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RE: REVIEW: Jeff Rowland Continuum 500 Amplifier (SS)

Posted by DevillEars (A) on April 26, 2008 at 04:23:28

In Reply to: RE: REVIEW: Jeff Rowland Continuum 500 Amplifier (SS) posted by AbeCollins on April 25, 2008 at 22:12:30:

Firstly, thanks to dcstep for the time spent in documenting his experiences.

Abe, JRDG's website tends to lag quite a way behind their product releases, so I'm not surprised that the Continuum is conspicuous by its absence.

You also wrote:
"I wonder if this integrated is very picky about the speakers it drives. I'm also curious to know if this new JRDG integrated is based on ICEpower modules. I heard very poorly defined and muddy bass from the Bel Canto M300 mono amps driving my Tannoys. The Bel Canto are also ICEpower based but on the other hand the Nuforce 8 and 9 Class D amps were stellar especially in the bass region."

I get the impression (from >3 years with JRDG Model 201s - and to be fair, no other ICEpower examples) that JRDG's ICEpower-based amps ARE somewhat picky with regard to partnering speakers, speaker cables and power cords AND also react well to mains conditioning - I also use Tannoys - D700's.

I heard another pair of 201s also with Theta Data Basic II and GenVa driving a pair of Mordaunt Short Performance 6 using Chord Company wires and the overall sound was "brittle" and "overbright" - making listening a painful experience.

When I first took delivery of the 201s, I had Cable Talk (UK-based) cables and stock power cords into a standard power strip. The overall sound was better than the Classe' pre/pwr it replaced, but there was a bit of "woolliness" to the LF, some slight mid-range suck-out and a slight harshness to the highs.

I then decided (after some no-cost experimentation courtesy of a dealer) to upgrade all the wiring and and to implement a power conditioner.

The system currently is as follows:



The bass is now taut, clear and not woolly in any way, the mids are even and well-presented and the tops are as sweet as a bell.

I had some fellow members of a local forum around for an afternoon and the consensus was that the system and its overall sound was particularly well-balanced and was very easy to listen to for extended periods (across both vinyl and CD material).

I guess the 201s must have some unique sonic characteristic that is something other than "neutrality" and, as a result, when combined with some other components that are also not "neutral", the combination either synergises or it doesn't. Careful system matching would appear to be mandatory...

DevillEars

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