In the realm of audiophile quality speakers, the Revel F226Be or Magico S1 stand out as the top choices, offering a distinct style of listening. The F226Be is focused on the versatility of its sound and balance, while the S1 is designed to provide accuracy and clarity.
This comprehensive comparison can assist you in determining the best speaker for your requirements, whether you prefer dynamic performance or clarity for analysis.
Overview of Revel F226Be and Magico S1
Before we get into the finer details, let’s briefly review each speaker’s primary characteristics.
Revel F226Be
Type: 3-way floor-standing speakers
Tweeter: 1-inch beryllium dome
Midrange 5.25-inch Ceramic composite driver
Woofers: Two 6.5-inch cones of aluminium
Frequency Response: 44 Hz – 40 kHz
Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 90 dB
Price: Around $7,000 per pair
Magico S1
Type: Two-way floor-standing speaker
Tweeter: 1-inch beryllium dome
Midrange/Bass: 7-inch Nanotech midrange/woofer
Frequency Response: 32 Hz – 50 kHz
Impedance: 4 ohms
Sensitivity: 86 dB
Price: Around $16,000 per pair
Design and Build Quality
Each speaker is a masterpiece of quality, yet their construction concepts differ significantly.
Revel F226Be
Contemporary design with strengthened MDF cabinet to reduce resonance
Three-way speaker with one-inch beryllium tweeter 5.25-inch mid-range, and two 6.5-inch subwoofers
Colours: White, black or walnut and silver
Size: 42.6 inches
Magico S1
Cabinet made of aluminium extruded in a minimalist design to ensure durability and superior vibration reduction
Two-way system featuring a 1-inch beryllium tweeter as well as a 7-inch mid-bass driver infused with graphene
The enclosure is sealed to provide tighter, more subdued bass
Height 44 inches
The Downside
As my primary issue with the F228Be was with the cabinet, I was anticipating that this would be a problem with this model. However, the smaller dimensions of the speaker allowed it to better blend into the room audio and visually. It is essential to place the speaker in the right room because of the large and even dispersion pattern. It causes differences in initial reflections to be more noticeable when compared to speakers with smaller dispersion patterns.
The F226Be isn’t the type of “laid back” speaker; the Beryllium speaker is very transparent, which can result from poor materials or electronic components or perhaps when placed in areas with a lot of physical hard surfaces. There were no issues with this when I was in a big wooden-floored room. It was not a problem in a room with a carpeted floor.
Bottom Line
According to my experience, the Revel PerformaBe F226Be is a “jack of all trades” speaker. It can play the role of background music while there’s a discussion or having Motley Crue on the radio as you hurry to tidy the home before your partner gets back after work. It can effortlessly wear the transparent slipper that is the upper echelon audiophile pleasure. It can play music at low amounts and also at higher volumes and still provides the same level of satisfaction and enjoyment due to the ability to provide low-level dynamism. It was indeed a pleasure being able to listen to my collection of music with a moderate volume. This resulted in me not feeling fatigued for over a couple of hours. Instead of feeling the urge to increase the volume in order to experience specific “dynamics” (i.e., bass pressure) and causing fatigue from 20-30 minutes into my listening sessions. Then I … enjoyed … the awe-inspiring sound. (I would not be able to refuse to make a pun.)
And if you’re wondering whether this is a song that plays (insert your preferred genre of music here), then it does. This isn’t a single trick pony. A speaker isn’t meant to be. Some speakers, however, are.
Although I enjoyed the speaker in my theatre for listening to music or movies, it is the ideal size for an upright speaker for the living room, too. It’s not big enough to fill the space like a louder speaker (for instance, the larger F328Be). F328Be), however, once you’ve set it up against the wall. Additionally, it isn’t so small that it doesn’t seem like an effective bass competitor. And, let’s face it, there are a lot of psychoacoustics-related expectations versus actual performance when you are sitting and looking at a speaker. This speaker can do a fantastic job at evaluating visuals, as well as the form and function boxes.