Attention Rotel users...

**Danbry39** · 02 October 2002, 20:03 Wednesday

Thanks Andrew. Without you, we'd be lost. Also, a big thanks to Rotel for listening.

It's nice to have a company that cares.

As for my preferences, I think that bass management would be at the top of my list, as it is on Andrew's.

Following this, in my order of preference would be Andrew's #'s 3, 7, 12, 4, and 6. 7 and 12 would move to the top of the list if the bass management couldn't be corrected via a firmware upgrade.

This makes me very happy with Rotel again, but, while I've got your ear, I'd really like it if Rotel made an effort to respond to each contact attempt made with them. When I asked regarding which firmware version I had, several phone calls/emails went unanswered. Personally, if someone had just told me that Rotel prefers not to give this information out, even without giving me a reason, I would have been very understanding. I yearn to love Rotel as a company and wish to take much pride in ownership of their product (likely, products in the future), but felt kind of slighted at feeling ignored. Now, with this type of interaction with product owners, I really want to go on being a Rotel owner. Besides, I think it is a great product for the money. Sorry for the aside and thanks for your patience.

Keith

**JohnSC** · 02 October 2002, 20:26 Wednesday

Andrew,

Your list looks right on the money. I would also ask for some more transparency around what is included in each firmware release and the opportunity to download the latest version from the Rotel website.

I look forward to your feedback.

John

**Dre J** · 02 October 2002, 22:32 Wednesday

You know where my disappointment is.

It's the top of your list and is a shortcoming of Rotel's processor.

I'd also like to make sure that Rotel removes the bass doubling on the 6.1 inputs as well. Set the subwoofer yes/max to function on the 6.1 inputs instead of always "MAX".

Dre

My little corner of the world

"ILL-PLEX 007.1"

**Jay Sylvester** · 03 October 2002, 00:00 Thursday

I'll reiterate what I requested in the delay time setting topic, even though it kind of goes against your #3 above.

I'd like to have the ability to adjust delay times for all speakers, including the front L/R. I'd like to have the maximum available delays be increased to 70ms, and be adjustable in 1ms increments. However, for those who prefer speaker distances instead, provide the ability to toggle between milliseconds and speaker distances.

OR...perhaps a single general delay setting that applies to all speakers simultaneously could be applied. It would serve the same purpose and probably be easier to implement.

I'll just paste my text from the other topic to explain why:

"I'll soon be integrating a video processor into my home theater setup, which will drive a digital projector. A video processor introduces its own delays to the video signal, which means the audio signal must be delayed by the same amount in order to avoid audio/video sync problems. With my firmware (1.37), the max delay is 5ms for the center channel and 20ms for the others. From what I've been told, a delay of 40ms to 70ms is necessary in order to compensate for video processing delays."

**dali** · 03 October 2002, 02:22 Thursday

How about having the ability to deactivate some DSP modes? When I want to go from 2 channel stereo to 5 channel stereo I have to wade through several DSP-modes I never use.

**JKohn** · 03 October 2002, 02:56 Thursday

In addition to everything Andrew mentioned, here are some things I'd like to see that have been discussed in the past.

1) Ability to engage DTS-ES matrix mode for DVD's that are ES-encoded but aren't flagged, such as Atlantis.

2) Set distance/delay for mains. Maybe I'm in the minority, but given my living room the mains are actually closer to me than the l/r surrounds are. So I can't really get perfect delay settings with the current implementation.

3) Improve signal detection response time. My 3-year old Denon 2800 could auto-detect DD/DTS pretty much instantly, I don't see why the expensive pre/pro's take so long.

Jeff Kohn

http://home.houston.rr.com/jeffkohn

**AlvaroD** · 03 October 2002, 04:28 Thursday

Hi,
may I add the following ? :

- proprer recognition of DTS 24/96 streams. Even though the 1066 can't decode, it would be nice to display just DTS 5.1 and not DTS ES DISCRETE when feeding it with a DTS 24/96 track

- proper identification of PCM 24/96. My DVD player (Pioneer 737) can send a PCM 24/96 but the 1066 recons its a 48 KHz even though I think it still plays it at 96 Khz.

