Both are two-way speakers with a 6.5-inch woofer and a 1-inch tweeter in a waveguide. Revel has changed almost everything else. Here they are side by side.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |
| Model | Revel Performa4 M146 | Revel Performa3 M106 |
| Speaker Type | Passive Bookshelf | Passive Bookshelf |
| Enclosure Type | Ported | Ported |
| Driver Setup | 2-way | 2-way |
| Tweeter | 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter | 1" Hard-Dome with Acoustic Lens Waveguide Tweeter |
| Woofer | 1 x 6.5" Woofer | 1 x 6.5" Aluminum Woofer |
| Frequency Range / Low | 43Hz | 59Hz |
| Frequency Range / High | 40kHz | 20kHz |
| Impedance Nominal | 6Ω | 8Ω |
| Sensitivity | 86dB | 87dB |
| Available Colors | Walnut | Gloss Walnut,Piano Black |
| Finish | MDF/Wood Veneer | Wood/Lacquer |
| Height | 358.8mm | 383.0mm |
| Width | 249.2mm | 210.0mm |
| Depth | 317.5mm | 280.0mm |
| Weight | 11.02kg | 8.41kg |
| MSRP(pair) | 2999USD | 2200USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon | Amazon |
All figures below come from Revel’s own product pages for each model.
- Deeper bass, measured the same way. Revel rates the M106 at 54 Hz and the M146 at 43 Hz, both at -6 dB. That is about a third of an octave lower. Our own tables show 59 Hz for the M106, which is its -3 dB point, so the side-by-side above makes the gap look a little bigger than it is.
- A bigger box. 359 by 246 by 323 mm against 381 by 210 by 278 mm. The M146 is 2 cm shorter but wider and deeper. Inside that, it holds about 28 percent more volume, which is where the extra bass comes from. It weighs 11 kg against 8.
- New driver materials. The M106 used aluminium for both the woofer cone and the tweeter dome. The M146 uses Revel’s new ceramic composites for both, and the woofer gets an inverted surround and a new cast aluminium frame.
- A lower crossover. 1.7 kHz against 2.3 kHz, so the tweeter takes over earlier.
- Bi-wire terminals. The M106 had one pair of binding posts. The M146 has two.
- New finishes. Wood veneer in two shades of walnut, in place of piano black and gloss walnut.
A pair of Revel Performa4 M146 speakers on the matching MFS4 stands, one with its grille on
The price has gone up too. Our record has the M106 at $2,200 a pair at launch, and Revel’s own US store last listed it at $1,000 each before it went to sold out. The M146 is $2,999 a pair, about 36 percent more than the M106’s launch price.
The Revel Performa3 M106 in gloss walnut, the bookshelf speaker the M146 replaces
The catch: it needs about twice the power
This is the part that matters if you are upgrading and keeping your amplifier.
The M106 is rated at 87 dB and 8 ohms. The M146 is rated at 85.5 dB and 6 ohms, at 2.83 volts. Into 6 ohms, 2.83 volts is 1.33 watts, not 1. So per watt, the M146 is closer to 84 dB. That is nearly 3 dB below the M106, and 3 dB means twice the power for the same loudness.
Here is what that looks like on paper, for a pair in a normal living room:
- Loud listening, peaks of 95 dB at 2.5 metres: about 20 watts per channel for the M106, about 37 for the M146.
- Very loud, peaks of 100 dB at 3 metres: about 90 watts per channel for the M106, about 170 for the M146.
A real room adds a few dB of help, so treat those as upper figures. The gap between the two speakers is the point, and it does not shrink. A 6 ohm rating also means the impedance dips lower somewhere in the range, so the amplifier should be happy into 4 ohms.
The back of the Revel Performa4 M146, with its large rear port above the two pairs of binding posts
Oddly, Revel’s recommended range points the other way. It says 50 to 150 watts for the M106 and 15 to 200 watts for the M146. The upper end is the useful number. Fifteen watts will play the M146, but not loudly.
If you already own an amplifier, the amp-speaker matcher checks it against the M146’s sensitivity and impedance and your room size. It is worth running before you buy, not after.
