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Hi there....
I had posted recently about my equipment failures with my 1068 pre-processor. After a great deal of frustration having gone through THREE, yes THREE 1068's in 4 months, I was about to give up on Rotel. I have to admit that Rotel, along with my local dealer, were exceptional in providing me with the absolute BEST service during this time period. In a very rare move, Rotel offered me a straight exchange for my 1068 and upgraded me to the 1098! I was originally going to simply return everything back to Rotel (I had bought the matching 1075 amp as well), but decided to give the 1098 a chance, given that the free upgrade was worth approximately double the price of the 1068. Anyways...the reason for my post....I had read previously about the comparisons between the 1068 and the 1098, and I wanted to give my impressions from my experience with both machines. I've only had the 1098 for two weeks, but here are my findings.
I really liked the sound of the 1068 to begin with! With the 1098, however, the sound quality is really taken up a notch. The greatest difference is noticed in the imaging and the soundstage; for the very first time, I am able to close my eyes while listening, and "see" the soundstage in front of me...the placement of instruments....the singer's voice floating in between the speakers. It's as if the speakers totally disappear and the sound is coming from mid-air! (This, of course, only applies to quality recordings. Two of my favorite test cd's are Jennifer Warnes "Famous Blue Raincoat" and "The Hunter"). One is also able to follow individual instruments through complex passages without the typical congestion that is experienced through mid-fi components (yes...I think Rotel is entry level HI fidelity!). Techincally, the quality of sound is very similar between the two units; the quality of treble, midrange, and bass is very good sonically. How the 1098 puts everything together as one complete synergistic sonic experience is where the difference lies.
I have been tweaking my system with various interconnects and power cords (YES, powercords do make a difference!!!!!) so I do attribute some of the sonic improvement to the wire. However, I had these power cords and interconnects when I owned the 1068 as well....so the benefits of the wire I've been using is only utilized more by the 1098.
Before moving to Rotel, I had owned entry level (two channel) Classe Audio equipment. In my opinion, my new Rotel pieces outperform the Classe. If you think Classe equipment is HI FI, then Rotel surely is as well! This is not to say that Classe equipment is sub standard; it was 10 years old, and techology has probably improved since I acquired those pieces.
So for now...I'm very happy with the sound quality of the 1098. My fingers are crossed though..hoping that I don't experience any problems with the unit like I had with my 1068.
calgaryguy
I had posted recently about my equipment failures with my 1068 pre-processor. After a great deal of frustration having gone through THREE, yes THREE 1068's in 4 months, I was about to give up on Rotel. I have to admit that Rotel, along with my local dealer, were exceptional in providing me with the absolute BEST service during this time period. In a very rare move, Rotel offered me a straight exchange for my 1068 and upgraded me to the 1098! I was originally going to simply return everything back to Rotel (I had bought the matching 1075 amp as well), but decided to give the 1098 a chance, given that the free upgrade was worth approximately double the price of the 1068. Anyways...the reason for my post....I had read previously about the comparisons between the 1068 and the 1098, and I wanted to give my impressions from my experience with both machines. I've only had the 1098 for two weeks, but here are my findings.
I really liked the sound of the 1068 to begin with! With the 1098, however, the sound quality is really taken up a notch. The greatest difference is noticed in the imaging and the soundstage; for the very first time, I am able to close my eyes while listening, and "see" the soundstage in front of me...the placement of instruments....the singer's voice floating in between the speakers. It's as if the speakers totally disappear and the sound is coming from mid-air! (This, of course, only applies to quality recordings. Two of my favorite test cd's are Jennifer Warnes "Famous Blue Raincoat" and "The Hunter"). One is also able to follow individual instruments through complex passages without the typical congestion that is experienced through mid-fi components (yes...I think Rotel is entry level HI fidelity!). Techincally, the quality of sound is very similar between the two units; the quality of treble, midrange, and bass is very good sonically. How the 1098 puts everything together as one complete synergistic sonic experience is where the difference lies.
I have been tweaking my system with various interconnects and power cords (YES, powercords do make a difference!!!!!) so I do attribute some of the sonic improvement to the wire. However, I had these power cords and interconnects when I owned the 1068 as well....so the benefits of the wire I've been using is only utilized more by the 1098.
Before moving to Rotel, I had owned entry level (two channel) Classe Audio equipment. In my opinion, my new Rotel pieces outperform the Classe. If you think Classe equipment is HI FI, then Rotel surely is as well! This is not to say that Classe equipment is sub standard; it was 10 years old, and techology has probably improved since I acquired those pieces.
So for now...I'm very happy with the sound quality of the 1098. My fingers are crossed though..hoping that I don't experience any problems with the unit like I had with my 1068.
calgaryguy
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