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Revel Concerta2 M16 Loudspeaker

Revel Concerta2 M16 Loudspeaker

To paraphrase the famous TV commercial about a trusted brand, “When Revel talks, I listen.” Revel, a brand from the Harman Luxury Group, is a company that takes its speaker designs very seriously. Its models are released for the long haul, not willy-nilly, and updated if—and only if—the R&D and performance rewards actually merit a change. Having taken this approach, Revel and the team led by Acoustics Technologies Manager Kevin Voecks have sustained a noteworthy track record for the brand’s model-to-model musical and technical chops. One most recent example is the impressive mid-priced Performa3 that I track-tested in Issue 234. Revel’s latest series revamp is the Concerta2—and it might be even more impressive. Representing the company’s value line of loudspeakers, the collection includes a pair of towers, the F36 and F35, the C25 center, and the S16 surround alongside the sole stand-mounted compact, the $900-per-pair M16, the subject of this review.

Visually the line has been refreshed and refined with smartly contoured enclosures, high-gloss finishes, and elegant design accents. There are no visible front baffle screws and hardware; the grilles are magnetically affixed. The flush-mounted drivers seamless fit into the front baffle. Similarly well finished is the spotless back panel that houses the rear port, along with a nicely inset board for the single-wire speaker terminals. Informed by Performa3 technology, upgrades and advances include the one-inch aluminum tweeter with an integral phase ring that is mated to a new, fourth-generation Acoustic Lens Waveguide. This apparently simple device optimizes the blend between the tweeter and woofers and improves off-axis performance over a wider listening area. The 6.5″ mid/bass driver features an aluminum cone that minimizes distortion by improving rigidity without increasing mass. These improvements are designed to achieve the goal of ideal pistonic behavior across the frequency spectrum—the Holy Grail for cone transducers.

From my earliest impressions to my final fare thee-well, the M16 extolled classic Revel virtues: sonics that were striking in dynamic freedom, a neutral midband, good overall speed, and excellent inter-driver coherence—characteristics that unite to generate a tonal ripeness and image scaling that belie the M16’s stature. There’s a level of refinement and lack of artifice in the M16’s performance that helped express the tenderness and longing of Alison Krauss’ “You’re Just A Country Boy” within the intimacy of a live small-venue performance. Similarly, there was the distinctive metronomic strumming of a lone acoustic guitar during Rosanne Cash’s “If I Was A Man” that (when the volume was dialed in just so) was eerily present in my listening room.

Revel doesn’t design wallflowers that sonically shrink into the background, and the M16 followed suit with a certain forward swagger. Its midrange was tonally quite even but with an overlay of richness that was enhanced by the breadth of its nicely extended midbass, a difficult region for small monitors. Treble frequencies were also extended and detailed but did not possess quite the lightness, air, and bloom of the more sophisticated Performa3 tweeter. Still the M16’s overall character came down on the warmer side of the tonal fence and steered clear of the lean, brittle signature of many small monitors.

Nor was this speaker a “special effects” product that tried to capture the ear with false tweeter detail or recessive midrange energy in an effort to enhance depth and dimensionality. I noted a minor boost in the sibilance range that added some juice to the lower treble harmonics of brass and wind instruments, but it was more a benign enhancement than an off-putting distraction. Transients were nicely portrayed—quick but not overly etched or prickly, and invariably coupled to the reality of a live performance.

The M16’s low-frequency response floored me. It extended with confidence well into the midbass region of 50Hz or so. Allowing for room gain in my small listening space, there was easily perceivable output into the forty-cycle range. I could discern a little rise in the midbass region in my room setup that attached some big-speaker chestiness to baritone sax, acoustic bass, and male vocals but also shaded inner detail a smidge. However, the M16’s pitch stability and dynamic energy provided a steady and heavy anchor to pop rhythm sections. These same attributes—which were plainly demonstrated during Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and “Gold Dust Woman”—will also appeal to rock music aficionados. Port noise, however, was very well controlled with virtually no overhang. And the cabinet imparted little in the way of colorations or the absorption of transient energy that can tend to slow or soften the snap of a performance.

As the transducers neared their limits, bass resonances and natural sustain and decay were a little beyond the M16s’ reach; nonetheless, this level and quality of extension in a fifteen-inch compact created an illusion of orchestral weight, scale, and hall ambience that was hugely rewarding in a sub-thousand dollar speaker (even if it didn’t quite fool you into believing you sprung for Revel’s world-class Salon2 flagship).

