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

I'd love to have other folks weigh in.

Ryder, thanks for the comments. As for amps I can run either a Bryston 4b sst2 or a Conrad Johnson mf2500a. Running a CJ tube pre-amp Premier 17LS (got a CJ 18LS solid state too). Getting ready to sell some stuff in the near future. I'm considering matching one or the other and bi-amping. Suggestions on tweaking this system will be appreciated.

Other suggestions on amps?

Aaron - I like the system you've put together.

I haven't been able to give suffcient listen to give definitive results. I have a wife that "tolerates" my hobby and I have to listen when she's out of the house (I need to get her a job!). I've run some different selections and find that both of your comments are pretty spot on. I think I need more time to see if this is true, but I think I might like some less extended musical selections on the B&W's (focus on vocals and not on range or mix) while I like other selections on the Revels.

I wanted to hear both in my room and with my equipment - not relying on memory. Later I'll do the same thing with another set.

I'll update you guys in a bit.

My problem is that I haven't had time for extended listening to both in an A/B test (I had one night and need a couple of others now that I know what types of music I want to compare). The only way I can make this happen is to have my wife out of the house for an extended period of time, but that's hard to make happen (unless I offer her a trip to New York).

The way I'm doing it is hooking the same equipment up to the speakers and changing out the leads to the speakers - so I'm not biased by upstream equipment. An initial impression: I was really surprised by the Revels. The only place where I thought I might prefer the B&W's was on vocals (pretty sweet here). The soundstage and imaging on the Revels is really something. There is detail in the Revel's that I didn't hear in the 802d's. Now I want to confirm that initial impression before making a decision.

Variation in the placement of the speakers is limited though and I think this would have an effect on the sound (i.e. putting the BW's in a different room setup from the Revels will change the impression of the sound). I'm still wondering if my Bryston 4bSST is better suited to one or the other speaker (and/or the same question with my CR 2500a). I'm thinking about biamping, but these amps do not really match well (impedance of 29 on one and 27 on the other).

The wife likes the less "alien" look of the Revels, but not the size.

Thanks for the input guys. I quit checking 'cause I thought no one was really interested in this topic.

PS Sorry for all the typos in the previous post. I just got back and was typing for all I was worth - apparently I'm not worth much. I have no idea why the word "He" appears in my third sentence or why I wrote "posts" instead of "post" in the last paragraph. Ah well, such is life.

Later.

OK I've still got to get "extended" time, but the other day I got a spare hour to listen. Got to say that IMO the Revels really kill the 802's. The 802's are great speakers but in an A/B test the 802's sound like the Revels just with a couple of sheets draped over the speaker. IOW's if you took a blanket and spread it over the Revels you would get the 802's. BTW I still like the 802's - always have always will. I still remember the first time I heard them.

Sorry about my delay in response, I’ve been without internet access (in the wilderness) and haven’t been able to respond.

To Mribob:
Point taken on the amps – that’s why I was asking for opinion on amplification. Part of my question was, given the two amps that I have whether one might sound better He and also looking for reasonably priced suggestions for amplification in the future (and whether to biamp).

I’m aware of the price differential, but in the used market the differential partially evaporates (the B&W’s hold their resale better) so that the 802d’s sell for around 9000 and the Revels for around 12,000. Instead of an 8000 difference in list you have a closer price point with the 800d’s falling in between.

To Mr_M
First, regarding my “need” of comments if I’ve already determined a winner: Read the posts, I haven’t already determined a winner, what I have done is reached PRELIMINARY conclusions (I figured I’d shout too). You might also note that I started the thread on April 4, on April 16 I made some observations, asked about placement and amplifiers again, and on April 19th I said that my initial impression was that the Revel’s “killed” the 802s. I’m still open for suggestions as to placement of speakers (thanks to James63 for your comments with which I agree BTW), CD’s to listen to that might show off the 802’s or the Revels and amplification suggestions. Let me refine my comments: I shouldn’t have said a “blanket”, it’s more like a sheet.

Second, you ask if I would have kept the 802’s if I thought the Revels were better but folks said the 802’s were better: No, but that’s not the point is it? Read the thread, I asked for things to look for etc in the demo and I asked for amplification advice. I didn’t ask for YOU to tell me which one to keep. Though I am curious what other folks think about the strengths/weaknesses of the speakers.

I’ve got to say that I’m amazed at audiophiles like YOU who seem to want to shut off discussion because “it’s all in the ear of the behearer” and it’s all personal preference anyway. Good grief. Haven’t you ever been to a restaurant and tried someone else’s dish? Or talked about a meal that you enjoyed someplace and found that you had a different opinion from others who ate there, but you enjoyed the conversation just the same? Well, I generally do too until one of the folks says something like “You know I’ve talked to some really well known restaurateurs around here and they think you’re wrong about that dish. Hey I’ve been eating food for 38 years and it still amazes me of what people think is good and what is not. Heck, it’s all about individual taste buds anyway, but you all seem pretty knowledgeable here and I’ve enjoyed the conversation.” Pretty well shuts down the discussion at that point, don’t it?

Friend, I'm not hitting on your speakers - I like the 802's, this isn't a contest about who is right. It is a discussion about subjective impressions. An exercise that partially defines us as humans. I doubt if many animals are out there comparing their experiences("Hey Bert, did you hear that coyote? Keep your head down, but did you notice how sibilant he was on the last yelp there. - - Hey Bessie, how's that cud taste?").

To all
I’ll still posts some more impressions later one. In the meantime I’m still interested in what you guys/gals think and any suggestions you have. I’ve been in this hobby for longer than Mr_M and still find that I can learn things – besides my hearing ain’t what it was and I’m not willing to subject myself to the kinds of things I did when I was younger.

Good suggestions - thanks. I've listened to several of these since you made 'em. While not all are my cup 'o tea I like several of them and appreciate the listening suggestions (the only one I have on CD is Clapton). For me it's helpful to be listening for a particular phrase in a piece of music when demoing speakers etc.

I like all kinds of music (though metal and hard rock are not really my style), but gravitate to stuff that's really engineered well (Brian Culbertson, Craig Chaquico, Keb 'Mo, Aaron Neville's "Warm Your Hear") and I tend toward smooth jazz (Grusin, Benoit, Lorber, Peter White).

I'm not really good at expressing sound with words but, when it comes to speakers I really like "dimension"/depth in the music and delicacy (i.e. being able to hear a guys fingernails or pick on the strings of a guitar).

So which amps have you tried and which do you suggest? I currently have a couple on hand: CJ 2500A and Bryston 4bSST2 - which would be better?

Either one bad for the 802ds?

What's the central issue(s) for good vs bad amp for the 802's?

Thanks for the feedback, but I still have a question(s) unanswered. I may have to start a new thread, perhaps in the amp section. The question is whether the CJ or Bryston is better with one or the other of the sets of speakers.
Related to that is whether I need to upgrade amps (without spending a minor fortune (Mark L. monoblock 53's).

I'm also trying to figure out how to match amps to speakers without having to listen to them all! You say amplification is crucial (I'd agree) and you say one needs an amp that can handle the swings in impedance, but you don't say how one determines whether an amp can handle it or whether the CJ 2500A or Bryston 4B SST2 are adquate (though I think they are). I'm also open to suggested readings guys.

PS Specs only tell so much.

Thanks again.

PS I would think the power is fine. Curious as to what other factors to consider