Short answer: the Revel M126Be for better sound quality, the Dynaudio Emit 20 for the lower price. The Revel M126Be ranks #34 of 131 bookshelf speakers, rated 4.3/5, at $4,400. The Dynaudio Emit 20 ranks #75, rated 3.6/5, at $1,049, $3,351 cheaper.
What the Revel M126Be does well: Two-way design pairing a 6.5” midwoofer with a 1” beryllium dome tweeter, the smaller sibling to the reviewer’s favorite Revel F226Be. The catch: At $2200/pair, the reviewer doesn’t consider it a strong value - an improvement over Revel’s less expensive M106 and Performa3 models, but not proportional to the price jump.
Why pick the Dynaudio Emit 20: Two-way design with a 28mm Esotar soft dome tweeter (Hexis-damped) and an 18cm mid-woofer, using a first-order crossover on the tweeter and second-order on the woofer. Watch for: A resonance around 600-800Hz gives snares and similar percussion a muffled, flat quality lacking impact - confirmed as originating in the woofer itself (isolated via measurements of the raw driver out of the cabinet), and attempts at constrained-layer damping didn’t resolve it.
Buy the Revel M126Be if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the Dynaudio Emit 20 if the price matters more than sound quality.
Want more options? Browse the full Passive Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Revel M126Be | Dynaudio Emit 20 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4,400 per pair | $1,049.00 per pair |
| Ranked | #34 of 131 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers | #75 of 131 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 44Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 103Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 54Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 15.2”H x 8.3”W x 10.3”D (386.1 x 210.8 x 261.6 mm) | 14.6”H x 8.1”W x 12.3”D (370.0 x 205.0 x 312.0 mm) |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (4.9 ohms minimum, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 6 ohms nominal (5.5 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 86.1dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 83.5dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) |
| Drivers | 6.5” Deep Ceramic Composite (DCC) Aluminum Cone with cast frame woofer, 1” Beryllium dome with acoustic lens waveguide tweeter | 7.1” Magnesium Silicate Polymer woofer, 1.1” Cerotar soft dome with Hexis tweeter |
| Weight | 22 lbs (10.0 kg) each | 12.8 lbs (5.8 kg) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear | ported, rear |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.08 | 4.22 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 7.34 | 5.92 |
| DIY Kit | No | No |
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Prices on this page were last checked September 26, 2026 at 11:14 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Revel M126Be: $4,400 per pair Crutchfield eBay
Older model: the Revel M106 (rated 4.6/5).
Pros: Two-way design pairing a 6.5” midwoofer with a 1” beryllium dome tweeter, the smaller sibling to the reviewer’s favorite Revel F226Be. Wide, immersive stereo imaging - hard-panned sounds in test tracks localized 2-3 feet outside the physical speaker positions without losing pinpoint precision. Horizontal radiation of about 60-70°, landing right in the reviewer’s preferred range for an enveloping yet still well-focused soundstage. Extended bass-shelf tuning (similar in concept to the KEF R3 Meta) combines with in-room gain for a more linear low end rather than a boomy hump. Diffraction dips visible on-axis around 3kHz and 7kHz largely disappear in the estimated in-room response, since they fill in as you move off-axis. Distortion stays within 3% down to about 100Hz at both 86dB and 96dB output - strong performance for a 6.5” bookshelf woofer. Can be driven by a standard AVR thanks to a manageable 4.9-ohm minimum impedance. Measured bass extension of 103Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 86.1dB.
Cons: At $2200/pair, the reviewer doesn’t consider it a strong value - an improvement over Revel’s less expensive M106 and Performa3 models, but not proportional to the price jump. Bass tops out around 50Hz in-room; a subwoofer is still needed for real low-end extension. Vertical placement is fairly critical - there’s a notable hole in the response around the 1.7kHz crossover if you sit above the tweeter axis. Toeing the speaker out to a full 30° introduces a roughly 1dB discontinuity in the midrange along with high-frequency rolloff; the reviewer recommends staying close to on-axis or within about 10°. An unexplained jump in distortion appears right at the 1.7kHz crossover point under compression testing, which may be linked to an occasional “glaring” quality the reviewer noticed in the 2-3kHz region at very high volumes (92-93dB from 2 meters). A mild 2-3kHz forwardness occasionally stood out on some tracks, correctable with about 1dB of EQ, though the reviewer considers it minor.
Full Revel M126Be review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 44Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 103Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 15.2”H x 8.3”W x 10.3”D (386.1 x 210.8 x 261.6 mm) |
| Drivers | 6.5” Deep Ceramic Composite (DCC) Aluminum Cone with cast frame woofer, 1” Beryllium dome with acoustic lens waveguide tweeter |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (4.9 ohms minimum, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 86.1dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.08 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 7.34 |
| Weight | 22 lbs (10.0 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
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Dynaudio Emit 20: $1,049.00 per pair Amazon eBay
Pros: Two-way design with a 28mm Esotar soft dome tweeter (Hexis-damped) and an 18cm mid-woofer, using a first-order crossover on the tweeter and second-order on the woofer. Exceptional bass extension for a bookshelf speaker - reaches a clean, authoritative 40Hz in-room, rare enough that the reviewer says most listeners could skip a subwoofer for typical music. Very low distortion across the board, staying below 1% THD down to 40Hz at 86dB and below 3% even at 96dB - unusually clean bass performance where most two-way bookshelf speakers start rising in distortion around 80Hz. Wide, remarkably consistent horizontal directivity (about ±50-60°) that holds steady up to roughly 13kHz - rare for a speaker in this format, thanks to a beveled tweeter edge that acts as a mild waveguide. Excellent compression and dynamic-range linearity at the frequency extremes, actually showing slight bass enhancement rather than the sharp low-end compression common in similarly-sized bookshelf speakers. Measured bass extension of 54Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 83.5dB.
Cons: A resonance around 600-800Hz gives snares and similar percussion a muffled, flat quality lacking impact - confirmed as originating in the woofer itself (isolated via measurements of the raw driver out of the cabinet), and attempts at constrained-layer damping didn’t resolve it. A peak around 4kHz adds a sharp, edgy quality to some male vocals. A roughly 5dB boost above 10kHz gives cymbals and hi-hats excess shimmer that can sound unnatural, especially pointed directly on-axis. Vertical dispersion shows two separate crossover-related notches (above and below the tweeter reference line around 5kHz) rather than the usual single one, a direct consequence of the shallow crossover slopes used on both drivers. Multitone distortion is elevated in the midrange, possibly due to the woofer’s magnet structure lacking a shorting ring. Best aimed slightly off-axis (about 10-15° of toe-out) to tame the excess high-frequency shimmer, rather than pointed straight at the listener.
Full Dynaudio Emit 20 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 54Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 14.6”H x 8.1”W x 12.3”D (370.0 x 205.0 x 312.0 mm) |
| Drivers | 7.1” Magnesium Silicate Polymer woofer, 1.1” Cerotar soft dome with Hexis tweeter |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (5.5 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 83.5dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 4.22 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 5.92 |
| Weight | 12.8 lbs (5.8 kg) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
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