JEFF ROWLAND CRITERION

Second-hand. In good conditions. Shows minor signs of wear. Comes with original packaging, remote and manual.

The Jeff Rowland Criterion represents one of the highest expressions of the high-end preamplifier concept, born from a design philosophy that has redefined the boundaries of musical reproduction. Each creation from the Jeff Rowland Design Group moves elegantly between engineering and artistry, establishing itself as a definitive reference in the world of high-end audio. With the Criterion, the American designer continues a journey begun over twenty-five years ago—marked by legendary models like the Consummate and the Coherence—introducing solutions that further elevate already established sonic and construction standards.

The conceptual core of the Criterion lies in its battery-powered design, a technology that Jeff Rowland has adopted and refined since the early stages of his career. This unconventional choice virtually eliminates any interference from the mains power, ensuring exceptional operational silence and signal purity. The unit is split into two separate chassis: the first houses the power supply—featuring two NiMH batteries mounted in dedicated cylindrical bays—the control logic, and a large fluorescent display; the second chassis contains the actual audio stage, built around a fully balanced, complementary symmetry topology with a modular architecture.

The internal circuitry uses high-speed Burr-Brown TI OPA1632 operational amplifiers for volume and gain control, ensuring precise signal management with transparency and dynamic coherence. The Criterion offers both balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) inputs and outputs, providing maximum versatility for integration into complex systems. As is tradition with JRDG, the build quality is impeccable: every component is enclosed in a solid chassis milled from a single block of aluminum, with a refined design that reflects the meticulous attention paid to both technical and aesthetic details.

Technical specifications:

• Overall gain: programmable per input from 0 to 20 dB
• Gain: 99.5 dB
• Resolution: 0.5 dB steps
• Frequency response: 10 Hz – 300 kHz; -3 dB at 8 ohm
• Maximum input level: 13.5 V RMS @ 0 dB
• Maximum output level: 13.5 V RMS
• Distortion: < 0.03% @ 2 V RMS output; 50 Hz – 20 kHz
• Signal-to-noise ratio: > 100 dB
• Channel separation: 99.5 dB
• Input impedance: 40k ohm
• Output impedance: 60 ohm
• Inputs: 4 pairs balanced (XLR); 2 pairs unbalanced (RCA)
• Outputs: Main Out: 2 pairs balanced (XLR); 2 pairs unbalanced (RCA); Record Out: 1 pair balanced (XLR); 1 pair unbalanced (RCA)
• Power consumption: minimum 15 W; maximum 50 W
• Display: 320x32 Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD)
• Weight: 21 kg
• Dimensions: 162 x 394 x 311 mm (H x W x D)