Rowland amps LOVE Rowland Preamps. You will love it, too. |
From a technical perspective, will the Ref 6 work well with the Jeff Rowland 625 S2 amp? Richard, I see no technical problems mating the Ref 6 to your 625 S2 amp or the Aeris DAC. However, if by any chance you are still using the SVS subs you had in your system a while back an impedance incompatibility would result, relative to the Ref 6’s minimum load recommendation of 20K (which btw is the same as the minimum load recommendation for many other ARC line stages and preamps). That would also occur with many other subs that would be connected to the Ref 6’s outputs. I believe that its two unbalanced outputs and its two balanced outputs are all driven from the same output stage. Hence that output stage would see the combined load impedance of the amp and the subs, which would be considerably lower than the input impedance of either. For example, the 22K balanced input impedance of the SVS sub and the 40K balanced input impedance of the amp represent a combined impedance of (22 x 40)/(22 + 40) = 14.2K, well under the 20K recommended minimum. Good luck. Best regards, -- Al |
Rowland has the best sound. |
Al,
Thanks for the response. I don't have any subs, so that won't be an issue.
Cerrot & ebm,
My system consists of all Rowland components: 625 S2 amp, Corus preamp, and Aeris DAC. I'm just curious about trying a different preamp. |
Hi Richard, In olden days I had an ARC Ref 3.... I know I know, it is an older ARC reference preamplifier...
I replaced Ref 3 with the little Rowland Capri original because I found Capri to be much superior in most respects.... And eventually upgraded from Capri to Criterion (same audio circuit of Corus) because it was clearly superior to Capri.
Granted,Ref 6 is probably better than Ref 3, so a comparison with Corus might be interesting.
One other thing you might try with your system is to power both Corus and Aeris through the new Rowland ultra-capacitor PSU DC external power supply . Finally the creature is shipping... I have not tried PSU yet because my system is in storage, but indirect reports on PSU this far have been extremely positive.
Saluti, G. |
Rowland makes great solid state electronics. |
Guido,
What is the PSU's list price? |
Hi Richard, PSU production is in full swing... In high demands since its recent launch in Asia.
US list price is $8200.
A new batch is being readied... although nmost of its units are already spoken for, your dealer should be able to secure a unit for . Saluti, Guido |
Almost five years later I answer my own question. I finally decided to try the Ref. 6 in my system. This isn't a knock on the Ref 6, but once again reminds me that synergy/compatibility is more important than individual components. In the context of my system, the Ref. 6 replacing the JR Corus preamp sounds thin, bright, closed-in, 2D, and unnatural. Despite the volume control having 105 steps, I can only get the volume to 28 before it sounds unnaturally loud. This suggests an impedance and/or gain issue and not necessarily a reflection of the quality of the Ref. 6.
|
Forget JR
He was very good in his early Designs but after Coherance II it went worse and worse and moreworse. Boring, lifeless … but shiny. |
Syntax,
When we post stuff that doesn’t add to the conversation, what are we posting for? Based on actually listening and directly comparing current JR components to current components from other manufacturers in my system I completely disagree with your statement. Everyone has an opinion and I’ll leave it at that.
|
Hi Richard, have you considered adding a Rowland supercap-based PSU (Power Storage Unit) external supercap-based power supply to power your Corus.... As you Know, I have used PSU on my Rowland Aeris DAC for a couple of years and it has raised the performance of Aeris to new heights.
BTW, Rowland has just introduced a new version of its CAPRI preamplifier called Capri S2SC. This new version incorporates an integrated supercapacitor-based power supply to run the preamplifier essentially offline, just like the Aeris+PSU pair.... or the Corus+PSU pair.
I have auditioned at length Capri S2 at RMAF and absolutely loved it for its precision and musicality. I have not tried Capri S2SC yet, but have heard of a report from Spain according to which the integration of the internal super-cap-based power supply has much elevated Capri's emotionality to a "Lyrical" level. I would not mention this except for the fact that this admittedly broad and qualitative finding is consistent with the wonderful enhancement that PSU had brought to my Aeris DAC.
Regards, Guido
|
Guido,
As always it's good hearing from you and I hope all is well.
I still haven’t tried the PSU. I’ve heard mixed views about it and there are many different ways to upgrade my system for $8K. I can’t justify spending money without hearing it first. |
I agree with you completely Richard.... Adding an $8K component to a system sight unseen (or should I say hearing unheard) is inherently an anxiety-generating proposition.
Good news is that Galen Carol in your San Antonio should easily be able to let you listen to PSU powering your Corus.... Even if Galen had to get a fresh unit from the factory, it would take only some 75 to 100 hours of operation for PSU to fully bloom.
G.
|
Awesome to see an old thread like this being resurrected by the OP! I have nothing to add never heard any ARC or JR but great to have the update @ricred1 It's always great when someone goes out on a limb and reports back even 5 years later.
|
jond,
Thanks. I'm just sharing my experience and my comments are not meant to be an indictment against the Ref. 6 or an endorsement of the Corus. My experience reminds me that I can't just take what some say are great sounding components and combine them to form a great sounding system. Synergy is really an important "component" of building a great system. |
Syntax,
I should have added that I'm convinced that my Rowland components don't get 100% out of my speakers. The Rowland my get 90% out of my speakers, but the next 5-10% is too cost prohibited for me. So, I recognize there's another level, but boy does it cost!
|
Last night I swapped back in my Rowland model 8T with Jeff's mods and I was once again reminded why this amp is such a great match up to my new CAT preamp. The amp is just so incredibly well built and gives one such a feeling of quality that I doubt I will ever sell it. I have had numerous amps come and go in the past, but really none have had the feeling of 'solidity' that the JR offers...not even close! |
Very interesting, Richard. DartZeel probably gets you the final 10% but at a cost. |
keithr,
DartZeel and several others come at significantly higher cost than I'm willing to spend. Especially without hearing them in my system. |
When I had a Rowland amp/preamp......be careful.....they used a non-standard wiring config for their balanced operation. |
