The Future of Audio Amplification

Hello all, as the topic of the Rowland Daemon superintegrated has come up on this thread, in the past, I wanted to give you a pointer to a review thread I have started for it.

I was long hoping to evaluate the Rowland Daemon Superintegrated amp. Finally, a review unit was delivered on February 28th. I Started break-in the following day, and have been scribbling my listening notes since… The writing project will continue for at least a few months, until the integrated has stabilized, and I have exercised several of its many input and output options. I have been waiting for a long time for this 99Lbs single box critter. It is Jeff Rowland’s integrated flagship. The DAC + Preamp + 1500W/8 (2500W/4) dual-mono power amp in a single chassis is already sounding amazing after just a little more than a couple  hundred hours of break-in.

Learning about Daemon is being a fascinating experience… join me to chat about it around its new Audiogon watering-hole:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/jeff-rowland-daemon-reviewing-the-jrdg-superintegrated-flagsh...

And, feel free to PM me with any questions about it.

Saluti, Guido

Hello @pokey77... Yep, looks like I have missed this happily brawling "class struggle" all together *Grins!*

Or perhaps this a "religious" argument?! Like in.... How many comparators can dance on the head of a pin?

Or is this the eternal fairy tale of "Princess and the Class D pea?

Reality is that if anyone is wondering if class D amplifier development has reach maturity, they need not look at any nebulous future.... That future is, quite comfortably, right here and now. Of course, this might mean taking stock of reality, open ears, eyes, and minds, and drop dearly beloved preconceived pseudoscientific notions of inherent superiority of any class of operation over any other one. Just go out there and start listening to music and systems.... And I mean, LISTEN WITH YOUR EARS".... Put back stats, graphs, and spreadsheet into the closet, where they belong.... Eventually you might realize that what moves you is not whats inside the box, nor what the box looks like, nor how much it costs.... But just what that box does for living, and the beauty of the music it is capable of conveying.

Rare are the amps that not only deliver the main content of the music with resolution and precision, but have enough subtlety to let you experience the thought and emotion of the composer and the performer.... And even fewer that let you glimpse into the hesitations and misgivings that the performer might be having about the music.

I have experienced this rare magic from amps of most all classes or topology.... Be they tubed, such as the AudioResearch Reference series amps, SS like the Soulution amps, or certain class D amps like the Merrill Element 118, the Rowland M535 bridgeable and my beloved M925 monos.

I am currently evaluating a pair of Rowland M535 bridgeable amplifiers for which I am preparing a detailed scribbling to be posted on Audiogon. I am absolutely stunned by the coherence of their presentation, the musicality of the tembre, the vastness of the stage, the concreteness of images,

the complexity of the harmonic exposure, the abscence of distortive artifacts in complex and simple passiages alike, the living silence between the notes, the majesty of their authority, the tunefulness of the entire audible spectrum from deep bass to high treble, the elegant luminosity of the overall presentation, and last but not leas the sheer emotionality of what I hear. If they costed $46K for the pair I would merely call them splendid.... Yet, M535 lists at a smidgeon below $6K per chassis.... I scratch my head trying to find the right word to define what I am experiencing.

M535 is not simply "Good for a class D amplifier"..... It truly is instead, a magnificent instrument for making music, regardless of its class of operation. Ah yes, in case you wondered, it runs as cool as a proverbial cuke, as it appears to be approximately 97% efficient.

Nor what Jeff Rowland is achieving with class D amplifiers comes in isolation. Last spring I had the privilege of having in my system an early prototype of the Merrill Element 118 monoblocks.... different house sound from Rowland, but also enormously captivating, with wonderful dynamics and subtlety all their own. As what I tested whas a prototype with some crucial parts of the audio path not completely finalized, I can't voice any conclusive findings... Except for having the feeling that the final product is something definitely worth considering.

Saluti, G.

Ah yes, the Rowland Daemon superintegrated.... Hope to have the opportunity of having one in my system some day and scribble about it... Meantime, for some info on Daemon, here is its page:

https://www.jeffrowlandgroup.com/daemon/

Saluti, G.

Hello @uberwaltz, according to the verbal reports I have heard from earwitnesses at shows, Daemon sounds like those aforementioned dreams as well *Grins!*

G.

Hello 213, I am completely with you on the subject of class A and A/B ill-conceived conjectures of their imminent demise... There are amazingly wonderful amplifiers from all classes and topologies.

While I remain an unapologetic fan of the Rowland house sound, during my visits at RMAF I was totally mesmerized by the tone of Soulution SS amps and by the ARC tubed reference series.

In the class D domain, the Bel Canto Black series is a fb example of high end amplification.... And Merrill Audio has introduced a brand new series of amplifiers based on a class D circuit of Merrill's own design... I had the fortune of having an early prototype of the Merrill Element 118 in my system during last spring, and while the prototype still displayed some minor teething issues, Element 118 certainly showed high promise, and the final product would be worth considering.

