rowland 102 reviews? ice powered


Has anyone compared this to the well-reviewed Channel Island or Bel canto models? I was planning on trading my Opera Consonance tube amp for one of them, but I can't find any reviews of the rowland, so I don't know how it fits into the hierarchy. Appreciate it.
angaria
I was going to point out the same thing. They did review a Rowland Class D amp, too, and the article was good in pointing out the advantages and disadvantages to the technology. Worth reading before you make a decision.
Go easy on these type of amps. I've only heard one and found it rather mechanical and uninvolving. The TAS article really seems to do a good job of getting at the heart of the technology, at least as it stands today. I could see that liking or disliking was a lot based on tastes.
Hi Guys - the TAS article compares the 201, not the 102, but a good place to start, thanks. Would still like to hear from anyone who heard the 102 though.
It's quite funny to hear responses to queries regarding class D amplifiers by people who who have had little or no experience actually living with them. The abandon they portray in there quest to to downplay the credibility of this new class is almost fearful in nature. Class D is not a plot to overtake what you've been using to listening to music with. It's simply new technology that's being developed at a rather quick pace which has resulted in some startling levels of performance both sonically and economically. Paired with poor VAC and the wrong cabling many class D products can sound strident or forward.

While there are some interesting interviews made in the article mentioned above the actual product reviews where conducted in what seemed like an unorthodox departure from that publications typical method. To include so many manufactures of class D amplifiers and omit two of the oldest and most popular producers who are marketing their third and fourth generation products of class D is as irresponsible as comparing all the amplifiers in as many different systems, none of which was slightly altered, let alone optimized for the use of a switching amplifier. It's no wonder that even the amplifier that publication named amplifier of the year 2005 was later reviewed in that article as sounding terrible. Pleeezzz.

Angaria, you've got two ears. Use them. And if you must, who's ears would you trust more, Jeff Rowland's or Wayne Garcia's