Affordable EXCELLENCE? Revel M105 loudspeaker review

Revel Performa3 M105: www.revelspeakers.com/product...
A review of the Revel Performa3 M105 bookshelf / stand speakers including measurements and comparisons to the Harbeth P3ESR XD, specifications, driveability and sound impressions.
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My top recommended HEADPHONE AMPS (prices in USD)
Schiit Magni - $119 - www.schiit.com/products/magni...
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Moondrop Dawn Pro - $50 - amzn.to/3y2dd57
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00:00 Introduction
00:19 Glamour video
01:08 Price & specs
02:27 Design & looks
05:01 Sound quality
07:24 Sound quality after correction
09:10 Revel M105 vs Harbeth P3ESR XD
13:51 Final conclusions
#audiophile #audioreview #speakers

[@aceofspades6667]

Really enjoying the maturation of the channel into new lines of products. Well done!

[@PassionforSound]

Thank you! Hopefully the ongoing direction will remain interesting and enjoyable 🙂

[@aceofspades6667]

@@PassionforSound I’m always with the channel 🙌

[@PassionforSound]

♥️

[@christernicolaisen6537]

Great review. Would love to see you review the Krix Equinox. That little Australian speaker is very popular here in Norway, very good for small rooms. And also works surprisingly well in a larger room as well.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll see what I can do

[@shanestephenson8423]

Interesting review, Lachlan👍

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks Shane! Looking forward to catching up and talking collaborations soon.

[@adrianconti5718]

Great review as always…. Love you to review Australian made speakers from the like ls of Krix, VAF or even more budget like encel!

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm still new enough to speakers that I know all of those names, but didn't know they were Aussie made! I'll definitely see what I can do.

[@hail9444]

I'd like to see you review the Kali IN8V2 3 way speakers. I demoed them a few months back and was floored by the sound quality for the price, so much so that I ended up buying a pair.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into them

[@dajikbatarang1]

Love the speaker reviews

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for letting me know. They're not getting as many views, but I've got more planned to see if I can grow the audience a bit for these.

[@dajikbatarang1]

@@PassionforSound Ya your main audience is headphone based. Me being a 2 channels guy I came for the DAC reviews but since you added speakers I’m really enjoying the channel much more.

[@PassionforSound]

That's great to hear! Hopefully more and more people like you will find me as time goes by 🙂

[@krihanek117]

I'm very happy with my M106s paired with SVS SB-1000 Pro subs. My pre-amp is set to roll off 24db at 60hz.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for sharing your experience! The Revels are a very solid speaker for the price.

[@Kbaum752]

I've had mine for about a year. Paired with a rega brio and RELt5I. Very musical and compelling.

[@PassionforSound]

So glad you're enjoying them! They're definitely a nice speaker and excellent at the price.

[@HyliAir]

Nice articulate review! I also find the treble is twangy at times, noticeable on right side of the piano keyboard. They need very components and cables to sound their best.

[@PassionforSound]

Glad you liked the review. Thanks for sharing your impressions!

[@roufali3178]

Yes M105 has a slight peakiness around 4-5khz aka Metallica sound

[@jimfarrell4635]

Great review. I have the M106 bigger brother in a second system. They replaced a pair of non meta LS50 and to my taste they are better by a fair margin. Best of all I paid less than half price in the UK at £999 a pair brand new. Not sure if they are still available at that price but they were a steal.

[@net_news]

I had the M106s and the LS50 (not meta) and I've found both totally meh.

[@PassionforSound]

I'm yet to try the passive Kef speakers. Hopefully I'll get to them in 2024.

[@losriosprofundos2113]

I’ve had the 106s for three years and really like them. I really disliked the LS50. The 106s are great if you’re looking for a neutral speaker. The bass response is rock solid. I don’t find the treble to sound unnatural, but I’m using them with a Pontus II r2r dac.

[@PassionforSound]

I can definitely understand your impressions of the Revels. I think they're a really solid speaker that only falls a tiny bit short of the much more expensive Harbeths.

[@coreyrobinson2546]

Thanks for this! I know very little about these particular measurables discussed but I just purchased these speakers to upgrade my turntable set up. Based off your review I think I made a good choice for my budget! I am upgrading from a pair of Audioengine A5+ powered speakers. That being said I know very little about amps for passive speakers. I picked up a Aiyima A07 amp to use with my new M105s…is that sufficient or should I be shelling out for something nicer? It’s my first time needing an amp so I’m not sure what to look for. Thanks again for the great video!

[@PassionforSound]

Glad you liked the video! I don't know much about your amp (other than having heard it discussed online), but I'd suggest that it's a good starting point, but one that will eventually limit what your speakers are capable of. I'd recommend upgrading the amp when you can, but take some time to enjoy it first because it will already sound lovely.

[@DarkFire515]

Not sure if they're available in Australia but if they are I would strongly recommend checking out the Q Acouustics M20 active speakers. They're far better than their modest price tag would suggest.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@joshchacko7729]

Huh. Interesting. Thanks man.

[@PassionforSound]

A pleasure 🙂

[@joshchacko7729]

@@PassionforSound Praying for ya man. You have good content, but this subscription base just isn't growing as much as I think you deserve. I'll like and throw comments whenever I get time/remember. Stay wise.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks Josh! I've got lots of ideas that I'm trying to see what works (some subtle, some not so much). I appreciate the support!

[@yugioh887]

Please review the Kef R3 meta vs m105!

[@PassionforSound]

I'll see what I can arrange

[@hartyewh1]

I had Revel F35's and recently got F228Be's since nothing else I tested came close in coherence and smoothness. I've recommended M16's to many friends who had LS50's (/Metas) and most changed to them. A far more enjoyable experience in my opinion.

[@PassionforSound]

That's interesting! Perhaps I'll need to explore more of their range 🙂

[@hartyewh1]

@@PassionforSound I think I also tried these once and found them a bit thin sounding while the cheaper M16 was quite capable.

[@PassionforSound]

It's hard to know because my room acoustics prevent anything from sounding thin 😁

[@Cmdaddy88]

@@PassionforSoundPlease do explore more of the range, the Be series is supposed to be even better though it sacrifices LF extension for higher sensitivity

[@PassionforSound]

I'll see what I can do 🙂

[@seanb3303]

R3 Meta review plz

[@PassionforSound]

I'll see what I can arrange 🙂

[@tessie4204]

Are these better then the RP-500MKII?

[@PassionforSound]

I haven't tried those, but would like to. I expect the Klipsch speakers might have a little more deliberate character to their sound, but that's just a guess and might be better or worse depending on your tastes.

[@apparentlyretrograde]

Science is all awesome and stuff, but I'm waiting for some really great speakers made using witchcraft and voodoo. 😂

[@PassionforSound]

Yes please! 🧙‍♀️🪄

[@dangerzone007]

DSP is digital signal processing.

[@PassionforSound]

Ok

[@dangerzone007]

If the bass isn't nice it means you've got the speaker positioning wrong.

[@PassionforSound]

Or the room isn't treated

[@hartyewh1]

I love Revels, but they wide dispersion does reduce the bass dynamics a bit and many other brands beat them in that one aspect, but a few compete in others.

[@dangerzone007]

@@hartyewh1 bass is always wide dispersion.

[@hartyewh1]

@@dangerzone007 I mean at 100Hz and maybe up to even 200Hz. Somehow the impact and often depth of bass is the weakest aspect of the Revels. Even the F228Be's really need a sub to not feel limited in that sense.

[@dangerzone007]

@@hartyewh1 yes most small speakers need a sub.