Alvaro.

**SergeH** · 03 October 2002, 05:16 Thursday

Thanks to you Andrew.

My wish list :
- First of all : a TRUE bass management when no sub is present ! Not that weird thing we have actually between central speaker setting and LFE redirection.
- Delays for the main speakers (to compensate video processing)and more possible choices for actual delays (5ms is a too big step for surround speakers)
- a better spacialisation of dialogues...

That's all for me

And i hope we' won't see these basic things only on a futur rotel pre-amp.

Serge.

**SergeH** · 03 October 2002, 05:22 Thursday

Thanks to you Andrew.

My wish list :
- First of all : a TRUE bass management when no sub is present ! Not that weird thing we have actually between central speaker setting and LFE redirection.
- Delays for the main speakers (to compensate video processing)and more possible choices for actual delays (5ms is a too big step for surround speakers)
- a better spacialisation of dialogues...

That's all for me

And i hope we' won't see these basic things only on a futur rotel pre-amp.

Serge.

**Bill Blank** · 03 October 2002, 11:04 Thursday

Andrew,
Great list, you know what my recommendation is:

Independent speaker setup (including crossover, spkr size, spkr distance, and number of speakers used.) for each input. I'm not sure if this is able to be done with a firmware or not but it was a major overlook on Rotel's part. It would solve all bass-managemet issues regarding 2-ch music playback.

Bill

Rotel RSP-1066
Rotel RMB-1075
Rega Planet 2000
Denon DVD-2900
Mitsubishi WS-55411
Paradigm Reference Studio 100 v3
Paradigm Reference Studio CC-470 v3
Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v3
Velodyne CT-120

**SaNdOkAn** · 03 October 2002, 12:41 Thursday

Intelligent Volume Setup:

I really want to set the volume of each source. For example: When i listen to the radio i use a volume of 26. Watching a movie 55. So when i don't turn back volume i get def.

Sando

**Trevor_J** · 03 October 2002, 14:21 Thursday

Hi Guys, I just registered so I can add my $0.02. I agree with all the previously mentioned requests and I'd like to add a bit more to the volume issue. What I would really like to see is the volume NUMBER on the OSD as well as the bar. It's hard to tell what the volume level is by looking at the bars on the screen and my 1066 is not in clear view from my viewing location.

**Andrew Pratt** · 03 October 2002, 14:23 Thursday

Where do I start! Let me say up front that Rotel does care about what we have to say about their products but the sad fact is there are many unavoidable factors at play and many aren't in our favour.

I was lucky enough to get some background information regarding what's occuring and I really feel for the manufactures out there right now trying to deliver products in this rappidly changing field. Unfortunatly many of the things we're asking for simply aren't possible given the hardware involved in the current models. In some cases its limitations in the hardware itself (physical size of the display for example) and other times its that the processor simply doens't have the horsepower to do what we'd like (new formats calculations etc) Now that's not to say some things can't be addressed but my expectations are now lower then they once were. Add to this that Rotel isn't a monsterous company like say Sony so they only have some much R&D time in which they have to provide support and tweaks to this years line while at the same time developing the next years line up. In a sense many of our requests for the 1055/1066 may not be implimented for the current models but may be considered for next years units...while this isn't what a lot of us wanted to hear the fact is when you have limited resources you have to make choices about where you're going to allocate them and from a business stand point developing new models makes more sense then tweaking an "older" model.

This also applies to Rotels support. They simply don't have that many people working to provide front line support to all their products for all incoming emails. I'm sure they are doing all they can but please bare in mind that when you email Rotels tech support you are contacting a person that is very likely exteremly busy and may not know the answer to your question...esp if its concerning a firmware related issue.

