Rotel 1550 or others for B&W 600 setups?

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  • newuser12345
    Junior Member
    • Mar 2010
    • 3

    Rotel 1550 or others for B&W 600 setups?

    Hi, I have a 5.1 setup using B&W 600s and Rotel 1056 bought many years ago. Think it is the time to upgrade to HDMI connections. Does Rotel 1550 or 1560 still worth the price? Any alternative choice? Also seems not as many dealers are both authorized Rotel and B&W dealers today compared to 6 years ago. Is Rotel still the best receiver choice for 600s video setup?


    Thanks,

    Tom
  • stuofsci02
    Super Senior Member
    • Nov 2009
    • 1241

    #2
    Originally posted by newuser12345
    Hi, I have a 5.1 setup using B&W 600s and Rotel 1056 bought many years ago. Think it is the time to upgrade to HDMI connections. Does Rotel 1550 or 1560 still worth the price? Any alternative choice? Also seems not as many dealers are both authorized Rotel and B&W dealers today compared to 6 years ago. Is Rotel still the best receiver choice for 600s video setup?


    Thanks,

    Tom
    Of course it is user preference, but HDMI still isn't a reliable method of connection for HiFi audio IMHO. I agree it is nice for video. I added an Oppo HTM-31 HDMI switch to my system for this reason. Also, you can get the new HD audio decoding in the Blu-Ray player. I really feel, if you like your current reciever you don't need to upgrade to get these extra bells and whistles..

    And if you do really want them, I would suggest a Pre/Pro with a 5 or 7 channel power amp. That way your amp is upgrade proof.
    Main System:
    B&W 801D
    Emotiva USP-1 Pre-Amp
    Chord SPM-650 Stereo Amp
    Oppo BDP-105
    Squeezebox Touch


    Second System:
    B&W CM7
    Emotiva UMC-1
    Emotiva UPA-2
    Oppo BDP-83SE
    Grant Fidelity DAC-09

    Comment

    • JustinGN
      Senior Member
      • May 2009
      • 105

      #3
      Upgrading to HDMI depends on what sort of function your speakers serve. If you're listening to music, be it DVD Audio, SACDs, or regular CDs, it's probably a good idea to just stick with what you have and grab a universal player (The Oppo BDP-83, despite being a Blu-Ray Player, also plays all of the above formats and has multichannel analog outputs for legacy processors or receivers). If you use them for movies or games, however, upgrading to HDMI is a necessity.

      Personally, I'd recommend going the route of seperates if budget and space permit. Using a seperate processor and amplifier allows you to upgrade to newer technologies without completely sacrificing your existing setup, and tend to have higher resell values on sites like audiogon or videogon. In terms of Rotel, the 15-series has gotten pretty rave reviews on their receivers and processors, though I haven't heard anything concerning their dedicated amplifiers yet. If you're looking to save some cash, look into Emotiva: their UMC-1 is a great introductory processor with a fair amount of features, and their amplifiers use a classic Class AB design for tons of power without a lot of cost.

      What are you looking into doing, exactly? That will allow better feedback.

      Comment

      • bnieman
        Senior Member
        • Jun 2006
        • 202

        #4
        You can get much more value out of legacy preamp/processor+amp setups with a Blu-Ray player with analog output like the Oppo BDP-83 than trying to buy a mid-range receiver with the latest and greatest connections and bitsream support.

        I researched a lot and even demoed the latest Marantz processor in my home with HDMI switching and HD codec support. I tested it against my Rotel RSP-1068 and sound quality wise they were nearly identical. So it was a question of spending $2400 on getting HD bitsream and HDMI support (and selling my RSP-1068 for a little more than 1/4 of it's original price) or living with analog connections... It was a no brainer to me.

        Receivers and preamp/processors lose their value almost immediately whereas a decent amp will hold it's value quite well.

        Your best sound quality/value option right now is using your RSX-1056 as a preamp/processor and adding a dedicated surround sound amp. I highly recommend the matching RMB-1085 (5x100w Class D) or RMB-1095 (5x200w Class AB). Both sound very similar to me. If you want to save even more money you can go with the slightly less as impressive RMB-1075 (5x125w Class AB).

