to Onomeagbahovbe: Im so sorry for this late answer, havent been here lately. I have to agree with P59teitel answer above. However, all the different amps I have had, I have either borrowed to test in my own living room with rest of my equipment, or heard at a dealers location when borrowing is not possible..I dont like this last option, but at least it gives me a sort of impression on that specific equipment I may buy. 20k used Asr 2 ex seems for me quite expensive..depends on the year the exact model were made. Anything below 2012 would not even be considered from my side. Can I ask what you ended up with? The ASR goes quite cheap in europe used, and you shouldnt pay more than the Bat pack or the 532. The 532 is also an amazing amp, it actually gives a bit more slam on the bass like the old huge
Krell beasts, but for me it feels more like boosting the lower frequencies unaturally..I still find the ASR EMITTER 2 EX, to be amongst the best amps ive ever heard, final:) But in this pricerange, there are ofcourse many wonderful amps, dont get me wrong..but there is a reason in which asr 2 ex is looked upon as maybe the best "integrated" there is |
to Onomeagbahovbe: Im so sorry for this late answer, havent been here lately. I have to agree with P59teitel answer above. However, all the different amps I have had, I have either borrowed to test in my own living room with rest of my equipment, or heard at a dealers location when borrowing is not possible..I dont like this last option, but at least it gives me a sort of impression on that specific equipment I may buy. 20k used Asr 2 ex seems for me quite expensive..depends on the year the exact model were made. Anything below 2012 would not even be considered from my side. Can I ask what you ended up with? The ASR goes quite cheap in europe used, and you shouldnt pay more than the Bat pack or the 532. The 532 is also an amazing amp, it actually gives a bit more slam on the bass like the old huge
Krell beasts, but for me it feels more like boosting the lower frequencies unaturally..I still find the ASR EMITTER 2 EX, to be amongst the best amps ive ever heard, final:) But in this pricerange, there are ofcourse many wonderful amps, dont get me wrong..but there is a reason in which asr 2 ex is looked upon as maybe the best "integrated" there is |
For anyone to provide any meaningful assistance, you need to tell us about your other gear, music preferences, listening volume, and room size and whether it has a lot of reflections. |
Thanks Audiolabyrinth. Just saw one for 4600. There is a krell 600 c up for sale as well. I don't know the krell sound. Will try to demo one of them. Thanks. |
Looking at your original post, I would go with the Krell FPB 400cx, this amp is far better than what others here know about this amp, and if you can get your hands on a 700cx, even better! |
Thanks Fin1bxn. Will check them out. Appreciate your opinion. |
My recommendation is PASS the X250.5 or X350.5 I used the X250.5 with my Revel F52's and they sing. I know its not in the league of a Salon, but its a good speaker with the same characteristics.
Bass slam is awesome, the amp is very neutral. You can find them used for 4500+ and up. |
Hello Enigmatic and others who have contributed, I noted your interesting observations re the salon 2. I have seen an asr 2 exclusive for 20k usd for my revel salon 2 however wonder if it is worth the money. I will not be able to demo it as I live in Canada. Do you think it is much better than a 532 at 10k usd or a Bat vk 600?
Many thanks, your opinion will be appreciated. |
P.S. to my last message. If relevant, the Ref 150 has a 1040 joule power supply. |
This is a bit dated, but how would my ARC Ref 150 (150 wpc) fare? The room is not large. About 20 to 25 feet long, say 20 feet wide and 7 feet high. My Paradigm 8 v3s are also supposed to be current hogs, but the Ref 150 drives them to ear splitting levels. Of course, the S8s are rated at 92 db sensitivity while the Salons are about 86 or 87 db rated sensitivity.
Thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Bruce |
Thanks P59teitel for your response..
Yes, I agree with you all the way, Huge capacitance from good transformers is very important, and such reservoirs significance to all elements of the music or to a speaker, should never be underestimated..it is Very important with high current, when huge dynamic swings as you say demands it.
Never heard the Symphonic Line K250, but they seem to be a beautiful piece of equipment and probably sound that way also:)... |
BAT VK 600 will be scary good |
Sorry for double posting, the first post apparently got lost in the ozone for a while! |
It sounds like your ASR provides a very similar Salon 2 listening experience to what I get using Symphonic Line Kraft 250s.
That shouldn't be surprising, as both amps use large transformers and provide huge capacitance. Result? High current that can keep up with big dynamic swings and not fall apart. Both are very fast too, and I assume that a lot of the detail you enjoy is from your amp's ability to avoid congestion and maintain a stable soundstage the same way mine do.
What is most interesting to me is that the Salon 2 performance absolutely justifies using amps that cost significantly more than they do. Kind of turns the maxim to spend the most on your speakers upside down. |
Your observations about using the ASR Emitter 2 Exclusive with Salon 2s mirror mine about using Symphonic Line Kraft 250s. On the surface they are entirely different designs, but what they share is huge transformers and very high capacitance.
Result? Both are fast amps with big current, making them especially appropriate to handle huge dynamic swings and not run out of steam when driving big, inefficient speakers like the Salon 2s or eloctrostatics with super-low impedance values. |
I would just add, that even if it has a moderate watt of 280 on the ASR 2 exc, it has an insane amount of current available, which makes it able to drive 1ohm speakers and even below that with 100% control...very very few amps can do this. ASR is also extremely fast, extremely detailed, which on the Salon 2 will make your jaw drop several inches.
But if you were to buy one of the three first you named, Mark Levinson 532 should definetaly be No.1 |
ASR Emitter 2 Exclusive.
I Use them myself on the Salon 2, and have never heard an amp providing such power,control and crazy resolution to a speaker.
In my opinion, this is maybe the best amp out there!
I had the most expensive toys from McIntosh, Krell, Jeff, Rowland and many other brands before, but none were even close to the ASR, and very many agree with me here;)
The only amps ive heard that had this level of power, (almost),and most definately the resolution, were Nagra monoblocs, tubebased...but in the end, I would choose ASR over Nagra |
I would add to that list PASS XA200.5 or X600.5, Bryston 28SST2, ARC DS450M.
The choice depends on the rest of the system, budget, size of the room,...
Mike |
I think Jeff Rowland Design Group still uses the Ultima in their listening room. |
Here is an earlier thread on amps for Revel Salon 2s:
www.forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1344011616&openfrom&1&4#1
They do like watts, up to a point: I wouldn't personally want to drive them with less than 200 watts in a room of more than 2500 square feet. But they like high current and speed even more. They will sound much better with a 250 watt fast amp that can accurately reproduce microdynamics than they will with a 500 watt slowpoke that can only play loud. So you need to look at more than just the wattage number.
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Parsound JC1 mono's. Thank me later. :) |
