Curious about the differences between Revel/JM lab

Is there a particular reason you are committed to Levinson amplification? I have Revel Salons, and before buying the Salons, I listened extensively to the Studios. I heard them both with Levinson amps, and then with Jeff Rowland amps. I agree with d edwards that the speakers sounded somewhat dead with the Levinson amps. They came alive with Rowland. I ended up getting the Model 12 monos. I have heard that others using Revel speakers have also been very satisfied with a Rowland/Revel combination. If you like the Studio (and there are many reasons to like it), you should consider Rowland. Rowland's new 201 and 501 monos are supposed to be great amps, and at very reasonable prices (for Rowland).

I have no experience with JM lab.

thanx for all the responses esp DEdwards
Nev

Neither Speaker sound very good with levinson amplification. (Here comes the flack...but its true)

The JMLAbs will be brittle and harsh and the Revel will lack energy in the midbass and have a distant sterile sound which being that you are a jazz guy, you won't like.

You will need to buy the speakers first then think about the amplifiers.

If you get the Revel, Classe CA400 will server you very well. Staying with Levinson as you move forward with either of these speakers will likely leave you wanting unless having Levinson supercedes the sound of your system.

If you get the JMLabs, YBA amplification will be necessary, get the most expensive YBA you can find and afford (used). I will tell you that the Passion Integre is extremely good on the Nova's.

The revel and the JMLabs are very different speakers, the revel is buttoned down and precise and a little analytical and the JMLABS are dynamic and wanton with timbre's a bit, The Nova looks to create its own impression of a musical recording while the Revel seeks to reproduce exactly every nuance on the recording.

which one appeals to you? Your 3.6's are somewhere in between.

Jm Lab mezzo utopia/nova B versus Revel ultima studio
Nreddy

Can we get a tad more specific? Maybe you could talk about the exact models you're thinking about. First, you might want to think about becoming very familiar with your, soon to happen, upgrade.