Levinson 383 or Rowland Continuum 500

Thanks Jprice, I wish I could turn up the volume a bit more during break-in, but I can't given apartment neighbors. My bass issue could actually be speaker-placement related among other things.

I have heard that the break-in time for Continuum 500 is somewhat shorter than on most other class D amplifiers, possibly because of its slightly higher operating temperature. Never the less, I suggest to be generous with break-in time allocation, and to continue the process for perhaps 300 hours. . . and then determine if there are any further changes up to 500 hours. DCSTEP reports that this break-in extension may not be necessary. BTW, one of the nice things about JRDG gear is a very long 5 years warranty on new units. G.

thanks everyone

MAKING BREAK-IN EASIER . . . .

A note about "break-in that makes it not quite so obnoxious: When I bought a new pair of Avalon Eidolon speakers, I was told that they needed an extended break-of "loud and dynamic source material" - My family and neighbors would certainly have objected if I played music continuously for several hundred hours. (Particularly if I played Avalon's recommended break-in disc . . . Tangerine Dream's Optical Race . . . yes, in the Avalon owners manual they recommend playing that disc over and over for 200-300 hours.

Anyway, someone told me that if I would bring my speakers close together and facing each other they would cancel out most of the high volume levels and virtually all of the bass response.

Try it, It works. Awful music but much happier neighbors and family members

I have a C500 driving a set of Duevel Bella-Lunas, and a 102/Capri pair driving a set of Duevel Venus. I love the sound of the "modern" Rowland amps, it is so smooth and effortless to my ears. These amps just seem to idle their way through the music and never get rattled, even the tiny 102. I found break-in pretty extended, about 300hrs before the amps settled down. The C500 ran pretty warm for the first week, but then the temp seriously dropped. I don't understand how but now my C500 is cold to the touch, and sounds great too.