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I have Nautilus 804s, some Polk outdoor patio speakers on a zone 2, a Harmon Kardon DVD/CD/SACD player, Charter digital cable (not HD), a VCR, IPOD/dock and 30-inch standard tube TV. My 75 Watt, 7.1 channel Harmon Kardon AV 635 receiver will be removed from service due to a processor malfunction. Listening room is about 12x20 feet with speakers along the wide wall facing a 9-foot leather couch and 6-foot leather coffee table, on a wood laminate/concrete slab floor mostly covered by large area rug, with 12 feet of filled book shelves along one short end of the room. I want a major upgrade in high-fidelity stereo sound for music and for movies. Musical taste includes bluegrass, jazz, classical and rock. I have $5,000 to spend.
My favorite shop recommends:
Rotel RB 1080 stereo amp (200 watts, 2 channels) ($999);
Rotel RC-1082 stereo preamp ($1199);
Rotel RCD 1072 HDCD player ($699);
Transparency MusicLink Plus interconnects pr. 1 mtr. ($360);
Transparency MusicWave Plus speaker cables par. 12' ($1010); and
Audio Authority 4x1 component video autoselector 1154A ($239).
Shops says above maximizes hi-fidelity music sound. They say analog stereo simplicity of the above set-up will sound significantly better for music than anything at $5k cost involving multi-channel with video switching. I like the promise of a spine tingling musical sound improvement over the old HK set-up but do not like the need for separate video switching device and lack of am/fm tuner.
I wonder if a surround sound receiver (like Rotel RSX 1067) or pre/pro (like Rotel RSP 1069) would not sound equally good for stereo music while simplifying video switching for the above components, giving me am/fm and allowing a simpler future addition of HD TV and surround speakers. If the stereo sound from the recommended Rotel components were sufficiently sweet, my interest in a potential future surround speaker set-up might wane. Even if I never go to surround speakers, I might in the future add a subwoofer to improve deep bass for music and movie effects.
If separate stereo amplifier and stereo preamp would deliver clearly better musical sound than the surround receiver or pre/pro approach, what do people think about the Rotel components my shop recommends versus similar components from Anthem (MCA20 applifier [225 w/2ch]) and TLP1 pre/pro/tuner or AVM30 pre/pro/tuner). Any other recipe for a $5K system to run B&W 804s for music?
Does $1000 for the Transparancy 12-foot speaker cables and another $360 for the Transparancy interconnects make sense? I am willing to believe that cable choice at these prices can make a difference.
Would dropping the $699 Rotel CD player and just continuing to use my Harmon Kardon DVD 47 player degrade the sound audibly? If not, I could throw the $699 at another part of this system.
My long-distance reference is my father's late 1990s all-Mcintosh 150 w/ch ss receiver and CD system driving some giant Italian floor standers. I like the idea of McIntosh but don't think I can afford anything like that to run my 804s.
Your thoughts much appreciated.
My favorite shop recommends:
Rotel RB 1080 stereo amp (200 watts, 2 channels) ($999);
Rotel RC-1082 stereo preamp ($1199);
Rotel RCD 1072 HDCD player ($699);
Transparency MusicLink Plus interconnects pr. 1 mtr. ($360);
Transparency MusicWave Plus speaker cables par. 12' ($1010); and
Audio Authority 4x1 component video autoselector 1154A ($239).
Shops says above maximizes hi-fidelity music sound. They say analog stereo simplicity of the above set-up will sound significantly better for music than anything at $5k cost involving multi-channel with video switching. I like the promise of a spine tingling musical sound improvement over the old HK set-up but do not like the need for separate video switching device and lack of am/fm tuner.
I wonder if a surround sound receiver (like Rotel RSX 1067) or pre/pro (like Rotel RSP 1069) would not sound equally good for stereo music while simplifying video switching for the above components, giving me am/fm and allowing a simpler future addition of HD TV and surround speakers. If the stereo sound from the recommended Rotel components were sufficiently sweet, my interest in a potential future surround speaker set-up might wane. Even if I never go to surround speakers, I might in the future add a subwoofer to improve deep bass for music and movie effects.
If separate stereo amplifier and stereo preamp would deliver clearly better musical sound than the surround receiver or pre/pro approach, what do people think about the Rotel components my shop recommends versus similar components from Anthem (MCA20 applifier [225 w/2ch]) and TLP1 pre/pro/tuner or AVM30 pre/pro/tuner). Any other recipe for a $5K system to run B&W 804s for music?
Does $1000 for the Transparancy 12-foot speaker cables and another $360 for the Transparancy interconnects make sense? I am willing to believe that cable choice at these prices can make a difference.
Would dropping the $699 Rotel CD player and just continuing to use my Harmon Kardon DVD 47 player degrade the sound audibly? If not, I could throw the $699 at another part of this system.
My long-distance reference is my father's late 1990s all-Mcintosh 150 w/ch ss receiver and CD system driving some giant Italian floor standers. I like the idea of McIntosh but don't think I can afford anything like that to run my 804s.
Your thoughts much appreciated.
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