Do the Jeff Rowland 201 amplifiers have warmth?

I have some spotty 2nd-hand info on the new 13lb Model 201s:- A friend upgraded from his Model 2 to these new amps & he is very satisfied with them. He informs me that he is now grinning from ear-ear when he plays them. He has them for just 2 weeks. Right out of the box they sounded good but nothing revelationary but after about being on 24/7 for 1 week they suddenly broke in. Now, I understand from him, the sound is just like he would expect from a 250W/ch mono & exceeds his Model 2 by a long shot.

Sorry that I cannot describe the sound - he didn't describe it for me & so I cannot conjure something for this post!

He has been & is Rowland fan for atleast 10 yrs & he has listened to many other Rowland amps during these 10 yrs @ his dealer's place. I've been told that with each new Rowland offering, the amps get more & more neutral in sound. Whatever that means to you Rowland fans....

Here is a thread with some comments on the sound character of the new amps.

http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/viewtopic.php?t=8700&highlight=rowland+201

The above referenced tread (from audiocircle) is very interesting, but I wish he would of tried them with an active preamp in balanced mode. I would be very interested in his comments if made these 2 adjustments. My assumption is the Rowland 201's require an active pre-amp and I am sure sound better in balanced mode. Thanks..

Funny! I know "Hantra" (who made the Audiocircle post) as he is a local audiophile who lives about 10 miles south of me! I never knew about his experimenting w/ the Model 201 amps! Oh well.....

Well, I've been in email contact w/ him: he is not using the Model 201 nor the BelCanto! He is using some other mono block amp. I'll be going over to his place sometime to listen.
FWIW.

Hi Manbir and others. FYI I have just received a pair of these generously on loan for demonstration to our local audio club (Hawkes Bay New Zealand). They displace a biamped pair of tube/mosfet hybrid amps that have proven quite excellent. They are driven from a Sony XA777ES via silver foil leads and a motorised Alps 10k pot, into N801's.
They sounded quite average out of the box without breakin - an hour later little different (I have no idea how much break in they already have - but the box had been opened at least and I suspect they have had a bit of use as demo amps). I swapped the standard power leads for some local power cables that have proven revelatory on all amps I have heard them with, and once again the change was night and day. I have not the h foggiest why power cables should have this effect, but I think I am now achieving a fair degree of the 201's capability. I would characterise them as neutral - certainly not warm. Compared to my existing set up (a few hours in so barely a fair comparison), they are not miles away - they are better in bass control (mine is a zero feedback system so no surprise there), perhaps not quite the slam or warmth of my old Plinius SA250, but not quite the air and detail of my hybrid amps but nevertheless very good. This only after a few hours - lets see what happens in a few days.