Jeff Rowland amp in unbalanced mode

I have a little over 400 hours on my Capri which I bought used. I'm not sensing any darkness or imaging problems. Detail is there in spades as well (at least enough detail for me). This unit is extremely quiet. I might agree that it is not the last word in transparency, especially in comparison to my previous K&K TVC and TRL Pre-1.5 preamps. For one thing the sound stage depth is a bit compromised, especially in comparison to what I experienced with the VAC Avatar SE which is the last unit I had in the system prior to the Capri. Overall though it is a fine preamp especially at used prices and mine having the phono option is bonus.

Clio, please keep us posted. . . I'd be curious what you think of Capri once you are around the 1K hrs mark. G.

Guido - 102 took close to 400 to break in. My setup so far is a little bit crazy since cables are the most expensive part of the system (Acoustic Zen Absolute XLR, Acoustic Zen Satori Shotgun) but I treat them as non-perishable items and therefore invest more for the future. Acoustic Zen Satori has a little "round" lower midrange which is blessing with Icepower. Lean sounding cables should be avoided. Strange (sterile?) top end according to many people is in my opinion related to limited bandwidth of Icepower (102 ~ 80kHz, 201~ 65kHz). Bandwidth limit is introducing some phase shift at 20kHz and perhaps wrong summing of harmonics. Other explanation?

Hi Kijanki, has your JRDG 102 stabilized completely after 400 hours mark?
I also have observed some treble sterility -- or at least
lak of ultimate musicality -- in some 'entry level' switching amps such as Flying Molde (by far most evident), Channel Island, JRDG 201, JRDG 501. Conversely, JRDG 312, Spectron Mus 3 SE, and to a great extent NuForce 9, are capable of a very delicate and nuanced treble. I have not heard the 102 myself, so I cannot comment on it directly. I can't comment on phase shift above 20Khz because my technical knowledge is very limited. The solution that JRDG has adopted to addressed the perceived harmonic sterility and somewhat moderate microdynamics of raw ICEpower modules is to feed the 312 and the new Continuum 500 a 385V DC through an internal Power Factor Correction circuit in front of the power supply. I have done comparative a/b/c listening of 201, 501, and 312, and the latter sounds more graceful and musical by miles, with no hint of sterility. The external PC1 unit does the same thing for the 102, 201, and 501. . . but 2 units are apparently recommended for use with the 501 monos.
But now I realize I have at least partially hijacked this thread, as my last couple of posts have nothing to do with single ended operations. . . my apologies. G.

No problem Guido. Rather on the contrary, thanks a lot for pointing out the differences between those amps. If I'm looking at the pair of JRDG 201 presently offered at a bargain here, it is out of pure curiosity as it would be my first acquaintance with Rowland as well as my first acquantance with switching amps. Noticing you put them in the more "sterile" (just to categorize them, I know we may be talking about nuances) group, it might turn out to be a bit of a disappointment, especially since I would have to drive them in the unbalanced mode that Rowland themselves obviously consider not to be the optimum. Have you ever heard the Danish made Acoustic Reality IcePower amps, in particular the eAR 1001-REF mono blocks? (Or perhaps someone else, reading this thread?) They are moderately priced (factory sales), the specs are interesting and they look very stylish - actually quite "icy", but I wouldn't want to judge the book by the cover.