Revel Salon 2 vrs Kef 207/2

I've auditioned the 207/2, the Salon2 and the Sashas. The 207/2's were driven with top end Chord gear and the Salon2 and Sashas were driven with top end Ayre gear. I was encouraged to listen to the Salon2's before making a decision. To me, the KEF sounds so natural and are very detailed - my audition ended 3 hours later when the dealer was closing, but I would have loved to have kept going. I switched in a pair of Velodyne 1812's and found the KEF's alone to be surprisingly full with a nice bass extension - the two huge subs certainly would be nice for movies, and they were a nice addition for the few tracks with really deep bass.

The next pair to audition (the next day) were the Salon2's, I had my list of the same very diverse CD tracks which I had listed to the day before. I have to say, they are not the speaker for me. I had reserved 3 hours again, but had enough after 1.5 hours. Instruments sounded nice, but not as refined and detailed as with the KEF and voices just weren't what I was seeking. They too are big, but in height vs. the footprint. Given the choice between the 207/2 and the Salon2, it would no doubt be the 207/2 for me - they are a much nicer looking speaker as well.

As I tried to politely describe my observations of the Salon2 to the dealer, he suggested that I listed to the Wilson Sashas. I had not even considered Wilson as their cabinets simply turned me off - sound was most important, but I thought I'd evaluate top end speakers with attractive cabinets before going down this path. The audition of the Sasha's was spectacular - this was the sound I was seeking. Powerful, accurate, refined, detailed and very rich with a wonderfully full sound with great bass extension - a beautiful sound to my ears. Like the KEF audition, the 3 hour period came about much too quickly, and I had to leave when they closed shop. I had my sights set on a nice wood finish for the cabinets, but I have to say I have thrown out that stipulation in favor of the sound. The finishes are really nice, just that the geometries are very basic and square - I no longer care. So now I'm torn between the 207/2 and the Sasha's. I wish I could hear both using the same gear and in the same room, but that's not possible. You can find new KEF's for about $14K and the Sasha's are $27K. I would be happy with either, but I think my desire deep down is for the Sasha. At half the price and such a nice tonal quality, the 207/2 is a tough choice to pass up... One thing I was hoping for was to purchase an American made brand, so Wilson fits that profile. I own the KEF 150/3, and in their day, I was very satisfied with them - with age, they've deteriorated and it's time for a new pair. So in summary, I think Nirodha35 made the right decision - I found the KEF's much more refined, tighter and more pleasing over the Salon2's. Now to make up my mind with the Sasha...

It's a no-brainer that a $27K speaker is generally going to outperform a $14K speaker, especially when made by reputable brands. I have no doubt the Sasha is much superior speaker to the 207/2. Then again, while I think KEFs are good, they are not in the same league as Wilson. To me, they are a second-rate imitation B&W, which is not a criticism, might be perhaps even a compliment.

The Sashas, however, are a step back from the previous WATT/Puppy. Really a shame I think. No doubt they are still a fine speaker, but the W/P 8 was better. But then again, Wilsons don't really excel until you get to the MAXX 3s. Now THAT'S a speaker! Almost as good as the X-2s, the energy of the drum set during "Take Five" is so realistic and "live" it's uncanny. Put on a well-recorded classical guitar SACD and you feel like you're INSIDE the sound hole. My advice to you is if you're seriously considering the Sasha, I'd say wait a few years until you've saved enough for the MAXX 3. You'll thank me later.

It's a no-brainer that a $27K speaker is generally going to outperform a $14K speaker, especially when made by reputable brands.

One of the biggest myths in audio is that a higher priced unit outperforms a lower priced one.There are way too many variables for this to be true.Your higher priced speaker might not match up with your equipment.It might not work well in your room.Hell,you might just not like the way it sounds.If you are buying equipment because it costs more,you are doing a great disservice to yourself.

tpreaves is right.great insight.may i suggest also that you may want to audition more than just two models or brands.

"One of the biggest myths in audio is that a higher priced unit outperforms a lower priced one."

That's twisting what I said. I was referring specifically to the large discrepancy in pricing (in this case around 2x) AND in the $14K to $27K price-range, and when both speakers are made by reputable brands. More specifically, I was pointing out it's not a fair comparison to even put these two speakers together, and especially in light of the poster's take of it being such a revelation that the Sasha would match or outperform the KEF 207/2.

"If you are buying equipment because it costs more,you are doing a great disservice to yourself."

No really? What great insight, you should be a life coach. Those pearls of wisdom need to be shared! Wow, really, the only person that even remotely suggested "buying equipment because it costs more" is YOU. Ridiculous.