In this review, we will be comparing PerformaBe F226Be and R7, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Revel and KEF.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Revel PerformaBe F226Be and KEF R7 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Revel PerformaBe F226Be | KEF R7 |
|---|
| Brand | Revel
United States · founded 1996 | KEF
United Kingdom · founded 1961 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Uni-Q driver | — | 12th Generation Uni-Q |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" dome with proprietary acoustic lens waveguide | 1" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.25" | 5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" DCC Aluminum | 2 x 6.5" Hybrid Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 50-40k Hz | 48-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-200 watts | 15-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 26.36kg / 58lbs | 31.40kg / 69.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 41-5/16" x 9-13/16" x 13-3/4"
1050.0 x 250.0 x 350.0mm | 43-13/16" x 8" x 15-5/16"
1113.0 x 200.0 x 389.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Revel PerformaBe F226Be and KEF R7 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Revel PerformaBe F226Be |
KEF R7 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both PerformaBe F226Be and R7 are 3-way speakers.
Revel PerformaBe F226BeKEF R7
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Revel PerformaBe F226Be |
KEF R7 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.25-inch |
1 x 5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
PerformaBe F226Be features a 1" beryllium dome with proprietary acoustic lens waveguide Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" DCC Aluminum Woofer. On the other hand, the R7 features a 1" aluminum Dome Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Hybrid Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 400Hz and 2900Hz.
Frequency Response
PerformaBe F226Be has a frequency range of 50-40k Hz whereas R7 has a frequency range of 48-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 48Hz, the R7 can go slightly deeper then the PerformaBe F226Be's min frequency of 50Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
PerformaBe F226Be and R7 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. PerformaBe F226Be sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the R7's is at 88 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Revel PerformaBe F226Be a more sensitive speaker compared to KEF R7, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
R7 can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas PerformaBe F226Be has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the R7.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both PerformaBe F226Be and R7 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
KEF R7's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
PerformaBe F226Be has a front firing port whereas R7 has a rear firing ports. Revel PerformaBe F226Be's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to KEF R7 with its rear-firing port.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Revel PerformaBe F226Be's and KEF R7's external dimensions. Revel PerformaBe F226Be has external dimensions of 1050.0 x 250.0 x 350.0mm (41-5/16 x 9-13/16 x 13-3/4inch) whereas KEF R7 has external dimensions of 1113.0 x 200.0 x 389.0mm (43-13/16 x 8 x 15-5/16inch).
Revel PerformaBe F226Be is 63mm shorter and 39mm less deeper than KEF R7 but it is also 50mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Revel PerformaBe F226Be and KEF R7 in scale.
Comparison image of Revel PerformaBe F226Be and KEF R7 Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Revel PerformaBe F226Be is approximately 875.0cm2 / 135.6inch2 and base area of the KEF R7 is approximately 778.0cm2 / 120.6inch2. The PerformaBe F226Be requires 12% more surface area than the R7 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Revel PerformaBe F226Be weighs 26.36kg / 58lbs and the KEF R7 weighs 31.40kg / 69.1lbs. This makes the R7 19% heavier than the PerformaBe F226Be.
Here is a comparison of how PerformaBe F226Be and R7's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Revel PerformaBe F226Be?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of PerformaBe F226Be:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Locking rings
- 4 Washers
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- Foam port plug
- Owners Manual
What's in the Box of KEF R7?
Here are the items that come with the R7:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Foam port plugs
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Protective discs
- 4 Screws
- 4 Washers
- Wrench
- Hex-key
- User Manual
- Warranty Information
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
28k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Port Position |
Front
vs
Rear
|
Gives more flexibility placing close to walls |
 Height |
1050mm
vs
1113mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Max Input Power |
250 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Low Frequency Response |
48 Hz
vs
50 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Base Surface Area |
778cm2
vs
875cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
4500USD
vs
7700USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Revel PerformaBe F226Be |
KEF R7 |
| Brand |
Revel |
KEF |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-200 watts |
15-250 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
3.2 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
50-40k Hz |
48-28k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
DCC Aluminum |
Hybrid Aluminum |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
dome with proprietary acoustic lens waveguide |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.25" |
5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
400Hz and 2900Hz |
| Firing Direction |
front |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1050.0mm (41.3") |
1113.0mm (43.8") |
| Width |
250.0mm (9.8") |
200.0mm (7.9") |
| Depth |
350.0mm (13.8") |
389.0mm (15.3") |
| Weight |
26.36kg (58lbs) |
31.40kg (69.1lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
Wood/Lacquer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black |
Black Gloss, White Gloss, Walnut |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Revel PerformaBe F226Be costs roughly 1.7x what KEF R7 does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (50Hz vs 48Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | A | Revel PerformaBe F226Be is more sensitive (90dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | B | KEF R7 takes more power (250W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | Revel PerformaBe F226Be: bi-amping; KEF R7: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | KEF R7 is cheaper - $4,500 against $7,700, about 42% less; arguably a different class. |
A Revel PerformaBe F226Be B KEF R7
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. Match it to your room: we rate Revel PerformaBe F226Be the better fit for a mid-size room, and KEF R7 for a very large room. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Revel PerformaBe F226Be is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.