Jeff Rowland 7s Amps, verse Rowland 8T1 or 112 Amp

Have not heard the 8T1, but used to own a pair of 7's. I auditioned the 112 and the 10 extensively for my Vandersteen Fives before going with the Model 12's monoblocks. The Sevens have a sonic characteristic that shot Rowland to the top some 15 or so years ago - that is, a very musical sound that at the time was usually only obtainable from tube equipment. However, Jeff has made a number of advances since the Sevens.

His new line of 112, 10 and 12's maintains the musicality of the Sevens, but with much greater detail, musicality and soundstage than the Sevens. Some people actually prefer the old Rowland sound to the new, but in comparison, I think the Sevens sound veiled and too "polite".

Of course, the Sevens are probably going to have more punch than the 112 and are going to perform better with power-hungry speakers. However, the 112 is no slouch and definitely worth a try.

twilo: i've heard them all on several varieties of speakers, including avalons, sound labs and audio artistry. IMO, the model 8 and 9's were the best amps jeff ever made. i've owned a factory-modified model 8ti for several years. i wouldn't trade it for any current jrdg models, with the possible exception of the model 6. -cfb

I owned a pair of the rowland 7s. My Spectral 180 made them huge mono blocks sound like a 10 watt amps. Also, I didn't need to sit in my room wearing nothing but my undershorts from all the heat the 7 would put out along with their wimpy sound.

brulee: i guess if you're willing to buy into the "magical combination" of spectral and mit, you could be sold damn near anything. care to invest in the tinkerbell cables i'm about to introduce? (they have really cool micro-techtonic boxes on each end, coated with kryptonite and housing really large green crystals; with the supplied torx driver, you can tune them to match the periodicty of any substance, known or only imagined.) -cfb

CFB, Please remember that I am not a fan of MIT. I blame MIT for all this cable madness. I was talking only of the amps mentioned. The Spectral in my system years ago made the Rowland sound like a toy. No disrespect meant. I am sure Rowland has come a long was since the model 7s. I have not had the opportunity to listen to the new offerings of the Rowland gear. I am sure they are very good. The reason I am sure of this, is because CFB has said so. I bow to your superior knowledge.