In the past few years, I have owned a number of amps, including two Plinius', two Krells, a Classe, Sim Audio, Bryston and a Rowland Concentra II. As strange as it may sound, I liked every one of them. They all had strengths and weaknesses.
My opinion of the Plinius is that, what it does well, it does far better than all the others. For dynamics, bass and a sweet midrange, it was very enjoyable, having the best qualities of the Krell, but not nearly as grainy or harsh. In the right setup, with a good recording, it was as good as anything I have heard. In fact at times I was stunned by how good it sounded. I listen to many kinds of music. It had the delicacy, detail and slam to work with all of them.
Now, for the downside, the tradeoff. The same qualities that made it impressive, made it difficult to listen to at other times. Unfortunately this was the case with a good deal of my cd collection. I think some of Sean's criticism is justified, but I disagee, in that I believe this is the case with most solid state amps. My experience with tubes is different problems, same result.
For this reason, I have settled in with the Rowland Concentra. The presentation is never too much. It has delicacy and nuance that is enough to draw me into the music, and enough power and dynamics that I don't feel something is missing. I think this is my compromise, one of balance, giving up a little, to get a lot.
To sum up, I will say, that of the group, the Plinius is my second favorite amp. I even miss it at times, and I would recommend it within a certain budget and system.
