Revival Audio Atalante Grande Réserve

The Revival Audio Atalante 5 “Grande Réserve” represent the pinnacle of the French brand’s production. Founded in 2021 by Daniel Emonts and Jacky Lee, although it is a young brand, it was born from the combined experience of the founders, who are over seventy years old. The name “Revival” (Rebirth) is, in fact, not accidental: the founders wanted to bring back the golden age of Hi-Fi (the 1970s and 1980s), characterized by large stand-mounted loudspeakers with generous woofers and real wood cabinets, but employing the latest technologies.

The Atalante 5 “Grande Réserve” is a limited edition that fully embodies the brand’s idea (only 250 numbered pairs worldwide) and is not limited to a simple aesthetic update over the Atalante 5, but introduces significant technical refinements. The “Grande Réserve” was created to enhance the concept of “Retro-Futurism,” thanks in part to an outstanding collaboration: the aesthetic design is by the Paris-based A+L Design studio, which was able to add a touch of luxury without betraying the brand’s classic line.

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We find again Revival Audio’s distinctive aesthetic detail: the horizontal engraving line that runs around the entire perimeter of the cabinet, about halfway up. This frieze is embellished with an insert that recalls Solomon’s Knot, an ancient symbol representing union and eternity. Visually, this “strap” breaks up the impressiveness of the (rather generous) cabinet, making it more slender and elegant to the eye.

The speaker uses a selected French walnut wood veneer, with a special treatment that enhances the grain. The details are fine: the front logo is in gold, as are the rear terminals. Each pair has a metal plaque with the serial number (001/250 to 250/250). This is a 3-way bass reflex rear speaker, with excellence drivers derived from the standard series, but with a completely redesigned “heart.”

“Ultra-High-End” Crossover: Revival has selected components with very low tolerances, using higher grade capacitors and resistors than the standard version. This results in greater transparency and a deeper soundstage.
Internal Wiring: It was replaced with cables of larger cross-section and higher quality to minimize signal loss.
Drivers: The famous proprietary drivers with 28 mm soft dome tweeters with RASC technology (special coating and rear damping chamber) remain.
75 mm midrange with RASC technology.
12-inch (30-cm) woofermade of BSC(Basalt Sandwich Construction), a volcanic rock fiber that offers a perfect balance between rigidity and lightness, producing deep but very fast bass.

It is indeed Revival Audio’s trademark BSC (Basalt Sandwich Construction) technology. This is not just an aesthetic quirk, but an engineering solution to solve the eternal dilemma of woofer design: the relationship between stiffness, lightness and damping.

Basalt is mined from volcanic rocks, melted at very high temperatures (about 1450°C) and processed into continuous filaments. These filaments are then woven to create a fiber that is stiffer and stronger, with greater elasticity than many synthetic fibers, and completely environmentally friendly (being natural rock).

Technical characteristics:

Type: 3-way speaker with bass reflex back
Drivers
- 1 1/8″ (28mm) RASC™ Évo soft-dome tweeter
- 3″ (75mm) RASC™ Évo soft-dome midrange driver
- 12″ (300mm) BSC™ (Basalt Sandwich Construction) Grande Réserve woofer
Frequency response (-6 dB): 26Hz – 24kHz
Sensitivity (2.83V/1m): 89dB/2.83V/ 1 metre
Nominal impedance: 4 ohms
Minimum impedance: 3.2 ohms at 110Hz
Crossover Frequency: 400Hz and 2.0kHz
Recommended amplifier power: 200 watts, minimum 30-50 watts.
Dimensions (H*W*D)
- With stand: 1176 mm x 420 mm x 355 mm
- Without stand: 710 mm x 420 mm x 355 mm
Weight (each)
- With stand: 46.1 kg
- Without stand: 35.5 kg