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New Rowland Criterion 2-chassis battery pre

Jeff Rowland Design has just created a page for its upcoming statement-level, twin chassis, battery powered full function preamplifier. Detail is still scant, but a little bit of info is already available, in addition to front and rear view pics. Here’s the page:
http://jeffrowland.com/Criterion.htm
And here’s the front view:
http://jeffrowland.com/Criterion-front.htm
And here’s the rear view:
http://jeffrowland.com/Criterion-back.htm

You will find a few specs already on the site. JRDG should be publishing more info in the next few weeks. I will post here as I receive it. in addition to the published specs that you can read on the page above, here are a very few additional tidbits that I have learned this far:

. Uses Burr Brown TI OPA1632 high speed fully differentially balanced modules.
. Includes phono stage.
. Uses standard NiMH D-cell batteries available in most electronics stores, loaded in 2 rear-inserted tubes of power supply chassis.
. Capable of AC/DC operation . . . will recharge batteries on independent circuit during AC operation.
. Full remote control
. Target price $18K (not sure yet)
. Availability: probably early Fall 2008.
. Will be featured at RMAF in Soundings Hifi suite Marriott 503 or 505 from Oct 10th to 12th in Denver.

And sorry folks, I have not heard this device yet. Nor I have any good third party reports on its sound. Any speculations on Sonics from my part would be just. . . pure speculations. I’ll keep everyone posted as I learn more.

Guido
guidocorona
guidocorona OP
4,114 posts
 
Cappuccino, in that case the more recent 301 batches must be quite special. . . as much as I found the original 302 lacking, I am still in love with the 312. But I'm looking forward to hearing the newest 925 in my own system. . . probably Q2 or Q3. We'll see what the newest design does for living. G.
kawika
56 posts
 
Cappuccino, Not sure if I or someone else has asked you this, but have you any knowledge of the comparitive performance between your 301 mono's and the 312 that Guido & I both have being run by the Criterion. Also, have you tried or already own the Criterion? Aloha, David.
cappuccino
110 posts
 
Kawika,
unfortunately I have no experience with the Criterion. I have Burmester frontend with the 069 cd and 077 pre, both in the reference line. I just love what these products did with my system so I must admit I am leaning more towards getting a full Burmester system than getting the Criterion. I had the 301 amps before I invested in the Burmester gear. If cost wasn´t an issue I would get the huge 909 monos from Burmester, but I would like to know the Rowland 925´s performance and if they maybe could be a better alternative.
brazcole
63 posts
 
As I have the Model 312 for only 1 year, I can keep it until the review of the future 825.

But I think I known what is the difference from the old 301 and the 302 for the new Class D devices.

Once I read, always in Audiogon forum, there was a PROJECT MISTAKE in the early serie 300 and in others Class D devices, like the 501. And Jeff Rowland projected a little device to use externally together with those amplifiers.

I think it's true, because I found a store, in Dinamarc or Finland, that sells Jeff Rowlands devices on line and they have a observation that you need to buy that little device to use together with the amp to improve the sound and THEY STILL have the price for it as well.

At the same time, they say that the Model 312 has this little device already INSIDE the amp's gabinet.
Because of this I bought the 312 with confidance.
guidocorona OP
4,114 posts
 
Braz, the 'device' is a power rectifier based on a technology called Active Power factor Correction (PFC), followed by a bank of capacitors for filtering furter the DC before the actual switch mode power supply. As far as I know, the technology is used only by JRDG and by Chapter Audio. I suspect it is a significant factor in the 300 series sweetness of sound. The new amps are apparently also using active PFC and SMPS, although the core of the amps is not class D, but class A/B. Guido
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