Yo Tireguy, the best way that I can describe the sound of a Rowland is that it has no sound. They don't sound warm or dry or lean or anything...they sound like music. I will say that they sound better when you are driving them with a Jeff Rowland preamp. Build quality is up at the top of the scale. They will reveal any problems that the rest of your system has but they will deliver magic if none are present. The biggest problem with Rowland is that Stereo-pile hasn't reviewed any of their newer generation amps(M2,M6,M12,M112,M8TiHC,) or they would be on a 2 year wait like Harleys. If you get one, remember you have to feed them Cardas cable or they pout.
