Jeff Rowland's Continumm

Guido,

maybe you missed my response above. As I said above, 1 preamp was a demo unit...so it likely had some hours on it. The other one had less than 200 hours on it. And as I said above, I am not a big believer in break-in.

Thanks

If you think Rowland is good...wait till you hear Ayre. No need to spend big bucks...try their AX-7E. I say this after hearing the Capri and Synergy 2i. Actually I owned both the Synergy 2i and Capri. The Ayre smacked both the Capri and Synergy...and I mean smacked beyond comparison.

Dave,

don't want to rain on your parade. Enjoy your equipment.

Having experienced the Rowland sound, I was more impressed with the Ayre sound....much more so. Maybe at some point, I will post my thoughts in more detail. But I am not concerned if others take me seriously or not. All that matters to me is what I like, and to me my preference is clear.

My earlier remarks could have been better expressed, and I am sorry for how my remarks came across to you or other audiogon members.

Jfz, Nagra VPA's and also Nagra MPA (MPA is sold now that I have acquired the Ayre integrated)

Thanks

Guido, I was so impressed with the Ayre integrated, that I have also ordered the Ayre KX-R...after demoing it in house. I demoed the KX-R in the store against the Ref-3 for 10 minutes. Obviously, I could not arrive to any conclusions in 10 minutes.

However, the KX-R in my system, matched with the Nagra's was a thing of joy. If you get a chance, you should listen to it in your system.

Dave,

please lets stop using the word "smacked" :-) I regret using that juvenile term...and you have made your point :-)

I have sold off the Capri, the Synergy 2i. In addition, I have sold off the Nagra MPA (I have kept the Nagra VPA, and have no intention of selling it). The Ayre integrated replaced the Nagra MPA and Audio Research LS-26 pairing. This was in my HT setup...the Ayre was close enough that I thought I would recoup some cash.

I used the extra cash from the sale to finance the KX-R purchase. KX-R costs the same as the Criterion. The KX-R will be paired with the VPA's and SF Cremona in my listening setup, along with the Ayre C5-xe.

Again, I don't think people should read much into my decisions. My ears are my ears, and I profess I am not a very critical listener. For example, I hardly spend any money on cables (speaker or interconnect)...so please feel free to discount all my claims....and claims are all they are.

As for my experience with JRDG components, all I can say is that they are very solidly crafted, and with an external build quality that few can match. As for the sound, while my initial experience was very, very favorable, over time, I grew unhappy with the sound. I found the sound of the Capri to be lean, recessed in the midrange, without the sense of projection that I enjoy from tubed equipment or the Ayre components. In addition, I find the sound to be a bit lean -- my preference is for fully bodied sound. Also, the treble of the Capri was a bit muffled, and not extended to my ears. The Synergy 2i was a totally different matter, and to my ears the Capri was a better performer. With the Synergy 2i, I could not stand the highs on trumpets...it made me very uncomfortable. Other than the highs, the Synergy exhibited the same leanness, and reticence in the midrange that made me unsatisfied in the long run.

I do not typically change equipment very often (at least not for 3 years). Recently, I have been on a quest to get off the merry-go-round, and hence my experimentation with various preamps.

Guido,

I had 2 Capri's. The original one was a demo unit (black) that I purchased...so I assume, it had some amount of break in. I replace it with a silver unit, which was new. I did not put in a lot of hours on it. As per Jeff's manual, all preamps have 72 hours of break in performed at the factory...there is no mention of additional break in required for optimal performace. In contrast, the Ayre mention specifically states a break in time of 100-500 hours. In either case, I am not a big believer in break-in...and am somwhat sceptical tha break-in can transform the listening character of a component

Same as the price of the Criterion....eighteen five, I believe.

Dave,

in the end I have to trust my ears. I know "pro" reviewers and even equipment designers believe in break in. Let me ask you a question. Say I took 2 identical continuum integrated amps, and broke only one of them in...could you listen to both and reliably tell me which one was broken in and which one was not ?

Perhaps you can, or you believe you can (it is immaterial if you can or think you can....what matters is that you think you can) tell the difference. Also, you probably have better hearing since you are a musician. I am not sure I can tell the difference. Hence my scepticism about break-in.

And no offense taken about your advice. However, I will say this...if Jeff believes his equipment needs break-in, he should certainly put it in his manual. Has someone asked Jeff about his opinion about equipment break-in ?