Introduction The Salon is the flagship loudspeaker in the Revel lineup. Revel was established in 1997 as Madrigal’s premier speaker line to complement their electronics products, such as Mark Levinson and Proceed and, later, Madrigal Imaging and IRIQ remotes. Madrigal, which is owned and financed by Harman International, formed Revel with one intention – to produce the best loudspeakers in the world. A tremendous amount of money and design resources were allocated to this end, including the use of the largest speaker manufacturing facility in the world, the JBL & Infinity factory. In production since 1998, the Salon is a floor-standing loudspeaker system with a look of modern elegance. For better than a year, since the AudioRevolution.com review, I have made the smaller Revel Studios ($10,000 per pair) my reference loudspeakers. I welcomed the opportunity to review the much larger Salons. When I first laid eyes on the Salon, the thought that came to mind is ...

Introduction At $1,399, the 502D home theater system may prove to have the guts not only to break into the crowded market of bookshelf style speakers, but the technology to bust it wide open. The 502D system includes four 502D-LR satellite speakers, which house a five-inch magnetically-shielded woofer/midrange and a one-inch magnetically-shielded soft dome tweeter. The 502D-C center channel enclosure has basically the same configuration as the 502D-LRs, but its spade lug connectors are mounted to facilitate center channel horizontal placement. Each speaker component has been designed by Vifa, a Denmark-based company that has the reputation for producing high-quality and well-crafted components. To reduce resonance, these enclosures are constructed of solid plank hardwood, as opposed to veneer wrapped MDG particle board. These speakers also contain internal bracing and acoustic damping material to eliminate high-frequency reflection. They measure 11 inches high by six inches wide by six inches deep. For the bottom end, the 502D system includes the SW-12/320 long-throw ...

Introduction RBH Sound, named after chief designer Roger B. Hassing (not to be confused with the late James B. Lansing) has recently risen up as a contender in the highly competitive US loudspeaker market with a lineup of high performance affordable music and theater speakers. RBH speakers are known for their use of aluminum drivers like those found on Velodyne and Monitor Audio speakers. RBH dresses up their speakers in ultra sexy colors and wood finishes not too far from what you’d expect from the super boutique, high end loudspeaker manufacturers such as Wilson and THIEL. The system I evaluated includes the MC-6T speakers and TS-12AP powered subwoofer priced at $1099 pair (for cherry or semi gloss white finishes, $999 in the black oak finish) and $799, respectively. My MC-6T and TS-12AP both came finished in a very high quality cherry wood veneer with removable, black grille covers. I was shocked when I opened ...

Introduction RBH Sound, named after chief designer Roger B. Hassing (not to be confused with the late James B. Lansing) has recently risen up as a contender in the highly competitive US loudspeaker market with a lineup of high performance affordable music and theater speakers. RBH speakers are known for their use of aluminum drivers like those found on Velodyne and Monitor Audio speakers. RBH dresses up their speakers in ultra sexy colors and wood finishes not too far from what you’d expect from the super boutique, high end loudspeaker manufacturers such as Wilson and THIEL. The system I evaluated includes the MC-6T speakers and TS-12AP powered subwoofer priced at $1099 pair (for cherry or semi gloss white finishes, $999 in the black oak finish) and $799, respectively. My MC-6T and TS-12AP both came finished in a very high quality cherry wood veneer with removable, black grille covers. I was shocked when I opened ...

Introduction The Wilson WATT Puppy has been the reference standard loudspeaker for high-end consumer use for more than 10 years. David Wilson and his design team have taken a fresh look at their most popular loudspeaker with the version 6.0 release. Priced at $20,000 per pair, the new WATT Puppies are greatly improved over the former version, the 5.1s, in that they utilize new cabinet material and have better cabinet construction and design, as well as improved drivers. Version 6.0 WATT Puppies share a similar look with the previous versions, although the way the WATT now sits inside of the Puppy is different. Originally, the WATT was designed to be a portable monitor for location recording. It had no real bass, so Wilson ultimately developed the Puppy to extend the WATT’s low frequency performance to nearly full-range status. Version 6.0 finally fully physically integrates the WATT and the Puppy. Another difference between versions 5.1 and 6.0 ...