Rowland preamps??????


Anyone have a lot of experience w Rowland preamps?

I'm looking for a high quality fully balanced pre to run into my Vt-100mkII, and I need to stay well under $2500.00.

Rowland makes an awful lot of products w similar names...Continuum, Consonance, Concerto pre...and Concerto integrated. It's hard to keep them all straight. Poor marketing, if you ask me.

Anyway, it seems like the Concerto, Consonance, Capri and SynergyII are all in the $2000-$2500 price range. There's also a SynergyIIi, which sould be a little stretch for me, but it's a 230v unit.

Anyone familiar with these pres, at all. Thanks in advance.
trank
My favorite in the Rowland line up is the Coherence One preamp. Very difficult to find today, and wish I had never sold the one I had. Reference caliber preamp with few peers.
Ferrari, have you ever heard the Coherence II? and if you have, could you comment on the differences between the 2 versions? G.
Thanks for your feedback, all. I checked out your thread from last year on the Capri vs. the Ref3. Sounds like th Capri outperforms most of the older JRDG preamps. I took some notes while shopping over the past week, and there was a Capri for sale. It must've sold cause I can't find it.....go figure:))

I owned an LS-2mkii a long time ago, and was very happy with it also, Guido. They went for around $850.00 back then. Hrd to believe this old tech is actually going up in value. I understand the LS-5 is also a tremendous pre, but the one on A'gon is listed for $2300.00!! These are almost 20 year old designs!?

I guess I'll just keep my eyes open. I got very excited about the Capri. The BAT "house" sound has always seemed like something to suit my tastes....liquid, lush, and dynamic. Perhaps a VK-31se if I could find one in my price range. There's a VK3ix-se listed, but ZI can't find much info on it. Does anyone know if this was well recieved in the press? Has anyone heard it?
Trank, VK52SE is the only BAT linestage I am familiar with. It sounded to me on the more classic side of tube sound, with bass extension that was warmer and a little less defined than Ref 3, and with treble that would get stressed on orchestral fff. Yet, an incredibly captivating sound in its own right. . . it is really a matter of what one prefers. . .'Romantic' or 'neutral'. . . there is no right nor wrong. My preference is for neutrality with 'heart', hence my happiness with Capri. You are right about Capris having disappeared on Agon. . . or almost. . . there is one being offered in combination with 201 monos. . perhaps you can persuade the seller to let go of Capri alone. . . but I am positive that within a couple of weeks you will see a Capri or 2 for sale once again. Guido
Thanks again, Guido. I appreciate your insight. And thanks for the heads-up on the Rowland ad. Maybe that guy will sell the Capri separately.