New Rowland Criterion 2-chassis battery pre

Guido,
I've enjoyed following this thread. Thanks for your
insights and thoughtful review. I've been enjoying my
ARC Ref 3 preamp for a few years. My dealer has offered to
make arrangements for a home audition of the new ARC Ref 5. I would also love to listen to the Criterion. Does the Criterion have a home theater by-pass feature? Any thoughts as to the synergy with Levinson 33H monoblocks?
Thanks.
Vito

Thank you Vito, Criterion's home theater bypass is very flexible. Any/some/all of the Criterion's balanced or unbalanced inputs can be configured/assigned to home theater bypass. This means that you could have up to 6 inputs configured as theatre bypass if you really wanted.

Note that by default, as all inputs are transformer coupled, all inputs RCA/XLR have identical gain structure. If you want to adjust input gain for any/some/all of the inputs, you can assign a gain offset +/- 10dB in 0.5dB increments to any of the inputs.

All main outputs (2XLR, 2RCA) are also transformer coupled. . . This mean that by default they would present an identical volume gain to a pair of amplifiers that you may be using in a biamped configuration. . . But for greater flexibility in biamped configurations, RCA output 2 can also be configured with an output gain offset (+/- 10dB with 0.5dB granularity).

What's even more interesting, is that the record outs are controlled by a completely separate preamplification circuit. . . this means that you could even assign a Criterion input to drive an amp(s) in a separate room, which would enjoy a completely different musical program with a completely different volume.

On your specific question of compatibility with ML amp. . . Criterion's output impedance is only 60Ohms in both balanced and unbalanced mode. This means that Criterion is compatible with all but the most peculiar amps on the market. Unless your amp has an input impedance of less than 1200 Ohms, you will have no problems.

Saluti,

Guido

Brazcole,

could you tell us was is better with your Gamut D200 than with the 312?

muito brigado

Speaking of Gamut, they had one of the very best rooms at RMAF. We couldn't compare the Gamut pre and the JRDG in the same system, but they were both clearly at the top of the heap.

Dave

I must echo Dave's assessment of the GamuT room, using their big monoblock amps. Performance of the Bach Toccata Adagio and Fugue in C minor on the organ was stunning and very emotionally involving. Yet it seemed to me that a system consisting of Boulder CDp, Boulder 2010 pre, Rowland 312 amp, and Vienna Die Muzick speakers that we listened to at Soundings Hifi just across from the Marriott hotel may have exceeded the Gamut system in harmonic resolution and low level detail. The 2 systems were definitely comparable in staging, imaging, extension, and superior abscence of any disturbing artifacts. . . the kind of systems that you just would like never to walk away from.

Dave and I were able to listen/contrast the Rowland 312 and the Boulder 2060 stereo amps on the same system at Soundings. . . Boulder CDp, Boulder 2010 pre, Vienna Die Muzick speakers. Both excellent amps. everyone present in the room appeared to favor 312 over Boulder 2060 for authority, staging, harmonic exposure, low level detail.

Unfortunately we were not able to compare directly Boulder 2010 and Criterion in the same system, hence I won't guess about my pref between these 2 devices.