SUMMER	2000

NEW STUFF

JEFF ROWLAND DESIGNS: It’s nice to be surprised. By my definition, surprise is something unexpected and enjoyable, and my experience with the new Model 10 amplifier from Jeff Rowland Designs has indeed left me surprised. I expected the piece to be good, it is a Rowland after all. I just did not expect to be as good as it was.

Turn the clock back to January 1999. At the WCES Jeff Rowland displays two new prototype amplifiers. He whetted our appetites, but we had to control our enthusiasm as he tweaked and refined the design. Though it has taken far longer for the new amplifiers to arrive than anyone would have imagined, I can say with confidence, it was well worth the wait.

The new Rowland amplifiers employ a switch mode regulated power supply. The design utilizes proven aerospace technology in cutting-edge architecture. Fast and powerful, the Rowland circuit is said to operate with more than 10 times the speed of other switch mode supplies, and offers 1200 watts of regulated DC power to meet any demand.

As with all Rowland components, the Model 10 is sheathed in a gorgeous solid billet aluminum chassis. Each chassis is machined from a solid block (billet) of aluminum!Yep, it looks super and has the solidity of a vault, but the unique construction technique also serves as an effective shield against both RFI/EMI and mechanical vibration.

The Model 10 (the middle child in the family) is a two-chassis affair sporting a full-sized outboard power supply (housing the power supply in a separate, dedicated chassis serves to isolate sensitive components in the main chassis from electromagnetic interference). Looking positively stunning in its shimmering silver enclosure, the Model 10 will impress your sense of sight and feel before your ears get to sample its musical magic. Plug it in and it won’t be long before you’re mesmerized by the wondrous palette before you. The soundstage is cavernous, with superior delineation. Low-level resolution is spectacular, so good in fact, it deserves a bit more elucidation.

Maybe more so than any other amplifier, the Rowland possesses and uncanny ability to unravel the most intimate details the recording has to offer. This remarkable ability does not translate into a forced or analytical quality, but reveals subtlety with a finesse all its own. Is this a characteristic of the power supply, or of the new Surface Mount Devices (SMD) utilized to shorten the signal path, or one of the other innovations Jeff brings to the table? I honestly don’t know, and frankly don’t much care - I’m having too much fun listening! Model 10 $7900.00. Jeff Rowland Designs

 JOLIDA: Cheap and good. These words are not normally synonymous, but are totally appropriate when used to describe the Jolida JA-1501A hybrid integrated amplifier.

The JD-1501A pairs a tube preamp stage with a solid state MOSFET output stage. The Jolida “recipe” takes a measure of tube liquidity and adds a heaping helping of solid state power and control, which results in a musical product that is also practical – power to drive difficult loads, and the reliability of a solid state output stage. So, now you can have your cake and eat it too! While the hybrid concept is not a new one, it certainly takes on new meaning when you realize that this amplifier costs only $650.00!

At 100 watts per channel, the JD-1501A will drive most speakers available today. It does not run blisteringly hot or require any special maintenance. Ah, but it has tubes, you say… what is involved in replacement? If you can change a light bulb, you are qualified to replace the small input tubes every year or two. That’s it.

Wanna tweak it? You can. Try some upgraded tubes, a better power cable and some Polycrystal Isolators or Vibrapods and a Bright Star Little Rock on top.

There you have it, nirvana for the budget audiophile! Not budget enough? Ok, try the JD-1701A, the 50-watt little brother to the JD-1501A, for only five hundred clams. Jolida.

JPS LABS: You should read the two recent reviews on the new JPS Kaptovator AC Cord in Bound for Sound and Soundstage! Both are very complimentary, Bound for Sound calling it the "...new King of the Hill."

Joe Skubinski of JPS is one of our favorite fellows. A wonderful guy to do business with and the super talented designer of what have become some of our most popular cables.  JPS cable products have the unique ability to sound great in most every system they encounter. I define them as having very low system dependency. Their new Kaptovator AC power cord seems to possess the same ability.

Some background on the cable is in order. Joe’s philosophy here was to create a cable using stranded conductors that had the properties of solid core. To do this required many specialized processes involving over ten separate manufacturers - an expensive and time consuming course of action requiring approximately ten weeks from start to finish.

