I've been using Rowland for my preamp and phono stages for 8 years now. A Synergy IIi and a Cadence phonostage.
The last two years I have been upticking the system and now have the Classe Cam 600's, the new B & W 802 Diamonds and a heavily modified VPI Aries and Sony 5400 SACD player with all the VSE mods you can throw at it. Cardas golden reference for the cables.
Pretty damn good system. But still maybe (and somewhat hard to believe) just a bit polite.
Enter the Rowland Criterion to replace the Synergy. Really amazing. Dynamics both large and small. Huge and deep soundstage. Deep controlled bass. The B&W's sparkle when the recording so provides and rock it when that's what fed. And I keep coming back to the dynamics. Not the polite Rowland sound I associate with my Synergy. Also, the Synergy was always mercilessly revealing. The Criterion keeps it musical regardless of what you feed it.
I am very very satisfied. Good for 8 more years.
The last two years I have been upticking the system and now have the Classe Cam 600's, the new B & W 802 Diamonds and a heavily modified VPI Aries and Sony 5400 SACD player with all the VSE mods you can throw at it. Cardas golden reference for the cables.
Pretty damn good system. But still maybe (and somewhat hard to believe) just a bit polite.
Enter the Rowland Criterion to replace the Synergy. Really amazing. Dynamics both large and small. Huge and deep soundstage. Deep controlled bass. The B&W's sparkle when the recording so provides and rock it when that's what fed. And I keep coming back to the dynamics. Not the polite Rowland sound I associate with my Synergy. Also, the Synergy was always mercilessly revealing. The Criterion keeps it musical regardless of what you feed it.
I am very very satisfied. Good for 8 more years.