Revel Announces Flagship PerformaBe In-Wall Speakers with Beryllium Tweeters

The CI market has become extremely lucrative for high-end brands with the expertise to create high performance in-wall, on-wall and in-ceiling solutions for consumers who desire better sound quality when listening to music and watching movies but don’t want it taking up space in their homes. Consumers are willing to invest in multi-room systems which include the backyard, pool, and four season rooms aside from the traditional spaces in the home.

Loudspeaker brands that are just entering this market are going to find that it is far more competitive in 2023 than ever before and that they better come with strong brand recognition and a dealer network if they plan on succeeding.

The HARMAN Luxury Audio Group has both and we’re not surprised to see Revel making a huge splash in 2023. The high-end brand has proven that it can design traditional loudspeakers that compete with anything on the market which certainly makes it an easier sell for custom integrators.

Revel is now taking that ingenuity to the custom install market with new line of PerformaBe architectural loudspeakers. These high-end in-wall speakers utilize the same beryllium dome tweeters and advanced Acoustic Lens waveguides from Revel’s acclaimed PerformaBe traditional box loudspeaker line.

“For two-channel hi-fi, home theaters, and whole-home audio distribution, our new Revel flagship architectural loudspeaker series is designed to deliver the renowned PerformaBe sound in a custom installation solution,” said Jim Garrett, Senior Director, Product Strategy and Planning, HARMAN Luxury Audio Group. “And since all PerformaBe speakers utilize the same patented technology, architectural, floorstanding, and bookshelf loudspeakers can be mixed and matched in a single system without sacrificing audio quality.” 

Tip: Our podcast with Jim Garrett takes a deep dive into Harman Luxury Audio.

PerformaBe Architectural Series

The PerformaBe Architectural Series consists of four models:

• W126Be (2-way 6.5-inch in-wall) $1,750 each
• W226Be (2-way dual 6.5-inch in-wall) $2,250 each
• W228Be (3-way dual 8-inch in-wall) $3,500 each
• C128Be (2-way 8-inch in-ceiling) $1,500 each

At the heart of the speakers’ detailed sound lies a 1-inch beryllium tweeter driven by a ferrite motor assembly. The tweeter and ceramic-coated, cast-aluminum Acoustic Lens waveguide seamlessly integrate with the directivity of the speakers’ Deep Ceramic Composite (DCC) aluminum woofer and mid-frequency driver cones for greater bandwidth, less compression, improved dynamic range, reduced distortion, and increased power handling. A high-order crossover design allows the smallest nuances and details from music to be heard and includes a high-frequency attenuation switch to further tailor the sound to the room. 

W126Be

The W126Be is an in-wall version of the M126Be bookshelf loudspeaker and shares the same 6.5-inch 2-way design as its in-room counterpart. With a compact footprint, the W126Be works equally as well as a two-channel hi-fi music loudspeaker or as a surround channel loudspeaker in a system with its larger siblings.

W226Be

Stepping up in the range, the W226Be is a dual 6.5-inch 2-way LCR version of the smaller W126Be, making it the ideal solution for front channel usage in a custom-installed home theater system, or as an in-wall center channel companion to the F226Be or M126Be in-room loudspeakers.

W228Be

The largest model in the range — the W228Be — shares an identical dual 8-inch 3-way driver configuration with the award-winning F228Be floorstanding loudspeaker, but with the tweeter and midrange drivers mounted on a rotatable module located in the center of the baffle between the two woofers.

This allows the W228Be to be used either vertically as a main channel loudspeaker, or horizontally as a center channel when the tweeter/midrange module is positioned for such use. This flexibility makes the W228Be ideal for use as an in-wall LCR system, or as a perfectly matched in-wall center channel when paired with either the F228Be or F328Be floorstanding loudspeakers. 

C128Be

The C128Be 8-inch 2-way in-ceiling model offers a solution for impeccable high-resolution sound in a whole-home distributed audio system, or it can be deployed as an in-ceiling surround or height channel in a custom installed home theater system. 

Optional Back Box

The W126Be, W226Be, W228Be, and C12Be are each available with an optional integrated back box enclosure for consistent performance and reduced noise ingress into adjacent spaces. The loudspeakers feature a patented Cat Claw mounting system that makes installation far easier than traditional dog leg designs, and mounting depths that fit within standard 4-inch wall and 6-inch ceiling stud bays. Preconstruction brackets are available for all models as well. 

Price & Availability

The Revel PerformaBe Architectural Series will be available in the Q4 2023 at the following prices.

• W126Be: $1,750 each; back box enclosure: $550 each
• W226Be: $2,250 each; back box enclosure: $800 each
• W228Be: $3,500 each; back box enclosure: $1,000 each
• C128Be: $1,500 each; back box enclosure: $500 each

Find more Revel in-wall and in-ceiling speakers available now at Crutchfield.com.

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