JR 9t against 9ti. What is the difference?

jpetek

Well-Known Member
Feb 12, 2013
138
3
323
Hello,

does anybody know what is the Sound difference between the 9T and 9TI? I know the 9TI I think it is great but I never heard the 9T.

Thanks for your help

Josef
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Josef, i heard the 9t and the 9ti several years ago. My memory of the difference is that there was not much to talk about. The 9ti was slightly quieter and had a little more bottom end reach. BUT, I do remember thinking at the time, that the difference was in no means revelatory and I wouldn't have paid the price difference. Perhaps today with more revealing upstream components I might change my mind, although who knows??:D
 

GuidoCorona

Well-Known Member
Apr 23, 2010
327
38
413
Summerville (SC)
Joseph, I checked the Model 9 manual: it covers both 9T and 9TI.... It does not show any specifications differences between the two devices... I suspect that the two variants might be quite similar. If you are interested, most Rowland manuals, including M9 and M301 can be found on a couple of pages starting at:

http://jeffrowlandgroup.com/kb/categories.php?categoryid=14

Guido
 

AMP

Member
Feb 27, 2011
299
2
16
I had both in my system almost back-to-back about 10 years ago.

The 9Ts were equipped with the battery power supply and were very nice amps. At the time I was moving away from the model 12s due to an overall lack of dynamic drive (which the 9Ts had in spades). Overall they were on the warm side of neutral, but not at all slow or plodding. My only issue with them (and ultimately the reason I decided against them) was a bit of upper-mid to high frequency glare that was present when the system was pushed. I never had this problem with the 12s, but with the 9s I started to suffer fatigue after a while.

The 9Tis were equipped with the upgraded switching power supply. They possessed all of the dynamic drive of the 9Ts, but with midrange performance that was much more like the model 12. Best of all there was none of the glare that was present in the 9Ts. They were one of those rare components that drew me into the music and caused me to stop thinking about the stereo.

I'll throw out one caveat here and that is that at the time I had Wilson W/P 6s and they tended to have a harsh top end to begin with.

Keep in mind that from outward appearances the various versions of the 9s were identical, but internally the 9Tis were vastly different from their predecessors. In addition to the transimpedence circuit design they used completely different output devices and board layouts. As such, there was no upgrade from the 9T to the 9Ti (although at one point a 9Ti could be upgraded to a 9TiHC - the high current version).

IMO the 9Ti was the absolute pinnacle of the Rowland lineup for the subsequent 10 years and none of the newer products 201/501/3xx could hold a candle to them in overall musicality and performance. Unfortunately, they were absolutely massive and somewhat difficult to live with both in terms of size and heat output.

The newer amps 625/725 appear to be returning to the sonic roots of the model 9s with some notable improvements in sonics (better resolution and lower noise). As for the 825/925 no one really knows yet as they are a different circuit design from the 625/725. According to Jeff they take the good qualities of the 625/725 to a much higher level... ask me in a couple of weeks and I should be able to tell you :D
 

GuidoCorona

Well-Known Member
Apr 23, 2010
327
38
413
Summerville (SC)
Hi Daniel, the link you provided talks about transimpedance module for M6 instead of M9TI.

Andrew, can you confirm that M9TI was in fact equipped with a transimpedance module?

Best, Guido
 

AMP

Member
Feb 27, 2011
299
2
16
Andrew, can you confirm that M9TI was in fact equipped with a transimpedance module?

Funny, I used to know these details backward and forward, but now I'm honestly starting to doubt my memory. I know that the T version added the input transformers and that may have been when the transimpedance modules were added as well. What I can't recall is whether or not the input circuit was completely redesigned for the Ti.

When I saw M6 in Daniel's post my brain jumped to the MC6 which was an offshoot of the 8TiHC... and a very interesting amp in its own right.
 

danielk141

Well-Known Member
Mar 13, 2012
75
11
913
Guido,

I'm aware the link I posted was specific to the Model 6. This is the page that came up when I googled "Jeff Rowland Design Group Transimpedance Module".
Let me put my memory of Rowland gear into perspective:
I believe the Model 8 & 9 came out first, in this series. I have seen Model 8s that were not 8Ts. I believe the "T" designation for the Model 8 & 9 pertained to the upgrade known as the "Cradle Power Supply".
This arrangement of the transformer(s) and supply caps was indeed an upgrade to the Model 8 & 9, after they were in production for some time.
The TI designation came later, and included the Transimpedance Module(s) as an upgrade.
The Model 2 stereo & the Model 6 monoblocs came later. These amps had the cradle power supply & the Transimpedance Modules from day 1.
I owned my Model 2 for 12 years. I really liked it. I had the chance to buy a Rowland 625 on Audiogon & I jumped on it.
I sold my Rowland Model 2, Pass Aleph 2s, Sony XA7ES, and some other gear to pay for the 625.
I've had my 625 for over a year. I'm very glad I got it. It is like a newer, more powerful, better sounding Rowland Model 2.
 

GuidoCorona

Well-Known Member
Apr 23, 2010
327
38
413
Summerville (SC)
Thank you Daniel for the excellent info on transimpedance modules and product designations... Comes in very handy, as the Rowland Knowledge base is very skimpy on details for legacy products. Guido
 

danielk141

Well-Known Member
Mar 13, 2012
75
11
913
Guido,

I have the luxury of my Rowland dealer being close by. I believe he is AMP's dealer, too. I'm also in contact with an employee who worked for him for years.
 

GuidoCorona

Well-Known Member
Apr 23, 2010
327
38
413
Summerville (SC)
Hi Daniel, by Knowledge Base I meant the online facility at:

http://www.jeffrowland.com/kb

It contains a lot of interesting material, but not on all products. Thankfully, as you are pointing out, the KB is supplemented by excellent JRDG lore in the wild. Sorry for the confusion. G.
 

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