Revel W873 vs Revel W383 Comparison

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Revel W873

Passive In-wall |

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Revel W383

Passive In-wall |

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Revel W873

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Revel W383

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Revel W873

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Revel W383

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Revel W873 vs Revel W383 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing W873 and W383, two Passive In-wall speakers by Revel.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Revel W873 and Revel W383 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Revel W873	Revel W383
Brand	Revel United States · founded 1996	Revel United States · founded 1996
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1"	1"
Woofer	7"	8"
Sensitivity	86 dB	89 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	10 - 150 W watts	10 - 125 W watts
Weight	3.40kg / 7.5lbs	2.22kg / 4.9lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	13" x 11-1/8" x 3-11/16" 330.2 x 282.6 x 94.0mm	12-15/16" x 9-15/16" x 3-11/16" 328.6 x 252.4 x 94.0mm

W873 and W383 are members of Revel's Architectural series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Revel Architectural Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
Revel W253L	In-wall	55-18kHz	91 dB	8Ω	2 x 5.25"
Revel W553L	Center Channel		90.5 dB	8Ω	2 x 5.25"
Revel W383	In-wall		89 dB	8Ω	1 x 8"
Revel W763	In-wall		89 dB	8Ω	1 x 6.5"
Revel W783	In-wall		89 dB	8Ω	1 x 8"
Revel W990	In-wall		89 dB	8Ω	1 x 9"
Revel W228Be	In-wall	35-40k Hz	90 dB	6Ω	2 x 8"
Revel W126Be	In-wall	55-40k Hz	89 dB	6Ω	1 x 6.5"
Revel W226Be	In-wall	45-40k Hz	90 dB	6Ω	2 x 6.5"
Revel W263	In-wall		88 dB	8Ω	1 x 6.5"

The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.

Drivers

Both W873 and W383 are 2-way speakers.

Revel W873

Revel W383

TweeterWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	Revel W873	Revel W383
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x 7-inch	1 x 8-inch

W873 features a 1" Tweeter and 1 x 7" Woofer. On the other hand, the W383 features a 1" Tweeter and 1 x 8" Woofer.

Frequency Response

W873 and W383 has exactly the same frequency range of .

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the In-wall class in our database.

Low Frequency

In-wall Speakers

W873

W383

Min

Average

Median

Impedance and Sensitivity

W873 and W383 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. W873 sensitivity is rated at 86 dB and the W383's is at 89 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Revel W383 a more sensitive speaker compared to Revel W873, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

W873

W383

Min

Average

Median

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.

W873 can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas W383 has a max power handling value of 125 watts RMS, 25 watts less than the W873.

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.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

Revel W873

Revel W383

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

W873 features Spring post type posts and W383 has a Spring post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

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 W873's and Revel W383's external dimensions. Revel W873 has external dimensions of 330.2 x 282.6 x 94.0mm () whereas Revel W383 has external dimensions of 328.6 x 252.4 x 94.0mm ().

Revel W383 is 30.2mm narrower and 1.6mm shorter than Revel W873 but they have the same thickness of 94.0mm.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Revel W873 and Revel W383 in scale.

Comparison image of Revel W873 and Revel W383 Size and External Dimensions

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 W873 weighs 3.40kg / 7.5lbs and the Revel W383 weighs 2.22kg / 4.9lbs. This makes the W873 53% heavier than the W383.

Here is a comparison of how W873 and W383's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive In-wall class.

Weight
All In-wall Speakers

Revel W873

Revel W383

Min

Average

Max

Reasons to choose Revel W873 over Revel W383

Max Input Power	150 watts vs 125 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier

Reasons to choose Revel W383 over Revel W873

Sensitivity	89 dB vs 86 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Woofer Size	8 inches vs 7 inches	Larger woofer
Height	328mm vs 330mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	237cm² vs 265cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	850USD vs 900USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Revel W873 vs Revel W383 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Revel W873	Revel W383
Brand	Revel	Revel
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	10 - 150 W watts	10 - 125 W watts
Sensitivity	86 dB	89 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	1
Woofer Size	7"	8"
Woofer Composition
Tweeter Size	1"	1"
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Physical Specs
Height	330.2mm (13")	328.6mm (12.9")
Width	282.6mm (11.1")	252.4mm (9.9")
Depth	94.0mm (3.7")	94.0mm (3.7")
Weight	3.40kg (7.5lbs)	2.22kg (4.9lbs)
Enclosure
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Other
Parts Warranty	Lifetime	Lifetime
Labor Warranty	Lifetime	Lifetime

Verdict

Siblings in Revel's Architectural series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Amplifier needs	B	Revel W383 is more sensitive (89dB vs 86dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Headroom	evenly matched	Similar power handling (150W vs 125W).
Size	depends	Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit.
Price	evenly matched	Much the same money ($900 vs $850 a pair).

A Revel W873 B Revel W383
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?

Revel W383 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Revel W383 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.