mcintosh vs jeff rowland

Jprice, I am curious of your take, or anyone else's, on this AudioEnz review?

I read the AudioEnz review some time ago and, just as the reviewer found the Continuum amp to be "inconclusive", I found his review to be very much the same - inconclusive.

I do find it interesting that in another review,the same reviewer unhesitatingly found the Continuum to be superior to the Gamut DI-150 in several areas. ( http://audioenz.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=8099 ) Remember that Jonathan Valin said in TAS that the Gamut was the best integrated he had ever heard.

This guy aparently really listens and listens well. His evaluations are complete and well thought through. I guess that his findings are a result of his personal taste. As for myself, I did find the Rowland to be very emotionally involving - but then I don't have platinum ears like the Audio Enz reviewer. (I also liked the Gamut a lot).

What is my take on his review? A very good review - expressing another view on a very fine amplifier. I do wonder though if his amp was fully broken in. (several hundred hours of "normal to hard use" to make it come into its own.) My continuum really didn't become fully "musical" until I played it a lot, and then it became magic.

Lapierre, I'm not sure if it is the one with Harmonic Slide. To be honest, I'm not very familiar with the features of this cable. I just find it very enjoyable to listen to. What exactly is Harmonic Slide?

I don't have platinum ears like the Audio Enz reviewer.

I do wonder though if his amp was fully broken in. (several hundred hours of "normal to hard use" to make it come into its own.) My continuum really didn't become fully "musical" until I played it a lot, and then it became magic.

I don't have those gifted ears either. :) I also wondered about the break-in. Knowing that class D amps take long to break-in, I am surprised he didn't mention how much time was on the amp. There is also the possibility of system synergy, a second set of speakers can be helpful in an eval, but not always a possibility.

The Rowlands are great, well built amplifiers. They are not my cup of tea, I can see how someone else could really enjoy them. There is something about the autoformers in the Mcintosh that is really addicting. They sound more like tubes. Personally, I love the sound of tubes and will not look back. To me, the difference in the sound of tubes vs. transistors is as pronounced as night and day.