The smaller M145, and the one readers pair with the M106
The Performa4 M145 replaces the Performa3 M105. It is $1,999 a pair, with a 5.25-inch woofer, and it is rated at 54 Hz at -6 dB, 85 dB and 6 ohms. So it is even slightly harder to drive than the M146. Its box is 294 mm tall, a lot smaller than the M105’s.
The speaker readers compare most often with the M106 is the PerformaBe M126Be, the beryllium tweeter model a step above it. Revel’s US store lists the M126Be as sold out as well.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | | |  |  |
| Model | Revel Performa4 M146 | Revel Performa4 M145 | Revel PerformaBe M126Be |
| Speaker Type | Passive Bookshelf | Passive Bookshelf | Passive Bookshelf |
| Enclosure Type | Ported | Ported | Ported |
| Driver Setup | 2-way | 2-way | 2-way |
| Tweeter | 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter | 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter | 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter |
| Woofer | 1 x 6.5" Woofer | 1 x 5.25" Micro Ceramic Composite (MCC) Woofer | 1 x 6.5" DCC Aluminum Woofer |
| Frequency Range / Low | 43Hz | 54Hz | 54Hz |
| Frequency Range / High | 40kHz | 40kHz | 44kHz |
| Impedance Nominal | 6Ω | 6Ω | 8Ω |
| Sensitivity | 86dB | 85dB | 86dB |
| Available Colors | Walnut | Black | Walnut,Black,White,Silver |
| Finish | MDF/Wood Veneer | MDF/Wood Veneer | Wood/Lacquer |
| Height | 358.8mm | 296.0mm | 388.0mm |
| Width | 249.2mm | 202.0mm | 212.0mm |
| Depth | 317.5mm | 245.0mm | 262.0mm |
| Weight | 11.02kg | 6.82kg | 10.00kg |
| MSRP(pair) | 2999USD | 1999USD | 4400USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
The two pairs of binding posts on the back of the Revel Performa4 M146, linked by jumpers, ready for bi-wiring or bi-amping
Two numbers I could not pin down
Revel’s M146 product page gives 85.5 dB. Its April press release gives 86 dB. Half a dB changes nothing in practice. I used the product page.
Revel’s store shows every Performa3 model as sold out, and the M106 is now on its legacy page. Revel does not say in so many words that the M146 replaces the M106. But the series replaces the series, model for model, and that is how we have linked them on the site.
Who the M146 is not for
Anyone keeping a small amplifier. If your M106 already took most of what your amp had, the M146 will need more. Check it in the matcher first.
Shallow shelves. It is 323 mm deep, and the port is on the back. It wants a stand and some space behind it. A bookshelf in name only.
M106 owners who are happy. The gains are real, deeper bass most of all. But the M106 still does the same job, and the M146 asks for $2,999 and possibly a new amplifier as well.
The Performa4 M146 replaces the M106, still the most compared Revel on the site. It goes about a third of an octave deeper, in a bigger box with new ceramic drivers, for $2,999 a pair. The cost beyond the price is power: at 85.5 dB and 6 ohms it needs about twice the amplifier power of the M106 for the same loudness.
Questions answered
Does the Revel M146 replace the M106?
Yes, in practice. The Performa4 series takes over from Performa3, and the M146 is the 6.5-inch bookshelf model in both. Revel’s store shows every Performa3 model as sold out.
How much does the Revel Performa4 M146 cost?
$2,999 a pair in the US. The matching MFS4 stands are $999 a pair.
What amplifier does the Revel M146 need?
One that is comfortable into 4 ohms, with real power to spare. Revel rates it at 85.5 dB and 6 ohms and recommends 15 to 200 watts. On paper, loud 95 dB peaks at 2.5 metres need about 37 watts per channel, and 100 dB peaks at 3 metres about 170.
Is the M146 bass deeper than the M106?
Yes. Revel rates the M146 at 43 Hz and the M106 at 54 Hz, both at -6 dB.
How big is the Revel M146?
359 mm tall, 246 mm wide and 323 mm deep, and 11 kg each, according to Revel’s product page.
If you own an M106, would you move to the M146, and which amplifier would you run it with?
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