Ayre or Rowland Amp?

Being an H2O owner, instead of concluding ICE technology has, "A way
to go," On the contrary, I'm wondering what more amp evolution is
possible.

There is a down side. When one commits to the H2O, or any ICE amp, one has
committed to a total system change, eventually. The ICE amp will take due
note of all deficiencies in your system, and magnify them.

For instance, I changed all my wires to ones well shielded from EMI, and RFI.
It is amazing what pollution gets into your system without you knowing it,
because it is fainter than the provided signal.

Can you give a description of that H2O? I know what you mean about revealing, but think my stuff is pretty good (i.e.: balanced Transparent Ref cables, lots of power filtering and dedicated lines, etc.) Any detail would be helpful since there's so little. Which scares me some, since you don't really know if they'll be around for support should you need it.

Thanks,

Bob

You are welcome, Bob. I have no worries about service, should my H2O amps
need it. Henry Ho, builder of the H2O (hence the name) will service his
creations for life. He is just that kind of guy. What's more, a service technician
has noted any amp repair shop can service the H2O.

I meant to say power cords need full shielding for all components. A good
example is Shunyata. They offer full shielding for both EMI, and RFI.

Dedicated lines, are good. Power filtering can be good. I am sure you are up
on the tradeoff in current loss when it comes to some conditioners.

Henry will send a trial amp upon request. You only need pay shipping. You
might look at audiofankj's review of his Sigs, and check out his system for
pics.

What did I leave out? I agree with audiofankj, that the music is just there.
There is no mids/highs/bass about it.

What do you have for a preamp? The H2O needs an active preamp. It should
be top notch. The H2O is a stern task mistress. Same goes for the front end.

I think you will miss your tubes, honestly.

Might want to go to a BAT which is considerably easier to retube than the ARC. Also, a great combination.

And yes, I've owned the Rowland 201s. Sure, they are great to look at, but I found them fairly sterile and lacking a 3dness that tubes provide.

To answer the question above, the front end is Sony SCD-1, 3x modded by Richard Kern, into ARC LS5MKIII with Infinicaps and removeable IEC. I think I am using an Electraglide with that - and its power is via dedicated line through an Ultimate Outlet into PS300 MWII.

Thanks - this thread has been wonderfully free of invective and full of HELP which is a breath of fresh air to me.

Bob