OK, glad that was what you were wanting. There is a difference between transparency and brightness. Too often the two are mistakenly intertwined. Brightness can bring "detail" but it tends to lend a steely or harsh quality to the sound, while transparency provides an easy, open, detailed and "clear" sound that is natural and organic (sweet, extended, airy) in character. Brightness brings detail at the expense of the "body" and visceral power of the sound, but transparency brings detail and "air" while embracing the "body" and visceral power of the sound. I'm not sure that i'm making any sense, but .... to me, in my room and with my gear the F228Be's are transparent, open, airy, natural, sweet, powerful, dynamic and organic - just as Kal described them in his review. That having been said, my HF hearing (age 60) is not stellar anymore, so others may hear something that I do not. The measurements seem to indicate that the F228Be's are very good to a very high frequency, but I know that I hear very little above 12 kHz now. So, ?????

Understood... and appreciated - even at age 79.

This is the revel forum where the question was f228be or a3 or 3f. My first revels were the performa 2 F 52 that I sold to finance the salon that I sold to finance the salon 2. The salon 2 could image and that tweeter is really something. As to soundstaging the f52 were my favorite and if that speaker had had a better tweeter in it I would probably have stopped there. it was a much easier load than the ultima 2 so I actually got more bass from the smaller drivers in the smaller box, sure the salon has a higher ceiling I just can't afford to reach it.
That said I believe I would get the best results from the easiest of the 3 speakers to drive and that would be the 3f. That doesn't make it the best speaker, just the one I think I can get the best out of. I heard the f228 be in the exact same place I listened and subsequently bought the salon 2 and they sounded pretty good drivin by top of the line ML separates, not salon 2 good, but at 1/2 the price pretty good.

It's fun to compare the products in the same price range, we could have added the contour 60. but it's like asking somebody what color car you should get. My experience is after the room, placement and then components can change the sound so much that without a home demo we are throwing darts. I respect the investment revel makes to develop their speakers, but they're not the only ones trying to get it right. Life is short, buy them all, that's what I'm doing, it's fun and when I'm done maybe I'll pick one to keep forevah. wait is revel coming out with an active dsp salon 3!!!

I am waiting for that, too. :thumbsup: