Hello All, for me, after Rowland, there is… Rowland J
I was long hoping to evaluate the Rowland Daemon 1500W Superintegrated amp. Could a class D integrated fulfill my yearning for sonic nirvana, or would Daemon leave me pining for the wonderful music of my separates: Rowland Aeris DAC fed by the ultra-capacitor-based PSU external power supply, driving my beloved M925 monoblocks? Eventually, a Daemon review unit was delivered on February 28th. I Started break-in the following day, and have been scribbling my listening notes since… The writing project will continue for at least a few months, until the device has stabilized, and I have exercised several of its many input and output features. I have been waiting for a long time for this 99Lbs single box critter. It is Jeff Rowland’s integrated statement. The DAC + Preamp + 1500W/8 (2500W/4) dual-mono power amp in a single chassis measuring 17.5” x 15.25” x 9.5” is sounding amazing after just a little more than 300 hundred hours of break-in.
Discovering the phenomenal musical beauty that Daemon produces is being a fascinating experience… Already I am stunned by Daemon's power reserve and unreal tonal grace. Join me to chat about my adventure with this integrated flagship around its new Audiogon watering-hole:
And, feel free to PM me with any questions about it.
Saluti, Guido |
Jafant, "how did you like Vitus Audio?" When I had a little free time I reached out to the Vitus dealer. We agreed that I would bring my Rowland 625 S2 amp and Corus preamp to compare them to the Vitus SAI-30 and SAI-25. Unfortunately he didn't get either back until after I returned to work. I will try again in March during spring break. |
Hello @Sacresta, I own and adore my Rowland Aeris DAC... But unlike friend Ricred1, I have enhanced its performance by feeding it through the Rowland external Power Storage Unit (PSU). This external ultra-capacitor-based full-chassis power supply has taken my DAC to amazing new heights... When powered by PSU, Aeris leaves the performance of Aeris with the original power supply simply in the dust. MSG me if you want to know more. Regards, Guido
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sacresta, "Think about you need to invest in your room, acoustic treatment, a BETTER DAC, because you own a system that many, many people would like to own." Thanks for the recommendations and system compliment. You can view my room under virtual systems or by clicking on my username. My room is dedicated and is already treated with GIK Acoustics. I have a Chord Dave DAC and have compared it to several others(PS Audio Directstream, Bricasti M1, Jeff Rowland Aeries, Rockna, and a few others) in my system. So far my wife and I have preferred the Dave. I'm always open to other DACs, so please tell me what DAC I should try? |
Hello @ricr1, looks like I missed your old post asking me a comparison of a bridged pair of Rowland M535 with the M625S2... Unfortunately, as I have no experience with M625 S2, I cannot comment directly on differences in resolution, harmonic rendering, frequency excursion, and audible distortions. On the other hand, looking at power specifications alone -- bridged M535 delivering about 900w per chassis with 30A peak current per chassis, compared to M625 S2 some 325W / channel, and remembering my original M625 first series, I suspect that M535 might yield a larger stage, images, and authority than M625S2. It is however reasonable to suspect that M625 S2 would be superior to M535 in Some of the subtler attributes, such as low level resolution and micro dynamics. Just to give you a totally subjective idea, my bridged pair of M535 delivers some 65% of the resolving power and sublety of my beloved ROwland M925 monos, and some 80% of stage size, at just under 20% of the cost of a pair of M925.... Prety darn good deal, IMO! Saluti, Guido
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Hi Jimmy, M625 S2 might appear once a while on the pre-owned market…. But M535 is brand new, so it is unlikely to pop up used for quite a spell.
The good news is that M535 is reasonably priced at $5900 per chassis. Depending on your speakers, you can drive them with one single unit, and perhaps later add a second one for bridged operations if you want even more authority. In stereo mode, M535 yields 250W into 8 Ohms, doubling to 500W into 4 Ohms. In bridged mode, each unit outputs 900W.
G |
Too much disposable income and boredom is a terrible problem to have isn't it? Love reading this stuff! Just had dinner in Carefree AZ at a little Italian restaurant and what do I see? The last amp I bought from him I gave it to the guy that drives by looking for looking for stuff to pick up for scrap. I've had 3. Looking at my system now you coull |
I'm a bit late to this game/thread, but thought I'd toss out a name that is seldom mentioned in the amp space: Linn. I recently went from a Mac MC303 (3 channel 300W/ch) to a set of Linn Klimax Solos (driving B&W 802D2s and an HTM2 center). Not only do the Solos run amazingly cool (I could cook steak for 6 on the Mac), but my 802Ds suddenly came alive in every respect. The difference was immediate and astonishing -- clarity, soundstage, depth -- without so much as a burn-in period. I actually started a thread some time ago wondering why no one ever mentions Linn Solos in a thread like this, and not surprisingly got two responses. I haven't A/Bed them with other speakers (or against any other amps), so take it for what it's worth. But I've also never seen a listening review of the Solos that was less than glowing. |
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You have put together an incredible system that surely must be satisfying and enjoyable. I am certain that you are fully aware that your Monitor Audio PL500 II's are a 4 ohm system. My only suggestion would be to contact the speaker distributor representative directly to discuss the particular amplifiers that they use with that speaker. Many times they are reluctant to divulge that information fearing the information would be an endorsement. Guido may have answered your quest! Often there are is a single amplifier/speaker combination that is simply magic. Specifications rarely mean anything. A 400 watt/channel amplifier by one company will not sound anything like a 400 watt/channel amplifier by another company. Enjoy your Rowland equipment. I for one purchased a different preamp after auditioning an Ayre. They are not for everyone. |
I have gone through a number of high power high amp solid state amps over the years and for the last 15 years I have been using Plinius, Went from their SA-250 Class-A to an integrated 310 watt Class A-B last year and the clarity and response are amazing. Using it with Watt Puppy 8's and my old NHT 3.3 at times. Plinius make amazing amps. |
Hello @gareneau, indeed PSU is quite transformational. I suspect that given the high caliber of Richard's electronics and speakers, a PSU would yield significantly more benefits than a power amp change. Fact is that Richard already has Aeris as well as Corus.... And one single PSU would enhance the performance of both of them... Even though I only have Aeris but not Corus, The enhancement that PSU made in my own system is far from being subtle, or even moderate. G.
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Guido, You beat me to it - I was going to suggest the same thing. Here is an extensive review of the Corus/PSU by Christiaan Punter of HiFi-Advice.com, a huge aficionado of all things Jeff Rowland. http://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/analog-reviews/amplifier-reviews/jeff-rowland-corus-preamplif... |
Guido, As always, thanks for your input and passion regarding Jeff Rowland components. How much is the PSU? The response to my post has got my thinking. The first thing I want to try is a new power cable for my 625 S2 amplifier. I currently use a 1m Wireworld Platinum power cable, but it's plugged into my Torus RM15 Power Conditioner. I want to try going straight into the wall, but I need a 3m cord. Any suggestions? |
Hi Richard, as many already pointed out, exceeding the performance of the amp you have without "amping up" the investment very significantly might be a tall order. As you enjoy the sound of M625 S2 but you would like more power, I warmly recommend the Rowland M725 S2 class A/B monos or the Rowland M825 stereo, or the M925 monos. Outside the Rowland World, I might look at Solution amps.... Quite expensive, but yield a musicality that also meets my sound concept. But there is something you can do to enhance the music of your system while keeping M625 S2, Corus, and the Aeris DAC.... Last week I have installed the recently released Rowland Power Storage Unit (PSU). As I mentioned via email, this is an external full chassis power supply based on ultra-capacitors. It is designed to feed simultaneously Aeris and Corus with pure DC, and takes them off the AC mains grid. I had heard glowing third party reports on it, but I was a little skeptical... While I have not had ultra-capacitors in my system, I understood the concept, and have had battery powered pre-amplifcation before.... And the performance difference between batteries and AC was very subtle. But when I connected PSU into the Rowland Aeris DAC I realized that batteries supplies and PSU are totally different animals... The performance enhancement is simply staggering, even on my system which I already considered wonderful, where Aeris feeds directly a pair of Rowland M925 4-chassis monoblocks into Vienna Acoustics Die Muzik. The enhancement is apparent from first activation for all audible parameters I can think of, and is followed by a rapid evolution lasting perhaps 200 hours, which pushes performance even futher. I will soon create a dedicated thread on PSU with a lot more detail. Guido
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@ricred1 Those Monitor Audio PL500 IIs look like amazing speakers. I bet they sound fantastic with the Jeff Rowland gear. But if I was looking to try something different I would look to the Krell Solo 575. It would be interesting to hear those speakers with that kind of power behind them. Cheers, Scott |
