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Revel Salon 2 Amplification Questions

Currently my Salon 2s are powered by a Plinius SB-301 fed by a Plinius M8 (Ayre C-5xeMP front end).

I have been and remain quite happy with this setup, but upgraditis may be kicking in (I should have followed someone's sage advice to stop reading audio forums for at least two years after assembling my system).

Specifically I am curious to know whether anyone is using these speakers with any of the following SS brands: Symphonic Line, FM Acoustics, Clayton, Gryphon, Karan, MBL or Accuphase (but feel free to weigh in with other suggestions of a like quality). And, if so, what they like/dislike about their gear, both pre and power amps.

I am only interested in SS power amps, but am open to a tubed pre. The Salon 2s are power hogs and while most of my listening is below 90db, every so often I wanna pretend I'm 14 again and crank Houses of the Holy at 110+ db and I don't think tube power amps can get me there.

My tastes run to mostly classic rock (Stones, Grateful Dead, The Who, Elton John etc.) with occasional detours into symphonies or jazz. I prefer strong bass that when played at volume can be felt as well as heard, clear but not bright treble and mids that are rich and not too forward - I guess the audiophile term would be slightly dark.

The system is in a 28'x16' sunroom with a 15' cathedral ceiling and a 9x5x8 bumpout on the left rear. There is lots of glass and I have not treated the room (nor do I intend to as it was built to enjoy the view), so I want to avoid anything that really emphasizes the high end. But I do want fast amplification with the ability to convey both micro and macro dynamics.

The Plinius gear actually does quite well achieving these goals, and unless there's a significant upside with the brands I've mentioned vis-a-vis Salon 2s then I have no real reason to change. But if it can get much better, then let me know.

p59teitel
p59teitel OP
312 posts
 
Thanks for the comments so far.

I have heard of the Carver AT180s and will investigate the 305 watt version.

I did hear the ML 532H driving Salon 2s when auditioning gear. I thought it very good with piano and acoustic music and that it had a clear and uncluttered midrange, but IMO the Plinius is more dynamic and authoritative, especially in the bass.
tmsorosk
1,013 posts
 
I use the Salon 1's with a Levinson #532H, and although the sound is to die for, I also felt that a friend's Plinius SA Reference, when used in my system, was slightly better. More bass slam, almost to much, and a tat more musical. The down side is the Plinius was not quite as neutral sounding and double the coin.

I also use an Ayre C5exMP CD player but with an Ayre KX-R preamp.
4425
861 posts
 
I use a JRDG 625 amp to great effect. Smooth,detailed and powerful. I happen to know that Jeff Rowland uses Salon 2's in his large office/factory listening room. I had a chance to hear the setup and it was breathtaking. He was using his Aeris dac to drive his amps directly using 44k files.
seattlehifi
70 posts
 
4425 - I'm glad that you mentioned the dac in JRDG's system.

I should have mentioned that our front end for our 532H/Salon 2 set-up is the Berkeley Alpha Dac 2/Alpha USB combo which, in our opinion, mates perfectly to the Revel/ML 532H combo.

If you enjoy the plinius/revel combo then perhaps instead of changing the amplifier you may wish to hear the combo with an improved source?...such as a Berkeley Alpha Dac 2? Honestly, this approach is likely to yield the result you're looking for.

p59teitel OP
312 posts
 
Thanks for the additional replies.

I like Rowland gear but I think it would be more a lateral move from the Plinius stuff than a major upgrade.

I really like the Ayre C-5xeMP player but will eventually add a DAC to handle computer audio, so good to hear that the Berkeley DAC plays nicely with the Salon 2s.

At this point I am considering either standing pat or possibly adding a tubed pre-amp...
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