Riviera Labs AFM-100 SE Class A Monoi amplifiers- something new and different

[thedudeabides]

The Riviera Lavante is absolutely stunning. Given MSRP's, wish more hi end manufacturers would pay closer attention to visual aesthetics.

 

[Amir]

Beautiful

 

[Elliot G.]

thanks Gary!!

 

[jbrrp1]

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I own a Levante that is just like that, and I find it a bit ungainly in aspect ratio, and a bit gaudy in aesthetic. That front "wave" touch just doesn't make sense to me visually, and the gold.....not my cuppa. My artist daughter just arrived here for a visit from her home in Copenhagen and observed this changed piece in our living room system, giving me a scrunched nose shake of the head as commentary.

That said, I think it sounds really good mated with my Stenheim Alumine 2SE speakers that, due to WAF, must remain literally in bookshelves on either side of a fireplace. To my ears, the Levante brings a richer tonal palette that is just a little forgiving, and helps the speakers have a bit more gravitas than their bass-limited capability might muster otherwise. And it does this while still bringing excellent musical information and insight. Horses for courses!

 

[micro13]

did they help you make a choice?

Sorry for my late response, Elliot.
Mr. Delfino gave me the advice to contact the distributor for my country, which I did.
Unfortunately they don't know if one pair of the AFM100SE monos will drive the Sonjas and there's also no chance to try them at home.
There's also no shop with Riviera units in their showroom in a reasonable distance for me.
They suggested I could use two pairs for bi-amping.
I'm sorry, I don't spend that kind of money just on a suggestion, so case closed for me.

 

[Elliot G.]

Sorry for my late response, Elliot.
Mr. Delfino gave me the advice to contact the distributor for my country, which I did.
Unfortunately they don't know if one pair of the AFM100SE monos will drive the Sonjas and there's also no chance to try them at home.
There's also no shop with Riviera units in their showroom in a reasonable distance for me.
They suggested I could use two pairs for bi-amping.
I'm sorry, I don't spend that kind of money just on a suggestion, so case closed for me.

That’s a shame

 

[Elliot G.]

Sorry for my late response, Elliot.
Mr. Delfino gave me the advice to contact the distributor for my country, which I did.
Unfortunately they don't know if one pair of the AFM100SE monos will drive the Sonjas and there's also no chance to try them at home.
There's also no shop with Riviera units in their showroom in a reasonable distance for me.
They suggested I could use two pairs for bi-amping.
I'm sorry, I don't spend that kind of money just on a suggestion, so case closed for me.

I just reinstalled my AFM-100Se's mono's back into my reference system yesterday afternoon. I have done a lot of work with power and noise control in my system this summer . I have updated the power conditioner and distribution with all the new Shunyata products , including the Everest X, Altaira X, X cables for grounding and Sigma X power cords almost everywhere. This allowed me to optimize my system and get the most out of the EMM mono 's I brought in. ALl those things made a big difference and once accomplished changed my feelings towards the amplifiers. Some of the sound I was attributing to the amplifier was in fact something else. Anyway I have loved the Riviera's for a long time and have stated before that they are my favorite that I have used in my system with the Divin Noblesse.
This is my opinion , not a statement by any company or anyone's endorsement but my own. ( this has been a public service announcement LOL)
Although there are differences between the two very different amplifiers in both technology and sound and I could live with either, the Riv's have something magical that for me I just love. There is more there there. There is a palpable suspension of disbelief that is almost unique to these beautiful items. Maybe its the combo, maybe its the system, maybe its the synergy, maybe its just me but it is there and I totally love it.
Others may and will have different opinions of what they prefer and I understand that musical taste will always influence the outcome.
I am not a big EDM, or Hip Hop, or metal or heavy rock person and I listen to less and less of those type of things every year. I prefer more and more small jazz groups, piano , piano and violin, cello and of course really great singers of al kinds. I mix in some orchestral and some old school rock every now and then.

 

[Elliot G.]

Sorry for my late response, Elliot.
Mr. Delfino gave me the advice to contact the distributor for my country, which I did.
Unfortunately they don't know if one pair of the AFM100SE monos will drive the Sonjas and there's also no chance to try them at home.
There's also no shop with Riviera units in their showroom in a reasonable distance for me.
They suggested I could use two pairs for bi-amping.
I'm sorry, I don't spend that kind of money just on a suggestion, so case closed for me.

looking at the spec for your speakers which seem to indicate that it not a sensitive nor an easy load to drive I think you will need to be careful in your selection.
I don't know what exactly that would be since I have no world experience with the YG's other than having seen and heard them at some shows and almost always with huge Solid state amps like Boulder.

