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Revel Salon 1 still worth it? Possible a small room?

Hi A'goners, I've heard a pair of Revel Salon 1s recently at a dealer with some Audio Research gear and it sounded absolutely amazing. For those of you who have experience with them, I got a few questions:

1. Are they still worth it even at used prices? They are quite old tech, so will another pair of similarly priced used speakers from more recent times be better performers?
2. I'm in a pretty unideal room, it's 12x16, with the system along the long wall and only 12' from the front to the back wall. One side of the room is also open to the kitchen. Given how big these speakers are, they'd have to be pretty much backed up right against the front wall. I know they won't sound their best their way, but is it possible to still have 80-90% of their magic with crappy placement?
3. I heard people mention the metallic hash that comes from its metallic tweeters, I didn't hear it in the demo but I didn't spend nearly enough time and not many genres of music. Have you experienced that with these speakers and will they eventually be bothersome?

I know the answers to these will all be somewhat personal, but I'd like to hear your opinion.
Thanks.


divertiti
10 responses Add your response
yyzsantabarbara
4,439 posts
 
I actually had my old Salon 1’s in a room just a little bigger than that and it was OK. I did bring it up from the front a bit due to the rear facing tweeter. The bass was a problem when played loud but I could not play that loud most times so I was not that bothered (neighbors).

I moved and put the speakers in a room twice as large and I was in heaven. I was able to play at any volume level I wanted and the speakers had room to breath.

I doubt I would get such old drivers today. I am a hesitant to buy old speakers.

The tweeter on my current KEF LS50 and my Audience 1+1 V2 are better than the Salon 1 tweeters. More detail and just sounds better. The KEF is $1500 and the 1+1 is $2600. I would imagine a new floor standing speaker with good bass at around $5K price point could give the old Salons some competition.
gregm
3,395 posts
 
I listened to Salons with a friend in a room not much bigger than yours and the result was depressingly below par: poor mid-bass, anaemic bass, pronounced upper mids and hi-frequencies, unconvincing mid-range... We tried placement along the long wall and the short wall, pulled out a couple of feet from back wall. No cigar. We used Mark Lev monoblocks to drive them, maybe that was the problem -- apart from the room, of course...
Good luck!
divertiti OP
222 posts
 
Thank you guys, from various inputs it seems like it wouldn't be worth getting vs. newer speakers, especially in a small room. I think I will pass, which I'm pretty happy about because they are 240lbs each.
steve59's avatar
steve59
1,640 posts
 
I own them and they are still as good as you will find for the money, but they need some room around them and as I found out placement is critical in getting the best out of them. 
tdimler
132 posts
 
If you like the Revel sound and want something a little smaller than Salons...I'd be looking at F208's or F228 BE.
itsallundercontrol's avatar
itsallundercontrol
1 posts
 
Curious if you pulled the trigger on the salons and what the asking price was? 
steve59's avatar
steve59
1,640 posts
 
My piano black salon 1 speakers that I listed on every site I could find online were in pristine condition with an extra pair of speakers sold for $5700. summer 2018
divertiti OP
222 posts
 
@itsallundercontrol I didn't end up pulling the trigger. The pair I was looking at was being offered at just over $3K I think, but the sheer size and weight of the pair has given me pause. Ironically I ended up with a pair of Tekton Double Impacts which are also huge and heavy, but they're on wheels. They offer amazing sound for even more bang for the buck, very happy for the moment.
loomisjohnson
1,901 posts
 
i'm a big revel fan and considered the salon, but ultimately passed--they're great for what they are but (like you note) too big, esp. considering they definitely need a sub. they're also a very demanding load and need a ton of power.
cap's avatar
cap
46 posts
 
I am looking for a pair of Salon 1 ... I have just the beast of an amp to run them
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