I do know that they didn't really expect the "enthusiasm" the user community has had for the 1055/1066 esp when it comes to the firmwares etc. Its interesting that the Marantz 8200 is firmware upgradeable but no one talks about that feature on the Marantz..simply becasue Marantz hasn't used it yet and has made no public plans that I'm aware of to use it while Rotel has already used theirs so we have come to expect more updates as well as fix's to our concerns. Obviously some of our concerns are very valid and IMO should be addressed but for a variety of reasons be it hardware, time or money the likelyhood of them all being done is virtually nill.

This isn't the best of news I know but its the reality we face where companies are forced to release new products with more and more complex features in order to remain competitive. If you're busy looking at next year its hard to find the time and money to also look backwards...remember the 1066 is getting near a year old already!

All that said they're looking at our list carefully and some things can be done while others appear to be supported in the next model...I'll see if I can elaborate more so stay tuned.

**efarstad** · 03 October 2002, 15:01 Thursday

First off, thanks goes to Andrew for stepping in as our Rotel liason...

Secondly, I'll be happy with anything Rotel can offer in terms of upgrades, because for me the 1066 does everything I need it to do...it's used only for HT so none of the "bass management" issues bother me, etc.

Thanks again!

E

The Norwegian A/V Nut!
E-Cinema

**Nicholas Renter** · 03 October 2002, 15:11 Thursday

So what, if anything, is Rotel willing to address / fix on the 1066?

**JohnSC** · 03 October 2002, 15:38 Thursday

Does that mean that the "Major" release we were all waiting for is no longer going to happen?

J.

**Andrew Pratt** · 03 October 2002, 15:52 Thursday

I'm waiting to hear back from them how much I can say about what I was told about our requests...from the looks of the list there's a number of them that are being considered for this years models and the rest either are in consideration for the next model or are already slated to be supported.

**JKohn** · 03 October 2002, 16:07 Thursday

- proper identification of PCM 24/96. My DVD player (Pioneer 737) can send a PCM 24/96 but the 1066 recons its a 48 KHz even though I think it still plays it at 96 Khz.

Alvaro,
If you have things set up correctly the 1066 should recognize 96khz properly and display it as such. I've verified this by testing with 88khz and 96khz audio sent from my HTPC. Are you sure you have this feature set up correctly on your DVD player? Most player by default will downsample to 48khz unless you go into the setup menu and change the option.

Jeff Kohn

http://home.houston.rr.com/jeffkohn

**Axial Offset** · 03 October 2002, 16:15 Thursday

Hi,

I'll want :

- No plop in my speakers when i change audio tracks (DVDs and CDs) in digital input, no problem in analog input.
- Fade in fade out when i push mute key.
- Always display the volume on the lcd.

**AlvaroD** · 03 October 2002, 16:55 Thursday

Originally posted by JKohn

Alvaro,
If you have things set up correctly the 1066 should recognize 96khz properly and display it as such. I've verified this by testing with 88khz and 96khz audio sent from my HTPC. Are you sure you have this feature set up correctly on your DVD player? Most player by default will downsample to 48khz unless you go into the setup menu and change the option.

Yes my DVD player is configured to send out 96Khz on the SPDIF (Setup Menu->Audio->Enable 96Khz spdif) and the source is the DVD Audio disc "Queen - A night at the opera", PCM 24/96 track.

Weirdest thing is that the 1066 does display 96 Khz when I'm browsing the DVD-Audio's menu but when the PCM track starts, it displays 48 Khz :roll:

**Andrew Pratt** · 03 October 2002, 17:31 Thursday

I just got off the phone with Mike Bartlett VP of Rotel North America and he's a genuinely fantastic person to chat with. Let me say that Mike is genuinely interested in what he have to say and is committed to doing what they can to make sure Rotel delivers a solid product. So without further adieu here's some more info for you to ponder.

