Lamm 1.2 or Ayre MXR's

With the Salons you will need all the power you can get, so between the two amps you've listed, I would recommend the Ayre MXR amps. (I just don't think that the 110 wpc Lamm M1.2 amps will be able to drive the Salons properly.)

However, if you really like the Lamm sound, (and I do, since I own the Lamm M2.1 monoblocks), I can highly recommend the Lamm M2.2 monoblocks. These 220 wpc amps will have the power to get the Salons to come to life. (IMHO, the Lamm M2.2 amps are tied for the best amps I have ever heard; the VAC Phi 300.1 amp being the other.)

PS I used to own the original Revel Studios. At first I used a Levinson No. 27 (100 wpc) amp to drive them, but it lacked the power to really get the bass to integrate properly. I upgraded to the Levinson No. 23 (200 wpc), and the sound was much better. However, it was when I went to the aforementioned Lamm M2.1 monoblocks that I got the absolute most out of the Studios.

Good Luck in your search!

I rarely listen above 90 db , so thats what , two watts ?

The Lamm's are Class A, so don't let the 110 watts fool you. I know they easily drive the Wilson Sasha, which can be a load on an amp given their impedence dip. With that said, I can't speak for the synergy between Lamm and Revel

From theaudiobeat.com:
Ayre MX-Rs: when?

October 5, 2010

Marc,

When do you expect to publish your review of the Ayre MX-R amps? I was ready (after a great amount of thought and a slow build up of cash) to pull the trigger on Lamm M1.2s (to be used with my Audio Research Reference 5, Wilson Audio Sasha W/Ps, and Shunyata cables), but after I saw that you were going to review the MX-Rs, I decided to hold back. I'm generally not a fan of solid state and like the Lamm hybrid concept, but I've heard great things about the MX-Rs and knew a now-former Audio Research dealer who sold a few Reference 5/ MX-R combos. I await your comparison. A sneak preview would be great, and I would not reveal your thoughts to anyone. However, I can also appreciate if, like the rest of your readers, I have to wait for the public release.

R. Wade

My review of the Ayre MX-R amps is still more than a month away from being published, but I can tell you that the MX-R is a member of a select group of the very best amps I've heard regardless of technology. I hate it when equipment reviewers titillate instead of inform, anointing some new product as "the best" without adequate explanation, but I can't get around that with the MX-Rs at this point. To find out specifics, you'll have to wait for my review. I don't think you can go wrong with either the Lamm M1.2s or Ayre MX-Rs, but I'm sure one will be more right for you and your system than the other. -Marc Mickelson

For high-order crossover speakers, the original Salons are quite good - exceedingly good at current used prices - and have to be paired carefully with electronics. I ran my Salons with Rowland Model 6's (with batteries) and VAC Renaissance 140's for use with symphonic music with great success. It is a myth that they require a ton of power - as a really good speaker, they cast a very negative light on the global feedback used in almost all high-powered amps. My experience is that they definitely sound best with 100 to 150 watt amps, assuming you are not using them in a huge room for symphonic or pop music, or using them for home theater (an enormous waste of a very good speaker, by the way, but that's generally how Revel and their dealers pitched them).

Either of the amps you are looking at are fine. Because you have the Ayre preamp, it would presumably match up best with the Ayre amp. The Lamm puts off a lot of heat, but sounds very good for what is basically a solid-state amp and is plenty powerful assuming intelligent use of the speaker. I never ran mine with my darTZeel, but have a close friend who did so for several years and it was a superb match in every respect. Every set-up I heard using recent-vintage Madrigal amps sounded like shit on Salons, but I did hear them sounding good with 434 monos at one of my dealers.

Good luck.