep them coming. I'm sure it's going to be the Revel 20s, but I'll have to wait for the fall. It is something to look forward to. I don't know about you guys, but the anticipation is somethimes as exciting as the actual purchase Peace,
warren

I've had the M20s for about six months. It's all personal taste, but I think they're a great speaker. One thing you should keep in mind is that they need a fair amount of power to sound their best. The M20s are not that efficient.... 87db speakers (I think), so I think you want an amp that puts out at least 150wpc. I bought a Plinius 8200 integrated, which is like 225 into 4 ohms (I can't recall the exact specs right now), and I think it really helps the M20s to sound their best. Also the bass is pretty good for a small speaker. I went to a dealer and heard them hooked up to a Revel B-15 subwoofer, and although it was REALLY nice (makes me want one now), IMHO you would be happy with the M20s w/o a sub.
I also heard the B&W. I thought they sounded great, too, but I just liked the Revels better. That's the great thing about this hobby: it really comes down to what sounds good to YOU. Let me know what you decide on.
Dan
Hello!
I have been happily living with a pair of M20's for a few months, and they are a fantastic speaker all around. If you have a small room like mine, it is almost shocking just how much quality bass energy they can put out. They are -10 db at 28 hz, but in a small room with the proper placement, it will seem like you are missing very little at all on the low end. My previous speakers (3X the price) had a rated response of -3db at 20 hz, and I was preparing myself for a dramatic loss in bass when I first set up the M20's. A huge smile came across my face upon the first few notes out of them, for they did far more than I would have ever expected at that price point. The mids are VERY neutral and detailed,
and the highs are fantastic with plenty of extension and livelyness, but never harsh. Filling the matching stands with 75lbs of lead shot and a little sand made things even better, and is well worth the extra $60 or so, and also made them far more stable than without the extra weight. This is one of the few audio products I have purchased in the past 10 years that I feel was actually worth the money for the musical enjoyment I have had from them... A great buy!
Hey Whirshfield,
I own the M20s and they are awesome. I was in the process of buying the N805s to start my HT system and then add N804s and the HTS2. But after hearing the Revel F30s I dropped the B&Ws like a bad habit. Then I got to listen to the M20s and I was amazed. The soundstage, the detail and the bass response from such a small spkr was astounding. I listen to a wide variety of music (rock, pop, funk, jazz, classical and blues) and these spkers handle it all very well. Weather it be in your face or subtle nuance, these babies will give it all to you w/ease. And did I mention the dynamics they display w/movie soundtracks, a great selling point for me. I highly recommend these spkrs......John
Hey Whirshfield,
I own the M20s and they are awesome. I was in the process of buying the N805s to start my HT system and then add N804s and the HTS2. But after hearing the Revel F30s I dropped the B&Ws like a bad habit. Then I got to listen to the M20s and I was amazed. The soundstage, the detail and the bass response from such a small spkr was astounding. I listen to a wide variety of music (rock, pop, funk, jazz, classical and blues) and these spkers handle it all very well. Weather it be in your face or subtle nuance, these babies will give it all to you w/ease. And did I mention the dynamics they display w/movie soundtracks, a great selling point for me. I highly recommend these spkrs......John
I own the Thiel 1.6, but I agree, the revels are amazing. I do like the 1st order crossovers in Thiels, and I don't believe the Revels have these. Also some people have a problem getting past their looks, like my girlfriend. I think it's hard to go wrong with either pair - I'm really happy I went with the Thiels. And it seems like $2000 goes alot farther today than a few years ago!