Tannoy Reveal 502 5″ Active Studio Monitor Pair

The Tannoy Reveal 502 is an active studio monitor designed for home and project studios. It’s a popular choice for budget-conscious producers and engineers who need a reliable set of monitors for near-field listening. It is the 5-inch model in Tannoy’s Reveal series, offering a good balance between size, performance, and price.

Key Features and Highlights:

• Custom Bi-Amped Design: The Reveal 502 features a custom bi-amped amplifier, which means separate amplifiers power the woofer and tweeter. This design ensures maximum tonal clarity and power efficiency. The total power output is 75 Watts RMS (50W for the woofer and 25W for the tweeter).
• Drivers:
  • Woofer: It uses a 5-inch custom high-efficiency low-frequency driver, which is designed to provide a solid and extended bass response for its size.
  • Tweeter: The 1-inch soft-dome tweeter is described as “poke-resistant” and is built for detailed high-frequency reproduction.
• Tuned Front-Firing Bass Port: A key feature of the Reveal 502 is its front-firing bass port. This design allows you to place the monitors closer to a wall without the bass buildup or resonance issues that can occur with rear-ported speakers. This is particularly useful in small home studios where space is limited.
• Ultra-Wide Sweet Spot: Tannoy’s in-house speaker expert, Dr. Paul Mills, custom-tuned the active crossover filters to ensure impeccable timing between the drivers. This creates an “ultra-wide sweet spot,” allowing you to move around your workspace without losing the stereo imaging of your mix. This is a significant advantage over other monitors that require a very precise listening position.
• Connectivity and Controls:
  • Inputs: It offers flexible input options, including a balanced XLR input and an unbalanced 1/4″ TS jack, allowing you to connect to a wide range of professional audio interfaces and mixing consoles.
  • Aux Link: A unique and convenient feature is the 1/8″ (3.5mm) stereo input with a “monitor link” facility. You can plug your mobile device directly into the monitor and then use the included cable to link two monitors together for an instant stereo setup. This is great for casual listening or for quick A/B comparisons with your phone or tablet.
  • Room Adjustment: On the back panel, there are adjustable EQ settings to help you match the monitor’s response to your listening environment. You can adjust the high-frequency response with a HF EQ switch offering -1.5 dB, Neutral, and +1.5 dB options.
• Frequency Response: The monitors have a frequency response of 49 Hz to 43 kHz. This wide range, especially the high-frequency extension, provides a detailed sound that can be very revealing for mixing.
• Maximum SPL: The Reveal 502 can reach a maximum peak SPL of 108 dB, which is more than enough for near-field monitoring in a home studio and provides plenty of headroom for dynamic mixes.

Who is the Tannoy Reveal 502 for?

• Home and Project Studio Owners: It’s an excellent choice for a first or second set of monitors for music production, podcasting, and video editing.
• Users in Small Rooms: The front-firing bass port makes it a great option for small, acoustically untreated rooms where monitors need to be placed close to a wall.
• Budget-Conscious Professionals: It provides a good balance of professional features and sound quality at a very competitive price point.
• Casual Listeners: The “Aux Link” feature makes it a convenient and high-quality speaker for listening to music from mobile devices.