Rowland Capri vs. the ynergy IIi

Hi Husk, I use a Capri, but have never heard the Ynergy, so I can't compare them. Depending on your sonic preferences, you may or may not like the Capri. Capri is extremely linear, extended and detailed, with a lot of harmonic exposure and very fine macro and micro dynamics. Capri does not have the idiosyncratic brightness associated with SS. . . on the other hand, neither it sounds warm or "tube like". . . rather, it is neutral, which I personally appreciate very much, but admittedly it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Guidocorona, I read your other thread above about the Capri and went ahead and bought one. Not much risk on the used market. Thanks, Husk

That's great Husk01! Do you happen to know how many hours of plaing time there are on the unit, and how long it has been turned off? I suggest at least 300 hours of re-break-in. . . unless it has been used little, in which case the customary 500 hours will be in order. I leave my unit active all the time and simply play from a tuner at low volume to keep the little thing purring like a kitten. G.

Guidocorona, Don't know the hours, but I will definitely leave it on and run XM thru it 24/7. Thanks for the heads up. Husk

Fabulous. . . keep us uhr, 'tuned'! G.

I used the Synergy for many years. When the Concerto came out I compared it to the Synergy. The Concerto was better. I bought it. Same with the Capri compared to the Concerto.
So yes the Capri is a better preamp.

At one time Jeff's FAQ on his web site said something like,
Yes, the new models sound better or we would not market them.

I owned a Synergy IIi for many years. It's a fabulous preamp. I traded it in to get the Ayre KX-R preamp, as I have several other Ayre components. The Capri is not a better preamp.

Guido, What do you know about the RCA plugs that Rowland recommends for the unused imputs on the back of the Capri?

Husk, If you have any specific questions about those shorting plugs, I'll be glad to relay them to JRDG. I only know they are made by Cardas and I am leaving them where they are on my Capri.

If you do use shorting plugs, make sure they actually "short" the audio signal (i.e., wire the signal to ground). I believe the Cardas product only covers the outside of the RCA inputs rather than shorting them.

As JR suggested, you can use a cheap pair of RCA IC's lying around to make shorting plugs. They can be purchased as well (with high markup I might add).

And remember NOT to use shorting plugs at the RCA outputs!!!