Revel Ultima Salon 2's vs B&W 802d's

I have a pair of B&W 802d's and I am quite pleased with their sound. The diamond tweeter is quite an improvement over the older aluminum domes. They have excellent dynamics and a very detailed midrange. You mentioned about vocals. The 802d's do them (male of female) quite nicely without any edge or excessive siblilance. This characteristc drives me nuts in alot of other speakers I have listened to. I have not heard the current Revels but had listened to the older original Salons some years back but a comparison by memory would not be any help to you. Happy listening and good luck in your choice.

To Audiofeil. 802D unnatural sounding??? You obviously have a hearing impairment.

First of all I must apologize to Audiofeil for my remark. I was caught alittle by surprise that he referred the 802D as sounding (overall) unnatural. Afterall, this is a forum for civil discussion,not verbal attack. You said the mids sounded alittle peaky. The 4K peak you mentioned is only about 3db from a graph I have seen. Yes vocals are important to me, but what I noticed about the 802D is its lack of edge and sibilance in this regard. The vocals sound very natural to me. I'm a bit confused about the oddness of the soundstage you mentioned. The soundstage is upfront but still having width and depth. The placement of instruments and vocals on the soundstage seem very stable and natural to me. Many speakers have a deep soundstage at the expense of sounding distant and lacking dynamics. The lower priced Vandersteens come to mind in this regard. I also like many other aspects of the B&W's. They have a very natural lower midrange timbre that I think does justice to percussion. Piano comes to mind.

I do agree everyone likes what they like, that's why there are so many different brands and types of speakers out there to choose from. Although people can get the wrong impression of a product if proper matching of components is ignored or an otherwise great sounding system is put into a poor acoustically treated room. I believe these are the most common reasons for a person either liking or dis-liking a given product. And sometimes a person will dismiss
a product simply because it sounds merely "different" to what they're use to.

As I said before, I have listened to The older Revel Salons,but I prefer the B&W's. Just my personal preference.

In response to Nab2's last post. Why do you need all of these other comments on the two speakers in question if you have already determined that the Revel is ultimately the winner in your listening evaluations? You yourself said that the "Revels really kill the 802's". Would you have decided to keep the 802's had all the comments been pro 802 even if the Revels still sounded better to you?

It is very true that loudspeakers are a very personal preference. Since this thread started I have talked to other audiophiles and dealers alike that thought the B&Ws kill the Revels. It also appears Mr Kal Rubinson Of Stereophile seems to favour the B&W's also.

I guess it boils down to what YOU like regardless of other opinions. I've been an audiophile for 38 years now and it still amazes me of what people think is good and what is not. Please note that even though I own a pair of 802D's, I'm not trying to convince anyone here that this is the speaker to choose. I have found this thread extremely interesting and insightful. All of you seem very knowledgeable.