Best Amp for my new Speakers?

There are many amps that would compliment your Revel's. I think people can only make suggestions. My suggestion would be the Sim Audio W-5. It really controls a speaker and has a sound that compliments an accurate speaker.

I have never heard any one call Pass Labs amps "bright". Although I have heard that said of Revel Studio's and Salon's if the tweeters are not properly adjusted.

Rowland amps sound like a good idea. Revel's and Sim Audio demo together in shows sometimes. I've heard this combo before and it sounds better than Revel's driven by YBA or Mark Levinson. 200wpc should be adequate to drive the Studio's to near deafening spl's.

I myself own a pair of Revel Salon speakers. I have demo'd alot of amps for these too. Ill give you a good rundown as I have alot of experience with alot of the amps you have listed since I used to be a dealer for many of the products above a few years back.

1. Proceed: Has the ML sound, but build quality is VERY SUSPECT. Very poor soldiering joints, alot of corners cut internally. There are way too many amps in this price range that are better built, so skip this discontinued piece.
2.Levinson 431: Plenty of juice, but am not familiar with durability yet. Sounds as good as the older series it replaced no doubt. Plenty of power to drive Studios.
3.Roland: Good amp, good dynamics, will push the Studios to moderate levels cleanly.
3. Pass labs: Any of the pass labs amplifiers will do a great job. Even the X150 has a ton of dynamic headroom that far surpasses its rated output. You cant go wrong with any of the. An x250 or 350 will do a great job.
CLasse: Im not a fan of these but power to drive Studios isnt going to be a concern, though I dont think they match up as well. Top end is definetly forward sounding to say the least.
EAD: I have no experience or knowledge of this product.

COnsiderations: go to www.audioadvisor.com check out the STEAL they have on a pair of Aragon Palladium monoblocks. $3000 for the pair. This is a steal and its basically accomadation price that they are selling these for. They normally list for $6000 for the pair. Aragon amps are very similiar in sound like the Nelson Pass X series amplifiers. I would put the Aragon Palladiums between the x350 and x600 monoblocks from Pass labs at a fraction of the price. THe Aragon's put out 400 watts at 8 ohms(125 watts class A operation, over 125 watts they auto switch the bias to AB), a real world 6-800 watts at 4 ohms and over 1000 watts at 2ohms. Headroom is awesome with them. Midrange is such a great match with the Revel's too, and the bass is tight and articulate. If cost was no object and I had a choice between the Aragon monoblocks, the Pass labs x350 and the x600 monoblocks, I would choose the X600's first, with a close 2nd going to the Aragon amps with the x350 taking last place(a close 3rd in all honesty too)of the bunch. But when talking $3000 vs. $5-6k( I had the money to buy x600's too, but knowing first hand the real world performance of both units I took the extra cash saved and RAN to the closest travel agent, no kidding) and up its a no brainer. The Aragon Palladiums are a no frills industrial quality made amplifier monoblock set. If your ever in the area you should stop by for a listen. You wont be dissapointed.

Insert the David Berning ZH-270 in place of the HPA2. I have not heard this combo, but a highly respected source advises that the Berning will work very well!

The latest Rowland creation review trashed earlier models for their frequency roll off. The Pass amps are not bright, just more dynamic and clear. If you are using bright speakers, then you might want Levinson, or Rowland. I prefer the live event the Pass amps give.

Thorman,
The answer from my dealer is the Levinson 432 (400 watts/channel)- More than I want to spend right now.

Pootie,
Will the 150 watt Rowland 10 be enough juice for say a 15 ft by 20 ft room? I know the gear sounds nice.

Bigkidz,
I am not that familiar with the Pass gear. It appears to be well built and have a strong following - I like the way it looks too. What areas would you say this amp beats the Rowland/Levinsons? I am concerned that it would be bright compared to the Rowland or Levinson. No way to audition my speakers with this amp in my new home location. Thanks.

Any other thoughts?

Bigkidz, I xeox that.

Bound for Sound loves the Pass X-250 with speakers that are in the 4 ohm range and I love mine. Plus they are the best at cusotmer servie period. The X-250 is a much better amp that the Rowland 10, my 10 year old Kinergetics KBA-75 sounded just as good as the 10. There are plenty of used X-250s that are cheap and Pass is very good at servicing used amps. Levinson is very good also.

Happy Listening.

Jeff Rowland would be your best bet on Revels. As the Revels are very resolving and detail, it will tell you if the is not up to spec. Best is to try before you buy.

why not e-mail or call a shop that sells Revel and ask what customers prefer?
This will at least give you a good starting point and also not limit you to any particular amp..