Short answer: the Revel F208 for better sound quality, the ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63 for the lower price. The Revel F208 ranks #15 of 68 floorstanding speakers at $2400. The ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63 ranks #35 at $649, $1751 cheaper.
What the Revel F208 offers: CEA2034 spinorama shows a fairly even on-axis response with sensitivity matching spec at ~87-88dB. Predicted in-room response is a smooth, textbook-quality downward slope that should translate well to most rooms without correction. Early reflections sum so cleanly with the direct sound that side-wall absorption isn’t recommended - it would work against the speaker’s naturally well-integrated off-axis behavior. Distortion stays below 0.5% from 100Hz up at 96dB/1m, with all distortion components falling below audible threshold above 200Hz. Very wide horizontal directivity of about ±75 degrees. Measured performance was judged very close to Revel’s own flagship Salon2, and Revel’s speakers (including this one) are developed using Harman’s double-blind listening test methodology. Preference score of 6.6 (7.7 with a subwoofer added). Watch for: Some directivity error and tweeter-response ripple right at the 2.2kHz crossover point. A notable on-axis dip at about 4kHz, attributed to probable cabinet diffraction. Cumulative spectral decay (waterfall) shows an unexplained resonance around 4-5kHz that the reviewer couldn’t pin down a clear cause for. Vertical directivity shows narrowband interference nulls just above and below the tweeter axis (roughly 2-3kHz), typical of a non-coaxial tower with vertically separated drivers, so listening height matters more than it would with a coincident design. Minimum impedance dips to 3.4 ohms, calling for a robust, high-current amplifier. Distortion climbs substantially below about 80-100Hz (up to ~5% in the deep bass) when driven hard, an excursion-limited trade-off typical of towers at high output. Isolating the woofers alone shows their usable range ending around 500-700Hz at the crossover, with somewhat elevated (though still low in absolute terms) 2nd/3rd harmonic distortion in the 100-300Hz region.
What the ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63 offers: Three-driver floorstanding layout: two 6” dedicated midbase drivers plus a separate 6” mid-range driver (confirmed by measuring different driver impedance/inductance) and a 1” dome tweeter, each woofer given its own stuffed chamber inside the cabinet. The dedicated midrange driver keeps distortion low even at higher output, avoiding the intermodulation grain typical of two-way bookshelf designs. The waveguide keeps high-frequency directivity well controlled, and overall horizontal directivity is good up to about 2kHz. Harmonic distortion looks good at both 86dB and 96dB, and multitone distortion stays below the reviewer’s 3% threshold. A shallow bass rolloff (F3 71Hz, F10 29Hz) lets it extend fairly low without a hard cutoff. Preferred by the reviewer over the similarly-priced Polk R500 (too much high-frequency narrowing, less neutral) and considered ahead of the Polk R700 as well. Watch for: A genuine measured resonance around 200-300Hz (visible in frequency response, impedance, and group delay) causes an audible “droning” coloration on female vocals. A mild peak around 10kHz makes shakers and similar high-frequency percussion jump too far forward in the mix; needed about 2dB of EQ to tame in testing. A dip in the 1-3kHz range gives the speaker a warm, slightly veiled character - the reviewer suspects the tweeter crossover point (around 2-3kHz) is set a bit high and could be lowered to fill this in. Directivity shows a noticeable handoff mismatch around 2.5kHz where the midrange driver hands off to the tweeter, though it’s minor at the -6dB point. Vertical directivity is narrower than horizontal, so listeners need to stay close to the tweeter axis. Low EPDR (about 1.5 ohms minimum) means a Class AB amplifier should be well-ventilated. Best positioned pointed directly at the listener and closer to the front wall - toeing it out into the room causes too much high-frequency rolloff.
Buy the Revel F208 if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63 if the price matters more than sound quality.
Specifications Side By Side
| Revel F208 | ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2400 used, Discontinued | $649.00 |
| Ranked | #15 of 68 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers | #35 of 68 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 24Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) | 29Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 47Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) | 71Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 46.6"H x 13.5"W x 14.8"D (1183.6 x 342.9 x 375.9 mm) | 43.1"H x 7.7"W x 10.6"D (1094.7 x 195.6 x 269.2 mm) |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal, 3.5 ohms minimum (measured, Audio Science Review) | 6 ohms nominal (3.4 ohms minimum, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Drivers | Dual 8" (20 cm) Aluminum Cone, Cast-frame Woofers, 5.25" (13.3 cm) Aluminum Cone, Cast-frame Midrange, 1" (2.5 cm) Aluminum Tweeter with Acoustic Lens Waveguide | Two 6.5" Aramid Fiber woofer, 6.5" Aramid Fiber midrange, 1" Aluminum Dome tweeter |
| Sensitivity | 88.2dB (measured by Audio Science Review; 88.5dB manufacturer specified) | 86.6dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 79.4 lbs / 36 kg each | 58.2 lbs / 26.4 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, front | ported, rear |
| Discontinued | Yes | - |
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- Revel F208 vs Polk Reserve R500
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The Two Speakers In Full
Revel F208: $2400 used, Discontinued eBay
Pros: CEA2034 spinorama shows a fairly even on-axis response with sensitivity matching spec at ~87-88dB. Predicted in-room response is a smooth, textbook-quality downward slope that should translate well to most rooms without correction. Early reflections sum so cleanly with the direct sound that side-wall absorption isn’t recommended - it would work against the speaker’s naturally well-integrated off-axis behavior. Distortion stays below 0.5% from 100Hz up at 96dB/1m, with all distortion components falling below audible threshold above 200Hz. Very wide horizontal directivity of about ±75 degrees. Measured performance was judged very close to Revel’s own flagship Salon2, and Revel’s speakers (including this one) are developed using Harman’s double-blind listening test methodology. Preference score of 6.6 (7.7 with a subwoofer added).
