Revival Audio Atalante 5 Bookshelf Speaker, Macassar (Pair)

The Revival Audio Atalante 5 is a 3-way bookshelf speaker in a large monitor format that combines a 30 cm basalt woofer with an unusually large midrange dome. With it, the Alsatian manufacturer opened the Atalante series in 2022 – designed by a team with roots at Dynaudio and Focal, now in the new Macassar finish and with the unmistakable Belt-&-Knot design of the Parisian studio A+A Cooren.

Why the Atalante 5?

Here the work is done with real volume, not slim cosmetics. The 30 cm woofer with basalt sandwich diaphragm (BSC) moves a lot of air and stays controlled – in a speaker, volume is like displacement in an engine: nothing can replace it. Above it sits a large 75 mm soft-dome midrange with ARID Plus technology, a design that reproduces voices especially full-bodied and detached from the box. The treble is handled by a 28 mm dome with an unusually low resonance of 520 hertz, which provides silky, fatigue-free highs. None of it comes off the shelf: Revival builds its drivers itself.

What you hear

Size, in the best sense. The Atalante 5 plays with a force and ease you otherwise only know from much larger floorstanders. The bass reaches down to 28 hertz, dry and contoured rather than bloated; voices and instruments stand vividly in the room, with real body. It can be gentle, and it can grip – jazz late in the evening just as much as a big live recording at higher levels. The Macassar finish changes nothing about that, but gives the large monitor a vividly patterned, dark and warm look.

Who is the Atalante 5 suited for?

For larger rooms from around 30 square metres that can handle and fill a full-grown monitor. Straight talk: despite the name, this bookshelf speaker doesn't belong on a shelf or sideboard – it needs stable stands that bring the tweeter to ear height, otherwise you give away the spatial imaging. And the impedance drops to 3.2 ohms at 110 hertz: a load-stable amplifier is a must, and a tiny 8-watt tube amp will be politely but firmly turned away.

Our verdict

The Atalante 5 is the large monitor with which Revival Audio set out – and it still shows what the brand stands for: classic look, modern technology, honest sound. We in Wädenswil like it for exactly what it is: a speaker with substance that makes big music big.

What the press says: "Rarely has a restart in the fiercely contested loudspeaker segment succeeded as well as with this brand and this model." (hifitest 3/2023).

Technical data

• Design: 3-way bookshelf speaker (monitor), bass reflex (rear)
• Tweeter: 28 mm soft dome with ARID technology (resonance 520 hertz)
• Midrange: 75 mm soft dome with ARID Plus technology
• Woofer: 300 mm (12 inch) BSC (Basalt Sandwich Construction)
• Frequency response: 28 hertz to 22,000 hertz (±3 decibels)
• Sensitivity: 89 decibels (2.83 volts / 1 metre)
• Nominal impedance: 4 ohms (minimum 3.2 ohms at 110 hertz)
• Crossover frequencies: 450 hertz and 3.5 kilohertz
• Power handling: 200 watts (recommended amplifier power from 30–50 watts, ideal 100–200 watts)
• Recommended room size: 30 to 60 square metres
• Finish: Macassar
• Dimensions (H × W × D): 710 × 420 × 355 mm
• Weight: 33 kilograms per unit
• Scope of delivery: 2 × Atalante 5, two-piece magnetic front covers, instruction manual

Frequently asked questions

Does the Atalante 5 need speaker stands?
Yes, absolutely. The tweeter has to be at ear height for the spatial imaging to be right – directly on a shelf or sideboard, you give away sound. The ideal choice is the matching Atalante 5 Stand, which brings the box to the right height and, through its weight, ensures a clean, calm bass.

Which amplifier suits the Atalante 5?
From 30 to 50 watts it plays; it develops its full potential with 100 to 200 watts on a load-stable amplifier. The impedance falls to 3.2 ohms at 110 hertz, so it feels most at home on strong transistor amplifiers. Small tube amps quickly reach their limits.

How deep does the bass of the Atalante 5 go?
Down to 28 hertz (±3 decibels) – deep bass of the kind you'd otherwise expect from large floorstanders. The 30 cm basalt woofer delivers it dry and controlled rather than spongy. For the full effect it needs room: from around 30 square metres it can show what's in it.

Atalante 5 or Atalante 4 – which fits better?
The Atalante 5 is the large bookshelf monitor with a 30 cm woofer and depth down to 28 hertz; the Atalante 4 is the slimmer floorstander with two 18 cm woofers down to 38 hertz. The 5 delivers more force and deep bass in a big room, while the 4 is more space-saving and needs no stand.

Why buy the Revival Audio Atalante 5 at HD Zürisee?
Because advice here is more than a data sheet: together with you, we clarify the room, placement, suitable stands and the right amplifier so that the Atalante 5 really turns up. As a specialist shop in Wädenswil with our own technician, we deliver and install on site and are there for you afterwards too. Call or write to us.

Goes well with

• The matching Atalante 5 Stand and other speaker stands bring the box to ear height – a must, not an option.
• A load-stable integrated amplifier with reserves gives the 30 cm bass the control it needs.
• Good speaker cables and the whole series under Revival Audio.