I would have to agree with ricred It will be very hard to beat the Monitor Audio PL 500 for what they do for the money. The new Heil drivers are a bit more laid back then the originals ribbons which were hyper detailed. Also the size of the speaker is going to create a very big sound. We are big fans of large speakers which help create a life like image and they do not suffer from dynamic compression. What would be interesting would be a comparison of the Legacy Aeris which is alot like the PL 500 in terms of driver complement type and size. I would not draw any conclusion as to Moon being a great choice because they use them at shows. Many Canadian companies show together, and even though Monitor audio is an English brand their importer is Canadadian, add to that that Kevro the importer does not deal with any high end audio electronics lines, could explain the pairing. Personally we never found the Moon gear to be great, kinds of sound like better Bryston, clean and a bit lean, detailed but not hyper resolving good bass. We never found their products to be that interesting in terms of sound quality, design or technology, hence we skiped over them in our reference electronics search. Troy and Dave Audio Doctor 877 428 2873 |
randy-11, I would change speakers if I had 50K to spend :). I know nothing is perfect, but it took a couple years to decide on speakers. I had Wilson Audio Sasha 1's, and a couple of Revel speakers in between and Aerial 7Ts with dual JL Audio F110 v2s prior to the PL500 IIs. I listened to Magico S5's and Rockport Aviors. I almost purchased Rockport Aviors! I ended up with PL500 II after I had the opportunity to hear them in my room. I never liked Monitor Audio series I. So to me I would have to spend a lot more, based on "my preferences" to seriously upgrade from what I have. I'm looking into Moon Audio, because it my understanding that Monitor Audio uses them with the PL500 at shows. My room is treated with GIK bass traps in the corners and at the first reflection points and the rear wall. I'm open to suggestions regarding source and cable options. |
You are not going to change the speakers you have. You ruled out ARC gear (and all tubes), so the question boils down to "what electronics will be better than Rowlands" Is that right? Ayre was already mentioned. What about Moon Evolution? I'll also mention room treatments, or... building a new room. Then there the possibility of upgrading the source material. |
We have the T+A PA 3000 amplifier and it is just a smoking amplifier. http://www.ta-hifi.de/wp-content/uploads/HV_Serie_2017_GB.pdf The integrated amplifier version which costs $19k was compared to $120k worth of CH Precision gear and Allan Taffel could barely tell the difference when he made the comparison. T+A is one of those brands that just is not getting the notice the brand should be getting on these forums. If you look at the last few reviews of their gear the reviewers all went banannas over the sound quality, build quality and technology. The HV series is designed to directly mimic the sound of tubes by running solid state devices at high voltage rails with a similar capactiy of tubes. The amplifier is a 300 watt power house with 500 watts into a 4 ohm load and can be upgraded by adding a outboard power supply and can even be turned into mono blocks. Absolutely amazing sounding products, a warm midrange, huge sound stage, airy top end without sterility, a full puunch slightly big and warm bass response. Add to this stunning good looks, managable weight, impeciable German craftsmenship and when compared to rival products the products that are being discussed usually run 2-3 times the price of the T+A products! If you are ever in our neck of the woods, New York metro you should hear this gear it competes easily with the really expensive stuff yet is priced suprisingly at realistic and affordable levels for such gear. http://reviewtechgame.blogspot.com/2014/07/ta-p3000a3000ps3000hv-prepower.html Troy and Dave Audio Doctor 877 428 2873 |
just reading all these posts....the bottom line is that You have to be satisfied. All components have their own special flavors. ...and too how these boxes integrate with each other. I’m a pro violinist, and am astounded how different my violin sounds in different halls...indeed in different rooms in my house. The truth, is there is no truth. ,,,even if you could handle it :) you might be interested in how the Rowland and Ayre customer service is provided.....in my experience they are both exceptional ( as is Vandersteen) |
I was responding to 4425's quote. " I've listened to Ayre several times driving Wilson Audio Sasha 1s and Rockport Aviors. Let just say, I'll keep my current Rowland 625 S2 over any Ayre that I heard, which includes their mono-amps." And that makes sense. I would sooner use Rowland on those speakers as well. They need need an amp like that. In fact, given your description of what you are looking for, I wouldn't recommend Ayre. If you read my other post, you can see that. " sfall, I love the Rowland sound. I’m just curious if there is something out there that will improve on what I have. Yes, I like a non-fatiguing, laid back sound that still provides detail. " BAT or CJ " |
ricred1, As one of the few on here that have actually heard your gear(and thanks again for that) there are a few amps that I would love to hear with your speakers. I agree on Pass.... I know they are heaters, but I personally think they would sound really nice with your PL500s;especially that wonderful midrange. Next would be the D'agostino--never heard one but from the descriptions of their sound, I bet they would sound great; plus they look cool. Last would be one of the higher end Burmesters-A very smooth sound. At the end of the day your current Rowland gear is extremely good. Happy hunting! |