Cons: Some directivity error and tweeter-response ripple right at the 2.2kHz crossover point. A notable on-axis dip at about 4kHz, attributed to probable cabinet diffraction. Cumulative spectral decay (waterfall) shows an unexplained resonance around 4-5kHz that the reviewer couldn’t pin down a clear cause for. Vertical directivity shows narrowband interference nulls just above and below the tweeter axis (roughly 2-3kHz), typical of a non-coaxial tower with vertically separated drivers, so listening height matters more than it would with a coincident design. Minimum impedance dips to 3.4 ohms, calling for a robust, high-current amplifier. Distortion climbs substantially below about 80-100Hz (up to ~5% in the deep bass) when driven hard, an excursion-limited trade-off typical of towers at high output. Isolating the woofers alone shows their usable range ending around 500-700Hz at the crossover, with somewhat elevated (though still low in absolute terms) 2nd/3rd harmonic distortion in the 100-300Hz region. Discontinued.
Full Revel F208 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 24Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 47Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Dimensions | 46.6"H x 13.5"W x 14.8"D (1183.6 x 342.9 x 375.9 mm) |
| Discontinued | Yes |
| Drivers | Dual 8" (20 cm) Aluminum Cone, Cast-frame Woofers, 5.25" (13.3 cm) Aluminum Cone, Cast-frame Midrange, 1" (2.5 cm) Aluminum Tweeter with Acoustic Lens Waveguide |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal, 3.5 ohms minimum (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Sensitivity | 88.2dB (measured by Audio Science Review; 88.5dB manufacturer specified) |
| Weight | 79.4 lbs / 36 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, front |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63: $649.00 Amazon eBay
Pros: Three-driver floorstanding layout: two 6” dedicated midbase drivers plus a separate 6” mid-range driver (confirmed by measuring different driver impedance/inductance) and a 1” dome tweeter, each woofer given its own stuffed chamber inside the cabinet. The dedicated midrange driver keeps distortion low even at higher output, avoiding the intermodulation grain typical of two-way bookshelf designs. The waveguide keeps high-frequency directivity well controlled, and overall horizontal directivity is good up to about 2kHz. Harmonic distortion looks good at both 86dB and 96dB, and multitone distortion stays below the reviewer’s 3% threshold. A shallow bass rolloff (F3 71Hz, F10 29Hz) lets it extend fairly low without a hard cutoff. Preferred by the reviewer over the similarly-priced Polk R500 (too much high-frequency narrowing, less neutral) and considered ahead of the Polk R700 as well.
Cons: A genuine measured resonance around 200-300Hz (visible in frequency response, impedance, and group delay) causes an audible “droning” coloration on female vocals. A mild peak around 10kHz makes shakers and similar high-frequency percussion jump too far forward in the mix; needed about 2dB of EQ to tame in testing. A dip in the 1-3kHz range gives the speaker a warm, slightly veiled character - the reviewer suspects the tweeter crossover point (around 2-3kHz) is set a bit high and could be lowered to fill this in. Directivity shows a noticeable handoff mismatch around 2.5kHz where the midrange driver hands off to the tweeter, though it’s minor at the -6dB point. Vertical directivity is narrower than horizontal, so listeners need to stay close to the tweeter axis. Low EPDR (about 1.5 ohms minimum) means a Class AB amplifier should be well-ventilated. Best positioned pointed directly at the listener and closer to the front wall - toeing it out into the room causes too much high-frequency rolloff.
Full ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 29Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 71Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 43.1"H x 7.7"W x 10.6"D (1094.7 x 195.6 x 269.2 mm) |
| Drivers | Two 6.5" Aramid Fiber woofer, 6.5" Aramid Fiber midrange, 1" Aluminum Dome tweeter |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (3.4 ohms minimum, measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 86.6dB (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 58.2 lbs / 26.4 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63 vs Polk Reserve R500
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- ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63 vs Polk Audio Reserve R700
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