I've been highly impressed with both the 3s and the 5s. Actually listening to my demo 3s as I type this. Already sold the first pair of 5s I got in, so waiting for the next shipment to come in to get more.
Taylor
www.goldprintaudio.com
Shout out to Revival Audio Atalante 3 speakers
Normally I’d write a long review of something as I never seem to keep it short. Right now I’m looking at over two pages of handwritten notes and can’t bring myself to put it all to pen, so to speak. Throw in images and links and it becomes a thing unto itself. And it’s sad to say I won’t for what deserves pages of accolades.
I will say this though: if you want a great all around speaker that’s eminently musical at the expense of nothing of import, then the Revival Audio Atalante 3 speaker should be at the top of you short list.
If you crave tone, body and soul, then listen to this speaker.
If you enjoy air, ambience, shimmer and decay, again, listen to this speaker.
If etch, shrillness and a hot top end bother you, no need to look elsewhere.
If the bottom octave is not of paramount importance but a strong mid and upper bass done realistically floats your boat, this will easily suffice.
If coherence and presence is a big deal for you, no need to ask for any more cards as you have a winning hand.
If a beautifully finished cabinet is important, one that harkens back to better days, then this will fit into any decor.
If pedigree matters, then rest assured that this is designed and assembled completely in France. Also, the designer has over 30 years designing speakers for Focal-JM Lab, Dynaudio and others. The drivers are unique to the brand and not off the shelf for other brands to use.
Finally, if price is a factor, these retail for only $2500 and if made by another company, would command multiples of it’s asking price, which I was told, is probably going to go up soon. One member who I’ve been communicating with told me they got 5 pallets of speakers in and they were all mostly accounted for and 5 pairs sold while he was at the dealer auditioning them (2 were of the larger 5 series).
Demand is so high that they came out with a less costly design (two models) to take up some of the slack and to spread the love to those of lessor pockets, which is admirable.
I can’t tell you how much I love these speakers but this should give you an idea: I no longer listen critically to anything anymore. I no longer crave this or that. I can listen at lower volumes and hear all I want or need to. These speakers emotionally connect with me and did so within the first few minutes of listening. There’s no more wind in my audio sails but if I had the money and the space, I’d give the Atalante 5 a serious listen and most likely get them.
Now I find most of the discussions here amusing, at best. Too many unicorns chased and nothing to show for it. Too many lost in search of that perfect tree when you have the whole forest to enjoy at any time and at any angle you wish, if you chose to. Time to choose.
All the best,
Nonoise
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I was of the same mind but was told by the dealer to wait a week or two and then decide. Impatient as I am, I used the Ayre break in CD with its tone sweeps, white, pink and brown noise and man oh man, did they open up, going from really nice to amazingly great. YMMV, but I doubt it. 😄 All the best, |
I was the lucky one to demo then purchase the 5's from the great @goldprintaudio I listened to them first on the floor with the installed riser lip. They sounded very, very good and were still not broken in. I then installed them on their stands (the stands are a PITA to put together) and I like them much better on the stands. More coherent, open, focused. To me having the tweeters at ear level on the stands makes a significant improvement. I'm still tweaking placement and setup in my room but I really like these and consider them a bargain. |
Great to hear from you. I experienced the same thing with my JBL 4319 speakers. Had them on their low riser stands for four years and tried them up on some stools and that was a game changer. Like you said: more coherent, more info, and more focused. The only trade off was the loss of that mid century modern look for a more imposing look with them up on the stands. I got used to it rather quickly. 👍 All the best, |
@nonoise , I am happy for you. It is wonderful when you acquire a component, in this case, speakers, that emotionally connect with you. Are you meaning to say, " emotionally connect with the musicians " ?, as this is what it is all about. Enjoy ! MrD. |
@mrdecibel , Yes indeed, that is what I mean. I've always leaned towards very informative speakers that had that leading edge but it was always at the expense of body and soul. These speakers give up nothing in being informative but they don't hit you over the head with it. They just kind of lull you, caressing your ears. I've done more toe tapping, foot wagging and head bobbing and swaying than I've ever done. All the best, |
@nonoise thought I'd share some photos of my 5's in my system...