 

[LL21]

I just reinstalled my AFM-100Se's mono's back into my reference system yesterday afternoon. I have done a lot of work with power and noise control in my system this summer . I have updated the power conditioner and distribution with all the new Shunyata products , including the Everest X, Altaira X, X cables for grounding and Sigma X power cords almost everywhere. This allowed me to optimize my system and get the most out of the EMM mono 's I brought in. ALl those things made a big difference and once accomplished changed my feelings towards the amplifiers. Some of the sound I was attributing to the amplifier was in fact something else. Anyway I have loved the Riviera's for a long time and have stated before that they are my favorite that I have used in my system with the Divin Noblesse.
This is my opinion , not a statement by any company or anyone's endorsement but my own. ( this has been a public service announcement LOL)
Although there are differences between the two very different amplifiers in both technology and sound and I could live with either, the Riv's have something magical that for me I just love. There is more there there. There is a palpable suspension of disbelief that is almost unique to these beautiful items. Maybe its the combo, maybe its the system, maybe its the synergy, maybe its just me but it is there and I totally love it.
Others may and will have different opinions of what they prefer and I understand that musical taste will always influence the outcome.
I am not a big EDM, or Hip Hop, or metal or heavy rock person and I listen to less and less of those type of things every year. I prefer more and more small jazz groups, piano , piano and violin, cello and of course really great singers of al kinds. I mix in some orchestral and some old school rock every now and then.

Very good to read. Thanks for the initial comments and observations.

 

[Król_Artur]

Thank you very much for the interesting forum thread. Greetings from Poland. Please could you recommend some power cables and interconnects for the 01SE and apm50 that are worth trying?
Artur

 

[WELquest]

Thank you very much for the interesting forum thread. Greetings from Poland. Please could you recommend some power cables and interconnects for the 01SE and apm50 that are worth trying?
Artur

Maybe try borrowing some AudioQuest AC cables and interconnect cables from Audio Klan.

As a huge Riviera Labs fan, as evidenced in my contributions to this thread closer to its beginning, I have APL-O1SEs in my California home, and at my AudioQuest European headquarters in the Netherlands -- both use Dragon Source (Variable-Current) cable.

I have 2 pair of AFM-25s, a pair of AFM-50s (the California system with the APL-01SE driving Rockport Cygnus speakers), and a pair of AFM-100SE amps in the Netherlands driving Magico S3 (2023) speakers. The AFM-25s are driving Rockport Avior IIs in the NYC bedroom, and DeVore Gibbon X Speakers in the California bedroom..

All the AFMs are using Dragon High-Current (Variable-Current) cables, though any model is worth a try, Hurricane, FireBird or Dragon are likely most ROI appropriate.

For interconnects, Pegasus, ThunderBird, FireBird and Dragon -- only you can decide about financial efficacy -- though I love Robert Harley (TAS) going over the moon about Dragon interconnect, and as a result developing his theory of "accelerating returns."

 

[Król_Artur]

Może spróbuj pożyczyć kable AC AudioQuest i kable połączeniowe od Audio Klan.

Jako wielki fan Riviera Labs, o czym świadczy mój wkład w ten wątek bliżej jego początku, mam APL-O1SE w moim domu w Kalifornii oraz w mojej europejskiej siedzibie AudioQuest w Holandii - oba korzystają z kabla Dragon Source (Variable-Current).

Mam 2 pary AFM-25, parę AFM-50 (system kalifornijski z APL-01SE napędzającym głośniki Rockport Cygnus) i parę wzmacniaczy AFM-100SE w Holandii napędzających głośniki Magico S3 (2023). AFM-25 napędzają Rockport Avior II w sypialni w Nowym Jorku i głośniki DeVore Gibbon X w sypialni w Kalifornii..

Wszystkie AFM korzystają z kabli Dragon High-Current (Variable-Current), chociaż każdy model jest wart wypróbowania, Hurricane, FireBird lub Dragon są prawdopodobnie najbardziej odpowiednie dla zwrotu z inwestycji.

Jeśli chodzi o połączenia międzysystemowe, Pegasus, ThunderBird, FireBird i Dragon – tylko Ty możesz zdecydować o skuteczności finansowej – choć uwielbiam Roberta Harleya (TAS), który zachwyca się połączeniami międzysystemowymi Dragon i w rezultacie rozwija swoją teorię „przyspieszania zwrotów”

Thank you very much for your suggestions. I'll add dragon cables to the list. Looking at the prices of the cables, it's not crazy.

