Opinions on Rowland 302 vs musical fidelity m8 700

Hi, I have heard the Rowland M302 several times. It is a very sweet and musical amp, which however suffers of an excess of "politeness". I fell in love instead with the M302 successor, called M312, which I used for several years, before upgrading to more recent Rowland designs.

Unlikely M302, the M312 amp is not only sweet, but is also exciting, with a high degree of macro and microdynamics... And lots of power.

If you are patient, you will eventually see an M312 offered on Audiogon. Of course, there are some newer and fab class D amps that you might want to look at, depending on your budget and what sound you are seeking.... Merrill Teranis at $2500, ROwland M125 at $3K, Bel Canto REF600 monos at approx $4900, Rowland M525 stereo at $4500.

GUido

GUido

I had 302. Guido is absolutely spot on correct. It sounded as if it was never broken in, but it was. Drab and colorless, and not in a good way.

In fairness, the only thing that M302 shares with M312 is... The chassis. The majority of internals are quite different.

Thanks for the input guys. Sounds like i may steer away from 302 for now. My budget is somewhat open. Im also considering the Boulder 1060 which is slightly over my budget at this time.