New Rowland Criterion 2-chassis battery pre


Jeff Rowland Design has just created a page for its upcoming statement-level, twin chassis, battery powered full function preamplifier. Detail is still scant, but a little bit of info is already available, in addition to front and rear view pics. Here’s the page:
http://jeffrowland.com/Criterion.htm
And here’s the front view:
http://jeffrowland.com/Criterion-front.htm
And here’s the rear view:
http://jeffrowland.com/Criterion-back.htm

You will find a few specs already on the site. JRDG should be publishing more info in the next few weeks. I will post here as I receive it. in addition to the published specs that you can read on the page above, here are a very few additional tidbits that I have learned this far:

. Uses Burr Brown TI OPA1632 high speed fully differentially balanced modules.
. Includes phono stage.
. Uses standard NiMH D-cell batteries available in most electronics stores, loaded in 2 rear-inserted tubes of power supply chassis.
. Capable of AC/DC operation . . . will recharge batteries on independent circuit during AC operation.
. Full remote control
. Target price $18K (not sure yet)
. Availability: probably early Fall 2008.
. Will be featured at RMAF in Soundings Hifi suite Marriott 503 or 505 from Oct 10th to 12th in Denver.

And sorry folks, I have not heard this device yet. Nor I have any good third party reports on its sound. Any speculations on Sonics from my part would be just. . . pure speculations. I’ll keep everyone posted as I learn more.

Guido
guidocorona
Guido you and Dcstep have me curious about JRDG component sound. That's because I'm open to learning about new components and innovation. If your going to spend some serious "coin" on components at least give the customer some innovation. I will check out the ICEPower technology (OEM Bang&Olufsen)and new preamp from JRDG at RMAF.

But you know, I'm in that other social community...tubes man.
I'm going to be running a Rowland Capri with Tubes (VAC). Should be an interesting experiment.
Here is one more tidbit, extracted directly from the specs published this far. . . the output impedance of Criterion is 60Ohms for both balanced and SE operations. This may imply that the device will be fully compatible with almost any amp you connect downstream, including tube amps with low input impedance.

LaPierre, I deem myself a social misfit when it comes to audio. I cheerfully object to the sound of most electronics for variety of reasons. . . tubed, SS, and switching alike. And when I conversely like a device or a product line, I do so independently from underlying technology.

As you may have read elsewhere, I am very partial to the current JRDG Capri, which in so many ways -- after a very long and patient 800 hrs of breakin -- has taken what I dearly love in my Ref 3 in authority, lenearity, extension, detail, and harmonic texture, and pushed it a notch forward. What the Capri however does not do is to add an upper-bass-2-lower-treble euphonic glow to the whole. . . and for that I am grateful. If anyone is looking for this additive euphonic warm glow, characteristic of some tube designs, he may be disappointed by the pristine musical rendering of the Capri.

Knowing Jeff Rowland's mind set just a little bit, I can only venture to guess that the Criterion may very well push further in this direction of graceful sonic sculpting, and remain congruent with my own experience of live unamplified music. True or not? Difficult to say until I listen to it. . . but now I realize I am doing exactly what I promised not to do: speculating.

Please note that I use the term 'congruent' very deliberately, rather than 'faithful reproduction' or other facile platitude.

G.
i love jeff rowland's products starting from way back. my 1st "real" preamp was a consonance with phono built in. the phono stage was, for an extra $300, dead silent with MC. i "complained" to the dealer that it should not have sounded nearly so good for the money. and this was "old technology".
so this new preamp really gets my juices flowing. unfortunately, i had to go and read the excessive self-congradulatory description. "it's SO good that..." if the SYNERGY preamp had a battery option (which has never been reviewed so i wonder what THAT might have sounded like), then NOW, i frankly don't know how much more "whipped cream" you can fit on the pie-plate. i do like the easy availability of the nicads though, instead of the hard-to-get batteries he used to use. BUT i am really glad for the heads-up on this beautiful component.