Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Hales Design Group Revelation 2 Speakers by jonbee

Model:	Revelation 2
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$1700
Description:	3 way floor stander
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available

Review by jonbee ( A ) on May 27, 2006 at 11:55:11
IP Address: 24.19.38.53

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for the Revelation 2

Sadly, Hales Design Group is no more. Through the 90s they produced a succession of very refined, highly thought of speakers. Originally they were distinctly upmarket, but around '96 they introduced the Revelation line with the 1, a two way standmount, and the 2 and 3, 3 ways which differed only by woofer and cabinet size. Reviews of these models by the press and users alike was very positive; many considered them to be best buys in their price ranges.
The 2 and 3 use proprietary 8 and 10 in woofers, respectively. The 2 has good clean bass output to around 35 hz., and the 3 extends into the 20s.
They both use a Vifa 4.5 in. mid and a Vifa 1" aluminum dome tweeter. Replacement mids and tweets still available(as of 5/06) from parts dealers.
As Hales is no longer around, the prices on used models has plummeted. 3s are available at $1k and under, and 2s at $700 or less. I bought my 2s for $500 with a few dings.
Initial impressions of the 2 were that they have an upfront, dynamic, and very smooth, well balanced sound. There are no obvious colorations anywhere, and the soundstage has good depth and excellent detail.
The high point of this speaker is the midrange from 250-2500 hz., covered by the Vifa mid. This all important part of the range is about as natural and believable as any speaker I've heard, at ANY price. The balance and naturalness of vocals is truly gorgeous, and piano has a beautiful balance of complex overtones and percussiveness. It is fully competitive in that range with my Thiel 3.6s. The Thiels are a bit less upfront in midrange perspective, but otherwise very similar. The Revel F30s I owned recently, while very detailed and fast, did not have the spot on mid balance of the Thiel or Hales.
The bass is very tight and defined, to around 35 hz., and rolls off smoothly from there. The only complaint I have is that the integation of the midbass to the lower midrange is a bit unclear, compared to the Thiels, which are a model of integration from top to bottom.
On top, the tweeter is very detailed and informative. Compared to the very best, though, it has just a touch of extra crispness and can get congested when driven hard. This is minor, IMO, and I can listen to them at high volume all day without fatigue.
Compared to my long time fave Thiels, the only other minor deficiency is that that width of the image doesn't extend to the left and right nearly as much.
No speaker is perfect, but the minor deficiencies of these compared to some of the best available is utterly out of proportion to the current price. As much as I liked the Revel F30, I would choose the Rev.2 for long term listening, although the bass is not as deep. If I wanted full bass response as well, the larger Rev. 3 will supply that too.
The Rev. 2 fills my 18x16 living room well enough. In a smaller room I would stick with the 2; in a larger room the 3 would be a better choice.
I think these are among the very best bargains in floorstanders in the used market. I could happily live with these long term; as I have a full stable here I will be giving them to my daughter.

Product Weakness: Slight extra crispness on top, slightly imperfect driver integration compared to best- company out of business.
Product Strengths: Detail, speed, gorgeously believable mids, nice cabinets, beautiful construction (70 lbs.!) tight, low coloration bass-dirt cheap!

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	modded PS Audio HCA2
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	PS Audio PCA2
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Modwright Sig. Truth Sony 999
Speakers:	see text
Cables/Interconnects:	Goerttz TQ(silver) ics, .99999 braided silver speaker
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	lots, plus movies
Room Size (LxWxH):	18 x 16 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	mostly glass-fairly live- eats bass
Time Period/Length of Audition:	1 week
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	monster 2000 on sources
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Slight extra crispness on top, slightly imperfect driver integration compared to best- company out of business.
Product Strengths:	Detail, speed, gorgeously believable mids, nice cabinets, beautiful construction (70 lbs.!) tight, low coloration bass-dirt cheap!