Suggestions for more power with 1055

[Jsapp]

have had my Rotel RSX 1055 and Monitor 7, CC370 Mini Monitor Pw 2200 setup together for almost 2 months now.

I am pretty happy with it the Rotel has very clean sound and the Monitor series are a good jack of all tradeds for the price.

Here is my "issue". My room is 15 X 17 in the basement but the right wall has a 6 foot opening (by the front speakers out onto a porch and also an open staircase up to the kitchen. My guess is that all this extra volume is sucking up some of my power. I often watch movies at 60 (out of 90) on the volume dial and still wold like it louder. I can't spend a ton of $ on a bunch of extras but any suggestions for what I could do?

Like a 2 ch Rotel amp might help some but my center would still only have 75W. A 5 ch external amp would be too expensive (I think around $1000 canadian for my budget is about MAX). I am not really too aware of 3 channel amps. I'd be happy to consider GOOD used amps if they would make a difference BUT don't forget I'm in Canada so many sellers on Audiogon won't ship here. If I was looking at used what should I look at I don't know much about what companies or maodels to look for here.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Andrew Pratt]

I think the RMB-1066 amp is right at that price point. Its onlt 60 watts times 6 but it can be bridged to get you 150 watts into 8 ohms so that might be a nice add on to the 1055. Here's the spec's on it...it would look very nice with the 1055 given they both use the newer 10XX design. On the used market I'd check out one of these Canadian online sites. Canuck Audio Mark is likely your best bet though.

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/

http://canadianhifi.com/products/

http://www.everestaudio.com/

http://www.creativeaudio.ca/index2.html

http://www.audioshop.on.ca/

http://www.americanhifi.mb.ca/

http://www.nbtelectronics.com/

[Andrew Pratt]

You might want to keep and eye on this auction as well

eBay

[Tha Freak]

You could get a nice used RB-993 (3x200w)...

I have a pair of RB-970 2x60w (bridged to 150w each I think) for sale if you're interested, I live in Québec.

if you understand french, here's a used audio Québec site: http://www.quebecaudio.com/cgi-bin/c...lassifieds.cgi




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"Are you gonna bark all day little doggy?...or are you gonna bite?
-Mr. Blond in Reservoir Dogs

[Jsapp]

Thnks guys this is exactly what I have been looking for.

I bid on the ebay Amp but don't have much hope of winning it. I can only go so high becuse shipping heavy stuff from the US is expensive so I'd have to get it fairly cheap or it would cost as much as a new one.

I never though of a bridged RMB 1066.

Is it hard to bridge this or is it just a question of a switch or connectors? Is the sound of a bridged 130 W amp any different than a NON bridged 130 W amp.
How much Canadian should I expect to pay for this?

I really like the idea of a 3 Ch vs 2 ch so all 3 fronts would have more power. With the RSX 1055 only driving my 2 rears in my current 5.1 setup would expect that they would now recieve more on the order of 90 W per channel (same as RSX 1055 puts out in stereo).

I would consider a used amp other than Rotel and ideas on models to look for?

[Andrew Pratt]

For eBay never bid on an item you're interested in until the last possible second...all you're doing by bidding now is driving up the price...great for the seller but I doubt its what you want

As for the 1066 there should be a switch on the back to flip it into bridged mode...it will all be nicely explained in the manual if you want to download it.

[Danbry39]

One more thing about EBay, I'd list the amount of money you'd be happy paying. For instance, let's say you're down to a minute or two and want to place your bid. Currently, the bid is at $400 and it goes up at increments of $20. Let's also say you'd be happier than heck buying the amp at up to $600. When they ask you what your maximum bid is and you enter $600, your bid will still only be $420, unless the other bidder has stated his max will be, let's say, $550, in which case your bid would be taken to $570 or the nearest increment over their max. If their max was $700, you'd be out of it unless you bid over that amount. Of course, still other bidders might jump into the fray those last couple of minutes and complicate the bidding more.

Hope this wasn't too confusing.

One thing I learned in my many buys off of Ebay is to be patient. More than likely, a similar, perhaps better, buy can be had later on.

And, of course, do your homework on the product, seller, etc. before you even place a bid. I've had a couple of scary moments. I no longer will place a bid that requires, for instance, a money order, because you have no recourse if that deal goes bad.

You might also check places like ubid.com, although I'm not sure if they ship to Canada and they're very hit or miss. They also charge a lot for shipping and don't double-box. Still, I got my Parasound 1205A amp at Ubid for an unbelievable price of $649, brand new and, as they're an authorized dealer, with full 10 year warranty.




Keith

[ht_addict]

Jamie,

To bad you hadn't contacted me a couple weeks earlier, as I was in Nova Scotia for vacation. I could have brought out the amp then. I've sent you an email with pictures but it got returned undeliverable. Maybe your mailbox is full. My RMB-1066 is in A1 shape, ran 95% of the time in 5x70w mode. When I had my Denon 1801 I ran it in 3x150w for a couple of weeks till I got my pre/pro. When bridging the 1066 their is a switch on the back for each channel. Then you just plug your speaker wires in the appropriate spots for each channel. You just have to make sure your speakers are 8ohm which yours are. They are also very efficient so they won't tax the amp. One other thing and others should agree with this. A sign of a good amp is the ability to double its output when the impedance halfs. Since the amp sees 4ohm when bridged it outout is 2.5x. I also e-mailed Rotel a while back and asked about the other spec of the amp when going from stereo to bridged. I was told they stayed the same(SNR, THD). Hope this helps.

ht_addict

[ejfiii]

Perfect amp for you here on Audiogon. I have used an Acurus A250 two channel amp for ten+ years, and now for the past 3 months it has been driving my front two channels from my 1065. The 3 channel A200 will be a great match for the 1055. If you don't know acurus, they were made by the same parent company that makes Aragon amps (Mondial Designs) up until about the mid 90s. Virtually the same interior components as the Aragon amps, without the pretty case design for a much better value.

