Amp with Revel Ultima Studio or Salon

I use Bryston 7B-SST with Salons. I auditioned the ML 436 with the Salons but liked the Bryston better. I like to listen to music loud and for extended listen sessions. I found the Bryston not only provided me with an extremely high quality sound reproduction but also fatigue free listening.

The ML 436 was also an amazing sounding amp with the Salons but it made my head hurt after 3 straight hours of loud listening. This is not a general statement but only one experience when I auditioned the Salons on an high-end all ML system that retailed for over $US 80K.

My ears are not that good enough to tell the differences in sonic attributes between the Bryston 7B-SST and the ML 436.

The Salons make good use of any extra power that your amps can provide. I imagine the Studios are similar in their power needs. I listend to the Salons with the Bryton 4B-ST and really hated it. It sounded underpowered.

There are 2 reviews in Stereophile with the Bryston 14B-SST and the 7B-SST powering the Salons. The 7B-SST review is actually quite negative, but I bought them because Bryton representatives told me that they should sound exactly like the 14-SST.

The SST line (vs ST line) is a really enjoyable evolution of the Bryston amps. I haven't had any desire to change these amps since the day I got them almost 2 years ago.

I use the ML#436 amps with my Salons and this is a great combo. I also used these amps with a pair of Studios for a couple of months. I've also auditioned the Bryston 4bst, the Classe Cam 350, and the latest Krell 450 monoblocks. To me the #436' were the most musicale. These amps were built wtih the Studios and Salons in mind, and really fill out the bass while being very dynamic and transparent. The amps image incredibly and each intstrument or voice is a treat to listen to. They have never given me listener fatigue even after several hour, but I don't listen to the amps at extreme or near clipping levels. I believe a pair of 436s will more than do the job on your Studios and provide you with plenty of headroom. I'm actually biamping my Salons with two pair of 436's and audiophiles who have heard the setup are really amazed at how musicale and accurate the system is.
I think the Bryston 7B would be a good choice as far as driving the speakers to loud volumes, but if you want a more musicale experinece go for the 436's.
Also keep in mind that your speakers were designed long after the Levinson amps you mentioned, so they were designed for the 334, 335, 336 and 400 families and of course the 33's and 33H's.
Hope this helps,
Steven

Bryston would be a grand Blue-Collar solution for either the Ultima Studio or Salon. As the as the older 7B-St's are a STEAL compared to the 14B-ST, 14B-SST, & 7B-SST. The Pass X600's, & Sim Audio W-10's would also liven them up if your Budget can stretch? Anything in the SS wpc range of 350, & greater will show of their true potential. I did not care for the Cooling Fan Feature in the newer line of ML 436. IMO it reminds me too much of a Mid-Fi A/V Receiver. Compared to the older 300 series sound quality it's like Mark wasn't even in the loop as far as design. Maybe he was just spending too much time at book signings of his book The Ultimate Orgas... to even care? Good Luck, & let your own ears be the final determinating factor!

It is my understanding that with proper set up and ventilation, ML 436s have to work pretty hard before the cooling fans are thermostatically signaled to operate at all. 436 owners out there, isn't this the case?

I use Thor's 60 watt tubed monoblocks with my Studios. Amazing sound, definitely among the best amps made. Wonderful build quality. I used to have a large SS amp, which was very good, but if you really, really want to take a step up, take a look at Thor.