Dynaudio v Revel

I never heard the Revels but have owned a pair of Dynaudio Contour 3.3's for over a year now. They sound great with 'mid-end' gear such as Aragon 8008's. When matched with higher end gear such as Krell FPB600s I've yet to hear a more convincing musical presentation- at least no where near the price range. As far as Dyn's not being able to handle power....Stevie Ray Vaughn doing Hendrix' Voodoo Chile. 1200 watt per channel Krell amp driven into 4 ohm speakers. 110 db peaks all day long. Trust me...your ears will bleed before the speakers do.

I own the Dynaudio Contour 3.3's. I listened to many speakers before making my decision to purchase. Dunlavy IVa and Alethea, Proac 3.8, Maggie 3.6r, Martin Logen Prodigy, Revel, Hales, etc. I even chose the 3.3's over the Confidence 5's. I just like the full range sound from the 3.3's. The C5's had the best vocals I've ever heard from a speaker, but the bass was better on the 3.3's (IMHO). I'm running the 3.3 with a Audio Research Ref-1 tube preamp, Plinius SA100MKIII ss amp, Meridian 508.24 CD player with NBS Monitor III speaker cables and Nordost SPM XLR interconnects.

The Revel's are outstanding. I spent many months auditioning many different speakers. For some reason the Studio's just did it right for me....so I stepped it up and bought the Salon's. Absolutely fabulous speakers. Definitely blows away most setups I've heard. Imaging is unbelievable....I can sit back with the lights off and the musicians are all out in front of me. truly amazing.

I must be missing something. I auditioned the Dynaudios twice. I will admit that they have a large sound stage and have good detail, but the sound stage seemed to be 7 feet in back of the speaker. This drove me nuts. I asked the sales person if this is normal, she stated that the sound stage is in back of the speakers. I have to assume that the speakers were set up right. This is basically the only speaker brand that they carry. They even have the Evidence setup in the store. I am pretty sure that Atlantic Stereo in Costa Mesa, CA is the number one selling store that Dynaudio has. I also listening to the Revel's that same day and thought the Revels were much more enjoyable to listen to. I must like a more forward sounding speaker. The third store that I went to that day, was where I heard the best sounding set up that I have ever heard. It consisted of the: Pass 350 Amp Pass Pre Amp Sony SCD-1 Wilson Cub II's Using all Harmonic Technology cabling. They were playing some incredible well-recorded music, Blues and Vocals. I never knew music could sound so good. I am building a new Home Theater room and have decided on the Wilson Cub II's and Watch surround, including the new Watch Dog Sub that will be released in March (hopefully). I will say that I do like a more forward sounding speakers and believe that the Wilson Cub II (which are much improved over the Wilson Cub I's) are very equal to the Revel Studio's. Now that I have written this, and put some more thought into your question, you need to identify what sound you are looking for. These are two completely different sounding speaks. I would also imagine, appeal to two different types of listeners. All three of these speakers have incredible detail, and large sound stages, the question comes down to, do you like your music very very very laid back or more engaging in your face, this will be your mission.

Ah, if only everything in life was as difficult to deal with as choosing between a pair of nice Dynaudios and a pair of nice Revels :-)

I own the Contour 3.0's, and the local shop that carries Dynaudio is first rate all the way, while the shop that carries Revel has them set up in a display room that has all sorts of other gear in it and a 2-story glass wall along one of the long sides of the room, so I have no real hands-on experience with the Revels. I have found the Dyanaudios not only positively enjoyable, but anything other than laid back. In fact, given that the Dynaudios have first-order cross-overs and the Revels a higher-order crossover, I'd expect the Dynaudio to sound more up front. In any case, I find the Contour series to be very involving.

The Revels have been so well reviewed everywhere, both by professional reviewers and by owners, that it's hard to imagine going wrong either way. It is true that for some strange reason, you can find the C5's very cheap slightly used much easier than most other Dynaudio models. In any case, my advice is that you should step back from the price and ask yourself if you have a clear favorite regardless of price, and if the answer is yes, find a way to go for it. The LAST thing you want is to be sitting there listening to the C5's (hopefully for years and years) constantly thinking, "man, I wish the price on those Revels had been a little better!".