RMB1066

[princeoliver]

Does anyone know how the RMB1066 when BRIDGED will be compared to the 985 mkII? I am thinking of using this amp in this mode to power my L/R/C. Will it be a step down from the 985 mkII? I currently use the 985 to bi-amp my front L and R channels. The Centre is bi-amp between my RSX972 and 985. The rears are power by the RSX972. My speakers are power hungry Mirage OM6 for the front, Mirage M7si for the rears and Energy AC300 for centre. Alternately, I guess I can add the RMB1066 to power the rear. I do HF/music mabybe 25/75 of the time. Does $600 CAD seem like a good deal for a two year old RMB1066?

[Andrew Pratt]

What's the ohm rating on those mirage speakers? The 1066 can't power 4 ohm speakers when bridged. I'm not sure how it would sound in comparison but usually bridging increases the distortion in amps. As always try and demo them at home if possible but $600 doesn't see to bad a price.

[ht_addict]

Seeing that this is the amp I'm trying to sell, I throw in my 2cents. As far as bridging the amp, make sure your speakers are 8ohm, sSince the amp is seeing 4ohms when bridged. Now if you look at the specs for the amp in stereo mode its running 6x60, 5x70, but when you bridge it, it puts out 3x150. A signal of a good amp when going from 8-4ohms is the ability to double its output, the 1066 does this. I also e-mailed Rotel and asked about THD, S/N ratio when bridged and was told that it remains the same. You can e-mail them if you want to verify. Now as far as testing it in bridged mode, I'm mostly a movie nut. When I had my Denon 1801 I ran the amp 3x150 to power the fronts/center and the Denon to cover the rears. Except for sounding louder, everything else remained the same(clarity, detail soundstage). This was powering my Paradigm Mini Monitors/CC-350. For a 2yr old amp the price is great. It retail is $1000CDN and if your lucky to get 15% of you'd basically pay $1000CDN after tax. I still have the reciept that I will also give you, and even though Rotel does not allow warranty transfer, I'd be more than happen to help out who ever buys the amp with any warranty repair for the remainder of the 5yrs.(ie: Meet at the store where it was bought, or send it to me and I'd take it in. But since your in T.O and the amp was bought in Oakville we can easily meet). Currently I am on the east coast so if you wanted a demo, I could do that for you when I get back. Any questions just e-mail me. I'm in no rush to sell and if need be I'd use it in a 7.1 setup down the road.

ht_addict

[dali]

A swedish hifi-mag tested the RMB1066 and they recommended that you do NOT use bridged mode, they thought it sounded best in non-bridged mode. However, that was for hifi, bridged mode for movie use is probably less of a problem. All in all the magazine highly recommended the RMB 1066, especially considering the low price per channel.

ht_Addict, I guess you mean 6x60W or 5x70W since the RMB 1066 "only" has 6 channels.

[princeoliver]

Thanks Andrew, Ht_addict and Dali for your replies. Yes Ht_addict I am the guy who email you last week regarding your 1066. The Mirage OM and M series speaker drops to 4 ohms. So if the 1066 cannot handle 4 ohms when bridged, it is not really a good match for them. In fact Mirage speakers are laid back. On the other hand, Rotel amps are neutral. So I believe Mirage speakers really need a brighter amp in order to bring out their full potential. Another 985 or 1075 to bi-amp all my speakers, a 993 to power my L/C/R or a brighter amp from another brand might be a better choice. I am in no hurry to buy too. I am heading to Ottawa next weekend. So we would have to discuss any demonstrations the week after.

[ht_addict]

Thanks Andrew, Ht_addict and Dali for your replies. Yes Ht_addict I am the guy who email you last week regarding your 1066. The Mirage OM and M series speaker drops to 4 ohms. So if the 1066 cannot handle 4 ohms when bridged, it is not really a good match for them. In fact Mirage speakers are laid back. On the other hand, Rotel amps are neutral. So I believe Mirage speakers really need a brighter amp in order to bring out their full potential. Another 985 or 1075 to bi-amp all my speakers, a 993 to power my L/C/R or a brighter amp from another brand might be a better choice. I am in no hurry to buy too. I am heading to Ottawa next weekend. So we would have to discuss any demonstrations the week after.

If your speakers are 8ohm to begin with then its okay to bridge. I believe it is normal for speakers to fluctuate between ohms over their frequency range. If you were to pick up the amp I would suggest you use it to power the rears, either in bridged mode or for biamping. This would free up your rsx972 from having to power anything. Even in stereo mode your only going to be off 1-1.5db total volume as compared to your 985(70 vs 110w x5).

ht_addict