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My impressions:
I have waited before deciding to post my impressions of going from a RSP 1069 to SSP 600 until I had a good chance to listen to good cross section of movies and music (and TV watching the Canucks :P ). I have owned various Rotel products over the years including a RSX 1055, RSX 1067, RSP 1068/1077 and RSP 1069/1077 so i am very familiar with the rotel sound.
The sound is certainly different between Rotel and Classe. Classe is not as "in your face" as Rotel, its more laid back and without knowing exactly how put this into the right words it almost gives you the feeling like you want to bump up the center channel during movies. This takes some getting used to, and I am not sure if its my speakers in combination or this is just the style of Classe.
What I have begun to notice thou is a whole new atmosphere and sound when watching movies. The clarity and range of sound made me realize the rotel almost sounded slightly compressed or harsh. Classe lets you see what you are hearing, it leaves you wanting to watch more and more movies.
I used to feel that the new high rez audio formats would trump any lossy one through any processor. I have changed my thoughts on that and realized resolution is important, but certainly not everything. My Rotel processing a 24 bit PCM signal does not produce the quality of audio that the Classe does with a high quality full spec lossy track. I need to do more testing with this because one thing I am starting to realize is that full spec lossy and lossless on many, if not most discs sound nearly identical. When my Oppo arrives I going to test the hell out of it doing lossy to the SSP 600 vs lossless out of the analog section. Since all outputs are always active on the Oppo it will be very easy to do comparisons. I read that when comparing lossless to a full spec lossy signal the difference is only 1/10 of 1% and in many cases I believe this to be true which leaves a lot of value in high end processors.
Side note: If you are on a limited budget there are some great deals out there on high end non HDMI processors. Working around HDMI with a switcher for video (monoprice 5x1 HDMI 1.3b for $33.00) and going full spec lossy from a BD into a high end processor is a much better option then paying big bucks for a mid level HDMI component.
With music the Classe outperforms the Rotel in every possible way. Better dynamics, clarity and there is detail in bass I never expected, and i know there is even more to be had because of my mid level speakers. Apple Lossless files rival some stereo SACDs I played through my RSP 1069 via HDMI PCM. My whole music library has been revitalized and I am jealous to think what you guys with your SSP 800 must be experiencing with SACD and DVD A.
My initial thoughts are very positive and will get better the more time I get to spend listening to music and movies. I have to get used to the more laid back feel of movies and less front heavy audio, but once the movie gets going and the Classe shines I forget about everything but what I am watching and hearing. I have a lot more listening to really understand the differences, but one thing is for sure, Rotel to Classe is a significant upgrade. Couple the audio quality with looks of the product which has always been very important to me, and i have a brand I will likely never stray from.
I have waited before deciding to post my impressions of going from a RSP 1069 to SSP 600 until I had a good chance to listen to good cross section of movies and music (and TV watching the Canucks :P ). I have owned various Rotel products over the years including a RSX 1055, RSX 1067, RSP 1068/1077 and RSP 1069/1077 so i am very familiar with the rotel sound.
The sound is certainly different between Rotel and Classe. Classe is not as "in your face" as Rotel, its more laid back and without knowing exactly how put this into the right words it almost gives you the feeling like you want to bump up the center channel during movies. This takes some getting used to, and I am not sure if its my speakers in combination or this is just the style of Classe.
What I have begun to notice thou is a whole new atmosphere and sound when watching movies. The clarity and range of sound made me realize the rotel almost sounded slightly compressed or harsh. Classe lets you see what you are hearing, it leaves you wanting to watch more and more movies.
I used to feel that the new high rez audio formats would trump any lossy one through any processor. I have changed my thoughts on that and realized resolution is important, but certainly not everything. My Rotel processing a 24 bit PCM signal does not produce the quality of audio that the Classe does with a high quality full spec lossy track. I need to do more testing with this because one thing I am starting to realize is that full spec lossy and lossless on many, if not most discs sound nearly identical. When my Oppo arrives I going to test the hell out of it doing lossy to the SSP 600 vs lossless out of the analog section. Since all outputs are always active on the Oppo it will be very easy to do comparisons. I read that when comparing lossless to a full spec lossy signal the difference is only 1/10 of 1% and in many cases I believe this to be true which leaves a lot of value in high end processors.
Side note: If you are on a limited budget there are some great deals out there on high end non HDMI processors. Working around HDMI with a switcher for video (monoprice 5x1 HDMI 1.3b for $33.00) and going full spec lossy from a BD into a high end processor is a much better option then paying big bucks for a mid level HDMI component.
With music the Classe outperforms the Rotel in every possible way. Better dynamics, clarity and there is detail in bass I never expected, and i know there is even more to be had because of my mid level speakers. Apple Lossless files rival some stereo SACDs I played through my RSP 1069 via HDMI PCM. My whole music library has been revitalized and I am jealous to think what you guys with your SSP 800 must be experiencing with SACD and DVD A.
My initial thoughts are very positive and will get better the more time I get to spend listening to music and movies. I have to get used to the more laid back feel of movies and less front heavy audio, but once the movie gets going and the Classe shines I forget about everything but what I am watching and hearing. I have a lot more listening to really understand the differences, but one thing is for sure, Rotel to Classe is a significant upgrade. Couple the audio quality with looks of the product which has always been very important to me, and i have a brand I will likely never stray from.
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