Revel F30 with Bryston 4B-ST and tube pre-amp

I heard the F50 at a dealer and loved them, but just heard the F30s last week and was vey disappointed. It seemed like the music just stayed in the box and didn't project. As compared to the Vandersteen 3A Sigs that I compared them to, the Vandersteens' were much more lifelike and clear. Just my view.

Hi fellas,
thanks for your replies. I auditioned the Revel F30s and bought them. When I connected them to my system, I was impressed by their low bass and extended midrange, especially with jazz. However, I find electric and upright bass quite dark and withdrawn. It's much more difficult to follow bass lines with the F30s than with my PMC FB-1s. I think these F30s have a lot of potential so I'd like to continue working towards a flatter low-end response.

I experimented with a lot of speaker repositioning based on my listening intuition and recommendations from a simple computer program. The front of the speakers are now 85" away from the rear wall and 54" from the centre of the woofer to the side wall. The speakers are 85" apart. I sit in an equilateral triangle orientation with respect to the speakers. The room is 20' deep by 30' wide but there's a lot of clutter around 17' away from the wall in the width direction so I model the room as 17' wide. I also applied some baffles along the wall behind the speakers. The sound has improved significantly in the highs, midrange, and low bass; however, the midbass still seems to be sucked out. I suspect the midbass problem is symptomatic of my current electronic configuration and possibly more acoustic cancelation.

Can anybody with the Revel F30s comment on their experiences (or lack thereof) with midbass shyness? I'm wondering if I need to continue applying more rigorous acoustic treatments or whether I need to consider changing my amp and pre-amp? I've been very intrigued by the positive publicity surrounding the Blue Circle line of products and am considering a BC28 hybrid tube / SS upgrade to my Bryston 4B-ST. Can anybody comment on the usefulness of this prospective upgrade with respect to midbass enhancement and overall musicality? I'm also considering the BC3 Galatea pre-amp to match the BC28. Again, any comments about this combination with the Revel F30s?

Thanks fellas.

ARGH! Too bad you didn't get a chance to hear the new PMC OB-1's cause they are everything you are looking for. It is too late to take the Revels back? The OB-1's have significantly more grunt than FB-1's, have much better midrange definition since they use the big dome out of the IB-1's as well as an upgraded tweeter. The F-30's are gonna sound that way pretty much no matter what you do, it is inherent in their nature and one reason you see a fair number of them for sale. I had a customer who just about drove himself crazy with the same thing you are experiencing... including trying about 10 different pieces of electronics. He finally sold the F-30's. Get thyself to your nearest PMC dealer and listen to the OB-1's.

Kevin
The Sound Broker