$4000 Revel VS $350 Wharfedale | The Results Might Surprise You!
Video Statistics and Information
Channel: GR-Research
Views: 271,545
Rating: 4.8652496 out of 5
Keywords: Tuesday Tech Talk, audiophile, hifi, loudspeaker, fullrange driver, comb filtering, GR-Research, Danny Richie, crossover design, measurements, best loudspeakers, tube amplifier, preamplifier, diy speakers, audiophile speakers, audiophile music, amplifier, best voice, audiophiles, high end, open baffle, fast bass, subwoofers, drivers, high power handling, low distortion, the room, speaker upgrade, audiophile loudspeakers, crossovers, DIY Audio, soundstage, Revel, Wharfedale
Id: 1S-jTJK43t0
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 17min 2sec (1022 seconds)
Published: Wed Apr 28 2021
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Is this shocking to anyone in Audio.Sorry but one the biggest hype in audio is audio cables.My brother in law is a engineer and somewhat a audiophile and when he reads some of the ads for $5000 cables he just laughs when they try to use some scientific jargon to promote the cables.I've been a "audiophile" for decades and what gets me excited these days are ChiFi items coming out that cost $75 for IEM and $700 for class D amps that sound damn amazing.
Genuinely feels like diminishing returns heavily intersecting economies of scale and more money being spent on the appearance of the cabs. Most people won't open up a speaker to make changes, so talking tweaks for optimization is great for DIYers but not helpful for the general market. Cool video. Like seeing comparisons show how DIY efforts can wring more out of both.
This reminds me of people buying sleeper performance cars and wringing them out (the old 80s Buick Grand National is an amazing example) to get wild bang for the buck. Glad someone is doing side-by-side like this. Maybe we'll find the Grand National of budget speakers if we keep pressing in this method.
Funny - I love Revels, but the vids making me realize I love Revel's at second hand prices
I bought my Revel M16's used for not much more than the Wharfedales. And the previous owner actually did the upgrades to the crossover caps being discussed here. Although I haven't AB tested with an unmodded to really tell the difference. But prior had used M12's that I loved as well. Their retail prices really are outside of what I'd consider paying for though.
So I went for Wharfedale Linton Heritage speakers, largely because at the time Harbeth/Spendor and similar models were too dear for me. The Lintons comfortably outperform my first ever speakers - B&W DM2a, which cost the equivalent of about Β£2350 today, twice what I spent on the Lintons, with stands. At 65, Iβm probably wise enough not to spend more on a difference that might not be there, and is beyond my hearing if it is. Whatever else, British design and Chinese manufacturing has brought down the entry cost. Iβve subsequently bought a pair of Wharfedale Denton 85s just to play with. And theyβre probably closer in overall capability to the DM2s at a quarter of the price in real terms. Iβd love UK-built speakers but canβt justify them without a windfall of some sort. FWIW, I wouldnβt mod my own speakers, beyond replacing connectors or whatever.
As someone who paid $40 for a pair of those exact Wharfedales on CL (needed one pair of new binding posts, and later I replaced the rubber surrounds which cracked), I've got no complaints.
Remember wharfedale is a reputable company been around for over 85 years,theres a reason for that.
I'm shocked that almost everyone seem to take this serious! This guy is selling power cords for 250 euro and he's using an FM radio to "prove" that only his speaker cables are good. It's a known FACT(measured a 100+ times) that power cables and speaker cables have ZERO effect on audio quality (besides thickness of speaker cables for a specific length).
All measurements on these two speakers are flawed; he's using an insane octave that flattens out almost ALL spikes and dips in the measurements and the measurements are WITHOUT the bass (it starts at 200hz !). He's not saying ANYTHING about the off axis response (something that Revel is the best in), no distortion measurements etc. etc. it's a scam to sell his own crossover parts. And besides that; do you really think that this guy knows everything better then Revel/Wharfedale themself? You will probably only ruin the balance that is carefully matched in these speakers by changing those crossover parts.
Really unbelievable that he gets away with it so easy and I'm the first one that posts this here.. ! I now start questioning myself: what on earth am I wasting my time for by telling you guys this? You should all know better! Come on!! Think again!
This is just the reality of boutique products. They depend on sparse dealer network and high margins to make a decent profit. Not really anything special compared to DIY besides the nice looking cabinet.
The way he goes over the xover costs makes me feel like we pay a ton for these components when buying individually. The cost of the revel xover is really 12-18$ in parts?