Jeff Rowland

I posted on 6/3/15 that I would explore a couple of speakers...10 days later I posted "After listening to many speakers I decided to keep the Aerial 7ts...not because they are perfect, but the cost to replace them is way more than I'm willing to spend."

Bombaywalla,

I assure you I know the impedance of my speakers. In fact I'm 100% sure I told that to the individual that I spoke with when I contacted Jeff Rowland. I didn't say at what frequency it dipped below 4 ohms, but I did explain it went below 4 ohms...they put me on hold, returned to the phone and told me it wouldn't be a problem. I talked to a dealer ad he told me it wouldn't be a problem. I promise you I'm listening and that's why I stated I would call Jeff Rowland on Monday and confirm that bridged 525s don't present a danger went driving Aerial 7Ts. If they tell me something different I will let you know.

Bombaywalla, your concerned about compatibility of 7Ts with M525 in bridged mode is addressed by the following fragment from Richard....

"I called Jeff Rowland several times and talked to them
regarding bridging the 525 to drive Aerial 7Ts. Per my
conversation with them, the 525 wouldn't have any problems.
I will follow-up on Monday to confirm bridged 525s can
drive the Aerial 7ts."

G.

Richard, I have no experience whatsoever with Rowland equipment, but I do have a suggestion I think may be worthwhile. When you get the new amp, in addition to trying the two 525's in bridged mode, try them in a vertical biamp configuration (which you can do with your speakers).

You would of course need an extra set of speaker cables and also probably a pair of XLR y-adapters (used at the amp inputs) to vertically biamp a pair of 525's, but for initial experimental purposes, at least, those things needn't cost much. And given the very low output impedance of the Bricasti M1, it won't have any problem driving two amplifier channels from a single one of its outputs.

Also, regarding Bombaywalla's most recent post above, I agree 100%. And the concern he expressed earlier about bridged mode perhaps being an issue when used with a 4 ohm speaker is certainly valid as a general word of caution. Not so much with respect to the amp's ability to function (at least in the case of a high quality amp that is presumably designed in a robust manner, such as a Rowland), but rather with respect to sonics.

In this case, as I have no experience with Rowland equipment I of course have no idea as to how applicable that caution may be to the specific amp in question. But I would cite several posts Atmasphere has made in the past in which he has asserted that ALL amps will sound better to some degree when driving higher impedances, such as 8 ohms, than when driving significantly lower impedances, such as 4 ohms. And (as Bombaywalla indicated) in bridged mode the amp will "see" the nominal impedance of your speakers as 2 ohms, and as not much more than 1.5 ohms at some bass frequencies which often require lots of energy.

Which is one reason for my suggestion of trying the amps in a vertical biamp configuration as well as in bridged mode. Another being that I wouldn't be at all surprised if vertical biamping were to provide a significant improvement in imaging relative to what you have now, that you are specifically looking for, without the possible sonic downsides of bridging. The possibility of improved imaging presumably resulting, at least in part, from elimination of the inter-channel crosstalk that inevitably occurs to some degree in a stereo amp, via grounds, power supplies, and other paths. In a vertical biamp configuration that is eliminated since the same signal is going through both amplifier channels.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

P.S: Here are some XLR y-adapters.

Regards,
-- Al

Thanks Al. I really like the sound and built quality of Jeff Rowland amps. The truth is I've been going back and forth, asking questions and talking to a close friend about how to improve my system within a given budget. Adding subs has taken my system to another level(not night and day), but worth the cost. Now I'm looking for modest gains, with modest cost...my amplifier is what I want to improve. I hear your concerns about bridging the 525s. Despite what I've been told, I have the same concerns. I will have one more conversation with Jeff Rowland.