Rotel or Arcam?

[jayman_1975]

Hey all, I have been in the hunt for a receiver for awhile now. I thought it was over with my purchase or a NAD T752 but the unit had issues so I sent it back and got back my money. With the little time I spent with that unit I really enjoyed the sound quality compared to my old Denon 3805, plus I loved the learning remote that came with it. I would love to try another NAD avr but have read that most models even right up to their flagship model have speaker noise issues.

I am looking now at possibly a Rotel RSX 1056 or an Arcam avr300. The arcam is more money but has gotten great reviews but the Rotel also is quite well regarded on most forums as well.

My speakers right now are polk monitors but in the future i plan on upgrading to at least RTI's if not LSI. I do not want to have to upgrade my reciever when i change the speakers.

Has anyone heard both of these and could help me decide if the arcam is worth $400 more? I cannot demo so I am going purely on reviews and suggestions on this and other sites.

[RockinAL]

Tuff choice. I have auditioned both and are struggling a bit myself. I think I like the Arcam a little better than the Rotel. I don't remember the $400 price difference either. I thought they were similar in price. But maybe I am thinking about the Arcam AVR350. If you do go with Arcam go for the ARV350, because it has HDMI. If you live in NJ or near by their is a great store that has both recievers that you can do a comparison with. The store is featured in this months, Sound and Vision magazine.

Please let us know what you decide to buy.

[jayman_1975]

Hi. Thanx for the reply. I'm having a heck of a time trying to decide what to buy. You can get a used Rotel RSX 1056 on A'gon/V'gon for around $800. The arcam AVR300 on the same sites are going for $1100 up to $1400. I have found one for $1350 and the guy is willing to ship to Canada(which is tough to find.) I imagine customs will soak me big time on that amount cause when I brought my Rotel RB 1070 up from CA it cost me $80 CDN just to get it through customs, shipping was over and above.

I have been looking also at NAD T763 as well, they are going for around $900 used. I have heard a NAD T752 before and quite liked the sound. I have never heard the Arcam so I'm having a hard time parting with $1350 clams on something I haven't heard. I sure wish I could go and audition them all but I'd have to drive a loooong way for that.

BTW I'm not hung up on having HDMI so I don't think i'd go for the ARCAM avr350. Anywhoo I'll quit yaking and get back to reading some more reviews..lol.

[Martyn]

I've tried the Rotel and the Arcam AVR350, although not side by side. I bought the Arcam.

The AVR350 might still be too new to find discounted by a dealer, but you will probably find a good price on the AVR300 if you search around the Candian Arcam dealers. Many off them have a low-key corner of their websites for the sale of demo equipment and old stock. The AVR350 has better DACs and a better pre-amp section, but you should be able to get a much better price on the 300.

[jayman_1975]

I have found a dealer in Winnipeg who has one(avr300) discounted for $2000 CDN new. Regular was $2500 CDN. I can get one off A'gon for $1350 USD slightly used. But by the time I pay the coversion and border fee's I will be at $1500 -$1600 on the used one. Just about makes sense to go new and have warranty.

[Martyn]

I paid C$2,500 for my AVR350, so I'd say that $2,000 might still be a little high for an AVR300. Make him an offer and see what he says!