You can see a picture of it in this listing. Its the top amp in the picture. And finally, here's the webpage for the Classic Acurus equipment from the Mondial webpage. There is even an owners manual available for download there.

Hope that helps.

E. J.




My HT

[Jurgen]

Although I am very much pro upgrade (and admire the guys who are present in this thread :amen: ), I would like to comment a bit different:

I’ve read your initial request and really wonder if an external amp is that necessary. My room happens to be much smaller than yours, but 60 out of 90 is a very normal value for me. Most of the dolby digital dvd’s I listen to, fluctuate around 60/70. Only DTS discs “usually” are around 55.
There is too much variation in loudness to really make a good judgement whether you have to upgrade or not.
There is only one rule of thumb: when it sounds right, it is right! If you notice “clipping” around the 60 mark, then you’re in trouble. But if the sound doesn’t even “harden up” then I see no reason not to increase the volume farther.
Remember: the volume knob does not work with the same principle as “old fashioned” volume knobs where the nine o clock position was pretty much standard. The denon receivers for instance(like the 3802) have to be turned way up (about the same 60/90 ratio) to have a room filling sound.

Too be honest, I’ve tried bridging speakers and I can’t really say I’ve enjoyed the sound that much. To me, bi amping(of the front speakers) was much more successful and I am sure that most people on this forum support the fact that amp power is a very relative subject and not easily measured.

I think that adding a power amplifier could be beneficiary if you want to improve soundstage, detail resolution etc… In your case, I would experiment a bit further with the gear you currently own and perhaps you could give us a few specific examples of the volume setting of dvd’s we al know and love. Although comparisons are hard to make, a sound pressure meter from the listening position could clarify things a bit better.

Jurgen

[Jurgen]

I have absolutely no idea how that frog got there and why it is jumping on my "h" ops:

looks nice though

[Jurgen]

Jsapp(or others),

Any comment :?:

Regards,
Jurgen

BTW: are your room measurements in feet or meters?

[Jsapp]

My measurments are in feet (I rarley post metric on message baords it confuses the heck out of people)

I kind of got off track with the whole more power thing. ops:

I had "some" money I was allowed to spend BUT I also wanted a new home PC to replace my old PII 350. My wife felt that 1. She would get more use out of a PC than a new amp, 2. That going to a PC withat was small quiet and had an LCD screen would result in a nicer looking HT room.

I could not really argue with her on these 2 points.

I ve had chance to live with the system for a while now. We also spent $5 to buy some hardware to string a set of ceiling to floor tab curtains across the opening the the porch and stairs. The curtains have dampened some of the echoes in the room. I still have troublesometimes getting used to turning the volume up to 60 for most DVDs (I know use 60 as my refernce level when setting using Avia). With Avia it works out to around 70 71 db. I often listen to 2 ch music in the 55 range.

If I could find a good 3 chan of amplifiaction cheap ($500-600 Can) I'd probably do it. Even if I could get 2 monoblocks now for the fronts and pick up one down the road for the center I'd consider it. But I just can't see getting the OK for $1000 plus Canadian for a new amp. I watched LOTR at 60 and the 1055 did not get overly hot nor did it clip. So I think readjusting my expecations will be much more cost effectivce than buying new gear.

[gd]

Another poster elsewhere on HTG found an RB-993 (!) on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3043882116&category=14 973

Might be a little beyond the budget, but a fairly rare find.

[Jsapp]

Nice very nice but at 700 US + shipping plus duty I figure 800+ US which is about $1100. Great value (if you could win it at that price and get the guy to ship it to canada but too rich for my blood.

[ilko]

I'd have to agree with Jurgen. I don't think you should be to occupied with the numbers on the screen. Moreover, I sincerely doubt if unsing a separate amp would give you significantly more loudness. The 1055 should be big enough to drive your speakers in such space.

I don't know what it is like in Canada, but here in The Netherlands there are a lot of hifi specialists that will just give you an amp to take home and listen to in you own environment. I think this would be best for you to assess whether a new amp is the solution to your problems!

Regards,
Ilko

[Jurgen]

Hi Jamie,

Sorry for the late response, unfortunately I’ve had flu for the past week. After reading your last post with the description of your room measurements and loudness on Lotr, I am convinced that this combo will work just fine(but you already worked that out!). Of course you can always upgrade later (it’s all in the game!).

Have fun and perhaps till the next thread,
Jurgen.

[aud19]

Anybody actually run a 1066 bridged with a 1055 running the rears and compared it to say the 1055 powered by the 1075? I'm curious as to noise / distortion etc when the 1066 is bridged. I know it has more power bridged than the 1075 but how does it sound? I'm looking at this as an alternative to a 1055 / 1075 combo. Though I'm still leaning 1066 / 1075 too... eesh... :roll: lol

J.R.




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[Andrew Pratt]

bridged amps do give out more power and give you some more flexibility in the future for powering a second zone but in this case I think I'd stick to the 1075 unless budgets didn't allow for that.

[OnlyOne]

I wanted more power and 7.1 from my 1055 as well. Luckily, my local dealer was selling a 1075 floor demo (which had only been OOB for 4 weeks!) for $799. Now I'm only using the 1055 to power the rears.

I'm very happy with the 5.1 sound, I think its a great amp, however, I'm not so thrilled with 7.1 yet. Though Ive only had time to watch one film, I'm not impressed with the use of rear surrounds. However, I have to reserve judgement since I could easily be doing something wrong.

Anyway, you can't go wrong with the 1075 I think.

My 2 cents.