Dont want the heat and reliability problems of tubes had CJ and ARC both had problems sounded good when they worked!! |
Ebm, I discovered that one can get away with a smaller output tube amp if one has inefficient speakers. ( which is what it sounds like the Mini 2's are)
and you have a small room. My GH's are also pretty inefficient, BUT my ARC with 60 watts/ch has plenty of drive in my very small room. If your room is also small/smallish, you may be able to get away with less power also. |
I agree however MAGICO MINI 2 needs Lots of power a very large tube amp would heat up my room.My best friend has VAC PHI 200 with my old KHARMA 1.0 they sound wonderful!! |
Ebm, I agree that the model 8 is a wonderful amp. Have you tried your Mini 2's with a tube amp? I think that a tube amp can give you a different 'presentation' if you will, that is very pleasing with speakers like the Minis. I love my 8 with my Sonus Faber GH's but also am amazed at what a tube amp can bring to the table. Both amps ( Rowland ss and in my case ARC tubes) are a real pleasure to listen to. Great and different. |
Wonderful amp im using on MAGICO MINI 2 love it. |
Thanks Steve,
Reassuring feedback re. the Rowland. Jeff Beck just keeps going, getting more versatile with age. I'll have to pick up "Emotion and Commotion." I'll get back to this thread in a month or two, with a report. I promised myself I wouldn't buy any new equipment for a while, but my speakers were recently moved professionally, and mangled in the process. Now that I've reopened the can of worms, I'm also looking at computer servers. Interesting times indeed in the world of ones and zeroes. I guess I'm off my own subject! Take Care, David |
David,
Over the past week, I have been demo'ing in my home, the Rowland Continuum 250w integrated. It sounds very good with the Sophia's. It is dead-quiet and the realism is quite something. I have been listening to the new Jeff Beck record. The track "Lilac Wine" with Imelda May sounds absolutely incredible. There is a part towards the end where Mr. Beck is quietly noodling on the strat and it sounds so, so, so good - not to mention how good Imelda sounds. I think the amps that you have would be a very good match with the Sasha's. Let me know how you make out. All the best, Steve |
Speaking of audio porn, check out Ayre MX-Rs. I use them with my W/P 7s to great effect. |
All of the Rowland equipment is Audio Porn. The fact that it sounds stellar is icing!! :D
One of my great regrets is selling the Model 2 that I had. Ugh! |
Thanks Stratguy,
I appreciate your helpful thoughts. I have owned Genesis 5 (which accommodate anything) and Aerial speakers and have occasionally compared more recent, big dollar amps to the Rowland 8T. Nothing, so far, has measured up! Please continue to share your experience with the Sophia's (great choice, having quenched all the shortcomings of older watt/puppies) and I will with the Sasha. I see the 8T for sale occasionally, priced from $4500-6000. I'll know soon if the Rowland proves to be the best hifi decision I have ever made. I will take the 8T down to San Francisco for my Sasha audition/?purchase, and report back how the 8T fares against big-$$$ competitors. All the best! |
Thanks so much! An informed and helpful response,
David |
Aldenberry,
I'm coming at it from the other side. I just bought a pair of Sophia 2's and I am looking at changing out my amplification. Last week, I spent some time on the phone with a gentleman at Wilson. I was looking for suggestions from him regarding synergistic pairings. He said that Rowland and Wilson go very well together. He went on to say that they liked Jeff's products so much that Wilson incorporated a Rowland amp into one of their subs. Based on this feedback, I think you would be fine.
Good luck. |
Goldorak points out what I was going to say. That the Sashas are actually a fairly difficult load in terms of impedance.
That being said, the Rowland 8T will have no problem powering them.
The amps from Rowland during that time had no problem doubling down into more demanding loads.
It's definitely a good choice for those speakers. |
If you look at the latest issue of Stereophile (July 2010) in the technical part of the review, you will see the impedance curve. It's below 4 ohms through most part of the lower midrange/upper bass and there is an amplifier unfriendly combination of 3 ohms/-43 deg phase angle at 61 Hz. So the amp must be rated for 4 ohms and even 2 ohms. But given the seriousness of design and build of Rowland gear, I would be surprised the 8T could not drive the Wilsons. Can't you have a few day in home trial to make sure they work? Good luck! |
Aldenberry, the 8T is IMHO still among the best available ss amps out there.
I use a 8 with choke and top plate mod and I have AB'ed it against BAT, Edge,
Mod Wright, Naim, Krell and Levinson ss amps and it has bested all in my system.
The 8T should have no problem driving Sasha's as they are a fairly easy load
for a ss amp. |
Thanks Roxy54, I don't have any objective reason to think the Rowland wouldn't hold up. I do know that Wilson products have a reputation for being finicky, yet those I have heard to date (most recently w/p 7and the out-of-my-budget MAXX), paired with 6-figure electronics, have been breathtaking; in my case, the loudspeakers will necessarily be the most expensive link in the chain. Without an engineering background, much of audiophilia may as well be voodoo to me, and experience/listening often seems to trump anything that can be deemed from product specifications. But you're right, plenty of power and a reasonably efficient speaker combo. When I drive 100 miles for a demo, I may just have to lug the big classic amp along, which may indeed be a lifetime keeper. Just testing the waters of experience first. Thanks again. |
From what I have read, they aren't a really tough load, and that is a great amp. Why would you think that it wasn't up to the task? |
