Any opinions on the Jeff Rowland Model 201 mono amps?

[ShadowZA]

I'm planning an upgrade and would appreciate any opinions on amplification for the following 5.1 setup:

Front speakers: B&W 803D; Centre speaker: B&W HTM2D; Rear surrounds: Using existing B&W N804's; Sub: B&W ASW825.

The JR 201 amps are small and don't run hot. This is the reason that I am enquiring about them. Their 250 watt output should be sufficient and acceptably matched to each speaker (even though the recommended amplification for the N804's are 50 to 200 watt).

Other amplifiers which I'm considering are the Classé CA-5200 and Krell Theatre Amplifier Standard.

My listening preference is mainly audio ... but I also want to have a mind blowing movie theater experience.

I'm also open to other recommendations. The new Rotel RB-1091/1092 amps could be promising. But ... 500 watt per channel could be a bit of an overkill.

[georgev]

Hi
I have heard the 201's driving a pair of 801's and doing a pretty good job, so I am quite sure that they will be great for the 803's.
Even better in some opinions will be the classe.
Any specific reason you are keeping the 804's as surrounds?
George.

[georgev]

You could also consider the Nu Force Ref 9's. The ZA supplier is in Cape Town.
There is a thread here that is still current on the Ref's 9's, and they seem to be fairly priced.

[ShadowZA]

George, thanks for the input. I'm keeping the 804's to keep within a budget. Also, as the 804's are full range speakers, I figure that they would be better than selling them and shelling out for the smaller sized 805S's. Another reason is that the 804's should fit in well as rears in the room (size is 12,5 feet wide by 18 feet in length approx).

I'll do some checking on the Ref 9's. Thanks :T

[georgev]

Hi there,
The reason I asked is that your rear speakers do not carry a lot of information, hence you may not need a speaker as full range as the 804's. It may be an overkill. You would also need decent amplification for them. You could use the scm's which are wall mountable.
Certainly for HT they do not carry a huge amount of information, but they do so in Sacd or DVD Audio.

[georgev]

BTW what are you using as your processor? front end and display?
Tell us more about your system?
George.

[ShadowZA]

My current lounge setup:

System
DVD Player: Marantz DV7600
Pre-Amp: Rotel RSP-976
Power-Amp: Rotel RMB-1075

Speakers
L/R Fronts: B & W Nautilus 804
Centre: B & W CMC
L/R Rears: B & W CM2
Sub: Paradigm PS1000 V.3

TV: Loewe Cantus

Interconnects
Source to pre - digital audio: Van den Hul - The FIRST Ultimate
Pre to power - analogue audio: Van den Hul - The SECOND

Speaker Cables
Nautilus 804 (Bi-wired): Van den Hul - The REVELATION Hybrid
CMC & CM2: Van den Hul - The SNOWLINE
Sub: Audioquest - Sub-X

I'm only planning to upgrade the pre-amp (processor) when the next gen of formats is released (blu-ray/hd-dvd). This is also the reason that I am thinking of retaining the 804's to use as rears. I envisage more information being supplied to the rears in future. I'm also hoping to get the Panasonic TH-50PHD8BK plasma for the lounge (around March ... when ... hopefully it will be released here) and move the Loewe to the living room.

Any thoughts are always helpful, George. Regarding the Class-D switching power amps, I quite like what I've read so far. I love the fact that they are efficient and don't run hot ... but I need to read many more reviews comparing them to Krell, Classé, Bryston, etc. I hope to invest in something that will be compatible and substantial for the next 10 years or so.

[ShadowZA]

The sort of ideas which have been buzzing around my head regarding power amplifiers:

5 x Jeff Rowland 201 mono's, or
5 x Nu Force Ref 9 mono's, or
2 x Rotel RB-1092 & 1 x Rotel RB-1091 (not avail yet)

Tempted towards the Classé CA-5200 simply because it's tried & tested. Also the Bryston 4B SST + 6B SST to drive 5 channels at 300w.

