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2nd Rowland Model 1 to improve my Aerial 10Ts?

My first day and post here, so pardon me if I stumble a bit!

I have a pair of Aerial 10Ts, Wadia 6 CD Player going balanced in to an old Rowland Model 1 (60 watts @ 8 ohms, 120 watts @ 4 ohms or 360 watts bridged), with interconnects and speaker cables being Synergistic Research that are essentially matched for the gear. I thoroughly enjoy what I hear, which is why there have been no purchases in 5+ years. However, I sometimes think about adding a second Rowland Model 1, but have no idea what benefits, if any, I would get. My room is adequate...not bad and not great. I listen at moderate volumes, generally listening to blues, jazz, and classical. What improvements might I get by beefing up the power with a second amp? My thanks in advance!
brian_scherzer
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
IME, it takes more than 300 watts/channel to get the 10t's to really sing. I like mine, but they're not the most efficient speaker by far. I wouldn't bridge your amp just to get more power. This will divide in half the impedance the amp sees and just makes it run hotter. I also think most amps sound better in stereo mode. You could get another identical amp and connect them vertically to the speakers. That is, one channel of each amp driving the woofers and the other channel driving the uppers. However, I still think the 10t's need a lot more power. It may be cheaper and more satisfying in the long run to find another, more efficient speaker.
beemer
444 posts
 
Like Dan said, 10t's like power. I personally am biased to Levinson amps, however any quality high-current amp with 200w/channel or better will light up your 10t's.

At one point, I was powering my 10t's with a pair of Classe' M-1000 monoblocks. 1000W/ch at 8 ohms.

These days, I'm running Aerial 20t's with Levinson 33's.

Good luck in your quest.

Best,

Paul :-)
brian_scherzer OP
6 posts
 
Thanks guys! It looks like things may not be as simple as I had hoped. New CD player? More powerful amp(s)? More efficient speakers? That's a lot of thinking that needs to be done!
beemer
444 posts
 
Hello Brian:

Keep the 10t's. You'll have to spend a LOT of money to get anything remotely better.

If I were you I'd look for an amp first.

Best,

Paul :-)
brian_scherzer OP
6 posts
 
Beemer.........I agree. I went through a number of speakers before hearing a pair of 10Ts. They were the first speakers for under $10k that sounded perfect for my tastes. I would have trouble selling mine! I found one for $700 that had some very slight warping of the cabinet on the front right corner after the person who owned it had experienced a flood. It is a flamed maple cabinet. I tried to order a matching maple 10T from Aerial, but they had quit using the maple, so I ended up with a sonically matched speaker in black. One day I'll have the maple one refinished to match.

I called Aerial today and whoever spoke to me agreed with a previous poster who had mentioned that bridging two Model 1s would not be the best way to go. I will begin my search of amps in the local stores and take something in the 300+ watts category home, just to see what differences I hear with more power pushing the 10T's. It would be far easier (and more affordable) to find a powerful used amp that pleases me than to start a new search for speakers. Some of the speakers I favor won't work well in my room.
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