See the complete review of the Revel Concerta2 F36 Tower Speakers

Revel, part of the Harman group, has recently updated their entry level Concerta speaker line. I have owned the L/C/R and surrounds from the Concerta line for the last eight years, so I know how good they sound. Do the F36s bring more to the table than my tried-and-true F12s? Let’s see what’s changed.

Physically, there are a few obvious differences. The F36s are about two inches taller, the sides are now curved, the drivers are newly re-minted and the vinyl wood veneers have been modernized with automotive gloss finishes in either white or piano black. My review samples came in white and even though they reside in my home theater/music room, over time I have fallen in love with looks and style.

Revel Concerta F36 Front View

The insides have been revamped as well. These speakers are a great example of trickle-down technology from the Performa line. The woofers have been carefully redesigned and with a laser-based analysis of the resulting prototypes, they are shown to move with ideal symmetry resulting in lower distortion and purer sound quality. The cones are still made with Revel’s patented Micro-Ceramic Composite (MCC) to ensure ideal piston-like performance, eliminating resonances that would otherwise color the sound. MCC is basically a ceramic material that is deposited onto a thin layer of aluminum, giving the cone both low mass and high rigidity. Since this speaker design is considered a two-and-a-half-way system, the top woofer is given its own crossover to make it a mid-range driver, leaving the other two 6.5 inch cones to produce the bass.

The aluminum dome tweeter has been reconstructed and placed in its own chamber. The new design also allows the tweeter/midrange crossover to be set an octave lower for better directivity. This also helps eliminate mechanical resonance and the wave guide helps it blend seamlessly with the mid. The fourth-generation acoustic lens waveguide also helps the tweeter blend better with the midrange driver. The port in the back is newly designed to reduce chuffing. They call this new tech Constant Pressure Gradient (CPG) technology. It’s designed so that the inner wall of the port is contoured, allowing changes in pressure from inlet to outlet duct to be constant, which reduces turbulence.

Revel is known for its extensive research and testing of their speakers. A lot of thought, design and engineering have gone into this new line and my upcoming review will let you know if I think they are indeed better than the originals (why does this remind me of a Terminator movie?). The marketplace for $2000/pair speakers is pretty crowded, but I think from what I have heard so far, Revel is on to something good with the Concerta2 line.

See the complete review of the Revel Concerta2 F36 Tower Speakers