        If you want a little bit more out of your setup I bet you could sell your RSX-1056 and pick up a RSP-1068 for around the same price you can sell your RSX-1056 for. Since the RSP-1068 is a dedicated preamp/processor you get better sound quality across the board (although not as big of a jump as adding on that external amp).

        Put the money you save into something else Maybe upgrade those 600s to the 700 series....
        Guide: Ripping DVD-Audio Discs (DVD-A) to FLAC in Windows

        Comment

        • hifiguymi
          Super Senior Member
          • Mar 2007
          • 1532

          #5
          The RSX-1058 and RSX-1550 do sound better than the RSX-1057 and the RSX-1056 so the OP should try one out if you can. Although the amplifier sections are the same in all of them, the preamp sections are different and the DSP engines are VERY different. The same is true for the RSP-1068 to the RSP-1069 and RSP-1570. The newer ones are better sounding and it's pretty noticeable. I've done side by sides with the RSP-1068 and the RSP-1069 as well as the RSX-1057 (which sounds the same as the RSX-1056) and RSX-1058 and it was pretty easy to tell. The newer ones are more open on the top end and have a bigger soundstage without adding any brightness. The bass is faster and more integrated as well.

          The 15 Series is very similar to the last generation 10 Series but with updated HDMI boards and DSP engines. The sound quality is very close between them.

          The RSX-1560 is a little different in that there was not a direct predecessor. The amplifier section (along with the front panel display) are the only things different between it and the RSX-1550 and since it's a class D and the RSX-1550 is class A/B, they do sound different. That comes down to personal choice.

          As for whether there is something else out there, the answer is yes. It comes down to what you like the sound of and the feature set you're after. There are nice receivers from Denon, Pioneer Elite, etc at those prices but I'd still take the Rotel myself (I happen to own an RSX-1058 ). I haven't found another brand that sounds as good in all areas, movies and music, at the same price. They have more features like auto room correction, network audio, and video processing but I don't care about them in a receiver. I like the leave the video to the companies that do it for a living, network audio can come from better solutions for not a lot of money, and I don't like auto room correction. It just comes down to you and what you are after.

          Eric

          Edit was to get rid of an accidental emoticon.
          Last edited by hifiguymi; 20 March 2010, 10:04 Saturday.

          Comment

          • newuser12345
            Junior Member
            • Mar 2010
            • 3

            #6
            Thanks a lot for all of your inputs. Does anyone know if master audio/True HD really makes a difference on a 5.1 setup? Or is this something you need a 7.1 setup to really feel it? Also from the content point of view, is it true that most bluerays now have 7.1 master audio/True HD. But aside from bluerays and a few special CD (e.g., SACD) formats which are dying anyway, no other source (e.g., cable/satellite/PS3) is using the loss less digital audio format?

            Comment

            • bnieman
              Senior Member
              • Jun 2006
              • 202

              #7
              DTS HD-Master Audio and Dolby True HD certainly makes a difference in a 5.1 setup. The nicer your components are the more difference it's going to make regardless of the number of speakers you have. There is a much greater dynamic range with the studio-quality lossless audio compared to their compressed counter parts.

              I also believe a stellar 5.1 system is always better than a less than stellar 7.1 system. More isn't better, it's quality that counts. You will get much better value out of putting the money you would have spent on two extra speakers into a nicer amp, preamp, or Blu-Ray player. The difference between 5.1 and 7.1 is nothing compared to the difference between stereo and 5.1.

              As far as current Blu-Ray discs go, a lot of them only have 5.1 tracks anyway. You can check out Amazon.com, they usually specify the audio tracks on each disc.

              You are correct in saying no other source is currently using DTS-HD-MA and Dolby True, not to say that won't change in the future.

              Cheers! And let us know how your system ends up
              Guide: Ripping DVD-Audio Discs (DVD-A) to FLAC in Windows

              Comment

              • hifiguymi
                Super Senior Member
                • Mar 2007
                • 1532

                #8
                If you go here - http://www.blu-raystats.com/ - you can look at how few 7.1 discs there are out there. I happen to like 7.1 systems if the room is big enough and the speakers are set up correctly. It can be tough to do and, as bnieman pointed out, a really good 5.1 system is better than an average 7.1 system since most movies are 5.1 anyway.

                Eric

                Comment

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