Really, the "my amp class's bigger'n'better'n yourn game is so much hogwash!

There are some top flight amps out there.... class a, ab, d, tubed, and so forth... Their tonal character and musicality is typically unique to the brand and to their design and execution, not so much to their class of operation.

Besides, what I enjoy need not be what everyone else loves.... Let's value diversity in this beautiful hobby of ours.

Saluti, G.

Thank you 213runnin for that delightful bit of purple prose. I should like to counter with my favorite -- if admittedly pessimistic -- quote from our own Rodman99999...

"Just don't fall into the category of those whose minds, like concrete, are thoroughly mixed, and permanently set"

Hello Bo1972, you made your point abundantly and eloquently.... We get it... No need to beat a dead horse. Please rest your case... Or start your own thread.

Regards, G.

Actually I have owned Class D and class A/B amps....

Aragon 4008 Mk.2 stereo A/B -- Nice but limited performer.

Rowland 7M balanced high bias mono class A/B -- Wonderful golden tone... Absolutely captivating, with huge sound stage and power reserve... but does not compete with current designs in resolution and distortion.

Rowland M312 stereo class D -- Fabulous 2nd generation class D based on ICEpower 1000, with PFC rectifier prefixing the regulated SMPS, and Lundahl input transformers... Would stand up even today, IMO.

Early production Rowland M625 stereo class A/B... Very sweet and transparent... But could run out of gas on extreme transients.

 Rowland M725 mono. Original non-S2. Overcomes all limitations of original M625, and edges above M312.

Rowland M925 mono class D -- An incredible performer in a class of its own that I have owned since 2013... I adore it... I have not heard an amp yet that exceeds it in its totality. A total keeper.

Rowland M535 bridgeable class D -- I am evaluating a bridged pair... Jaw-dropping music maker, particularly considering that each chassis in stereo mode lists a smidgeon below $6K.... IMO worth a few times its list price. If M925 did not exist, a pair of M535 would be my long term choice.

Saluti, G.

Hello Tweak1, are you referring to  amps designed around Gallium Nitride transistors?  I have had a mono amp in my system designed around Gallium Nitride (GaN) transistors for just a few days last spring. It was a still incomplete but lovely prototype of the now released Merrill Element 118 monos. At the time, it was not fully broken in and still showed some minor artifacts. In spite of that, it showed high promise, Yet I could not get a complete idea of its performance within the limited hours of up-time.

Saluti, Guido

Hello George, as far as I know there were no "evaluation boards" of any kind in the Merrill Element 118 prototype. The circuit is entirely designed/implemented by Merrill from the ground up using discrete components, including the in-circuit application of GaN transistors.

For more information, you may want to contact the company.

Regards, G.

George, Merrill is not so much interested in achieving high switching frequencies. He seems to be using GaN to reduce dead states.

BTW, here is the latest Merrill newsletter, where he talks about the Element 116, which he will sell for about $22K. a further trickle-down Element 114 will eventually retail for about $12K.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/awhxdl5my0z4ycg/Press%20Release%20Merrill%20Audio%20Element%20116%20Advanc...

Saluti, G.

Yep George, 'tis all one dark ominous conspiracy at the expense of brave audiophiles worldwide... There are rumors of a mysterious kabala of notorious class D mongers to undermine the Faith of righteous audiophrenes. Could even be the "deep HiFi State at its most nepherious purposes"... 'Best continue to read 'em safe reviews and specs instead of  getting out of the house and exposing your ears to the spiritual corruption of unsafe audiophilic experiences *Grins!*

Saluti, G.

G.

So, George, are you enjoying the music from the the Technics amp in your system? Does it make good music? Or is this still pure oscilloscopic voyeurism that you foisting on us all?

G.

There goes George with his dark conspiracies and kabalas... Fascinating stuff really.... Except that blind men -- e.g. your truly -- use their ears, and he apparently does not.... Perhaps a deaf audiophile?! :)

Hello aolmrd1241, I now have most of the pieces of the eval post.... Need to stitch them together, remove burrs, integrate a few more bits of technical information, and audible observations, and then I will post to Audiogon.

G.

 and  

Hello Recevs, how dare you believing in your own class D creations ;) You should instead prostrate yourself and squirm in shhame, while grovelling and begging undeserved forgiveness from the righteous paperholic and Martin colloms-fearing audio morality police, which keeps us in nirvanic purity, whilst protecting us all from straying into the the anathema of visual osciloscopic abominations lurking inside non-Colloms-blessed classes of amplifier operations.

Happy New Year everyone!

Guido

PS. Including to you friend George!