Rowland Synergy IIi vs BAT VK51se????

Congrats Steve, and enjoy. Yes cables certainly do make a difference, as do power cords. Take your time and experiment.

John

Bit delayed response - sorry - but did end up going with the Bat 150se amps, 51se pre, M-L 39 CD, Montana EPX speakers. Very pleased so far. Am now in the process of trying different cables, as well as room treatments. Amazing to me how very different cables can sound. Thanks again for the input.

Of these two choices, I would choose the BAT VK-51SE. It has a more powerful presence, with better tonal accuracy and soundstaging. The Synergy IIi is slightly more refined and does have more transparent high's.

FWIW, I am currently using a pair of Jeff Rowland Model 6 monoblock amps, but I prefer them w/o the battery supplies. IMHO, the batteries make the sound smoother, but at the expense of dynamics. I think the Model 6's are smooth enough that I'd rather have the extra dynamics than the extra smoothness. I'm currently using a ARC Ref 3 preamp, which I thought bested my previous reference, the BAT VK-51SE.

Happy hunting,
John

BAT products have great synergy. If you go with the 150SE's, get the 51SE. Great combination.