Power Amp advice

the rowland is less punchy.Since 326s is already very pinchy, matching it with rowland 625 is more balanced.

Well there you go. What was it you liked better about the Rowland 625?

today,just pairing rowland 625 & mark 532h with ml326s. To my surprise , rowland gives better result.

Lloyd, you're absolutely right that high-end choices have expanded. I can remember when I was in college in the late 70s-early 80s that there were not many hi-fi choices at all and a lot of what we had was really what we'd consider mid-fi today. We knew about maybe about five-ten brands of actual high end - and also Heathkit for those adventurous enough to play with a soldering gun.

A more integrated global economy and the internet have changed all that - I never would have even known about overseas brands like Plinius or my latest Symphonic Line pre/power combo in those days!

Dickey1, thanks for giving us more information. If you're looking at amps in the $15-20,000 range, you have a LOT more options in addition to the three you are thinking about. Especially if you are willing to buy used.

P59T - thanks for that...good to know. Not much ML here unfortunately so have not remained current with their models. I have heard good things about their latest stuff.

Maybe its me, but there seems to be so much more high-end boutique equipment out there now. I remember a time when (i was not in high end but just reading about it in college)...and all i read about was Krell, ML, ARC, CJ and Pass Labs. Plus exotics like Audio Note, Goldmund, FM Acoustics. Now its all those plus BA Labs, Constellation, CH Precision, TAD, Audio Analogue, Dartzeel, MBL, Berning, Ypsilon, Concert Fidelity, Stahl-Tek, and the list goes on...and on.

Hard to keep up! But a lot of fun to have those options too!

i used to listen to pop & vocal. My source is metronome cd4 speaker is westlake lc4.75. Room is around 100 sq ft. So,small size is preferred. tks.

I use Parasound JC1's with a ML 326. Fantastic combination.

Of those you listed the only one I'd consider would be the Ayre, but I'd still choose my JC1's over it.

I use this Mark 326s preamp with 201 power
amp

Well, mixing oil with water was never successful.
I would recommend to go for Corus Rowland Preamp instead of the 625.

there are levinson 436 monoblocks for sale at reasonable prices; a 334,335 amp would also be a good choice. IF you wanted to stay with ML. I would love to see a review of the ML-532 stereo amp as well- i would have to say that just from looking at it it's either a waste of money or it's one of the best stereo amps out there. as for the very latest amplifiers from ML they have gotten some favorable reviews but i am not aware of anyone comparing them to the Iron-Giant gear from a few years back.

What speakers are you driving? What source components do you use? What sort of music do you like and at what volume? What are the dimensions of your room? It's pretty hard to suggest equipment without knowing those parameters.

Lloydelee, the ML 532H is a current product and a good one. I heard one driving Revel Salon 2s about a year ago when I was looking at those speakers (which I eventually bought). It was quite good in the mids. At the time I chose a Plinius SB-301 over it, as I found that the Plinius provided more dynamics and a more powerful, propulsive bass better suiting my listening tastes. But I might have opted for the 532H if the majority of my listening was say acoustic, chorale or small jazz combo music.

I have heard Ayre and ML, but not Rowland. But based on what i have read, and the fact that you seem to like Rowland...i do think the Rowland is a very good choice. By many accounts, they make good quality stuff. As for brand matching, many people i respect do like matching pre and amp. But not everyone. Many people like tubed pre with SS amp...which generally means different brands (though not always). I do this and love it.

One thing i have read is to be careful of service with ML...seems like due to change of ownership, servicing products that were not sold by current mgt is not always so good. is 532H current?

Did you keep your Rowland? be interesting to see which you prefer with new Rowland amp. In any event, goodluck.