Rowlands

I own a pair of model 6 monoblocks and don't ever see parting with them for quite some time.
Maybe the switching power amps design has hurt them but I have never heard any of that design;I think 6,8 and 9 were probally considered his best in amp design;just my opinion though.

Could not have said it better myself French_Fries (grins!) .... By the way, have you ever considered Corus instead of Criterion? Corus pre should sound very close to Criterion, unless you happen to receive very dirty AC in your home, and it is quite a bit less expensive than Criterion. And do not exclude the little Capri pre .... According to Rowland, Capri sounds better than any of the pres he has designed before, and I have much preferred it over my own ARC Ref 3 for most parameters.

oh, i forgot to mention... i had at one time a Rowland Consonance preamp with Phono (a demo piece) that was a pleasure to own, especially when JRDG issued a new line stage module (just plug it in, no tools or solder necessary) that improved the sound another 25% (for a mere $450). i later upgraded to the Consummate Preamp that i was also extremely happy with. i had wanted as i mentioned before an amplifier but as the Model-1 had only 60 watts and the Model-8 was completely out of reach i had to look elsewhere. anyone out there with a M8-TIHC might weigh in here why anyone would, even now, need another amplifier. on the other hand Jeff's obsession with battery power (if you wanted this option it would cost even more) unfortunately
robbed the 8 and 9 of some dynamic capability, not to mention having to get new batteries every so often from the company (rather than from multiple sources).
but then again I never got to hear what Jeff felt was the very best sound he could squeeze from these designs. and all but the wealthiest patrons of this hobby were left to wonder what his concept of state-of-the-art could do for their favorite music.
i guess if you had THAT much money you were probably into hand-built tube equipment and turntables with impossibly-exotic cartridges.
but THEN you had to limit your musical choices to string quartets played on wussy speakers built to make the most of five watts... (just kidding).....
To conclude, if you have ANY Rowland gear IMHO you're in VERY good shape and getting to hear your music as well as anyone might want.

I heard than Coherence II and 9T monoblocks was the best Rowland pair ever. And that many prefer older Rowlands anyway.

rowland equipment has a refinement in its build quality and its sound that is, at least to me, somewhat "european" in effect. you look at the beautiful internal layout of the new 625 amplifier on the web site, and then you go hear it on a really top-notch pair of speakers, and what you may find is a very relaxed quality but with emphasis on very subtle details.
And every time i went to the dealer to hear an amp or a preamp i was
probably more frustrated than coming away from other stores; there was little leeway on the price and at the same time a tremendous motivation on my part in trying to figure out where the heck i was going to find the money. a good example of this is when the model 8 stereo amp came out at over $12k when other top brands were going for $7k-$9k. and then the rowland 9 monoblocks were as massive as they were completely insanely priced at the time they were made available. i never got to even hear them as a result (a shame). as such many of us will never experience that level of performance, and then time moved on and JRDG had to, instead of building on that theme, turn elsewhere and see if they could get the job done without the elegance and expense of those huge gleaming boxes.
so as they have struggled with trying to make the very best components possible, so have the rest of us struggled with trying to keep up with the price structures that rowland gear demands. i would love a criterion preamp but i had to settle for something else in the meanwhile costing far less, but that still has excellent sound.
maybe someday...

They seem like a very low keyed business . None of the dealers in my area have ever sold there gear and reviews are few and far between . The word around our audio club is that they sound excellent in some systems and poor in others .

Rowland popularity slump in North America was partially caused by JRDG's adoption of class D for its highest end amplifiers. The new series of high bias class A/B amps from Rowland might cure the popularity slump. M625 stereo is already out, and a new M725 mono has been said to be out before year end. Looks like no more higher end class D amps from JRDG. G.

I once switched from Rowland components to Pass components and thought it was a nice upgrade. I later switched from the Pass to a Rowland integrated and while the presentation was different, it wasn't a downgrade. From this I conclude that Rowland and Pass both make great quality, musically satisfying equipment.

If you ever meet Jeff Rowland you will find him to be very calm, low key, humble and approachable I don't get the feeling he cares to play the games with reviewers to get his stuff reviewed; it speaks for itself. Jeff has a huge following overseas too. I recently purchased a pair of his old Model 9tiHC monoblocks that are old by today's standard but have always been a favorite solid state of mine. I like the Pass, but in AZ it adds to my A/C expense in the summer; they are hot!

Inna,

I've owned a Rowland Model 2 for about 10 years.
My Pass X150.5 is the first amp (besides my Pass Aleph 2s)
that sounded as good.
I sold the X150.5 simply because the Rowland runs cooler in my bedroom system.
I recently bought an XA30.5. If it is noticeably better than the Rowland or Aleph 2s, one of them will go.
Rowland is very much like Pass, IMO. Very good sound, very good people/company.
Pass is very popular right now. If 200 watts/4ohms is enough power, you can get a Rowland Model 2 for around $1750.00. It is built better than 99% of all amps.

Always remember that when people compare equipment if it isn't apples to apples then it isn't a fair comparison. To just say that Rowland is not as good as Pass or visa versa (or for any component), power output, sensitivity, etc and most importantly price point should be considered. Comparing a $1000 amp to a $5000 amp is in most cases a totally unfair comparison. Same is true with other characteristics. You know. Which Rowland amp was compared to which Pass amp? So for me, I pick a price point whereby I will purchase. I find equipment at that price point and compare. Now every now and then you will find an exceptional piece of equipment that is less expensive than another and will be better, but that is really rare. Most manufacturers design and construct based on price points. Same is true for automobiles and other equipment. So a Hyundi vs a Bently isn't a fair comparison is it? Same for audio equipment.

I have heard Rowland amps and the ones I have listened to were of top quality and construction and sound. I know for a fact that Pass Labs makes absolutely great equipment. But, I have never done an a/b comparison.

Enjoy

I have had Rowland amps and they sound good but the Pass Labs Sound Great. The difference between Good & Great is huge!

Yoh, I've owned examples of both brands-driving Wilson/ Avalon/ Soundlab/ Quads/Snells/etc--both worthy ,tried and true Pre/Amp products you can be proud to own.

Des

It is interesting how brands fall in and out of popularity. For several years I stopped reading reviews and did my own thing. Now that I am back I find brands that were considered mediocre at best are well respected by the audiophile community.