Designed as his statement power cord, Kaptovator is a unique blend of some very unusual materials. The cable actually takes its name from one of these materials, Kapton. An exotic  and (very) expensive dielectric, Kapton is typically used in critical aerospace and military applications. Kapton’s unique properties include an extremely high-temperature tolerance, superior dielectric strength and particularly low dielectric constant. After much listening, JPS felt this material was sonically superior to even Teflon. Did I say expensive? Kapton is roughly twice the price of Teflon, and 4-5 times the price of good PVC.

Most designers feel that less dielectric and jacketing equates to better sound. That can be a problem with AC cables, as the voltage they handle is high, and to be safe, they need a great bulk of dielectric and jacketing materials. Kapton has allowed Joe to design a cable with a very high voltage rating, using the minimum amount of dielectric. Though the Kaptovator is a beefy 8 gauge cable, capable of handling even the largest power amplifiers without restriction, it is has a rather small outside diameter.

The external jacketing on the Kaptovator was selected in part for its vibration damping properties. The crystal clear material reduces mechanical vibration traveling along the cords’ length, while special surface coatings dissipate any static build-up.

The Kaptovator is a super AC cord, one that should clearly be considered in the context of any high end system. Kaptovator $1500.00.  Call us today to audition one in your set-up! JPS Labs

CONVERGENT AUDIO TECHNOLOGY: In January of this year, Ken Stevens released the latest in his line of exemplary preamplifiers, the CAT Ultimate. A major revision, the Ultimate furthers the already legendary performance of its predecessor, the Signature MKIII. According to Mr. Stevens, the Ultimate represents the greatest improvement in the preamp to date.

Many audiophiles claim the Convergent Audio Technology (CAT) Preamplifier is the best tube preamplifier you can buy, and it would be hard to argue that point. Of course, high-end audio is all about personal preference, so I don’t feel we could all agree that one product is better than all others. Yet I can think of no other preamplifier that has been more lauded in the press, and owned by more reviewers, than the CAT. It is without question one of a very small handful of preamplifiers that deserve to be positioned in the top most echelon.

Another unique attribute of the CAT preamp has been its staying power. Designer Ken Stevens has kept his preamp in the very top of the category since he introduced it in 1985. No small feat, considering the competition. 

What does the CAT sound like? Very neutral, I’d say. The piece does not have a strong tendency to either end of the tonal spectrum. It is neither bright, nor warm. It offers a tonal balance that remains true to the source. While there is no mistaking you are listening to a tubed preamp, you’ll find no excessive tube coloration here. Nor is there brightness or stridency, a common trait of the solid-state genre. 

  Over the years, I’ve admired the CAT for its wonderful ability to define sound space. The CAT offers much more than just the ability to delineate the gross characteristics of depth and width. Though very good at each of those macro qualities, this preamp, more than any other I know, excels in two areas which help to define minutiae in the stage: 1) the CAT reproduces the space between and around instruments on the aural landscape incredibly well. This characteristic helps to separate and delineate players on the stage. 2) The Convergent gives dimension to each of the performers, offering a greater insight into the forms making the music. These two finer points distinctly define the soundstage, making the CAT more interesting to listen to, and distinguish it from other preamps. 

Combine tonal neutrality with state of the art soundstaging and you have one superb preamplifier. Highly recommended. CAT Ultimate $5995.00. Convergent Audio Technology

QUICKSILVER AUDIO: Mike Sanders has designed a new circuit for his cost-effective line level preamplifier, simply known as the Line Stage Preamp. Utilizing 12AX7 tubes, the new unit boasts an output impedance of less than 100 Ohms, giving it the ability to drive long interconnect cables and/or low input impedance amplifiers. Lower distortion and wider bandwidth are additional benefits of the new topology, and set new standards in these areas for Quicksilver products. 

Looks, features and best of all price, remain the same as the previous model - only $1195.00 for a full-tube preamplifier with remote volume control. As with all Quicksilver products, and outstanding value! These units should be available by the time you read this. Quicksilver Audio

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