bjh
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Jeff Rowland Concerto - First exposure to digital amp - NOT GOOD!
Scrith
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I've been considering this amp and I must say I'm a bit surprised by this mini-review (previously I've never read anything negative about it).

Did you compare it to another amp during this test? If not, what makes you think the amp (and not some other component) was responsible for what you were hearing? The comments at the end imply that others had tried some tweaking, but I must say that comments based on an experience of walking into a room, listening to a system without comparison, then walking out and writing a review on one of the components in the system aren't very helpful to anyone and imply that the conclusion was arrived at before any listening even took place.

bjh
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IMO comparisons are hardly needed when dealing with such substandard sound but for what it's worth the integrated was replaced by a McIntosh pre (C220 I believe) and MC501 mono-blocks on my followup visit. I never considered myself a Mac fan but I have come to appreciate the performance of those pieces on multiple visits to the store... needless to say the performance only highlighted the shortcomings of the Concerto.

The followup was specifically to determine if they had had any luck with the Roland, apparently not. In fact the owner indicated that the unit was disliked by all that heard it, something that had never happened in his experience evaluating a component.

dcstep
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The best sound that I heard at the 2006 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest was through Rowland "digital" amplification and Vienna Acoustics speakers.

A year later I bought the VA Beethovan Baby Grand speakers and I'm considering the JR Concerto to replace my venerable Bryston setup. First I'm going to put a Pro-Ject RPM 10 in the system and break the speakers in for another few weeks, then I'll listen again to the Concerto in my system before a final decision.

Anyway, much of what you hear may have to do with setup. My dealer is Sumiko trained and really does an excellent job of getting the most out of equipment. There was so much truly horrid sound at the audio fest that I need to take a year or two off between visits. Stuff that I thought should sound good was just unlistenable. The Rowland/Vienna Acoustics setup was a breath of fresh air. I had three or four serious listens before I bought.

Listen for yourself. That's the only way to know.

BTW, the 2007 RMAF is a couple of weeks away. I be letting my ears continue to decompress, but it'll be a great opportunity for many people to hear the Rowland stuff for themselves.

Dave

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