* I think the biggest priority right now should be to change the firmware to correctly allow the "YES" setting of the subwoofer to only redirect bass from small speakers. It currently functions as the Subwoofer "MAX" setting

This is priority one for rotel and it will be fixed as soon as possible.

*I'd like to be able to turn off the Rec out on the LCD display. An easy work around for Rotel would be to simply allow a blank character to be used for an input that way we could rename the rec out to be all blank...of course I'd prefer to a simple on/off option in the menu but I'll take what we can get.

This is something they're working on. part of the problem is that the silk screening currently says rec out so to remove it causes problems...the sol'n will likely be to offer a toggle in the set up menu to remove it and replace it with the volume display.

more to come I need to head off home...stay tuned.

part two...

* it would be much easier for the average user if Rotel moved away from the old millisecond delay method and simply allowed users to input the distance to the speaker.

Not possible with current processor...planned for next model

*This might be the most difficult but how about different speaker settings for each surround mode ie. you could set the speakers to small for DD or DTS and large for 2 channel music and have these settings remembered so you can set them and forget them!

Not possible with current processor...planned for next model

*Increase the number of characters you can use for input labels

This is a display issue so the display either has to be replaced or try to scroll the display...currently been looked into

*Increase the granularity of the sub crossover

Being looked into for new model

*Display Rotel XS processing when this mode is running

This was well received and will be looked into.

*I would really, really like to see a future upgrade include an easier way to control whether the CB speaker is on or not. I really like the rear surround in movies, but I'm not liking it so much for music

Being looked into for new model

*On the Sub Setup menu where you can set the sub level for each of the sound formats, instead of having 'min' as the lowest setting, why not have the option of turning it 'off'?

Being looked into for new model

That's it so far...basically they're planning on doing what they can with the current hardware and planning on adding the others to the next model which will have accomodating horsepower etc. What this means is that keep the suggestions coming, even if they aren't possible for a current model it can only help to make future products better.

**RogueAngel** · 03 October 2002, 19:42 Thursday

That's really good news Andrew. For me, the bass management issue was the only "must have". The rest are great ideas, especially matching volume for different sources, but are not deal breakers for me. Fix the bass management and I will be a happy customer.

**sdecker** · 03 October 2002, 20:05 Thursday

The only thing I would really like is the bass management to work the way it is described in the manual. All the other stuff mentioned would be nice.
The double bass issue is a major issue with me for the Multi channel inputs.

If this is not possible thru a software upgrade, I hope Rotel can work something out with unhappy customers in regards to possible returns or trades toward a new unit which will work as described.

I also wanted to thank Andrew for all his work on these issues.

Earle

**JKohn** · 03 October 2002, 20:28 Thursday

Andrew, did they say anything about being able to manually engage DTS-ES matrix processing?

Jeff Kohn

http://home.houston.rr.com/jeffkohn

**Andrew Pratt** · 03 October 2002, 20:49 Thursday

Jeff the last I heard about that the problem was a legal issue not a processor issue. For some reason DTS didn't want Rotel to enable that feature...

**JohnSC** · 03 October 2002, 21:16 Thursday

Andrew,

Excellent work. Did they give an indication as to when?.....I know it sounds impatient but being spoilt with such a great product has whetted my appetite for more!

Cheers

John

**Nicholas Renter** · 03 October 2002, 21:56 Thursday

Maybe it's just me, but I'm a bit disappointed. I was hoping that "software upgradable" meant "allows us to add new features as time and technology allows" and not "allows us to fix bugs in our code over the course of the next year."

Sure it's flattering that Rotel will support our suggestions in their next product, but...I guess the question really is will we support Rotel in their next product?

**Andrew Pratt** · 03 October 2002, 22:14 Thursday

Nicholas it could be worse...you could own a product that isn't even firmware upgradable and has to be shipped back to the factory like the Outlaw's when a problem comes up. Trust me Rotel is doing all they can with what they have to work with but some things simply aren't possible given the hardware they have to work with.

