Plinius vs Jeff Rowland

Heyanming, I am very fond of JRDG products, but confess of having very little listening experience with Plinius. Yet, regardless of my lack of experience, your question remains somewhat difficult to answer. Even within the same product line, the sonic signature has changed over the years. E.g. JRDG legacy products were a little warmer sounding than today's line up, with a little less bass control for speakers exhibiting difficult loads. . . . new JRDG products sound as 'liquid', but are more open, transparent, and with enhanced bass control. I do like the newer JRDG sound a lot. . . so, it is 'better' to me than the old sound. But 'better' is a term relative to my own particular preference only, not an absolute that will of necessity be valid for everyone else. Currently, the JRDG integrated lineup has 2 products: Continuum 250 and Continuum 500. The 500 has twice the power of 250, but also has incorporated Power Factor Correction (PFC) power rectification and buffering in the input stages which yields enhanced low level detail and 'sweetness', as well as a bank of bulk caps in the output stage to enhance authority. Whether or not Continuum 500 is preferable to a yet unspecified Plinius integrated will be a matter of personal preference, based on listening habits, and specific categories of issues peculiar to individual listeners. Sorry I could not provide a more straight forward answer. Guido

I used to own the Plinius 8200 integrated and a friend had the JR Concentra (I think Concentra is the name, it is the older integrated in their lineup). I did hear them in different systems but a guess would be that they sound similar with good bass, a 'golden' midrange (especially the JR) and a bit rolled off on top. If I had to pick a favorite I lean toward the JR as it really seemed to have layers of information. What struck me about both units though is a lack of an open quality, they both seemed a bit closed down on top which is the kiss of death for me.

Again, I heard these units in different set ups and these qualities could well change in other rigs but I wanted to contribute a bit of (informal) info.

Have owned both the Plinius 9200, and JR Concerto. Plinius a no-contest superior "sounding" unit. Found the JR to be comparitively lacking in all areas. The JR may lose character because of the "Icehouse"(?)technology emplyed to keep it cool. As usual, try to have a listen before you make a move.

The plinius is a warmer sound than the newer JR amps. The JR newer amp has more detail and a cooler/leaner, but more controlled presentation in comparison to Plinius.

This will be very system dependent though. Maybe the Plinius is more forgiving as its warmth gives you the idea that your system sounds fine.

Concentra and Concerto are older JRDG integrated amps. The current integrated Rowland flagship is the Continuum 500. It would be interesting to compare it to the corresponding latest Plinius integrated offerings.

The JR may lose character because of the "Icehouse"(?)technology emplyed to keep it cool.

I hope you were kidding when saying this, but I don't think so.