OK, so here is my attempt to break down the RC-1090, the RC-1070 and the Bryston BP-25; I am no expert, so take this for what it is worth, and as always, listen for yourself….
Two weeks ago I did a listen to three Pre-Amps, the RC-1070, the Bryston BP-25 and a VTL two-channel pre.
The associated equipment was a pair of B&W N803s, a Bryston 4B-SST fed by an RCD-1072.
So after yesterday’s debacle, the dealer called and said they would open a new RC-1090 for me to come in and listen to, and even let me take it home to try it out along with the Bryston. So off to the dealer I went….
A quick recap of two weeks ago: the VTL and the Bryston were pretty close, the tube pre smoothing the highs out a bit too much for my taste, while the BP-25 just sounded good… The 1070 sounded like a sheet was thrown over the speaker in comparison. But, hardly fair because of the massive price difference between these three.
While I was disappointed two weeks ago with the 1070, today the 1090 was much, much better. At first listen to the 1090, I was impressed - it was so good initially that I thought that it was almost equal to the BP-25. But after going back and forth a few time the Bryston proved to be the better sounding unit.
Now, I am not going to make up a list of ways in which it was better, using descriptions like bright and forward. Why? Because I am an Audiophile noob and I am not going to pretend that I know the difference. I’ll leave that to the pros…
But, the BP-25 sounded better, how much better? I’d say about 20% better, where the BP-25 was about 75% better than the RC-1070. Did I compare the RC-1070 and the RC-1090 directly, no. But, after the listen I sat through, I would not consider buying the RC-1070 and would consider the RC-1090. Why? Because that extra 20% the Bryston has comes with an extra $1,300 dollars in cost.
So I brought the BP-25 home to demo, and next Monday I’ll have the RC-1090 overlapping the two for a few days. Right now my 2-Channel stereo has never sounded so good, and it is going to be tough to remove this pre from my system…
As I said last time, I was floored by what a difference these units made to the overall experience.
Cheers,
Keith
Two weeks ago I did a listen to three Pre-Amps, the RC-1070, the Bryston BP-25 and a VTL two-channel pre.
The associated equipment was a pair of B&W N803s, a Bryston 4B-SST fed by an RCD-1072.
So after yesterday’s debacle, the dealer called and said they would open a new RC-1090 for me to come in and listen to, and even let me take it home to try it out along with the Bryston. So off to the dealer I went….
A quick recap of two weeks ago: the VTL and the Bryston were pretty close, the tube pre smoothing the highs out a bit too much for my taste, while the BP-25 just sounded good… The 1070 sounded like a sheet was thrown over the speaker in comparison. But, hardly fair because of the massive price difference between these three.
While I was disappointed two weeks ago with the 1070, today the 1090 was much, much better. At first listen to the 1090, I was impressed - it was so good initially that I thought that it was almost equal to the BP-25. But after going back and forth a few time the Bryston proved to be the better sounding unit.
Now, I am not going to make up a list of ways in which it was better, using descriptions like bright and forward. Why? Because I am an Audiophile noob and I am not going to pretend that I know the difference. I’ll leave that to the pros…
But, the BP-25 sounded better, how much better? I’d say about 20% better, where the BP-25 was about 75% better than the RC-1070. Did I compare the RC-1070 and the RC-1090 directly, no. But, after the listen I sat through, I would not consider buying the RC-1070 and would consider the RC-1090. Why? Because that extra 20% the Bryston has comes with an extra $1,300 dollars in cost.
So I brought the BP-25 home to demo, and next Monday I’ll have the RC-1090 overlapping the two for a few days. Right now my 2-Channel stereo has never sounded so good, and it is going to be tough to remove this pre from my system…
As I said last time, I was floored by what a difference these units made to the overall experience.
Cheers,
Keith
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