The QUAD Revela Series is a striking new speaker series from QUAD – the originators of ‘The Closest Approach To The Original Sound’.
The Revela 1 and Revela 2 harness highly evolved versions of classic QUAD technologies that can be traced back to 1949 and QUAD’s first speaker system, the Corner Ribbon. These technologies, elevated to breathtaking new heights using modern materials and advanced contemporary design, have delivered two new models that are easy to accommodate and utterly beguiling to hear.
The Revela 1 is a standmount speaker with a two-way driver configuration and dimensions of 395 x 246 x 386mm (HxWxD). The Revela 2 is a three-way floorstander with the same cabinet width and depth (although the plinth is a little wider/deeper) and a height of 962mm. Both models are available in luxuriously lacquered black or walnut finish options, the latter featuring a striking combination of wood veneer interlinked with piano black.
Natural highs
A critical component of both Revela models is the new QUAD True Ribbon high-frequency driver. With its origin stretching back more than 70 years, QUAD’s ribbon driver has evolved over many product generations. This new version took four years to develop and is unquestionably the finest iteration yet.
The Revela’s True Ribbon driver delivers effortlessly extended high frequencies that are audibly superior not only to those supplied by typical dome tweeters, but also other planar driver types that are not ‘true ribbons’. It works by positioning a ribbon of thin aluminium foil in a high-strength magnetic field, through which the audio signal flows from the amplifier.
The advantage of this ‘true ribbon’ design is that the diaphragm is fully energised by the audio signal and does not suffer from the breakup modes and resonances encountered in domes and other planar types. Being driven evenly over the whole radiating surface and having a mass that is typically one-tenth that of a dome means that the precision and transient response of the ribbon to the audio signal from the amplifier yields a remarkably clean, detailed and pure output. The ribbon responds to the most subtle waveforms and correctly relays the harmonics of instruments and vocals in recordings to provide a realistic sense of space,depth and air.
The big reveal
QUAD’s engineers have developed a new material for the Revela speakers’ mid/bass diaphragms – a unique formulation of wood pulp and artificial fibres named ‘Reveal’ because of its natural, transparent and detailed output. By adding artificial fibres – like para-aramids – to the pulp, the Reveal diaphragm is further damped and strengthened, providing superior bass control and smoothing upper-midrange resonances.
The Reveal diaphragm is incorporated into a driver built on a cast chassis and fitted with a high-power magnet and voice coils to achieve high sensitivity. The Revela 1 features a single 165mm mid/bass driver, whereas the Revela 2 dedicates two 165mm drivers to bass frequencies with a 150mm unit handling the midrange.
Boxing clever
The Revela speakers’ cabinets utilise optimally stressed and braced panels with generously radiused edges to reduce unwanted diffraction effects. Around the back, bass reflex ports (the Revela 1 has one, the Revela 2 has two) include longitudinal splines that help smooth airflow and increase the efficiency of the reflex system for deep, powerful bass performance.
For the all-black finish option, multiple layers of lacquer are applied over deep black veneer to provide a lustrous finish, protect the cabinet and help damp unwanted acoustic radiation. The walnut finish option maintains the piano black front baffle, top and base, and adds interlocked wood veneer on the sides and rear, again generously lacquered.
Commenting on the Revela speakers’ design, QUAD’s Director of Acoustic Design, Peter Comeau, said: “QUAD has been responsible for many audio innovations since the mid-twentieth century. The ribbon tweeter is one such creation, and we are delighted to have developed a new version of QUAD’s ‘true ribbon’ driver as a centrepiece of the Revela design. Our Reveal cone material is another breakthrough, engineered to match seamlessly with the ribbon treble unit and ensure the listener revels in effortless drama and detail as music fills the room. These are QUAD’s first new speakers for seven years and we have worked tirelessly to ensure they embody the natural sonic realism that is the hallmark of QUAD, in line with the company’s traditional dictum: ‘The closest approach to the original sound’.
