Plinius SA-100 vs. Rowland Model 2

I would just say that while the money is still in your pocket, you should listen to a tube amp that is capable of driving these speakers like the Wolcott. I have not heard the Rowland Model 2. I have heard the SA-100 and I have heard the Extremas, although not together. My guess is the SA-100 is going to be exposed by the Extremas, because the Extremas are very revealing through the mids. The Plinius gear is great value here in New Zealand, but I cannot see it as great value in the US. I believe it has become somewhat over-rated (but then again so have others). The problem I hear with the Plinius is a touch of artificial warmth in the upper bass and lower mid-range, which then transitions sharply to an electronic hardness (significant)and brightness (slight) in the upper mids and lower treble. The mid and upper treble are reasonably seemless with decent resolution and air, but are a bit cool. mid bass and deep bass are the areas where the Plinius is much harder to fault. It is a very good bass amp. By reputation, I would expect the Rowland to be smoother than the Plinius and therefore possibly better with the Extrema, but don't take my word for it. Hopefully someone can help you on the Rowland.

Hi,
I would stay away from solid state in general, I find it unsatisfying even if the bass is tight, all the details there, etc.
If I were you I would try Conrad Johnson tube (inc. their integrated amp), or the Llano hybrid designs, or have Mike Elliott rebuild you a Counterpoint amp. Your music loving sensibility will thank you for your choice in the long run.
Solid state is just too dry and dimensionless by comparison, and not "immediate" enough. Even these highly refined choices (Plinius, Rowland) suffer from these qualities to some degree.

The SF's soak up a lot of power. You may want to look elsewhere. What is the minimum requirement? I'll look up the review if you would like.

The Goldman offerings will work well with the Extremas.

Gentlemen, I realize that we all love our tube amplifiers but before we attempt to sway someone we should attempt to answer his question. There have a few posts and the only one who has attempted to answer the question of Rowland Vs. Plinius is Redkiwi. It's ok for us to render our opinions but lets address the question first. Ronslam may have his heart set on a solid state amp.

I have owned the Extremas and powered them with a Rowland Concentra. The sound is warm and for low to medium listening levels can be very satisfying. I also paired them with a Classe 25 (250 watts) and the sound opened up considerably. Tube gear in my opinion would be a poor choice considering that the Extremas can take all the power you can throw at them and still ask for more. I agree with Tacs as I am using an Llano VPLEX-200 with Artemis EOS monitors and the sound is superb. I would look at a minimum of 250 watts of Class A power, more if you can afford it, in order to appreciate what the Extremas can do.