The Perfect Speakers for Jeff Rowland Concerto Int

I have been using the Concerto Int. amp for about 9 months now. The Concerto is the most musical amp I have owned. Using with the Ayre C5xe, SF Cremona Auditors and REL B3 with PS Audio P500 pwr plant and UPC200 pre-conditioner. The speaker cables and interconnect are Cardas Golden Cross while the PC are all Cardas Golden Reference. The Concerto is extremely efficient and can run off the P500 with ease. This is the most musically satisfying system I have heard to date. Has the right combination of warmth, dynamics, detail, timing, sound stage, imaging.....on and on and on.. I've been smitten.

Neilgundel: could you please specify in which aspects the JRDG Concerto was better than the Ayre K-5xe & V-5xe ?
Thanks.

I've been running the Concerto with JM Labs Micro Utopias, Accupahse DP-77 CDP and Audioquest XLR's (forgot which one, but it has the little battery pack thing at the end that is supposed to do something) for about 5 months. I am extremely pleased with the system and in fact it has changed my attitude about this hobby in many ways. I used to listen to the "system" and obsess about tweaks, cords and cables, equipment, good recording/bad recording etc. Now I just enjoy music. Now I read music reviews rather than equipment reviews, and I buy CD's. Life is much simpler!

The JM Labs/JRG pairing is a very involving musicial experience and I recommend getting to a dealer for an audition.

>>Neilgundel: could you please specify in which aspects
>>the JRDG Concerto was better than the Ayre K-5xe &
>>V-5xe ?

Fair question. My main interest was actually in the Ayre based on reviews, but my dealer had played the concerto back-to-back with the Ayre - since it sounded better to my ears than the Ayre at the time, I took both home for an extended listen in my system. I used Ayre Signature interconnects between the CD - preamp, and between the preamp & power amp.

The amplifiers couldn't have sounded more different in my system: The Ayre had tons of air, but it didn't sound natural at all to my ears - in either my system or the one at the dealers. However, it was very detailed and extended. But especially in my system, the soundstage was unnatural and it sounded very "transistor-like", especially with acoustic music. I have no doubt that many people would really like this sound.

The concerto didn't really sound like tubes, but was much smoother overall, and the individual instruments had a much more believeable relationship to each other.

It's true that everyone hears differently, so it wouldn't surprise me if you like the Ayre better.

Neilgundel: I´m a bit surprised that you call the Ayre stuff sounding solid state like.. I never ever had this impression. I liked the Concentra II - which I had (with a heavy modification) but it couldn´t match the transparency, air, speed and detail retrieval of the Ayre combo. May I ask which components you use ?