Alternatives to Revel Studios?

I understand your love for the Studios, as I have them too.
I think that your RM9's were not really powerful enough for the Studios, which is why you felt something was lacking. (I started out with a Levinson 27 (100wpc) and when I went up to the Levinson 23 (200 wpc) things really opened up. (I am considering upgrading again, to get even more power, as the Revels really like lots of power.)

That being said, and coming from a fellow Studio fan, I can tell you that if you don't need the last word in bass, that the Avalon Eidolons will be a real step up. Used they are going for $10-$12K, depenind on condition, (and finish - some of the finishes are really drop dead gorgeous, especially if you are into fine woodwork!). The sound is bit more refined than the Studio, especially on the top end. The bass is close to, but not quite as deep as the Studio's depth. One caveat, is that the Eidolons are even more revealing than the Studios, so you will need topnotch electronics throughout your entire system. Also, the Eidolons are also as power hungry as the Revels. My friend's system (and I am basing all of my knowledge based on pretty intimate knowledge of the two speakers, btw), uses VTL MB450 monoblocks. (He used to use a Classe CA-401 (400 wpc) very successfullly, in case you prefer solid state.) In any case, you will need at least 200 wpc, and double that to really get the most out of them. He is currently trying them out with the Rowland 501s, but he has stated that the sound is not as good as the VTLs (or even the Classe, although it is close to the Classe.)
In looking at your current electronics, I feel they would do fine with the Eidolons. (But don't downgrade in order to raise cash to pay for the Eidolons!)

Well, Good Luck in your search!

Steve01s4

To answer your questions:

I think the Lamm's would work acceptably with the Eidolons. I looked at the specs for the Lamm's and it apears that they have 200 wpc at 4 ohms, which is what the Eidolons (and the Studios) both have. (The RM9s would have been insufficient however. I heard the Kora Cosmos, another 100 wpc tube amp, and it sounded great on small scale jazz, but on larger scale pieces, it ran out of gas.) My opinion is that they will sound great with the Studios as well. In fact, it might even work better with the Studios than the Eidolons, but that is a guess on my part. (IMHO, I think the Eidolons are slightly harder to drive, even though the spec's indicate otherwise.)

The Eidolons do have incredible imaging and soundstaging, and yes, even better than the Studios. I will point out that they are a little difficult to set up properly. They really like being pulled well into the room. Their bass is good, very dynamic and very tight. However, it is not incredibly deep. It only goes a few Hz higher than the Studio, but it is enough to be noticable.
(As opposed to the Salon, which goes all the way down to 20 Hz, but you need a lot of power to make them work (probably double what you have) and they need a really large room to make them sound their best, or they can sound boomy.)

If I could trade staight across for the Eidolons, I would do so. (However, the Eidolons are a more expensive speaker than the Studio, in fact, almost double the cost new. $12K vx $22K). A pair of used Studios will cost you $6K-7K, and a used pair of Eidolons should cost between $10K-$12K, depending on condition or finish.

Two points I would like to bring up:

One, is that the Eidolons have been discontinued, and replaced with the Vision. (Which is nothing but a Eidolon with different (better?) drivers, I believe.) That is the main reason why you will see them popping up on Audiogon more in recent months. If you can avoid the Eidolon Diamonds, (Doubtful, as they are $26K used, and about $40K new), I have heard that they are even better than the regular Eidolon. (Check out the review on HiFi+).

Two, if really deep bass is really important to you, than maybe you should stick with the Studios. They are a really good speaker that does everything very well. (I don't think they are the best in any one area, but they don't do anything less than good either.) I like mine, a lot actually, and it would literally take a speaker like the Eidolons (at double the price) to get me to change.

Good Luck!

In the second to the last paragraph, I inadvertantly wrote the word... "avoid" the Eidolon Diamonds. It should have been "afford". (That is what comes from writing while one has a cold I suppose.) Sorry for the confusion.