Jeff Rowland Amps?

Aron, an amp in the quality range of a Rowland will absolutely tear up any Adcom or similar amp driving any speaker you care to throw at it (BTW, 86dB is average sensetivity). Do not place too much emphasis on rated output wattage - it really means very little by the time you get to 100w or above for a top-quality SS amp with most speakers, unless you're trying to reproduce concert levels (even less for tubes). And believe me, you don't want to hear a mediocre amp with high rated-output numbers play your music through any halfway-decent speakers at a really loud volume anyway. You owe to yourself to just go down to your local shop and audition a comparision like what you're asking about. I promise that after such an ear-opener you will never give the question a second thought again, especially if you can actually afford the better amp and all the rest of the equivalent-quality components and cables you will need to do it justice - and if you can, I envy you!

Hi Aron ,Att is the best explanation on the planet for your question of Amplifier power and rating for a given speaker load.

Good listening,

Des

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Watts is an overated term. It doesnt dictate quality or characteristics of an amp. Another thing too is that all companies use different methods to distigush power. The quality of parts inside an amp is much more important then its output.

The only time I think watts is significant is when you are comparing different models of the same brand. Even then when you go up the line to more power, more times then not, you also get better parts.

Aron, a couple of months ago I was shopping for a new amp. I had already listened to several SS and tube amps and was at a dealer that carried Classe' and Rowland, both well respected brands. I went there thinking I might buy the Classe' CAM-200s or CAM-350s since they seemed to offer a lot of sound and build quality for the amount of money spent. First, I listened to the CAM-350 (driving Avalon Eidolons). These 350W mono amps are $7000/pair, about the same price as the 150W stereo Rowland Model 10. After listening for about an hour with a wide variety of music, I thought they were OK but they really didn't grab me. As a point of reference I had just spent a week listening to a Cary V12 tube amp in my home so I had become accustomed to the tube midrange. The Classe's sound bleached out and kind of harsh in comparison to my memory of the tubes.

Then the dealer hooked up the Rowland Model 10. Within 10 SECONDS of listening to the Rowland I had completely discarded the idea of buying the Classe' amps. The Rowland sounded so much more natural, it was amazing. It had that ultra-pure tube midrange sound without the tube's limitations in the bass. I continued to listen to the Rowland for another hour and ordered one that day. Once you hear the Rowland, the price does not seem that high.

I had Eidolons and the difference between the Rowland Model 10 and the Accuphase A-50V was substantial. The sort of diffence that you can hear easily in 30 seconds: depth, transparency and bass control. The Accuphase does it all! Of course the Accuphase's retail price is more than double that of the Rowland so I can't really say that this is a fair comparison. OTOH, based on comments I have read on the Model 12, I have no doubt that the Accuphase would handily beat that combination as well.