Jeff Rowland S2 Continuum in the house!

Thanks! I manged to get some banana -> spade converters to use my speaker cables so at least the comparison is easier. I have Audiovector Avantagarde cables which are a hangover from my previous speakers, but are very good and have proved very versatile.

Basically with my speaker cable it's miles better! Detail in spades - in fact I'd say better than the Devialet in that respect. Strangely I've lost that amazing bass the S2 can project which is irritating. but partly that could be due to better resolution and the perception of bass being lost whereas it's easier to make out. The spade -> banana converters probably aren't helping either. Cymbals are much better with the S2 - something a little bit lacking on my Devialet. I'm going to stick my neck out here and say even with fairly poorly matched cables and not being fully run-in, I prefer the S2 to my Devialet. The only snag for me is the price - it's not far off the same in GB pounds as it is in dollars in the US. That and the fact I'd absolutely need new speaker cables (which I do anyway frankly!) is starting to get expensive.
Now comparing it against a Devialet 240 is really a fairer comparison, and in that instance I think the S2 wins on sound quality and price. It's quite close though. Another disadvantage for the Devialet in my experience is it needs a very good power supply and power cords to really work properly, perhaps something the S2 is less fussy about? This may explain why the Devialet isn't always so good at shows and can sound thin and harsh if not set up optimally.
However a very godo reason to keep my Devialet is the number of updates in the pipeline - Speaker Active Matching, power upgrades and others yet to come.
 
Going from sheer memory, I really liked the Devialet 170 I had here. Can't say it is better or worse than the S2...but it was always pleasing.

Thanks to David at Design Audio, I have a Hegel H300 inbound to try (demo).

I'm debating right now whether going crazy on amps and preamp makes more sense or a sweet little integrated with Ansuz D cabling.


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I'm thinking it might be a sideways move for me. I have a sneaky suspicion I'd enjoy the Continuum S2 more, but I'm fairly well optimised for the Devialet and the cost to change perhaps does't warrant it. Aren't we spoiled for choice with good value integrated amps though?
 
Rufus McDufus said:
I'm thinking it might be a sideways move for me. I have a sneaky suspicion I'd enjoy the Continuum S2 more, but I'm fairly well optimised for the Devialet and the cost to change perhaps does't warrant it. Aren't we spoiled for choice with good value integrated amps though?
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We are! Have you tried the Hegel H300?
 
I haven't. Looking for a UK-based distributor right now!
thoroughly enjoying the Devialet at the moment though. I snagged a Transparent Reference XL S/PDIF between streamer and Devialet this week. It's a large upgrade.
 
I am running an Audio Reserach DSI 200 with my Sonus Faber Olympica 3. But the Continuum S2 is one machine I really would like to experience. Has any one had a chance to compare the two - or have any thoughts on how they will differ from each other from a character point of view.
 
Thanks joeinid. I'm looking forward hearing the impressions on this and other topics in the future :).
 
Any news on the progress Mike? Really looking forward hearing your thoughts here.
 
bigblue said:
Any news on the progress Mike? Really looking forward hearing your thoughts here.
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It's breaking in nicely and is the leading contender right now. I still have a few more integrated amps I want to try like the Musical Fidelity, new Levinson 585 and maybe even Vitus.


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Thanks Mike. Do you have any info as to when the Levinson will be available in the shops? Unfortunately I missed it when visiting the High End Show in Münich this year.
What Musical Fidelity are you considering a contender on this level? I have auditioned the M6i and the M6 500i in my home. But for me the Auidio Reserach DSI200 beat them and others - and stayed.
 
bigblue said:
Thanks Mike. Do you have any info as to when the Levinson will be available in the shops? Unfortunately I missed it when visiting the High End Show in Münich this year.
What Musical Fidelity are you considering a contender on this level? I have auditioned the M6i and the M6 500i in my home. But for me the Auidio Reserach DSI200 beat them and others - and stayed.
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The Levinson should be out next month (July). The Musical Fidelity I wanted to try is the M6500I. What speakers are you using?

On another note, I must get Brent over here with his VAC i160 SE. He says it's a killer and I really like the Raidho/VAC synergy.
 
I have the Sonus Faber Olympica 3.
Just got word from Jeff Rowland that there is a demo unit I could borrow for evaluation at home. That would be treat. But if Mark Levinson is releasing their new integrated already this summer - I'd like to wait for that as well.
In my set up the MF M6 500i was a true power house. But the emphasis was on the high and low notes. The voices in between got lost a bit. And since I love products that are organic rather than analytical this unit was a tad on the "hard" side :).
 
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Oh, I like those speakers. Nice. Heard them at CES with ARC gear and they sounded great. I would try the McIntosh 8000 integrated if I was you. Not sure it would be better than ARC on SF. The new VAC i160 SE would be worth a try too.


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Thanks. Those speakers are really pushing the right hifi buttons for me. I have had the MA8000 on my short list as well. The "new" McIntosh sound would fit the speakers and my ears perfect I think. The size however is one downsize. I'd have to rearrange my cabinet and open up a hole in the rear wall in order to make room for it. The compact size in combination with 800 W is one of the things that intrigues me with the Continuum S2.
 
You know another one I would look at is the Vitus RI-100.


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I would love to hear ANYTHING Vitus as well.:audiophile:

Mike, the Ayre Integrated received some great reviews. Here's Art Dudley's take.

Here's a snippet:

"On the plus side, it's one of the three best, most musical, most human-sounding solid-state amps I've ever heard, in which regards it rivals the DNM PA3-S and the darTZeel NHB-108. Heck, it's one of the finest amps I've lived with, period. As such—and as something that takes the place of both preamp and power amp, and to which one need add only a good phono preamp—the AX-5 is a respectably good value. I can imagine this product becoming something of a standard, and deservedly so."​
 
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