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Review: Jeff Rowland Design Concentra mkIIp Amplifier

Category: Amplifiers

I'm in to Jazz (specially guitar), Funk, Afro-Cuban, some hip hop, Classic Rock and blends of these genres.

I use any/all Cubop label Afro-Cuban LP's for testing. they're the best recordings I've ever herd period. I also use Wes Montgomery on vinyl (because Wes rules), a Cachao CD called Dos.

For me naturalness, dynamics, warmth and detal are important. I want deep tigh extnded bass that is coherent with the rest of the sound and well defined. No one-note bass lines. Nauralness and warmth re more important than detail or even imaging. Bright tinny sounds turn me of no matter how detailed or how god the imaging is. Better to want more thn to get too much of one thing. If it's not there, you may not notice it but if there's too much you'll want it to go away.

Ive had the Concentra II about a month. It replaces the Plinius 8200 (8100 upgrde w/phono). Even if the Concentra doesn't have quite the raw musle, the refinement smoothness and naturalness with better imaging make it a pure joy. The build quality and intangibles are world class. Unbelievably beautiful. And also quite pwerful 175 watts per channel very conservatively rated I'm sure.

Strenths are beauty, convenience, world class sound, great phono, warmth, detail, power, naturalness.

Weaknesses, well it retils for $7,100 but if your an audiophle then that's not crazy. You can't record one source and listen to another like the Plinius. Sonically no weaknesses. Thi may be one of the best Integrted solid state rigs in the world.

If money was no object I would still be thrilled with this unit...who knows if money was no object I could die of my own devices. Cheers. Love. Dave in S.F.

Associated gear
Sony XA7ES CD, Project Perspective Turntable /Benz Micro Gilder Cartrige, Tannoy Definition 900 Floorstanding Towers.

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Plinius 8200
davabar
zbig06
1 posts
 
Ovature,
Please stop this nonsense. There is no other way to describe what you have written here. Concentra dark? Two dimensional? While everybody is entitled to an opinion, it seems you never heard JR Concentra.

I am now listening to original Concentra I, shocked how beautiful it sounds. (Never heard JR amps before).  I am considering buying it, however would also like to listen to another well respected amp from around that area (at least in Europe) from Denmark - Gryphon Callisto. 

BTW, in my main system, I use Krell KSA100 mk2, one of very few I actually like. The more modern ones are in my opinion nowhere near as good sonically as the 100mk2. Unless you are talking about D"Agostino's at 30 times the price... 
Best regards to all happy owners and fans of JR Concentra. Stay safe 

ovature's avatar
ovature
18 posts
 

For your information, I personally owned both the concentra 1 and the 2. The 1 sound smooth but boring and somewhat dark. The 2 was more lively but grainy sounding. So before you put your foot in your mouth again, understand the circumstances. I owned both pieces and I think they suck.

daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,871 posts
 

@ovature interesting comment, particularly since we have no frame of reference as to your ancillary gear. There has never been a grainy sounding piece of gear made by Rowland, so if you truly heard that, it can be credited to something else in your system.

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