I am curious to hear what experiences the early adopters of the new Series 2 625 and 725 (s2) have. Both are terrific as-is, but what differences have you noticed with the latest versions?
I had the opportunity to hear the 725s2 amps last weekend. They are really terrific. On a pair of Maggie 3.6s, they sound fantastic, and only got better as they warmed up. Incredibly delicate highs, yet at the same time, powerful. A lot of jaw dropping and laughing and "Holy s--t!". I the amp choice is dependent on speaker choice. Lower sensitivity and lower impedance, combined with dynamic impact makes for heavy power demands, often near instantaneous. Even though the power ratings of the 625s2 and 725s2 are essentially the same, into a tough speaker, they don't sound like it. The 625s1 could sound "strained" during very strong passages, while the 725s1 cruised through the same passages without "skipping a beat". I expect the same with the s2 versions,as the power supply of the stereo 625s2 is the same as EACH mono 725s2.I would like to know if it's worth going from the 625 S2 to the 725?
I had the opportunity to hear the 725s2 amps last weekend. They are really terrific. On a pair of Maggie 3.6s, they sound fantastic, and only got better as they warmed up. Incredibly delicate highs, yet at the same time, powerful. A lot of jaw dropping and laughing and "Holy s--t!". I the amp choice is dependent on speaker choice. Lower sensitivity and lower impedance, combined with dynamic impact makes for heavy power demands, often near instantaneous. Even though the power ratings of the 625s2 and 725s2 are essentially the same, into a tough speaker, they don't sound like it. The 625s1 could sound "strained" during very strong passages, while the 725s1 cruised through the same passages without "skipping a beat". I expect the same with the s2 versions,as the power supply of the stereo 625s2 is the same as EACH mono 725s2.
I had the opportunity to hear the 725s2 amps last weekend. They are really terrific. On a pair of Maggie 3.6s, they sound fantastic, and only got better as they warmed up. Incredibly delicate highs, yet at the same time, powerful. A lot of jaw dropping and laughing and "Holy s--t!". I the amp choice is dependent on speaker choice. Lower sensitivity and lower impedance, combined with dynamic impact makes for heavy power demands, often near instantaneous. Even though the power ratings of the 625s2 and 725s2 are essentially the same, into a tough speaker, they don't sound like it. The 625s1 could sound "strained" during very strong passages, while the 725s1 cruised through the same passages without "skipping a beat". I expect the same with the s2 versions,as the power supply of the stereo 625s2 is the same as EACH mono 725s2.
While I have never heard your speakers, I have sold, installed and voiced a lot of "large scale speakers" e.g. Wilson X1 and X2, Avalon, Revel Salons, Big Maggie's,and also listened at length to others (Magico, Peak Consult, TAD) and I would expect the biggest gains for you will be in dynamics (and not necessarily loud dynamics-more with the "startle factor") and astounding bass control giving depth, speed and tonality. The other big improvement I would expect is the ability to hear deeper into a mix, and the uncanny ability to pull out individual instruments during complex passages, examine, and focus on the next.
Well, as Guido can tell you, if you can handle a pair of 925s...I recently installed my second set of the 925s. Holy cow!
There are a lot of amplifier manufacturers out there. I can give you a partial list of amps that have left very fine systems in favor of Jeff Rowland amps: Joule Electra, VAC, Levinson, Wavestreams Kinetics, Ayre, Krell, VTL. Some of those ousted amps were Top of the line models, and very "pricey".