In this review, we will be comparing Olympica III and F328Be, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Sonus faber and Revel.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Sonus faber Olympica III and Revel PerformaBe F328Be first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Sonus faber Olympica III | Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
|---|
| Brand | Sonus faber
Italy · founded 1983 | Revel
United States · founded 1996 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-Dome | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Paper | 3 x 8.0" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 42-40k Hz | 26-40k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 91 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-300 watts | 50-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 35.00kg / 77lbs | 51.18kg / 112.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 43-7/16" x 14-13/16" x 18-1/16"
1104.0 x 376.0 x 459.0mm | 50-15/16" x 13-1/2" x 17-5/8"
1294.0 x 343.0 x 448.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Sonus faber Olympica III and Revel PerformaBe F328Be 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* |
Sonus faber Olympica III |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
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 Olympica III and F328Be are 3-way speakers.
Sonus faber Olympica IIIRevel PerformaBe F328Be
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Sonus faber Olympica III |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
1 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 8.0-inch
|
Olympica III features a 1.1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 365 - 2460 Hz. On the other hand, the F328Be features a 1" Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 8.0" Aluminum Woofer.
Frequency Response
Olympica III has a frequency range of 42-40k Hz whereas F328Be has a frequency range of 26-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 26Hz, the F328Be can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Olympica III's min frequency of 42Hz.
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
Olympica III is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the F328Be which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Olympica III can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Olympica III sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the F328Be's is rated at 91 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Revel PerformaBe F328Be a more sensitive speaker compared to Sonus faber Olympica III, 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.
Olympica III and F328Be have the same power range of 50-300 watts.
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 Olympica III and F328Be features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or 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 Sonus faber Olympica III's and Revel PerformaBe F328Be's external dimensions. Sonus faber Olympica III has external dimensions of 1104.0 x 376.0 x 459.0mm (43-7/16 x 14-13/16 x 18-1/16inch) whereas Revel PerformaBe F328Be has external dimensions of 1294.0 x 343.0 x 448.0mm (50-15/16 x 13-1/2 x 17-5/8inch).
Revel PerformaBe F328Be is 33mm narrower and 11mm less deeper than Sonus faber Olympica III but it is also 190mm taller.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Sonus faber Olympica III needs about 12% more floor or shelf area. Revel PerformaBe F328Be is 190mm taller.
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 Sonus faber Olympica III is approximately 1725.8cm2 / 267.5inch2 and base area of the Revel PerformaBe F328Be is approximately 1536.6cm2 / 238.2inch2. The Olympica III requires 12% more surface area than the F328Be 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 Sonus faber Olympica III weighs 35.00kg / 77lbs and the Revel PerformaBe F328Be weighs 51.18kg / 112.6lbs. This makes the F328Be 46% heavier than the Olympica III.
Here is a comparison of how Olympica III and F328Be'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 F328Be?
Here are the items that come with the F328Be:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Locking rings
- 4 Washers
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- 2 Foam port plugs
- Owners Manual
 Height |
1104mm
vs
1294mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
13500USD
vs
17600USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
8.0 inches
vs
6.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
42 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Base Surface Area |
1536cm2
vs
1725cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Sonus faber Olympica III |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
| Brand |
Sonus faber |
Revel |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-300 watts |
50-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
91 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
42-40k Hz |
26-40k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
8.0" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper |
Aluminum |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
5.25" |
| Crossover Frequency |
365 - 2460 Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1104.0mm (43.5") |
1294.0mm (50.9") |
| Width |
376.0mm (14.8") |
343.0mm (13.5") |
| Depth |
459.0mm (18.1") |
448.0mm (17.6") |
| Weight |
35.00kg (77lbs) |
51.18kg (112.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | Revel PerformaBe F328Be digs deeper - 26Hz against 42Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 91dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | B | Revel PerformaBe F328Be is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (300W vs 300W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | Sonus faber Olympica III: bi-amping; Revel PerformaBe F328Be: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Sonus faber Olympica III is cheaper - $13,500 against $17,600, about 23% less. |
A Sonus faber Olympica III B Revel PerformaBe F328Be
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?
The usual trade-off: Revel PerformaBe F328Be measures better, Sonus faber Olympica III costs about about 30% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 42Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Sonus faber Olympica III much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate Sonus faber Olympica III the better fit for a small room and a mid-size room, and Revel PerformaBe F328Be for a large room and a very large room.
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.