D_Edwards is quite wrong.
The Revel Line was designed using Mark Levinson equipment.
Revel is a line of Harmon International, as is Mark Levinson. (Obviously they did not use my amp, as it is 15 years old, however, they did use the 400 series and other subsequent lines to design the speaker line. Ask any dealer and they will confirm this. Do you honestly think that Revel would have used another brand of electronics to design their speakers? Think about it.)
Mr. Edwards is merely giving his opinion about the sound of the Revel lines. You should treat it as such. It annoys me when people give their opinion as if it were the word of god. It is not. It is merely an opinion, nothing more, nothing less. (Sorry Edwards, but that is what you came off sounding like, with words like "Pathetic", and "ridiculously designed".) If he does not like the sound of the Revels, that is fine, and he can state that. My opinion is that everyone has different opinions on musical sound, and what sounds good to them. My opinion is that you should figure out what sounds good to YOU (and it appears you have), and then seek the opinions of those people who have similar tastes.
(As an example; Why take the opinion of someone who puts mid-range liquidity above all else, when to you, detail retrieval, transparency and frequency balance are more important? It does not make sense to me to do anything else.)
It appears as if you do like the sound of the Levinson equipment and the Revels, and you are the one who will be living with said equipment. (BTW, dozens of us on Audiogon have the Revels (Studios, Salons, etc..) and we love them.
As far as the power of your amp. It would definitely help you to have more than the 100 wpc that your 331 does. I used to use a ML No. 27 (also 100 wpc) with my Studios. It sounded pretty good, but as with most speakers with low sensitivity and impedance, more power is better. (Which is why I ended up upgrading to the No. 23. It does give better dynamic response and headroom. If I could have afforded it, I would have gotten the 23.5 too. Good Choice, btw!)
Remember, you are the one living with your choice. Speaker selection is a difficult process. You need to go and listen to them before choosing, as you will be living with your choice for a long time in all probability. Also, reselling speakers is such a hassle, and almost always a monetary loss, even if you bought the speakers used. (Shipping speakers, especially as heavy as the Revels, JM labs, etc.. is VERY expensive!) Besides, going to stereo shows, fellow audiophiles houses and stereo dealers to audtion various types of equipment can be fun.
Again, good luck in your search!
PS If you are in the $12K price range for speakers, I recommend auditioning the Avalon Eidolons. They are my favorite speaker (of the affordable speakers, assuming $12K is affordable!). You can usually find them "used" for that price. A couple of cavaets though: They eat power, they require the best in electronics and they must be setup properly to sound their best. However, when setup right, they sound incredible. I wish I had the money to get them. Someday maybe.
The Revel Line was designed using Mark Levinson equipment.
Revel is a line of Harmon International, as is Mark Levinson. (Obviously they did not use my amp, as it is 15 years old, however, they did use the 400 series and other subsequent lines to design the speaker line. Ask any dealer and they will confirm this. Do you honestly think that Revel would have used another brand of electronics to design their speakers? Think about it.)
Mr. Edwards is merely giving his opinion about the sound of the Revel lines. You should treat it as such. It annoys me when people give their opinion as if it were the word of god. It is not. It is merely an opinion, nothing more, nothing less. (Sorry Edwards, but that is what you came off sounding like, with words like "Pathetic", and "ridiculously designed".) If he does not like the sound of the Revels, that is fine, and he can state that. My opinion is that everyone has different opinions on musical sound, and what sounds good to them. My opinion is that you should figure out what sounds good to YOU (and it appears you have), and then seek the opinions of those people who have similar tastes.
(As an example; Why take the opinion of someone who puts mid-range liquidity above all else, when to you, detail retrieval, transparency and frequency balance are more important? It does not make sense to me to do anything else.)
It appears as if you do like the sound of the Levinson equipment and the Revels, and you are the one who will be living with said equipment. (BTW, dozens of us on Audiogon have the Revels (Studios, Salons, etc..) and we love them.
As far as the power of your amp. It would definitely help you to have more than the 100 wpc that your 331 does. I used to use a ML No. 27 (also 100 wpc) with my Studios. It sounded pretty good, but as with most speakers with low sensitivity and impedance, more power is better. (Which is why I ended up upgrading to the No. 23. It does give better dynamic response and headroom. If I could have afforded it, I would have gotten the 23.5 too. Good Choice, btw!)
Remember, you are the one living with your choice. Speaker selection is a difficult process. You need to go and listen to them before choosing, as you will be living with your choice for a long time in all probability. Also, reselling speakers is such a hassle, and almost always a monetary loss, even if you bought the speakers used. (Shipping speakers, especially as heavy as the Revels, JM labs, etc.. is VERY expensive!) Besides, going to stereo shows, fellow audiophiles houses and stereo dealers to audtion various types of equipment can be fun.
Again, good luck in your search!
PS If you are in the $12K price range for speakers, I recommend auditioning the Avalon Eidolons. They are my favorite speaker (of the affordable speakers, assuming $12K is affordable!). You can usually find them "used" for that price. A couple of cavaets though: They eat power, they require the best in electronics and they must be setup properly to sound their best. However, when setup right, they sound incredible. I wish I had the money to get them. Someday maybe.