Denon 5700 to 1066/1075 combo

[Joseki]

Is there a clearly audible upgrade from my current receiver to the Rotel combo. $3000 is a lot of money to spend on nuances. Please advise. Also, in the search for more power, would the Outlaw 770 provide better sound than the 1075. I don't really think that I can swing $5k for the 1095!

Thanks for the help.

David

[Danbry39]

This is a very difficult question, especially given you own a Denon flagship receiver. Does the Denon have PLII? If it doesn't, PLII is a significant step up from PLI. Does it have analog out for high rez such as SACD and DVDA? If not, and you'd like to listen to these formats, then that would be pretty significant. Also, outboard amps make a big difference, imo. If the above are non-factors, I'd consider just auditioning how a dedicated amp would work. From what I've read from some who have made the switchover from Denon receivers to Rotel separates, they also noticed a big improvement with two-channel sound.

What I'd suggest is to try and arrange an in-home demo of the Rotel equipment and see if the improvement is enough to justify the cost in your situation to your ears.

By the way, welcome to the forum.




Keith

[Andrew Pratt]

There have been several improvments in decoding since your 5700 came out...namely 6.1, 7.1, Pro logic II, DTS Neo, DTS-ES and DD-EX all of which by themselves add significant improvements over what was available previously. There's a number of people on the web that have also reported that adding a seperate power amp to the 5700 gave them a good boost in detail and a local friend of mine has reported the same thing so yes I'd say that even just adding a seperate power amp would help and adding replacing the 5700 with the 1066 would improve 2 channel sound as well as provide you with far more flexible decoding as well.

[Aeromos]

Hey Joseki,

I'm sure someone in this forum can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the sound quality and any difference in sound would be more determined by the processor. For example a better processor (like the new 1098 as many have said), would allow you to hear more detailed sound that you've never heard before. The amp simply provides the power to give you more headroom. It'll help minimize distortion at higher levels, especially if you have ample power.




Aeromos
Enjoy life, it's too short to waste!!
My Collection

[jimmyp58]

I owned the Denon 5803 for about a month when I decided to make the upgrade to Rotel separates. I believe the AVR-58003 was a model or two after the 5700. There were some quirky things I didn't like about the 5803 but more importantly, I didn't like the separation (or lack thereof) and strain at higher volumes that truly prompted me to make the switch. Afterall, I had just dropped ~$3,500 for the 5803 and while it was certainly an upgrade from my Sony 333ES, I was disappointed with it's overall performance. I auditioned, side-by-side, the 5803 with an Anthem AVM 20/MCA 50 (with Paradigm and Def Tech speakers --- I own Def Tech) setup as well as a Rotel 1066 & 1098 with a RMB-1095 amp (with B&W speakers). With both demo's, I was hearing more separation and clarity but more importantly, I was not hearing the strain as I had experienced with my Denon at higher volumes. The Anthem had some features the Rotel didn't have and visa versa. Actually, my decision from a sonic standpoint was easy as both outperformed the Denon to a great degree. The decision was based on features. I knew that with either, I'd lose the extra two channels as the amps were only 5-channel vs. 7 but heck, I wasn't running 7.1 anyway and when that time comes, I'll just buy a separate 2-channel amp. To be quite honest, I just liked the Rotel gear better so it was more subjective than objective.

I chose the 1098 over the 1066 because I felt it was/is a better processor and more importantly, I really liked the tft display because I run DVD-A and I have two CD carousels that have composite video output. I was always leary of having a static picture on my hdtv --- the tft took care of that anxiety of mine.

Botttom line, I am supremely confident you will experience a noticeable upgrade by putting your Denon to rest and the 1066/1075 combo will fulfill what you are trying to achieve.

Jim

[Andrew Pratt]

Aeromos while that's true for the most part I'd caution people not to assume all amps of similar warrage sound the same. The differences might sometimes be subtle but they are there. Take my HK PA5800 amp vs my new 1075. On paper the HK gives me 95 watts vs the 125 from rotel which isn't that different when you remember that it takes 4X the power to make a percievable difference in volume yet the two amps sound very different. When you look a little deeper you find that the HK's power supply is much smaller and that shows when you look at how well both amps do into 4 ohm loads. Simply put the Rotel has much more current available to the amps when required which gives you more control over cone movement and thus clarity.

[Danbry39]

Not so subtle in some cases. With my switch from using the power of my Onkyo 696 to my Parasound 1205A, the sonic difference was night and day, even with my ultra-efficient Klipsch speakers. Of course, we're talking an older generation Denon flagship here and the differences would probably be much less pronouced. When I say older generation, that's meant to be a good thing. Certain companies, I don't think Denon is necessarily included here, but many of us know which companies I'm speaking of, have power supplies that are lacking, especially with all channels being driven simultaneously. Still, having an outboard amp with a great power supply, such as the Rotel, will, imo, be worth the upgrade.

Besides, power amps tend to sound good after years of usage and haven't gone through such transformational changes as those found in things such as DAC's. I know I'm intending to keep my Parasound for years and expect not to suffer sound degradation as a result.




Keith