 

[Opabin]

Thank you very much for the interesting forum thread. Greetings from Poland. Please could you recommend some power cables and interconnects for the 01SE and apm50 that are worth trying?
Artur

Hi Artur,
Congratulations on your (new?) Riviera amps!

You haven’t mentioned what kinds of music you listen to, but from your choice of Riviera, it is not difficult to imagine you may like naturally-recorded acoustic instruments and voices more than, say, electronica. If so, your sonic priorities might be to preserve accurate instrumental timbre and tonal contrast, along with a realistic sense of scale and dynamics, both macro and micro. And of course, your new cables must have outstanding noise suppression capabilities.

I had AQ Dragon power cables, both high current and source, and they were good performers, especially their noise handling capability. But on balance I now prefer a Polish brand, KBL Sound (https://kblsound.com/pl/), and would recommend their EXtrema Power as one you definitely should try to audition. KBL is located in Warsaw so it should be pretty straightforward to borrow a couple (or maybe three) EXtrema PCs to try with your preamplifier and mono amps. I’m currently using 3 EXtrema power cords and to my ears, they are at least the equal of AQ Dragon for noise reduction, but better balanced with superb tonal colour. After adding the EXtremas to my set, all my music references sounded better—more transparent soundstage, vivid immediacy and striking timbral richness. I felt I was hearing a more complete harmonic envelope for violins, cellos, flute and brass, etc. and in complex music, it became easier to follow any one of multiple voices or instruments. I haven’t yet tried KBL interconnects, but plan to do so, as the design concept is similar to the power cables that I’m so happy with.

Beautiful amps like your Rivieras deserve a top power cable like the EXtrema, but KBL also offer the more modestly priced Himalaya Pro 2 and Himalaya SX that might interest you. Why not give KBL owner, Robert Szczerbowski, a call or an email? Good luck with your cable purchase.

By the way, if you have questions, please feel free to send me a DM.

 

[Król_Artur]

Hi Artur,
Congratulations on your (new?) Riviera amps!

You haven’t mentioned what kinds of music you listen to, but from your choice of Riviera, it is not difficult to imagine you may like naturally-recorded acoustic instruments and voices more than, say, electronica. If so, your sonic priorities might be to preserve accurate instrumental timbre and tonal contrast, along with a realistic sense of scale and dynamics, both macro and micro. And of course, your new cables must have outstanding noise suppression capabilities.

I had AQ Dragon power cables, both high current and source, and they were good performers, especially their noise handling capability. But on balance I now prefer a Polish brand, KBL Sound (https://kblsound.com/pl/), and would recommend their EXtrema Power as one you definitely should try to audition. KBL is located in Warsaw so it should be pretty straightforward to borrow a couple (or maybe three) EXtrema PCs to try with your preamplifier and mono amps. I’m currently using 3 EXtrema power cords and to my ears, they are at least the equal of AQ Dragon for noise reduction, but better balanced with superb tonal colour. After adding the EXtremas to my set, all my music references sounded better—more transparent soundstage, vivid immediacy and striking timbral richness. I felt I was hearing a more complete harmonic envelope for violins, cellos, flute and brass, etc. and in complex music, it became easier to follow any one of multiple voices or instruments. I haven’t yet tried KBL interconnects, but plan to do so, as the design concept is similar to the power cables that I’m so happy with.

Beautiful amps like your Rivieras deserve a top power cable like the EXtrema, but KBL also offer the more modestly priced Himalaya Pro 2 and Himalaya SX that might interest you. Why not give KBL owner, Robert Szczerbowski, a call or an email? Good luck with your cable purchase.

By the way, if you have questions, please feel free to send me a DM.

Thank you very much for your comprehensive response, the second one to my question.
I have an appointment to test Tellurium Statement cables, and now I am trying to arrange another one for Dragon cables later. I am adding more to the test, especially since I live in Warsaw. Thank you very much.

 

[Zeins]

Hi all,

I am currently using a Dan Dagostino progression integrated with Burmester b38 speakers and I had the fortune to have heard the goebel speakers with Rivera lab amplifiers at Munich this year which I felt was one of the better sounding room.

For me, most important is the ability to connect emotionally with the music.

If you have experience with both brands, appreciate that you can share your thoughts on the differences in the 2 brands of amplifiers.

Thanks.