The Revel Salon2 is a pair of flagship floor-standing speakers with major upgrades and improvements, giving them higher sound quality and better sonic performance over its coveted predecessor. More than a decade has passed, the Salon2 still remains one of the absolute top loudspeakers of Revel and is well-regarded by audiophiles. It is important that we match the very best amp with the Revel Salon2 and bring out the floor-standing speakers’ full potential.
To get the right amp to drive these high-end loudspeakers, we must first learn more about the Revel Salon2 sonic characteristics and prowess. From there, we will be able to find matching amps and prepare a list of them for you. This will be a list of the best amplifiers which you can choose to match with your Revel Salon2 flagship floor-standing speakers.
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Sonic Characteristics and Strengths of Revel Salon2
These are towering speakers which display power and confidence with a touch of elegance. The Revel Salon2 is a large pair of floor-standing speakers and will need ample breathing space around them. They should suit a large listening room nicely and will look amazing with most modern amplifiers. At first glance, you will notice quite a number of drivers at the front of the speaker cabinet and right at the very top will be a 1″ (25 mm) beryllium tweeter. Followed by a 4″ (100mm) titanium cone midrange driver, a 6.5″ (165mm) titanium cone mid-woofer and lastly three 8″ (200mm) titanium cone woofers. The Revel Salon2’s bass port is down-firing.
With this amount of speaker drivers and a down-firing port, we are expecting a powerful sonic performance from the Revel Salon2. The frequency response is really impressive, it is 23Hz-45kHz (+/-3dB) and this indicates the floor-stander can deliver very deep bass frequencies. Its nominal impedance is 6 Ohms and has a minimum of 3.7 Ohms. The speaker sensitivity is low and is at 86.4dB. Based on these specs, we should really consider very high-powered amplifiers to drive them as the Revel Salon2 loudspeakers are not easy to drive. Furthermore, they are capable of delivering incredibly deep bass and this will require a lot of power as well.
It is pretty impressive for a speaker with so many drivers to sound seamless and in cohesion, the drivers including the bass port all work in unison and provided us with powerful musical sound quality. The bass performance is superb and impactful, the Revel Salon2 effortlessly digs very deep into the bass extension and produces these low-end frequencies with prominence. These bass reproductions are detailed and agile as well, blending in together with the rest of the upper frequencies and adding weight to the overall sound reproduction. This helps to produce a nice music presence in the listening room too.
The Revel Salon2 is able to deliver a very detailed and transparent music presentation. Every subtle nuance and intricacy can be heard with astounding clarity, this helps to bring us closer to the music and makes the musical instruments sound realistic. Vocal reproductions are intimate and natural sounding, it is just so involving to listen to them. The Revel Salon2 delivers a phenomenal holographic performance on a wide, deep, and tall soundstage. Bringing the musicians to life and the overall sound reproduction is on a scale that goes past the boundaries of the speakers. The stereo imaging, separation, and spacing are simply impeccable.
These are neutral-sounding loudspeakers with amazing overall accuracy and don’t sound harsh when pushed. The Revel Salon2 is a very revealing speaker but doesn’t sound too hard on bad recordings which is great. They are also very faithful to the source and focus on presenting the music which the artists have intended for us to hear. The sense of scale and realism really makes it immersive where we easily fall under the spell and just enjoy listening to our favorite songs. Let us now share with you a list of the best amps which you can go for and partner with your Revel Salon2 floor-standing speakers.
