Jeff Rowland Amps?

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.

Linkster, was your experience on the same day, with the same equipment, etc.? If so, I'd like to hear the Accuphase. What about instrument tonality and transient speed? I've heard the Accuphase can be a little dark and kind of buttery-smooth which would complement the Eidolons nicely, which are kind of aggressive IMO, but would the Accuphase still work with more neutral speakers?

I would call the Eidolons among the most neutral deigns I have ever heard. If you think they sound aggressive, I would suspect that something in the signal path is not broken in. The Eidolons themselves have an extraordinary long break-in, needs 1,000 hrs IMO. I could easily hear the difference between 1,000 and 500 hours. Getting back to the Accuphase issue, it is the best solid state amp of is kind IMO (small Class A), although its rated power is deceiving. I preferred it over the big Boulders ($18K+). Much greater transparency and bass control over the Rowland, especially if run using its single ended inputs.