Help me decide – Revel or Focal


I have been narrowing down my list for new speakers after selling my Avalon and believe I have arrived at my final two. After months of going to all the local dealers, I believe I am close. The entire process, though frustrating since in store comparisons are difficult, has brought out my passion again for the hobby.
My question is, has anyone heard the Focal 1038 BE and the Revel Studio 2 or Salon 2 in the same room using the same electronics? I have heard both speakers separately but no one seems to have both to do a real comparison. I read the reviews and that really does not help. The Focal seems to be a very good all-around speaker but not perfect. They seem to have a minor integration issue between the tweeter and midrange that shows up in the female voice with a small lack of clarity and being a bit recessive. I am still hoping to hear the new Sopras but I do not think I want to spend the extra cash especially since the 1038s are available in a low luster finish and reduced MSRP. The Revels, even though they came out in 2007, still seem to be a very good speaker and can be purchased used ~50% of MSRP. I am reading that their replacement may be revealed at the CES in January. At first I had eliminated them thinking they were too lean and analytical sounding. The music was just not coming out. After hearing them again, I am wondering if that may just be that they are accurate but I have read this complaint all over the internet so it does make me wonder.
I have a 16 x 20 room with 10-foot ceilings and have Anthem Statement electronics. Help me decide (but please try to keep it to the Revel and Focal since I have eliminated almost everything else in this price range available in New England).
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The revels are very good. Very easy room placement. I have lived with mine in two entirely different rooms with no placement issues. If you want a more dynamic speaker, try the Magico S3. A bit more expensive but a portless design and quite good too. Your room is not small and somewhat boxy. You might want a slightly larger speaker like the Revel Salons. I can't tell you much about Focals although I have heard many models over the years and they just don't do it for me. But that is me. If you like them, buy them and forget the opinions of others.
It was a toss up for me between a used Salon 2 and the Sopra 2. I think they are both fantastic - a little analytical but very accurate and dynamic. I had looked for a newer Salon at a reasonable price but never got there. I ordered my Sopra 2 today. And now the wait.
Ricred- don't be put off by all this negativism about the Focals. They are analytical and after they are broken in the sound is more like a pure crystalline holograph. The key and please trust me here is a good tube power amp. You will be amazed.
I apologize if my comments on the Sopra 2s were taken as being negative, as that was not my intent. I really found them to be very impressive, but I found some other speakers more to my liking. There are few if any speakers that appeal to everyone, that's why there are so many different designs. I expect that many others will find the Sopra speakers to be exactly what they're looking for. I also agree that system matching is always critical to achieve the best performance with any speaker. There is no right and wrong in audio, it usually comes down to our preferences and trade-offs.
Mechans,

I respect others opinions, but I make decisions with my own ears.
"The key is a good tube power amp." If that's the key, I surely won't own Focals. Whatever speakers I purchase must work with my current components.