Also... Room size: 18' x 18' (Speakers are 8' apart / 5' from side wall / 42" from front wall / 10' from seat) I played with positioning for days and this setup snapped everything into focus. |
@jcoehler Thanks for those wonderful shots of your set up. I have to admit I’m a bit jealous.😃 The Atalante 5 were the first speaker I was thinking of getting but my room is too small to accommodate them, which is why I gave up on my JBL 4319 monitors. They’re actually smaller than your 5s and even they loaded up my room with too much bass. Have you found that the grills don’t really take much, if anything, away from the sound? I’m still undecided as to whether or not they do with my 3 series. Aside from protecting the drivers, they way they did it by having two sections add a lot to the looks, in my opinion. It’s quite a design statement. I noticed that you have them just slightly toed in, which is what I settled on with my 3s. I used to have all my past speakers pointing directly at my ears, or at my shoulders to get the best soundstage but with these speakers I now have them firing at where my hands would be if full extended to the side. That would amount to about a 6-7° toe in. I noticed when I did move them out that far that the musical info seemed to be more revealing, as if the performer themselves turned to the correct orientation as when performing (if that makes sense). All the best, |
Hey @nonoise At first, I didn't hear much of a difference with grills on or off. But the more I've done some critical listening I prefer grills off for sure. Not huge, but noticeable. I am the same as far as toe-in. I started with aimed at ears, then kept tweaking the placement before what is now just outside the shoulder. I also tried the tweeter "inside" but that shrunk the soundstage and Revival recommends outside tweeter placement when 9' or less. And I messed with placement for many sessions before this setup shown just snapped into focus. And yes, they not only sound great but they look great. And they are huuuge stand speakers :) |
Thanks! @goldprintaudio |
I've never had a speaker that sounds as good off axis as on axis with these speakers. I can be in the kitchen (which adjoins the living space in my apartment) and they sound almost as good. Because of the low amount of toe in, my sweet spot is the widest it's ever been. I believe it has to do with the design of the drivers, the materials he uses. Daniel eschews any use of petroleum products in the driver cones and concocted his own solution to coat the domes to get the sound he wanted out of them. The way they project out into the room must be from all he learned designing speakers for 30 years and not settling for off the shelf drivers. All the best, |
I’m looking at the 3s to mate with a REL t/9i in my Great Room. I wonder about the amplifier demands of driving these speakers. It’s a 4 ohm speaker with 87db sensitivity. Do you find they need some power to bring out their best ? I have a 50w Simaudio 240i (85w into 4ohms). I wouldnt hesitate to buy these if it was an 8 ohm speaker. |
I'm using a 70 watt/channel integrated and have tons of headroom to spare. Your Simaudio should have no problems driving these speakers. Reviews and online comments have users with tube amps with as little as 15 watts driving them to realistic levels. The drivers alone are rated at 91db before being installed in the cabinet with the crossover, which accounts for the lowering of the sensitivity. Any well made amp will drive them. Here's a video explaining how much power is used by a speaker rated at "only" 87db sensitivity: All the best, |
Thank you…i had placed an order for the Mission 770s last Friday, but canceled Monday morning because of their size, cost and making my REL unnecessary. Still, i really liked their big sound potential and particularly, their ability to maintain a full and rich presentation at low volumes. I might reorder, but the Atalante 3s are half the price, though i hate the grills and am not really drawn to their overall look. Decisions, decisions. I had the Lintons in house for 6 weeks and liked their presentation with the exception of their coarse treble. Thought the Missions might improve in all areas. |
Here's another nice review on both the 3s and 5s -- https://www.subwooferstereo.com/2023/03/revival-audio-atalante-3-and-atalante-5.html |