How does the M16 compare with the M106, its upscale Performa3 sibling ($2000/pr.)? Quite well, actually. If you auditioned them side-by-side the sonic family resemblance would be obvious. Both exhibit the enveloping soundstage and foundational weight, the verve and energy of a midrange in sparkling balance.

However, there are distinctions. For example, during cellist Pieter Wispelwey’s rendition of Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, low-level edge detail softened slightly, with the proximity of instruments to one another less focused; in addition, the cello’s attack off the bow lacked the last dollop of dynamic intensity. In sum, at two grand the Performa3 M106 does what it was meant to do, but at less than half the price the Concerta2 M16 can hold its head high in this more elite crowd.

Perhaps the M16 performance’s most enthralling aspect is the fullness and cohesiveness of its soundstage and image presentation. The M16 doesn’t paint small sonic landscapes. Revel’s state-of-the-art multichannel systems make this manufacturer no stranger to creating immersive sonics, and clearly much of that expertise has rubbed off on its two-channel efforts. Indeed, the sense of three-dimensionality and “widescreen” scale were two of the M16’s most distinctive characteristics.

A prime example would be Frank Sinatra’s Only the Lonely classic “One for My Baby,” a track filled with enough ambience and spatiality to create the illusion of being in a smoky, late-night bar, the slightly muted piano in a dark pocket of a melancholy space, the listener sitting just a couple bar stools from the singer and the barkeep. It’s a cut that succeeds or fails based on capturing this mood. Little speakers don’t often have the sophistication and range to retrieve these key elements—the M16 did.

A good part of this capability is owed to the speaker’s excellent dispersion, à la the improved waveguide and Revel’s general philosophy about optimizing in-room power response (a measurement that factors in both of off- and on -axis performance). In this aspect the M16 bears a striking resemblance to the Performa3. There’s no beaminess. It’s the antithesis of the authoritarian type of “sweet spot” that commands the listener to sit as still as a statue to glean the magic. And I didn’t need to tilt, twist, or tweak them into hyper-specified positions. unlike most compacts. I just set them down and got out of the way.

The Concerta2 M16 is a class-leading compact. It operates at a level of refinement and excitement that belies its relatively easy affordability. I’ve surveyed quite a few compacts in the entry-level ranks recently and the choices are bountiful. Some recent blue-plate stars include the $499 Elac Uni-Fi UB5 and the under-$300 Elac Debut B5/B6—brilliant contenders that currently own their class. However if, wallet permitting, you’re considering stepping it up another notch, the Revel M16 is my choice for the compact monitor to beat in the one-grand-and-under segment.

Specs & Pricing

Type: Two-way, bass-reflex
Driver complement: 1″ aluminum dome tweeter, 6.5″ aluminum woofer
Low-frequency extension: 55Hz (-3dB)
Nominal impedance: 6 ohms
Sensitivity: 86dB
Dimensions: 14.75″ x 8.6″ x 10.76″
Weight: 16 lbs.
Price: $900/pr.

HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES
8500 Balboa Blvd.
Northridge, CA 91329
revelspeakers.com

Neil Gader

By Neil Gader

My love of music largely predates my enthusiasm for audio. I grew up Los Angeles in a house where music was constantly playing on the stereo (Altecs, if you’re interested). It ranged from my mom listening to hit Broadway musicals to my sister’s early Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Beatles, and Stones LPs, and dad’s constant companions, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. With the British Invasion, I immediately picked up a guitar and took piano lessons and have been playing ever since. Following graduation from UCLA I became a writing member of the Lehman Engel’s BMI Musical Theater Workshops in New York–working in advertising to pay the bills. I’ve co-written bunches of songs, some published, some recorded. In 1995 I co-produced an award-winning short fiction movie that did well on the international film-festival circuit. I was introduced to Harry Pearson in the early 70s by a mutual friend. At that time Harry was still working full-time for Long Island’s Newsday even as he was writing Issue 1 of TAS during his off hours. We struck up a decades-long friendship that ultimately turned into a writing gig that has proved both stimulating and rewarding. In terms of music reproduction, I find myself listening more than ever for the “little” things. Low-level resolving power, dynamic gradients, shadings, timbral color and contrasts. Listening to a lot of vocals and solo piano has always helped me recalibrate and nail down what I’m hearing. Tonal neutrality and presence are important to me but small deviations are not disqualifying. But I am quite sensitive to treble over-reach, and find dry, hyper-detailed systems intriguing but inauthentic compared with the concert-going experience. For me, true musicality conveys the cozy warmth of a room with a fireplace not the icy cold of an igloo. Currently I split my time between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Studio City, California with my wife Judi Dickerson, an acting, voice, and dialect coach, along with border collies Ivy and Alfie.

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