Do the Jeff Rowland 201 amplifiers have warmth?

Hi Manbir and others. FYI I have just received a pair of these generously on loan for demonstration to our local audio club (Hawkes Bay New Zealand). They displace a biamped pair of tube/mosfet hybrid amps that have proven quite excellent. They are driven from a Sony XA777ES via silver foil leads and a motorised Alps 10k pot, into N801's.
They sounded quite average out of the box without breakin - an hour later little different (I have no idea how much break in they already have - but the box had been opened at least and I suspect they have had a bit of use as demo amps). I swapped the standard power leads for some local power cables that have proven revelatory on all amps I have heard them with, and once again the change was night and day. I have not the h foggiest why power cables should have this effect, but I think I am now achieving a fair degree of the 201's capability. I would characterise them as neutral - certainly not warm. Compared to my existing set up (a few hours in so barely a fair comparison), they are not miles away - they are better in bass control (mine is a zero feedback system so no surprise there), perhaps not quite the slam or warmth of my old Plinius SA250, but not quite the air and detail of my hybrid amps but nevertheless very good. This only after a few hours - lets see what happens in a few days.

I have owned a pair of 201's for about six weeks. I consider them revolutionary! Comparing them to the Rowland 302 amp, I believe that they sound more musical and more involving. The 302 is an amazing amp too - better be for $14k. I use my 201s to drive Vienna Acoustics Mahlers -heavenly. The Mahlers have two 10 inch woofers on the side of each speaker and two 7 inch mids. Most amps find it find difficult to control these woofers. The 201's whip them into shape. At $4700 -compared to similarly priced amps, I consider them an excellent value. I think they outperformed the $10K+ Levinsons in another store. These amps are so small that I borrowed them from the local dealer and carried them in a bag to other stores and compared them against various amps, speakers and components combo. I do know about warmth, but these amps do not fatigue, but I suppose I would consider them more warm than dry. Warm sounds colored and euphonic. These are true. They do not sound like other solid state amps, but not like tubes. They sound like music. You will hear your source components.

These things are bottomless. Ignore the watts rating. They suck greater than 45 amps per side! That's 90+ amps total. They will consume as much juice as you give them. Jeff Rowland said that if struck by lightning, these amps would sound even better. Simply they just efficiently convert current to energy. I listen to music loud and for hours and these things do not tire or tire me. And, they run cool! Hours of driving them at full bore and they feel cooler than when I started. Go figure. My musical collection comprises 25% classical, 15% jazz, 15% world and new age and about 45% pop/rock -includes all kinds of rock, heavy metal, hip hop, rap, dance and more. No country music.

Speaker cables make a big difference. I use Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval 8. They work very well with these amps - they really let them breathe. I also found that the A-P Power Oval Tens power cords make difference - a tad quieter -they are already extremely quiet, more open, more dynamic and musical. As you can tell, I think the world of these amps. I have not heard every amp, but I can not justify spending more money for amps. I think these amps will drive anything. One very, very minor criticism, these may not possess as deep a soundstage as some other highly touted -and very expensive- amps, but not for a second would I accept the tradeoffs! BTW, I buy gear based on how it makes me feel. That's how I bought my Mahlers and Rowland IIi pre and 201s. When listening to music through the Rowlands and Mahlers, I forget about the gear and become totally immersed in the music. Highly, highly recommended!!

BTW, they do require some time to break in. Out of the box, they sound average - almost dissappointing. You may feel like you made a mistake. But then ... very good after 200 hours ... fantastic after 500 hours ... glorious after 800 hours -truly. If you think that's bad, the Rowland 302 take much longer. It's well worth the wait. I ran my amps 24/7 for about five weeks. Who knows, they may sound even better yet.

I own these amps and am very happy with them. I would not chraracterize them as warm, but if anyone thinks that because they are "digital" they might sound cold or lean or clinical, guess again. They are anything but.

I have these amps and could not believe the overall improvement in my system. I run B & W N802 speakers and these amps are perfect for them. I use silver Pure Note cables and this setup is anything but digital. Unbelievable sound stage. Great detail but very musical. Also there is no noticable heat from these amps. They are a remarkable product at this price point. One last point, country music sounds great on them as well.