The Reveel

It seems that all of a sudden there is a new renaissance in wanting to “complete” the personal listening experience on headphones. More than any other time, people are seeking to compensate the personal experience of headphone listening by using devices with cross-feed or other tricks to expand and create a realistic soundstage. One might argue that headphone audiophiles are responsible for this push towards a more realistic presentation - perhaps trying to mimic what one might experience with a high end speaker system.

Companies are now trying to capitalize on this by offering cross-feed circuits, angled pads, new circuits and now, a separate component to add to your chain...the Reveel.

TECHNOLOGY

The Reveel is claimed to be a product that retrieves information that is inaudible in normal stereo listening. The Reveel is able to make this information audible and completes the listening experience for headphone users.

The Reveel is said to be a “a method of retrieving sonic information from audio signals that provides a realistic and complete rendering of the original acoustic event. q0l is NOT a processor; it does not synthesize a signal or alter the natural sensory information in any way. Instead of "adding" a host of processing techniques intended to create "effects," we have simply found a way to extract information already present in recordings, but otherwise hidden in conventional reproduction. Our technology enables COMPLETE capture, transmission, and reproduction of such information, including elements that, until now, have remained hidden and buried in electronics, and unavailable to the listener. The result is an audio experience with fullness and richness beyond comparison and one which carries essentially all the dynamic, tonal, and spatial content of a real sonic event.”

Having been in audio mastering and audio restoration for over 14 years, I have heard such claims before. But, how does the Reveel compare? Does it work?

Let’s find out!


The Testing

I took two test tracks from an old free test disc which was available on the net for many years. I put them on my imod ipod using the line out, to the reveel, and then proceeded to record the original signal (via the bypass switch on the reveel) and then with the bypass switch turned off.

The Results:

The Original (Bypass):
https://soundcloud.com/fpaudio/original-bypass?in=fpaudio/sets/reveel-testing

The Reveel:
https://soundcloud.com/fpaudio/reveel?in=fpaudio/sets/reveel-testing

MS Processing:
https://soundcloud.com/fpaudio/msed-sidegain-1-6?in=fpaudio/sets/reveel-testing

K-Stereo:
https://soundcloud.com/fpaudio/test-k-stereo?in=fpaudio/sets/reveel-testing


NOTE:

The results posted above give an accurate representation of what each process does to a sound file. Unfortunately, due to legal reasons, I am unable to share what it can do to mono and stereo music.

CONCLUSION:


SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!

Link to other impressions: http://www.changstar.com/index.php/topic,1438.msg38407.html#msg38407