I know this is old news, but when Ultimate AV reviews a speaker system from a performance-oriented company like Revel, I wouldn’t want to miss out on this either. This system costs almost 15 grand!

The F52 is the front left and right speaker, and the C52 is the center speaker. The speakers have been quite overhauled from what their predecessors used to be like, and the improvement in sound is commensurate. The C52 center speaker is mounted on a somewhat flimsy stand, which is strange for a company of this pedigree. Included for the price on the speakers is two frequency contour controls. Read the review for exact details - to explain it here would require that I just copy the review verbatim.

Of course these speakers sound fantastic. For $15k, they better! The better question is: do they sound $15k fantastic? Only your ears and pocketbook can decide that!

Revel Performa F52 Speaker System

This one’s for you Steve! I don’t understand the fascination with this movie. I thought it was boring. But for those of you who like it, here’s another version you could potentially buy.

Terry Gilliam’s Brazil (1985)

Don’t tell my wife, but I need a new receiver. I really do. The ony I have now doesn’t even do component video switching, much less HDMI. It doesn’t process all the latest surround formats, and it only does the old 5.1 channel thing. Forget 7.1.

Marantz has a receiver that Ultimate AV recently reviewed that could fit my home theater nicely. It’s the Marantz SR9600 THX Ultra 2 receiver. It’s only (!!!) $4,199, but it’s Marantz’ flagship receiver, so they throw in everything. And by everything I mean seven channels of 140W amplification, 8 channels of 24/192 D/A conversion, two Firewire ports, a 9-band equalizer for each of the 7 channels, HDMI, and more. Thankfully that “and more” includes a full set of 4 coax and 4 optical digital inputs. Why do manufacturers so often skimp on one or the other?

The automatic speaker adjustment (at first time setup) was acually pretty good. Sometimes you have to fiddle with the settings a bit after these kind of systems do their thing. Unfortunately, the reviewer didn’t get much of a chance to review the auto-equalization.

But how does this receiver sound? It’s sounds really really good. Check the review for more. Part of the conclusion reads: “Were it not for pricing pressures and receiver “commoditization,” Marantz would be entitled to charge $6000 or $8000 for this truly exceptional receiver. Build quality is exemplary, sound quality is unassailable (for a receiver), and with 7 x 140-Watts of clean power, the SR9600 should be sufficiently powerful to drive most loudspeakers in medium sized home theater environments.” High praise.

The Marantz SR9600 THX Ultra 2 AV Surround Receiver