**Danbry39** · 03 October 2002, 22:27 Thursday

I'm very happy that this dialogue with Rotel occured. At least now, I can hold realistic expectations for the future. I again thank Andrew and the people at Rotel for taking the time to explain the situation and what they could/could not do with the current 1066. All in all, I've been extremely happy with the unit, especially for HT, which is superb, at least from what I hear using my old Onkyo as the pre/pro. Two channel is also vastly improved over the Onkyo. I'll keep in mind that there aren't too many pre/pros at this price point and that, to me, that silver color is a joy to look at everyday.

Keith

**JKohn** · 04 October 2002, 00:00 Friday

Originally posted by Andrew Pratt

Jeff the last I heard about that the problem was a legal issue not a processor issue. For some reason DTS didn't want Rotel to enable that feature...

That's incredibly lame if true, aren't there other processors that can do it, such as the Outlaw?

I'm not trying to shoot the messenger, I just find this a bit absurd, since it makes the DTS track on at least one disc I own useless.

Jeff Kohn

http://home.houston.rr.com/jeffkohn

**Jay Sylvester** · 04 October 2002, 00:25 Friday

Since the change from milliseconds to speaker distance in the delay setup is a no-go, can I assume that a general delay for all speakers is also impossible?

The AVM 20 is my primary candidate right now since it has this exact feature included for precisely the reason I posted previously. I'd really like to save the cash and keep my 1066 though.

**Arnold van Oostrum** · 04 October 2002, 02:43 Friday

Andrew and ofcourse the people at Rotel, compliments on this action.
What Rotel will take for future models, does that include the coming RSP-1098? Or is it a model after that one?

I see that Rotel looks into displaying when Rotel XS is active. What I would like is the possibilty to switch Rotel XS on/off. Now it is always on with 5.1 material (and off is not possible).

During the firmware changes Rotel implemented that DPL-II is always default for all DD2.0 material. My wish is that they left it the way it was, meaning automatic DPL-II for DD2.0 matrix encoded material and automatic 2-channel mode (stereo) for al other DD2.0 material. But this is not a big issue.

**John LaCava** · 04 October 2002, 06:07 Friday

I feel that in order for me to be happy with this machine I need the sub YES/MAX issue and the 5.1 analog double bass issue to be fixed and operate as advertised and expected!.

Short of this I will not be happy with the Rotel. If these two things are the only things they fix I will be sooo happy, none of the other stuff is broken and it all works more or less as advertised so to fix/change the other stuff is secondary to fixing the things that don't work as they should.

Cheers,
J

**sdecker** · 04 October 2002, 07:17 Friday

John,

I agree just fix the double bass issues and the reciever works as its supposed to work. The fact that the manual states one thing and the 1055/1066 does something else is a shame and Rotel should solve this problem asap.

Earle

**Andrew Pratt** · 04 October 2002, 09:51 Friday

When talking with Rotel they didn't know how Outlaw got around the legalities of DTS-ES...

The bass management is their top priority and will be addressed as much as is physically possible

**Energeezer** · 04 October 2002, 17:50 Friday

Am I missing somthing here? So far the bass problem has been a small issue with me due to my setup. I am glad that Rotel has not washed thier hands of it but believe that they deserve no thanks for that.
I FEEL IT IS THIER OBLIGATION TO FIX THIS BY FIRMWARE OR HARDWARE AS IT IS NOT AS ADVERTTISED. Since when do you thank a car company for fixing your new car when it was sold to you faulty? Do not misunderstand me. I am for the most part happy with the product and have faith that it will be fixed to spec but as of now it is defective. If it can not be fixed by firmware then it should be fixed by hardware or exchanged for a working unit no questions asked. I understand that this is a complex piece of equipment and for that reason have no anger thus far towards Rotel as they WILL fix it.
IMO The only people deserving thanks are Andrew and Dre J. Dre J for doing all the research and Andrew for being our liason.
If Rotel fixes the bass issue and goes the extra mile and also makes some of the other requested changes then thanks is deserved.
Steve

The Future of HT lies in FP SPREAD THE WORD

**Andrew Pratt** · 05 October 2002, 12:15 Saturday

Steve from my communication with Rotel they have every intention of fixing their mistake with the sub settings...its their number one priority. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that they'll come through so lets try and remain positive.

