Rowland 625 versus Audio Research DS450

I am barely familiar with this type of speakers. Are big Soundlabs bass light as well? And I never heard anyone complain about their midrange. Why are you so attached to Maggies? Something very special? If there is no good bass there is no foundation. Even if you only listen to solo guitar or singing.
I don't know about Audio Research but there are no bad Rowlands so if someone wants to choose the best for a particular application one has to try a few. Older Rowlands can sound deeper.

Classic Rowlands and 300 series Rowlands tend to have a 'meatier' bass than M625.... mostly because they impart a pleasing and ponderous whooliness to the midbass. Conversely, M201 and M501's bass seems a little light and 'non-denominational'. By contrast, The bass of M625 appears to be more pitched and musically coherent than what I have heard from Rowland M7, M201, M501, C500, M301, M302, and M312.

Optimus, you may want to consider the just released DS450M mono blocks from Audio Research. There power supply is overkill with over 176,000 microfarads in each amp. A serious brute. Audio Research never used Ice modules in the past, but did use Tripath modules, which is now out of business. All current class D products from Audio Research use their own made in house designed switching module. Class D has always got a bum rap since the first experiments started in 1958 with poor results. At the time, amps kept blowing up since they could not handle the large volumes of modulating current, until John Ulrick came along in 1968 and installed a class D amp in an active subwoofer when he owned Infinity. Audiophiles also need to understand that class D has nothing to do with digital whatsover, unless specified, it is nothing more than a category classification of an analog amplifier.

Optimus, you may want to consider the just released DS450M mono blocks from Audio Research. There power supply is overkill with over 176,000 microfarads in each amp. A serious brute. Audio Research never used Ice modules in the past, but did use Tripath modules, which is now out of business. All current class D products from Audio Research use their own made in house designed switching module. Class D has always gotten a bum rap since the first experiments started in 1958 with poor results. At the time, amps kept blowing up since they could not handle the large volumes of modulating current, until John Ulrick came along in 1968 and installed a class D amp in an active subwoofer when he owned Infinity. Audiophiles also need to understand that class D has nothing to do with digital whatsover, unless specified, it is nothing more than a category classification of an analog amplifier.

Audiozen, do you happen to know the list price per pair of the DS450M?. Hope ARC will feature them at the next RMAF in the Fall. I am rather intrigued! G.