REVELL Ultima2 Salon2, Ultima2 Gem2, Ultima2 Studio2, Ultima2 Voice2 Brochure

A true reference-caliber loudspeaker is a rarity in

the world of music and cinema–its introduction

an event that reverberates throughout the

industry. And no company better understands

this phenomenon than Revel. When its Ultima

Series premiered in 1997, it was immediately

lauded by the most discriminating reviewers and

audiophiles as one of the world’s best. Ultima has

since been honored as a reference standard of

uncompromising musicality, unbridled dynamism

and fidelity to the recorded event.

The Challenge

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Kevin Voecks | Director, Revel Products

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Ultima’s state-of-the-art music and cinema

systems accurately capture the magic and raw

emotion of the live performance as well as the

pulse-quickening excitement of a surround-

sound movie soundtrack. Eight years later Revel’s

world-class engineering and design team faced

an even greater challenge; how to surpass a

legend? It would mean a reimagining of the

current state of the art–a groundbreaking

new concept.

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A collection of four entirely new models–the

Revel Salon2 and Revel Studio2 floor-standing

loudspeakers, the Revel Gem2 on-wall or

stand-mounted loudspeaker, and the Revel

Voice2 center-channel loudspeaker. Ultima2

combines a dazzling visual aesthetic while

affording unmatched flexibility for any style and

configuration of listening space–from the

modest den, to the high-flow family area, to the

dedicated media room.

With the unparalleled resources of its parent

company, Harman International, at its disposal,

Ultima2 represents the most exhaustively

researched and developed, critically evaluated

and rigorously crafted products in Revel’s ten

year history. Setting new standards in accuracy,

refinement and seat-of-the-pants excitement,

the Ultima2 Series is nothing less than a

celebration of Revel’s passionate commitment

to performance.

Introducing the Ultima2 Series

–the new summit in the

art of loudspeaker design

From any point of view, the Ultima2 series is a

feast for the eyes. Each sensuous line and arc the

realization of form and function that not only

flatters a listening area but elevates the listening

experience to new heights. Available in either

a shimmering high-gloss mahogany veneer or

a high-gloss piano-black finish, Ultima2’s true

beauty is much more than skin deep.

Vision Is Never Outsourced

Beneath the clean elegant contours of the

cabinet lies a robust, single-piece, nine-layer MDF

construction. From the narrow sonically-opti-

mized baffles to the complex radius-edge details,

every curve is earned. The benefits include

vanishingly low diffraction, exceptional disper-

sion characteristics and the smoothest possible

response, both on- and off-axis. And the high-

resolution analysis of laser interferometer scans

insures that the cabinet is as inert as it is

stunning. Even the speaker grilles have been

uniquely attended to. They are easily removable

for the most critical listening and are magnet

-ically attached, leaving no unsightly hardware

fittings to mar the exquisite finish.

From its inception ten years ago, Revel was a

company designed from the ground up to pursue

the ever-evolving state of the art in loudspeaker

design and manufacturing. With the vast resources

of its parent company, Harman International, at its

disposal, innovation, craftsmanship and vision were

not merely encouraged. In fact, they were expected.

Against this challenging backdrop formed an

international team of researchers, acousticians,

acoustic system and mechanical engineers, all

charged with the mission of developing nothing less

than the world's finest loudspeakers.

Unlike some competitors, Revel’s top-to-bottom

in-house engineering team addressed every element

of loudspeaker design. Revel rejected off-the-shelf

transducers often “tweaked” for a modest gain in

performance. Rather, all new transducers were

designed from scratch with the assistance of

powerful Computer Aided Design software and

Finite Element Analysis. Working prototypes were

exhaustively tested and retested by engineering

equipment purpose-built to reveal the smallest

flaws. While other companies might rely on anechoic

simulations, which often fail to reveal performance

flaws, Revel used actual anechoic chambers–in fact it

proudly uses three of them. Tolerances were honed

using a Stereo Lithography Apparatus (SLA). These

results were evaluated and advanced manufacturing

processes were subsequently developed to narrow

tolerances to ever finer gradations. The mandate of

unmatched unit-to-unit consistency was enforced

with an inspired combination of high-tech and

old-school–sophisticated test measurements,

coupled with rigorous hand tuning for every

loudspeaker produced.

A Company That Listens

True anechoic
chambers provide
accurate data that
electronic simulation
cannot match.

Detail of the Multichannel Listening Lab (MLL) with the
acoustically transparent curtain opened to reveal the
speaker-switching stage–a computer controlled platform
and pneumatic conveyor system that can exchange
speakers and reposition them in precisely the same
location in just a few seconds. All tests are conducted
“double blind” so that no one is aware of the identity of
the changing speakers.

