That's really exciting Dave. . . and -- no surprise -- you discovered there is a magic synergy between JRDG electronics and Vienna speakers. . . isn't that uncanny? By the way, do you happen to know what power chord was on the Continuum and what speaker wire was in use?
Does continuum have a 15A or 20A IEC connector?
Saluti, Guido |
Hi Dave, I know Jeff Rowland is a great believer in fully balanced systems. . . it is highly likely that your Continuum will sound even better if you feed it a balanced signal from the CDP. Guido |
The 312 in my system was not at all new, but had probably not been played for a little spell, and had been shipped in a frigid cargo hold. . . it took perhaps 100 hours to settle down.
If the Continuum has a standby switch on the front plate. . . leave that on at all times as well.
Even if the 312 is left completely on, it does take it a good 40 mins to one full hour of playing to sound its best after having idled overnight. |
Rafael, I can confirm that Continuum uses switching power supply(s). What I do not know is if it has one PS serving both channels or twin supplies. Continuum also has a PFC circuit capable of delivering 1500W of DC, which is essentially equivalent to 2 PC1 devices. |
You are correct Dave, what I wrote concerns the 500 model; furthermore the Continuum 250 does not incorporate a PFC circuit. Guido |
In current integrateds Continuum 500 has PFC; 250 does not have PFC but is compatible with PC1. In amps 302, 312, 301 have PFC built in; 201, 501 do not have PFC but are compatible with PC1 through fuse change/repositioning. I recommend 2 PC1 units in 501 for max authority, but JRDG can supply PC1 Y splitter if preferred. Capri pre does not have PFC but is compatible with PC1 without any switches/fuse changes because it has an autosense power supply. I suspect Continuum may also have autosense pS, so PC1 on 2650 may not need any setup. |
Hi Dave, not surprised about your reaction to the Soltl perf of Beethoven 9th. . . I heard subtleties and profound understanding of the score in the 2nd movement that I had never heard before. . . now have to find a version of the same on CD or SACD for my collection. . . as for Reiner, I am not usually much taken by his performances/interpretations. |
Hi Dave, if the Continuum phono stage can even rouse old Reiner from deep sleep. . . it must be marvellous! Sorry. . . just cannot resist jibing when it comes to ol' Fritz (:)! |
Rafael, the answer is yes, current JRDG designs are completely balanced from the input to the output signal; so much so that the output signal of JRDG amps have active positive and negative phases. This is one of the reasons why they tend to have superior control of bass drivers of certain speakers with difficult loads -- e.g. Vienna Acoustics. . . . speaker cones are apparently both pushed then pulled, rather than simply pushed then released. |
Because of the built-in Power Factor Correction circuit, it is said that Continuum 500 is much closer to the JRDG 312 power amp than to the sound of the 201 or 501 monoblock amplifiers. |
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Hi Cappuccino, your findings do not surprise me a bit! have you experimented with PCs on C500? What works, what does not. . . and how? Thanks. Guido |
Thank you Cappuccino, what linestage did you use with the big 301 and 501 monos. . . and how does the sound of C500 compare with the 301 monos + linestage X? Guido |
Cappuccino, what speakers do you use with 301s? I have heard that because of low damping factor of 60, 301 work best with relatively sensitive speakers with easy loads, but I have never been able to verify this issue myself. Guido |
Thank you Kiwi for the review. How many hrs of playing time did you put on the Continuum before proceeding to critical listening? G. |
Kiwi, I suspect you may have been reviewing a device that was not fully broken in. Switching amps do very strange and often unpleasant things to the treble until they have stabilized. . . and stabilization may not occur for about 1000 hrs of playing time. May I also ask how many hours of active warm up you allowed before performing critical listening. |
Hi Kiwi, I can confirm that the heat from the C500 is caused by the internal PFC module. It is a 1500W unit from a different manufacturer than the 750W twin units used in the 312. . . and it generates much more heat than the other modules combined. . . your speakers are blameless! G. |
