[Rick Craig]

Kudos to my fine cabinetmaker and finisher...

[ZAKski288]

Very nice  ZAK

[paul79]

Ya, you better keep him happy

[jonbee]

Beautiful, and a very interesting design. Top notch stuff, as usual.

[Rick Craig]

Beautiful, and a very interesting design. Top notch stuff, as usual.

I received a request to re-purpose some drivers the owner had taken from other designs. He also wanted a high gloss finish and curved cabinets so we built new designs from the ground up. The mains are actually a 3-way with the upper 7" Scan-Speak Revelator driver serving as a mid. The lower driver is an Illuminator 7". The center channel shares the same woofers but uses a 5.5" Revelator to keep the height reasonable. All three speakers share the same Scan-Speak beryllium tweeter.

[maxboy00]

Very nice, is the freq range the same as the Tempestas?

[Rick Craig]

Very nice, is the freq range the same as the Tempestas?

No - it's a sealed box designed for use with a subwoofer.

[ricardojoa]

The center cabinet is really nice.
The combination of front drivers are a little odd though.

[FireGuy]

The center cabinet is really nice.
The combination of front drivers are a little odd though.

I agree the center channel workmanship is excellent.  Re the driver config... thinking not that odd...Axiom has done the same with their VP160 and it's been given high marks. 

[ricardojoa]

I meant the front speakers. just thought the illuminators arent using to the full potential.

[Rick Craig]

I meant the front speakers. just thought the illuminators arent using to the full potential.

The Wisconsin owner really liked the midrange capability of the 7" Revelator so that's why it was incorporated into the L/R pair. The Illuminator's strongest suit is its' bass and the two drivers integrate very well.

[jonbee]

The Wisconsin owner really liked the midrange capability of the 7" Revelator so that's why it was incorporated into the L/R pair. The Illuminator's strongest suit is its' bass and the two drivers integrate very well.

I've had speakers with both 7" drivers, and I think your characterization of them is on the money.
The Illuminator does go deeper. The mids on the Revelator are a bit richer sounding, the Illuminator more monitor-like, perhaps. Not necessarily better, IMO, but a slightly different flavor.
It sounds like it is using the best aspects of both, per the owner's tastes.
How does the dome tweeter integration compare to the RAAL?

[Carl V]

interesting and nice speakers Rick.

I too, have heard similar characterization
of the illuminator VS the Revelator.

Question: does the paper Illuminator
lean a bit more towards the Revelator's
sound & distortion profile.

Perhaps I might re-purpose a pair of SSRs.

Happy Easter Rick. I still enjoy my garnets & SSR.
Thanks

[Jeff K]

I've had speakers with both 7" drivers, and I think your characterization of them is on the money.
The Illuminator does go deeper. The mids on the Revelator are a bit richer sounding, the Illuminator more monitor-like, perhaps. Not necessarily better, IMO, but a slightly different flavor.
It sounds like it is using the best aspects of both, per the owner's tastes.
How does the dome tweeter integration compare to the RAAL?

Although I've never made a direct comparison, I'm guessing the Revelator's mids get even a bit better when relieved of low frequency duties.

[ricardojoa]

Interesting observation about the two woofers.
I like the way my tempesta sound but i wish the mid was tad warmer.
Rick do you think replacing the illuminator to revelator can add  that characteristic?

[Rick Craig]

I've had speakers with both 7" drivers, and I think your characterization of them is on the money.
The Illuminator does go deeper. The mids on the Revelator are a bit richer sounding, the Illuminator more monitor-like, perhaps. Not necessarily better, IMO, but a slightly different flavor.
It sounds like it is using the best aspects of both, per the owner's tastes.
How does the dome tweeter integration compare to the RAAL?

The beryllium dome is really sweet,  my favorite of all dome tweeters. The integration is similar to the RAAL but part of that is the Revelator woofer being very easy to work with.

[Rick Craig]

interesting and nice speakers Rick.

I too, have heard similar characterization
of the illuminator VS the Revelator.

Question: does the paper Illuminator
lean a bit more towards the Revelator's
sound & distortion profile.

Perhaps I might re-purpose a pair of SSRs.

Happy Easter Rick. I still enjoy my garnets & SSR.
Thanks

Good to hear that you're still enjoying your speakers! I've never listened to them side-by-side but I don't think there are huge differences - just a matter of what preferences you have. The Revelator is maybe a tad bit more forgiving but the Illuminator has more headroom if higher playback levels are needed. I am really pleased at how this design turned out as all three drivers really mesh well together.

[Rick Craig]

Although I've never made a direct comparison, I'm guessing the Revelator's mids get even a bit better when relieved of low frequency duties.

That's always a plus because of less modulation / excursion when the lower frequencies are removed.

[Rick Craig]

Interesting observation about the two woofers.
I like the way my tempesta sound but i wish the mid was tad warmer.
Rick do you think replacing the illuminator to revelator can add  that characteristic?

With the Tempesta changing the woofer isn't really going to give you the warmth that you're looking for.