Anyone upgrade a Jeff Rowland Model 8

daveyf: there are several levels of upgrades for the jrdg model 8. the first, replaces the transformer, among other things. i suggest you get in touch with jrdg support staff, or even jeff, to get the most complete information. there is a form online that makes getting information pretty easy:

http://www.jeffrowland.com/reply.htm

-cfb

Cornfedboy, I am familiar with the upgrades, however, I am wondering if anybody has actually done these and what the results are?

daveyf: i have an original model 8 that has been hotrodded by jeff and one of his former tech guys. i've listened to other versions of the 8 in my system. the most discernable difference comes with an addition of the battery or dc power supply. these lower the noise floor dramatically and provide a "blacker" background (at the expense of lowered output). the most current model, 8TiHC, improves upon the PRat and bass control of the original 8 while maintaining the liquidity of the prior models. every upgraded model i've listened to was better sounding in various ways than its predecessor. i'm sorry i can't be more specific but, unfortunately, i did not take notes while listening. how far you go on the upgrade path simply depends, IMO, on how much you wish to spend. -cfb

Cornfedboy, one of the interesting things about these upgrades is that I am unsure that all are worth while. I have only heard the dual mono upgrade(transformer) and this was actually a step backwards IMHO. The dynamics of the amp was severly reduced.One of the interesting things about the way every manufacturer upgrades is that the assumption is made that an upgrade is by definition 'better'.
I suspect that only perhaps a percentage is in fact an improvement, and another percentage is in fact worse.
I have never heard any review by the press that suggests that the upgraded unit is in fact a downgrade. Maybe this issue is fuel for another post?