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Vincent SV-236 vs Rowland Concentra 2?

I'm looking for an integrated amp to drive my Proac D15 speakers in a medium sized room (16' x 19'). A used Concentra 2 would be at the upper end of my budget, whereas the Vincent SV-236 would be no problem.

Can anyone comment on the relative strengths of each? How much more (if anything) would I get by stretching for the Rowland and which would be more compatible with my Proacs? Are there any other integrateds should I consider for these speakers?

I listen to all types of music, so I'd like to avoid gear that lends itself to particular musical genres. I prefer a warm, smooth sound -- I'm pretty intolerant of brightness, grain, and sibilance in case that helps.

Thanks for the help!
chouca
6 responses Add your response
yashu
196 posts
 
I have had the Concentra 2 for a couple of years, running with PROAC Response 2.5 and an Arcam FMJCD 23 cd player.

I could not be happier and have finally stopped looking for anything else. The combination is all I could ask for and far exceeded my expectations. I listen for hours and have never had listener fatigue, totally enjoying the music each and every time.

For great music the Rowland Concenta with my Proacs does it all so well.

Yashu
flg2001's avatar
flg2001
543 posts
 
I have not heard the Vincent - but I am very familiar with the Concentra and Rowland 2, I do think they are very different types of amps, and would lean towards the Rowlands all the way - smooth, musical and great POO.

Good Luck
chouca OP
10 posts
 
Thanks for the replies! I'll try to audition the Rowland and ARC.
nolitan
865 posts
 
I would probably save up for the Concentra since that is one of the best integrateds money can buy, if not the best.
Proac are revealing speakers and the better you feed them, the better they sound.
Another amp i can highly recommend with the Proac would be the Audio Research VS55integrated amp. THese worked well with the Proac D25 so it should drive you D15 a lot easier.
Good luck
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
I second Raquel's comments, though I have not heard the Vincent either. I recently downsized for personal economic reasons, from top of the line BAT seperates to a Rowland Concentra II integrated. To be honest, I was a bit surprised at how small of an actual 'sacrifice' this was.
Yes, the BAT seperates were better, but not by nearly as much as I had anticipated. The Concentra is very transparent and revealing with no trace of SS hardness or grain. I felt it gave me over 90% of the performance of my BAT seperates for 25% of the cost.
Of course I cannot tell you what will work best with your Proac D15's, since I have not heard them.

Happy hunting,

John
raquel
841 posts
 
The Concentra 2 is of the best vintage of Rowland products and there is still very little solid-state gear that can compete with it. I have not heard the Vincent and it may be a fine product, but the Rowland has sound quality and build quality that reflects the $6k price -- despite being an integrated, it is truly high-end piece of gear. Its sonic signature also appeals directly to your performance priorities -- it is smooth and grain-free (as well as being very transparent, which is my priority).
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