Posted by Art T on December 05, 2004 at 17:39:33:
In Reply to: A-3 with Jeff Rowland 201 posted by Yves Minchin on December 05, 2004 at 16:09:30:
Hi Yves,
The 201's drove my A-1's for almost a year (I now have 501's). Considering their physical size and the fact that they barely get warm, they surprisingly drove my A-1's with authority. I was previously using a pair of behemoth JRDG Model 7's (that I owned for almost 20 years), but the 201's were the first amps that I feel ever eclipsed them in virtually every sonic parameter. The 201's provide an ample soundstage, are excellent in preserving instrumental timbre and texture, and exude a naturalness in the midrange that's hard to resist (especially on vocals).
As you may know, SoundLab speakers LOVE power, and the more the better (all other sonic aspects being equal, of course). I've been running the 501's for about 3 months now, and can testify that the extra power (600wpc) improves upon all the positive characteristics of the 201's noted above (especially bass tonality and tightness - the 201's are a bit lightweight in this aspect, but only relative to the 501's). The 501's achieve a sense of ease and unhindered flow-through of the music that I've not previously experienced with the A-1's.
I recommend that you audition both models, if possible. If you can afford the extra 2K or so, go for the 501's. Please note that it took almost a year for the 201's to reach their peak sonic performance (but sounded better than most other amps un-broken in). I expect the 501's will also take a good bit of time before I can make their measure.
As usual, I should mention that I'm Jeff's web person and good friend of many years.
Art