Musical Fidelity KW500 and Rowland Continuum S2

I have owned Rowland for over 12 years now - it never distorts, or gets hot, and has never given me even 30 seconds of trouble. Rowland sounds completely neutral, with great detail and clarity. Rowland wins - hands down - no contest. Plus - it's gorgeous to look at.

Thanks guys. I appreciate your responses. Hifibouncer, have you heard the KW to make a comparison? One of the things I love about it is its lifelike immediacy--it creates a front row perspective; the performers and instruments seem to be right there. Does the Rowland have a similar character?

I have not had the specific pieces in question in my systems, but I had and have products from these two manufacturers in present and previous systems. I have a lot of respect for Musical Fidelity as a company , it quite frankly is not in the same league as products designed by Jeff Rowland. Sonically the products are similar, but the transparency and resolving capability of Rowland pieces is stunning. Also, the Rowland products are jewel like in the fit and finish. Manufactured to last a lifetime without problems. Turn the pieces on and forget about any future issues.

Thanks a lot, Brauser. Which specific pieces have you owned from both companies? What about the so called "class D sound"? I have never listened to a Rowland or any other class D amp. Thanks.

Arsh,

I have owned and/or listened to several Class D, A, and AB amplifiers. I recently had an Jeff Rowland 125 for two weeks and now a JR 525. Based on my experience JR Class D amplifiers don't sound like "Class D" amplifiers. To my ears both JR amps that I've listen to in my system portray a three dimensional soundstage where music emerges out of a black background.