I read somewhere that the Jeff Rowland 201's were not designed to handle power surges. Also, their SMPS is said to be a bit basic for hi-fi use. Whether this is true or not, I don't know. It does make me nervous.

[Karma]

HI Shadow,
I don't see Rowland equipment mentioned here very much. I don't know why except, maybe, the price. Rowland is certainly in the same class as Krell and Levinson both in terms of price and performance.

My experience with Rowland is a little dated. I think they cut a fine line between a high end tube sound and high end solid state. I found them to be very easy to listen to. They had a somewhat rounded, relaxed high end that appeals to the tube guy part of me. They are very detailed and imaging and soundstaging was second to none. Bass was the same way but maybe closer to Levinson than Krell. Nothing really compares to Krell when it comes to bass.

All Rowlands with which I am familiar use FET's for their designs. They have, IMO, a FET signature. By this I mean they seem a little lacking in ultimate resolution and detail; slightly soft. But it is only slightly. They make up for this with many other great qualities. I think digital sources sound most natural on Rowlands where Krell, for example, can have an "in your face " quality. Levinson, I think, splits the difference.

All three brands are first rate. It finally comes down to one's taste in sound and the speaker the amp is mated with. Rowland deserves more attention here, IMO.

Sparky

[kurtholz]

my two cents on your rears are they probably wont sound as good as the 805s, now, i base this on the fact i used my old CDM9nt as rears after i bought the 803s, so maybe the 804 is much better than those

but the 805s has been a noticable difference, even on party mode, which is one of Krells own settings, it throws a lot of info to the rear surrounds

the classe sound great, personally i like the Krell, it just seems like endless power

good luck

Kurt

[ShadowZA]

Thanks for your input. You've given me the help that I needed :T

Sparky, even though my confidence is boosted on the JR's, I've narrowed it down to either Classé or Krell. My point of purchase should be around April/May this year.

Kurt, I hear you ... but ... I guess I have developed an emotional attachment to the 804's. I love their sound ... for now :twisted:

[Karma]

HI Shadow,
Because I like the pure slam and detail and smoothness of Krell, that's my choice. I really commented to see if Rowland could get a little more attention. I think many folks will like Rowland if they audition one.

Sparky

[ShadowZA]

Sparky, I agree totally

[ShadowZA]

I guess this is what "thinking out of the box" can do to one.

I've arrived back in the office after listening to a pair of NuForce Ref 9's driving a pair of Bohlender Graebener Radia 520i ribbon freestanding speakers http://www.bgcorp.com/ . I was blown away. No, that's an understatement. I have been completely blown away. I listened to 3 of my current favourite cd's: Diana Krall - Christmas Songs; Bob James - Morning, Noon & Night and Jim Tomlinson - The Lyric (featuring Stacey Kent on vocals). Turned up the volume to levels such that clipping should have been evident. But, no. There was absolutely no sign of stress or clipping. Musically, the detail ... imho ... was as complete as it could possibly be. More than enough bandwidth to allow ALL the music to be heard. There was absolutely no loss of detail at all. Nothing. Simply pure music, only music ... nothing but music. At high volume, when a track finished playing, There was pure silence. No hiss.

Am I hooked? You betcha :P

[georgev]

Glad to hear that you like them.
How is the Cape Town dealer?
I have not had a chance to hear them.
Are they shy on the low frequencies?
George.

[georgev]

Got your 803D's yet?

[ShadowZA]

March 2006 is the month in which I say "au revoir" to some cash and get my grubby paws on some enticing audio hardware.

I'm still set on the 803D's. However, I have not made up my mind regarding the proposed power amp. Quite a difficult choice to make considering the lower priced/more efficient "Class D" & "Switching technology" stuff debuting. But ... I'm reading up, researching, asking questions & just generally holding back on impulsiveness.

I'm told that the March 2006 edition of Audio?Video SA should be interesting re amp review.

Buying our toys has never been so much fun :P

Btw, the ref 9's I heard were not shy on low frequencies at all.