**Energeezer** · 05 October 2002, 14:10 Saturday

Andrew
Sorry fo the misunderstanding. I AM POSITIVE or I never would have purchased the unit knowing it had the fault. I love it's sound and other features, and as you know I got it at a great price.
I have owned two other recievers in the last 3 months both of which were faulty. One was a Marantz 7200 and the other a NAD T752 so I understand how hard it is to get it completely right. Unfortunately the faults the other two had were things I could not live with so...
I was only trying to state that I feel (IMO) the bass fix is something Rotel owes its customers as it is not as per the manual and therefore does not req a thank you for trying to fix it. As for the other things (suggestions) any improvements they make are a bonus to the customers and not thier obligation so if they adj any of them for us we should be gratefull.
Even with the bass problem I feel the 1055 is better than the other two products I have mentioned in build and sound quality not to mention power output regardless of the ratings. (the other 2 are rated as more powerful but in the real world THEY ARE NOT!!)
Steve

The Future of HT lies in FP SPREAD THE WORD

**Jay Sylvester** · 07 October 2002, 16:49 Monday

I decided to drop the extra cash and go for the AVM 20. The 1066 is a great pre/pro for the price, certainly amazing in the sound quality department, but not quite robust enough for my needs. While I'm sure Rotel will take care of whatever problems are within their power to solve, there are a few features that can't be provided via firmware updates that I can't live without. I've posted my 1066 in the selling forum for any lurkers who might be interested.

Good luck to the rest of you in getting your issues resolved. I'm sure Rotel will come through for you.

**wanderso** · 14 October 2002, 11:48 Monday

Originally posted by Andrew Pratt

Nicholas it could be worse...you could own a product that isn't even firmware upgradable and has to be shipped back to the factory like the Outlaw's when a problem comes up. Trust me Rotel is doing all they can with what they have to work with but some things simply aren't possible given the hardware they have to work with.

Andrew,

I love my Rotel equip, BUT I had said months ago that I was concerned about Rotel's support on upgrades. They sold the 1066 as an UPGRADABLE processor, not just as a processor that you can add the 'fixes' to at home.

With the changes in the hardware giving us two lines of 1066 (1.xx series and the 2.xx) firmware it looks like Rotel MAY fix the bugs in the 1066, but are concentrating on a new release (1066B/1067 or whatever).

If Rotel were to go the Lexicon route and offer a SUBSTANTIAL trade in on the 1066 to the new 106X and/or the 1098, THEN I would personally feel much more inclined to 'like' Rotel. Not that I plan to upgrade, just that it is a major customer service situation.

Rotel had MANY, MANY bugs in their previous processors and NEVER fixed them, they just dropped those models.

Wilson

**wanderso** · 15 October 2002, 22:16 Tuesday

Originally posted by Andrew Pratt

Steve from my communication with Rotel they have every intention of fixing their mistake with the sub settings...its their number one priority. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that they'll come through so lets try and remain positive.

Yea, at the same time they are pi@@ing around with the MUTE button!

**Andrew Pratt** · 16 October 2002, 10:54 Wednesday

they aren't pissing around with the mute button a request came in to change it and they kindly asked for our opinon before doing anything about it...personally I'm happy they asked.

**AlvaroD** · 16 October 2002, 11:19 Wednesday

Andrew,

any ideas about the release date for the new firmware ?

**Andrew Pratt** · 16 October 2002, 19:04 Wednesday

no not yet. I do know Mike's back traveling again so hopefully he'll have some news when he gets back.

Attention Rotel users...

Attention Rotel users...

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment