Rowland RMAF room

flez007

Member Sponsor
Aug 31, 2010
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Mexico City
Tag my biassed! I have had several Rowland gear in the past and always enjoyed its sound and character (as well as for Avalon speakers), but the room I heard two days ago at RMAF is part of my Top-5 picks (i visited around 65% of it).

This one was of the few rooms where there was MUSIC playing, not hyper-detailed, boxer-flapping bass, pyrotechnic highs or insane priced gear but a relaxed and honest sounding setup.

I was surprised to see them paired with Thiel speakers, but the combination was just brilliant. I wanted to return but available time played against me again.

I saw Jeff walking around with the friendly staff of Bluenote audio based in Boulder, Co., their room was also terrific playing Electrocompaniet and the new IDEA speakers from Avalon (also on my Top-5).

I shared an elevator ride with Guido, but he was quite busy and could not say Hi again.
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
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La Jolla, Calif USA
Fernando, do you recall what gear you heard in Jeff's room?

Talking about biases, as you know, i am a little fond of Jeff's gear as well....:)
 

jadis

Well-Known Member
Apr 28, 2010
12,352
5,462
2,810
Manila, Philippines
I was surprised to see them paired with Thiel speakers, but the combination was just brilliant. I wanted to return but available time played against me again.

I'm not really surprised. Back in the late 80s, my favorite SF Bay Area dealer always paired their top line Thiels with Rowland electronics, and they do not turn them off at night. Splendid match.
 

flez007

Member Sponsor
Aug 31, 2010
2,915
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435
Mexico City
Fernando, do you recall what gear you heard in Jeff's room?

Talking about biases, as you know, i am a little fond of Jeff's gear as well....:)

Absoloutly DaveyF, the new 625 with the Aeris DAC and Thiel 3.7 speakers, they also were showing (not playing) the Capri/102 combination and the Criterion Preamp.
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Thanks, Fernando. Interesting to see what happens with Thiel now that Jim is no longer around. I wander where the Co. will go next:confused: I hope that they can continue with great products, as I have always respected their sound.
 

GuidoCorona

Well-Known Member
Apr 23, 2010
327
38
413
Summerville (SC)
Fernando.... so sorry I missed you! .... Next time just barge in.... I'd love to meet you!

Steve, the pleasure of getting to know you is all mine.... hope next time we can commingle much longer!

In answer to some of the questions about the Rowland equipment in 1004, the Rowland M625 was driven directly by the new Rowland Aeris DAC, without any traditional preamp between them. The sound was highly graceful and captivating, but a little too much room treatment was probably overdamping the system, hence in some cuts there appeared to be a bit of overdraining of the mid and low bass.

As I have had an M625 in my system for a spell, and have auditioned Aeris at some length at the JRDG factory after the show, in their reference system, it is my suggestion that any slight wanness in room 1004 was largely the product of sound-absorption treatment.

G.
 

flez007

Member Sponsor
Aug 31, 2010
2,915
36
435
Mexico City
Guido, I noticed just a minor boominess at the Rowland/Thiel room, I would better like to had the IDEAS there, since as you know, they are less room-sensitive. at any rate, I really enjoyed both rooms a lot. I am saving for my 625 to pair my Ascents!
 

GuidoCorona

Well-Known Member
Apr 23, 2010
327
38
413
Summerville (SC)
Hi Fernando, there were in fact some anomalies in the Rowland room (1004). The culprit was room setup., which ended up being suboptimal. While some very occasional boominess could be observed, the most common problem was overabsorbtion of lower frequencies. This was most easily discerned in classical cuts, which are typically mastered without much rebeautifying/enhancements by the sound engineer.

Conversely, on Monday in Colorado Springs at the Rowland factory, I had the opportunity of listening at some length to the Aeris DAC powering a pair of M625 gerry-rigged to operate in monoblock configuration. In turn, M625 powered Vienna Die Muzik. The resulting linearity was eminently satisfying. G.
 

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