Yet these advancements were merely pieces in

a much larger and more complex puzzle. The

reference-quality performance for which Revel is

renowned is due to much more than the sum of its

component parts, its exquisite craftsmanship, or its

relentless R&D. It was instinctively understood at

Revel that test equipment can’t begin to appreciate

a symphonic score, the rhythm of reggae or the

urban pulse of hip-hop. And for all its objective

sophistication a computer cannot match the most

sensitive component of all–the human ear. Yet, on

the other hand, mere seat-of-the-pants listening

impressions were also deemed far too subjective

and inconsistent. A seemingly unbridgeable divide.

But what if the principles of each discipline,

objectivist and subjectivist, could be woven into a

single body of thought, validated by rigorous and

repeatable testing systems? Inspired Revel

engineers hastened forth a new era of Musically

Relevant Measurements. MRM was developed to

actually correlate to sound quality. It created

original listening tests and a suite of measurements

that yielded data that didn’t merely look good on a

cold sheet of graph paper, but audibly translated

into sound reproduction that more closely

represented what we actually hear.

Revel’s Multichannel Listening Lab (MLL) is a core

example of the advanced listening techniques

Revel’s team has devised to provide an accurate

correlation between objective laboratory measure-

ments like those recorded in an anechoic chamber

and “in-room” sonic performance like the average

listener might experience at home. MLL represents

the industry’s most sophisticated listening facility,

allowing trained panelists to compare speakers

under genuine “double blind” conditions. Listening

lab panelists aren’t subjected to test tones and

noise patterns. Rather, they listen to a variety of

familiar music, able to repeat tracks as necessary

while they tabulate their conclusions. Revel’s tests

are based on extensive real world listening to

numerous different environments that simulate a

wide range of residential settings and room sizes.

Such a multifaceted process is just another factor

that keeps Revel many sonic steps ahead of its

competition. Nothing, however, can prepare the

discriminating listener for the full Ultima2

experience. Regardless of orientation–from the

traditional two-channel audiophile, to the dedicat-

ed surround sound cineaste or the high resolution

multichannel maven, there’s a Revel Ultima2 series

system designed to exceed every expectation.

Experience a Revelation: Ultima2 by Revel

Diffraction results when the radiated wave

from a transducer strikes what is often a sharp

edge at the front of its enclosure. The result is

a secondary diffractive wave that reaches the

listener delayed in time–a delay that results in

an adverse effect on frequency response. The

impact is audible and can be experienced as

degraded timbre, a lack of image focus and an

incoherent soundstage. Revel engineers

researched a myriad of alternative shapes

that would virtually eliminate diffraction

effects. Its findings, as beautiful as they are

scientifically sound, have been realized in the

Ultima2 series.

Taking the Edge off Diffraction

On-axis response of a Salon2 enclosure (black trace)
compared to a conventional enclosure (red trace),
indicate the profound influence of Ultima2’s
optimized baffle and enclosure.

A conventional square-edged speaker. Note
how the off-axis curves for the square-edged
speaker are rough with response anomalies as
illustrated by the jagged series of response
lines. Ultima2 exhibits extraordinarily smooth,
controlled off-axis response.

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Contrasting “waterfall” curves demonstrate
the anti-diffraction benefits of Ultima2 baffle
and enclosure technology.

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of the Ultima2 series is a completely new family of

transducers designed exclusively by the Revel team

for the Ultima2 series. Created to give full voice to

music’s every expression, Ultima2 drivers represent

the current nexus of science and art. Conceived

using state of-the-art Computer Aided Design

software (CAD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA),

the seven unique drivers in the Ultima2 Series reside

at the summit of current transducer technology.

Whether it's the splash of a cymbal, the upper

register of a Steinway or the final note of an aria,

Ultima2’s exotic new 1-inch tweeter is a sonic

wonder and a technological tour-de-force. It sports

a pure beryllium dome and Revel’s third-generation

waveguide for astounding dispersion. Shared by

the entire family of Ultima2 loudspeakers, it bests

its predecessor with an even higher output capabil-

ity and lower dynamic compression, setting new

Revel standards for breathtaking transparency and

low coloration. Not to be overshadowed is the all

new collection of Ultima2 woofer and midrange

transducers which feature inverted-dome designs

and titanium diaphragms–a material noted for its

very high tensile strength. The unique geometry of

Ultima2’s inverted domes delivers superb pistonic

behavior even at maximum sound levels. Oversized

voice coils wound with flat copper “ribbon” wire

assure remarkable high output capability and the

lowest possible dynamic compression. The ribbon-

wire voice coils also exhibit superior heat transfer

and improved efficiency. The inverted, dual

neodymium magnet motor configuration combines

sheer power with excellent magnetic shielding and

efficient packaging. An array of sophisticated

distortion reduction mechanisms has also been

incorporated and includes an aluminum flux

stabilization ring and, in specific units, a conductive

copper ring–innovations that audibly reduce second

and third order harmonic distortions. Collectively

these innovations represent the pinnacle in

transducer design and a dramatic improvement in

sonic performance from the original Ultima Series.

At the very heart

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