Hi Pharma, what you heard about SMPS is... All correct. In olden days, SMPS had been born as inexpensive, efficient, and compact replacements for conventional supplies... Without too much concern about performance. Rapid evolution has set in... Today, things are very different... SMPS can be very complex, sophisticated, and heavy.... And convey a sound that can be exquisitely refined, and is often subtly unique to the particular taste of the designer. I am confident that if Solution is now offering an SMPS option to their amps, they do it only because they have obtained an audible enhancement over what they had obtained with their more traditional supplies.
the regulated SMPS in the current generation of Rowland amps, which are often fed by a PFC rectifier, are as sweet as the old toroidal/linear supplies that Rowland used in the 1980 and 1990s on M1 through M9. However, the new SMPS are a lot nimbler and quieter than the old supplies, hence they deliver greater musical resolution, broader and more linear frequency extension, quieter background, and better defined macro/micro transients.
Rowland uses SMPS in the complete product lineup only because, within each price category, he prefers their sound over traditional supplies.
M625 is a fabulous stereo amp within its approx $14K price category. Never the less, the amp and its SMPS is merely the 4th down in the current Rowland amplifier lineup... From the top:
1. M925 4-chassis monos, $58K.
2. M825 2-chassis stereo (sibling of M925; convertable to mono ops with switch in back) $32K
3. M725 monos $29K.
4. M625 stereo. $14K.
I have owned M7 Mk.4, M312, M625, M725, and now have M925. The performance progression from the first to the last is simply staggering. And a good part of the difference is due to the progressive sophistication of their power input sections.... PFC and rectification, DC SMPS, 4-pole capacitor buffering, and regulation. Within the current Rowland production, M925 and M825 would be congruent with the caliber of your system.
If you are interested in more detail, the M925 section of the Rowland Knowledge Base has several technical entries that deal with the power input section of the amp:
http://jeffrowlandgroup.com/kb/categories.php?categoryid=212
Guido
the regulated SMPS in the current generation of Rowland amps, which are often fed by a PFC rectifier, are as sweet as the old toroidal/linear supplies that Rowland used in the 1980 and 1990s on M1 through M9. However, the new SMPS are a lot nimbler and quieter than the old supplies, hence they deliver greater musical resolution, broader and more linear frequency extension, quieter background, and better defined macro/micro transients.
Rowland uses SMPS in the complete product lineup only because, within each price category, he prefers their sound over traditional supplies.
M625 is a fabulous stereo amp within its approx $14K price category. Never the less, the amp and its SMPS is merely the 4th down in the current Rowland amplifier lineup... From the top:
1. M925 4-chassis monos, $58K.
2. M825 2-chassis stereo (sibling of M925; convertable to mono ops with switch in back) $32K
3. M725 monos $29K.
4. M625 stereo. $14K.
I have owned M7 Mk.4, M312, M625, M725, and now have M925. The performance progression from the first to the last is simply staggering. And a good part of the difference is due to the progressive sophistication of their power input sections.... PFC and rectification, DC SMPS, 4-pole capacitor buffering, and regulation. Within the current Rowland production, M925 and M825 would be congruent with the caliber of your system.
If you are interested in more detail, the M925 section of the Rowland Knowledge Base has several technical entries that deal with the power input section of the amp:
http://jeffrowlandgroup.com/kb/categories.php?categoryid=212
Guido