Reveal the Sonic Truth: Quad Revela 1 Bookshelf Loudspeakers Feature Trademarked Diaphragms and True Ribbon Tweeters, Gorgeously Finished Cabinets

One of the most irresistible features of the Revela 1 bookshelf loudspeaker — the first new Quad design in seven years and one that plays with enticing purity, clarity, speed, delicacy, smoothness, and articulation — circles back to the trait that put the company on the map more than seven decades ago. Namely, the ribbon tweeter, which in this stand-mount monitor took more than four years to devise and delivers extended highs superior to those supplied by typical dome tweeters and other planar driver types.

In Revela 1, the “True Ribbon” unit works by positioning a ribbon of thin aluminum foil in a high-strength magnetic field. The advantage is that the diaphragm is fully energized by the audio signal and does not suffer from the breakup modes and resonances encountered in domes and other planar types. Being driven evenly over the whole radiating surface and having a mass that is typically one-tenth that of a dome also means that the precision and transient response yields a remarkably clean, detailed, and pure sound. In Revela 1, the ribbon responds to subtle waveforms and correctly relays the harmonics of instruments and vocals to provide realistic space, depth, and air.

Of course, Revela has much more going for it than the tweeter. Quad engineers developed a new material for the speaker’s 6.5-inch mid/bass diaphragm — a unique formulation of wood pulp and artificial fibers named “Reveal” due to its natural, transparent output. By adding artificial fibers to the pulp, the diaphragm becomes further damped and strengthened, providing superior bass control and smoothing upper-midrange resonances. The diaphragm in Reveal 1 is incorporated into a driver built on a cast chassis and fitted with a high-power magnet and voice coils. A phase-compensated Acoustic Butterworth crossover pulls everything together. 

Generously piano-lacquered and polished in either high-gloss finish option, Reveal 1 looks stunning in any environment. Its hand-finished cabinets utilize optimally stressed and braced panels featuring radiused edges to reduce unwanted diffraction. In the back, a bass-reflex tube port includes longitudinal splines that help smooth airflow and increase the efficiency of the reflex system for deep, powerful bass performance. 

Trademarked Reveal Fiber Composition 
The advanced “True Ribbon” unit is married to equally high-performance bass and midrange drivers. Subject to years of research, development, testing and continuous innovation, the mid and bass drivers feature a new advanced fiber composition, aptly called Reveal. Refined for seamless integration with the “True Ribbon” HF, the smooth diaphragm drivers are purpose selected based on their rigidity and excellent self-damping properties. This new diaphragm, combined with a specially developed custom rubber surround for a greater excursion and high-power motor system, means you hear superb bass performance with power, depth, speed, and articulation in abundance. Putting it all together is a phase-compensated Acoustic Butterworth crossover devised from CAD technology and hundreds of hours of critical listening tests.

Polished to a Fine Gloss
Revela Series cabinets are skillfully hand-finished to a quality far exceeding competitors in this class. Revela Series is available in options of a polished real-wood veneer and seamless polished-paint finish or a simple, classy all-black glossy paint finish. In either finish, the cabinets are a sight to behold. The precision-fitted baffle is seamlessly joined, also with a polished finish. More than just a furniture-quality piece of craftsmanship, the cabinet is internally braced, using a purpose-engineered structure connected to the cabinet panels in a manner that dissipates unwanted vibrations and resonances, thus maintaining structural rigidity even under the most strenuous of performances.