Revel W990 vs Revel W126Be Comparison

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Revel W990

Passive In-wall |

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Revel W126Be

Passive In-wall | 55-40k Hz

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Revel W990

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Revel W126Be

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Revel W990

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Revel W126Be

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Revel W990 vs Revel W126Be Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing W990 and W126Be, two Passive In-wall speakers by Revel.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Revel W990 and Revel W126Be first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Revel W990	Revel W126Be
Brand	Revel United States · founded 1996	Revel United States · founded 1996
Design	3-way	2-way
Tweeter	1"	1"
Midrange	3.5"	—
Woofer	9"	6.5"
Frequency response	—	55-40k Hz
Sensitivity	89 dB	89 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	6 ohms
Power range	10 - 200 W watts	—
Weight	7.71kg / 17lbs	4.72kg / 10.4lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	—	15-5/8" x 10-1/4" x 3-13/16" 396.9 x 260.4 x 96.8mm

W990 and W126Be 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

One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that W990 is a 3-way design whereas the W126Be is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.

Revel W990

Revel W126Be

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 W990	Revel W126Be
Driver Setup	3-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	1 x 3.5-inch	-
Woofer	1 x 9-inch	1 x 6.5-inch

W990 features a 1" Tweeter, a 3.5" Midrange and 1 x 9" Woofer. On the other hand, the W126Be features a 1" Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Woofer.

Frequency Response

W990 has a frequency range of whereas W126Be has a frequency range of 55-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of Hz, the W990 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the W126Be's min frequency of 55Hz.

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

W990

W126Be

Min

Average

Median

Impedance and Sensitivity

W990 is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the W126Be which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.

On the other hand, they have the same sensitivity of 89 dBdB.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

W990

W126Be

Min

Average

Median

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 W990

Revel W126Be

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

W990 features Spring post type posts and W126Be 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 W990's and Revel W126Be's external dimensions. Revel W990 has external dimensions of () whereas Revel W126Be has external dimensions of 396.9 x 260.4 x 96.8mm ().

Revel W126Be is 93.6mm narrower and 127mm shorter than Revel W990 but it is also 96.8mm deeper.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Revel W990 and Revel W126Be in scale.

Comparison image of Revel W990 and Revel W126Be 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 W990 weighs 7.71kg / 17lbs and the Revel W126Be weighs 4.72kg / 10.4lbs. This makes the W990 63% heavier than the W126Be.

Here is a comparison of how W990 and W126Be's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive In-wall class.

Weight
All In-wall Speakers

Revel W990

Revel W126Be

Min

Average

Max

Reasons to choose Revel W990 over Revel W126Be

Driver Setup	3-way vs 2-way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Nominal Impedance	8 ohms vs 6 ohms	Less selective with amplifiers
Woofer Size	9 inches vs 6.5 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	Hz vs 55 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Base Surface Area	0cm² vs 252cm²	Takes less floor space

Reasons to choose Revel W126Be over Revel W990

High Frequency Response	40k Hz vs k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Height	396mm vs 523mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	3850USD vs 4240USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Revel W990 vs Revel W126Be Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Revel W990	Revel W126Be
Brand	Revel	Revel
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Sensitivity	89 dB	89 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	6 ohms
Frequency Response		55-40k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	1
Woofer Size	9"	6.5"
Woofer Composition
Tweeter Size	1"	1"
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	3.5"	No
Physical Specs
Height	523.9mm (20.6")	396.9mm (15.6")
Width	354.0mm (13.9")	260.4mm (10.3")
Depth	mm (0")	96.8mm (3.8")
Weight	7.71kg (17lbs)	4.72kg (10.4lbs)
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	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (89dB vs 89dB) - both want much the same power.
Amplifier match	A	Revel W990 is the easier load at 8 ohms.
Price	evenly matched	Much the same money ($4,240 vs $3,850 a pair).

A Revel W990 B Revel W126Be
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 W990 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does.

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.