Revel Salon2 Specifications
- Speaker Type: 4-Way (Down-firing port)
- Drive Units: 1″ (25 mm) beryllium tweeter, 4″ (100mm) titanium cone midrange driver, 6.5″ (165mm) titanium cone mid-woofer, Three 8″ (200mm) titanium cone woofers
- Frequency Response (+/-3dB): 23Hz-45kHz
- Impedance: 6 Ohms (min. 3.7 Ohms)
- Sensitivity: 86.4dB
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1354mm x 356mm x 584mm | 53.3″ x 14″ x 23″
- Weight: 66.3kg (146lbs)
Best Amps to match with Revel Salon2
The Parasound Halo JC 1+ is one of the best amps to match with the Revel Salon2. These floor-standing speakers require very high-powered amps and the Parasound Halo JC 1+ will be the ideal mono-block power amplifier for the job. The JC 1+ has a power output of 450 Watts into 8 Ohms and goes all the way up to a whopping 1300 Watts into 2 Ohms. It uses ultra-high bias Class A/AB operation where the first 25 Watts are pure Class A power. This is an incredibly powerful mono amp with plenty of headroom to spare, enabling the Parasound Halo JC 1+ to handle all sorts of music peaks and demands without compromising musicality.
The DarTZeel NHB-108 B will be the best amps to pair with your Revel Salon2 speakers. The sonic characteristics of the NHB-108 B power amplifier will match really well with the Salon2 flagship floor-stander. It is musical sounding and can deliver a 3-dimensional sonic performance. The overall sound reproduction is smooth and warm, with a fluid and accurate music presentation. Its sound quality is easy on the ears and lovely to listen to for hours without fatigue. The DarTZeel NHB-108 B is a sweet-sounding power amplifier and is well-balanced with a wide dynamic range.
If you are eyeing a vacuum tube-powered amplifier, then the McIntosh MC2301 is an exemplary choice to go for and partner with your Revel Salon2 floor-standing speakers. The McIntosh MC2301 is a powerful high-end vacuum tube amp with a power output of 300 Watts into 2/4/8 Ohms (1-channel) and is enough to drive the Salon2 speakers efficiently. The lifelike music performance of this magnificent tube amp will complement the Revel Salon2 really well. The emotions of the music flow out effortlessly and with such realism that you are immediately mesmerized by the alluring sound reproductions.
The Parasound Halo JC 5 is a brilliant high-end power amplifier to go with the Revel Salon2 floor-standers. This will be an excellent choice for listeners who are looking for a stereo power amp with dual-mono input stages. It is an extremely powerful stereo power amplifier with power outputs of 400 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and 600 Watts per channel into 4 Ohms with the first 12 Watts as pure Class A power. Parasound Halo JC 5 also has 90 amperes peak current per channel along with its tight music handling and high sonic performance, this is a suitable match for the Revel Salon2 speakers.
The Wyred 4 Sound SX-1000R is an award-winning mono-block amplifier powered by ICEpower (ASP module) with a rated output of 625 Watts into 8 Ohms and a massive 1225 Watts into 4 Ohms, the SX-1000Rs can easily drive the Revel Salon2 floor-standing speakers and make them sing. Furthermore, for such outstanding sonic performance, the Wyred 4 Sound SX-1000R is modestly priced. It has remarkable music handling and data retrieval, providing us with a very rich and high-resolution music presentation that will fit nicely with the Revel Salon2 floor-standers.
For listeners who do not want to invest too much in an amp but don’t want to compromise output power. You might want to take a look at the Peachtree Audio Nova500. This is an integrated amplifier packed with a plethora of features, not to mention, very powerful as well. The Nova500 has a power output of 500 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and 700 Watts per channel into 4 Ohms, enough to efficiently drive the Revel Salon2 speakers. It is sanely priced as well and the built-in features such as the ESS 9028 PRO Sabre DAC, phono stage, etc., provide its users with even more value.
More Details at Amazon – Peachtree Audio Nova500 Integrated Amp (Piano Black)
To Sum It Up
You can shortlist the amps for an audition by filtering them out based on your budget/requirements. Once you have shortlisted the amplifiers, it will be recommended to audition them in your own listening room along with your Revel Salon2 speakers. This will help to provide you with a more accurate result. Please use your favorite tunes or music with which you are very familiar during the auditioning of the amps as it will be easier to tell if there are any improvements in the sound quality.
