Should I do it ?

[Parabellum]

I have been thinking the same lately, about going with an integrated. I heard the Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 and it sounded amazing with Raidho speakers.

[tdelahanty]

Originally Posted by Parabellum

I have been thinking the same lately, about going with an integrated. I heard the Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 and it sounded amazing with Raidho speakers.

I have always liked the Rowland too, unfortunately there is no dealer in Indianapolis. For Sim or Pass I'll have to go to Dayton,O. or Chicago. Is the Continuum S2 a digital amp ?

[Parabellum]

Originally Posted by tdelahanty

I have always liked the Rowland too, unfortunately there is no dealer in Indianapolis. For Sim or Pass I'll have to go to Dayton,O. or Chicago. Is the Continuum S2 a digital amp ?

I don't know for sure if it is digital or not, but I know it is class D amplifier. According to the reviews, it is class D done right.

I was also thinking about Naim Supernait 2 but the lack of power (80W) worries me a bit. It is no match compared to my current MC252 in term of power I was told.

As for the Rowland, maybe you can score a good deal buying used.

[Car commander]

If you can buy the new gear and AB it against old gear.

[Haurock]

Why not look at an Accuphase integrated?.... Then you would never look back....

[cmalak]

Tom...I don't know how the Marantz gear is voiced but before I settled on my ARC gear, I demoed the Simaudio I-7 integrated and the P-7 pre and W-7 power amps and both the integrated and the separates were great matches with my Thiel 2.4s (the Simaudio gear has very ample power supply and power reserves and push out a lot of current so they have no problems driving Thiel speakers). For me it came down to slight preferences with ARC gear over the Simaudio. Both Simaudio and ARC gear are very neutral but the ARC gear had a little bit more bloom and 3-dimensionality when paired with my Thiels, whereas the Simaudio gear was a bit more articulate, punchy and tight in the bass region. Midband resolution was see through with both electronics. Highs were extended and perhaps more emphasized a tad with the Simaudio gear. I could have easily lived with the Simaudio gear paired up with my Thiels. They are a great match.

I asked about the voicing of the Marantz because if you want a bit of warmth then Simaudio with Thiels is not going to deliver that. Pass Class A may but the only Class integrated they offer is the INT 30.5/30.8 which may be too underpowered for the Thiel 3.7s.

The Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 is Class D and the reviews have been quite positive but I would definitely try to demo with your 3.7s if you can.

Let us know what you decide and good luck.

[tdelahanty]

Originally Posted by cmalak

Tom...I don't know how the Marantz gear is voiced but before I settled on my ARC gear, I demoed the Simaudio I-7 integrated and the P-7 pre and W-7 power amps and both the integrated and the separates were great matches with my Thiel 2.4s (the Simaudio gear has very ample power supply and power reserves and push out a lot of current so they have no problems driving Thiel speakers). For me it came down to slight preferences with ARC gear over the Simaudio. Both Simaudio and ARC gear are very neutral but the ARC gear had a little bit more bloom and 3-dimensionality when paired with my Thiels, whereas the Simaudio gear was a bit more articulate, punchy and tight in the bass region. Midband resolution was see through with both electronics. Highs were extended and perhaps more emphasized a tad with the Simaudio gear. I could have easily lived with the Simaudio gear paired up with my Thiels. They are a great match.

I asked about the voicing of the Marantz because if you want a bit of warmth then Simaudio with Thiels is not going to deliver that. Pass Class A may but the only Class integrated they offer is the INT 30.5/30.8 which may be too underpowered for the Thiel 3.7s.

The Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 is Class D and the reviews have been quite positive but I would definitely try to demo with your 3.7s if you can.

Let us know what you decide and good luck.

Cyril I owned an I-7 and loved it, the bad thing about Sim is the current price structure. The new I-600 is 8k and I-700 is 14k. The I-7 retailed for $6500. Pass offers a class AB INT-150 which is 150w@8 ohms and 300w@4 ohms. I'm not sure if I want to venture into the Class D world (Rolland). The Marantz is voiced to the warm side but is very articulate, detailed and powerful. I really opened a can of worms for myself !!!

PS: good to hear from you.

[Car commander]

I don't know how big your budget is but Dartzeel 8550 is supposed to be really good.

[tdelahanty]

Originally Posted by Car commander

I don't know how big your budget is but Dartzeel 8550 is supposed to be really good.

I think 10k is about it (for the amp). From what I've read Dartzeel is out of budget. I would also like to include a new K05 in the mix (my K07 traded in). I'm waiting to see the new Levinson 585 too. The 585 is the only piece available in Indy, I'll have to travel for the others.

[cma29]

Originally Posted by tdelahanty

The main reason would be to reduce clutter, simplify. My main source is my K07 sacd player, once in a while my tuner. I don't like running the sacd player directly into my power amps so a high-quality integrated would have a pre-amp section and provide the sound I prefer hopefully !!!

I had the same dilemma as you are having now and found a great (an not too expensive) passive line stage that addressed all the issues I was having.

Here is thread where I talk about it: Passive Preamp with Transformer Volume Control