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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
guidocorona OP
4,298 posts
 
"old Brazcole and I was just about startin' to get lonesome 'round here. . . wasn't we Braz? (grins!)"

Brazcole, that was an attempt to write something in Texas slang/dialect. . . It means kind of:

Brazcole and I were starting to feel lonely. . . because we were the only 2 real users of Criterion on this thread.

Not at all familiar with Krell 202 so I can't comment on it. Is the gentleman in the Brazilian forum intimately familiar with Criterion?

Guido
brazcole
63 posts
 
This gentleman knowns nothing about Criterion. After the Coherence, JRDG had a lack of products here. The Ice Power technologie wasn't well accepeted and, because of this, Capri preamplifier wasn't sold, increasing this lack, and there were rumors that JRDG was sold for the chineses.

As I said in another post, I'm the first, and still the only one, to buy the 312 and later the Criterion.
With this review, in Audio & Vídeo magazine, Som Maior, the JRDG dealer in Brasil, wants rich the market again, because years ago Jeff Rowland had huge succes over here.

As we are third world, only half dozen of brands have reps in Brasil, and Krell is one of them and very strong.

This guy has the 202 preamplifier, and for him is impossible exist a better device. And after the Fernando Andretti review about Criterion he said his opinion.

The personal Andretti's set up is the Accuphase C-2410 pre, 2 Krell Evo 600 and DCS Puccinni CD Player with separeted clock (I'm going to buy the Puccinni for me).
kawika
57 posts
 
Braz, the Pagannini is much, much better if you can afford it. If not, the Puchinni is acceptable. But....Many other units to look at at this price point! Even the Wadia 781 is compareable to the Pucuinni. With the sort of resolution you now have with the Criterion, you should be looking at better CD play back systems than the Puchinni. Perhaps the Esoteric P03/D03 or Wadia 922 Decoding system and the new Teac sourced clamping transport. I hear from a good friend that this combinataion is astonishingly good! Aloha, David. PS, The Criterion is at about 275 hrs now on input #1 and 100hrs on #2. It has opened sufficiently on #2, but still a bit grainy and slightly shy of full dynamics. It's hard to describe, but it is posiible that the dynamics are in fact fully developed now on #2 input, but the rsloution around the images that have the greatest impact still do not have the deliniation of the more fully broken in input of #1. I have probably another 2 weeks of break in on input #1 before I can give a full opinion. The other inputs will just need to wait until I can give them the signal they need over time to run in their pathways!
guidocorona OP
4,298 posts
 
Thank you so much Brazcole, the reaction of the gentleman in question is sadly typical of some people who have not even listened to a device: dismiss it outright as 'obviously' inferior!

On the subject of CD players, my personal favorite is the Esoteric P-03/D-03/G-0S combination. I have listened to Paganini and Puccini, but I thought they may not have been as emotional as the Esoteric combo. On the other hand, as I have not listened to them side by side with the Esoteric, my impressions are not terribly well informed. . . . and are 'subject to change without notice.'

Guido
clavil
254 posts
 
Hello everybody, i haven't neither heard the Esoteric 03 side by side with the Puccini but only in the system of a friend which i know quite well. My impression was it's very nicely built, but it' s very analitical without this incredible mellow touch of latest dCS products. dCS has this incredible capacity to get everything out of a cd and never sound hard, harsh or digital. Sorry for the diferent opinion. This being said if you have the € go directly for the scarlatti which is absolutely stunning! I have heard it twice a couple of hours and i was just amazed! Emm lab, wadia (by the way both incredibly slow to start when you get a cd in), esoteric, krell, arc dont arrive in my opinion at this level. Never heard paganini.
Saludos
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