Rotel amp choices, etc

[Tomek]

Hello,
I'm new to the forum. I have the following setup:

Rotel RB-1090 amp
Marantz SR-14EX receiver
Paradigm Studio 100v2, CCv2, 20v2 speakers
Marantz DV-12S1 DVD player

Just recently I purchased the RB-1090 since the Paradigm 100s need power, and it made big difference in dynamics. Now I'm thinking of swapping the SR-14EX for the Rotel RSP-1098 and adding another amp for the rest of the channels (center and rears). What would be my best choice (I currently don't care about 7.1, just 5.1)? Should I get

a) RMB-1075
b) RB-993 (if I can find one)
c) RMB-1066 (bridgeable to 3 x 150W)
d) replace the RB-1090 with RMB-1095
e) other?

Also, naive question, should I expect a great improvement by swapping SR-14EX for the 1098? Thanks for any insight.

[Scarp]

a) bad match for the 1090, especially for the center channel.
b) Would be a decent choice, but hard to find. Although still not perfect integration
c) worse than a 1075
d) it would be better integration, since all channels will have the same amplifier. However you will loose somewhat in stereo.
e) other choice is a 1095 or a different brand of amp. I had the same question facing me and come to sell my 1090 and buy a parasound A51, which for me sounded better than the 1090 in stereo and better than the 1095 in surround. And its lower priced than a 1090 + 1095 combination.

Again I give the advise I gave someone else:
> 70% of your time in stereo, the get a multichannel amp for all other than the fronts
> 70% in surround, then get one multichannel amp instead of a stereo amp.

[Andrew Pratt]

I agree to a point that if multi channel is your main goal the 1095 would be the best option and wouldn't likly cost much difference from selling the 1090. On the other hand if music is important I'd keep the 1090 and add either the 1095 or 1075. I have the 1075 and its got lots of power and I'm very happy with it. Also while the 1090/1097 combo will sound slightly different across the fronts given the different amps there's also differences in the speakers themselves so don't get too hung up about the amps not perfectly matching...besides when watching a movie you're not going to notice subtle changes like that....at least not if the movies any good

[Tomek]

Thanks for the input so far. I'd appreciate more opinions. Also any comments on the 1098 upgrade from the Marantz SR-14EX?

With respect to RMB-1075, would bi-amping the center channel with 2 channels of 1075 (since I wouldn't be using all amp's channels) improve things quite a bit?

[ht_addict]

Thanks for the input so far. I'd appreciate more opinions. Also any comments on the 1098 upgrade from the Marantz SR-14EX?

With respect to RMB-1075, would bi-amping the center channel with 2 channels of 1075 (since I wouldn't be using all amp's channels) improve things quite a bit?

Its really to bad that Rotel doesn't make a 3 channel amp that would match with the 1090. If your looking at only 5.1 I would personally go with the 1095 after selling the 1090. This is your least costly upgrade and the 1095 has ample power for the 100's. Would you lose out on the stereo side? Don't know, I'm more into HT. But at 200w per/channel I think the 1095 should have no problem hitting ear blistering levels if needed. If you can see if your dealer with let you take one home to demo alongside the 1090.

ht_addict

[aud19]

Yes this would be a lot easier if you had 7.1 ... Personally, without 7.1 I'd either sell the 1090 and buy the 1095 or keep it and buy the 1075 with two un-used channels. You could use them to power a second zone quite nicely if you like. I suppose you could bi-amp the centre speaker as well but you'd still end up with 1 un-used channel.

As for the 1098/SR-14EX. Let me just say I wish I had the problem of upgrading to the 1098 and that will be from the 1066 after this morning! Never mind from a receiver... I say go for it, I can't fathom how you could be dissapointed. Besides all your gear will match then

J.R.




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[rlin]

>Also any comments on the 1098 upgrade from the Marantz SR-14EX?

I do not have Marantz SR-14EX to compare to but I upgraded from a Denon 2800 Receiver to RSP-1098 / 1075 combo and I can tell you the improvement in sound quality is not subtle. The difference is comparable to going from a regular TV to HDTV - definition in sound becomes much clearer more refined. Subtle details in music become more apparent. In your situation I would add a 1075 (silver) to make total of 7 channels. The center channel usually does not handle large amount of bass anyway (re-directed to a sub) so 100 watts per channel of 1075 should be sufficient for most center speakers. You will hear much greater difference between the center and front left / right speakers than the differences in amplifiers driving them. If money is not an issue than the 1095 is even better but I think it's probably overkill.


>With respect to RMB-1075, would bi-amping the center channel with 2 >channels of 1075 (since I wouldn't be using all amp's channels) improve >things quite a bit?

My experience with bi-amping using 2 out of 5 channels of a multi-channel power amp was that it is not worth your time and effort. I actually prefer the sound of the single amp rather than bi-amping. However, different speaker designs may also affect the bi-amping result. if you have extra cable lying around, give it a try.

Robert

[Andrew Pratt]

Thanks for the input so far. I'd appreciate more opinions. Also any comments on the 1098 upgrade from the Marantz SR-14EX?

As the others have mentioned its not going to be a subtle change. I went from using a 1055 as a pre amp and frankly wasn't prepared for how much better the 1098 sounds then even the highly regarded 1055.

With respect to RMB-1075, would bi-amping the center channel with 2 channels of 1075 (since I wouldn't be using all amp's channels) improve things quite a bit?

Possibly and its worth trying but passive bi amping sometimes doesn't work as well as we hope it will. Still there's nothing to loose by trying and with the extra channels you'll be set for a second zone or 7.1 should that change down the road....or you could get some passive subwoofers to eat up those extra channels

[Tomek]

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate all the advise. There were many good points made in your comments that I'll take into consideration. I'll be getting the 1098 and will make my final decision between 1095 and 1075. Will let you know.

[cadman]

hem you putting water in my mouth for I too am in the same situation.

but my opinion it will depend mostly in the speakers you have or will get

I am looking for an multi channel amp

[Azeke]

Tomek,

Since you already have the 1090 to drive the fronts for stereo, I would probably go for the 1075 to drive the rears for HT (econimically pheasible), however I am from the old school of thought, I would rather have too much than not enough, ergo the RMB-1095 (which I currently own, Kilo power).

The RSP-1098 sonically rocks, perhaps you should try both and let your own ears decide, and also do you prefer stereo or HT, if it is 50/50 then I would probably go for the 1095. I don't regret my 1095 decision, however I drive my fronts with the 1095 in stereo and the center rears with the RB-1050 (7.1 channels, once again economics), but utimately the decision relies on your listening preferences.

Forgive my digression.

Hope this helps,

Azeke

[Tomek]

Thanks again guys. Now I'm torn between 1095 and 1075. If I get the 1095 and find that it really satisfies both 5-ch and 2-ch listening, then I could sell the 1090. Although 1075 is also a good alternative with the 1090... It really would be nice if I could find the 3-ch RB-993. On the other hand I could potentially use the remaining 2 channels of 1095 or 1075 for zone 2. So, I have more thinking to do.

[Andrew Pratt]

Personally I'd try the 1075 out first with your 1090 as I'd really have a hard time selling the 1090 and all rotel 2 channel amps are slightly tailored to the demands of 2 channel sound vs DVD's and its always nice to have options to expand in the future with addional amp channels. I've got two 5 channel amps in my rack at the moment and I'm using them all and not one speaker is bi amped! (6 main speakers, 2 passive subs and the second zone takes another two channels)

[aud19]

I agree. I don't think I could give up the performance of that 1090 for 2-channel. I'd get the 1075 (which has more than enough power for surrounds and a centre sapeaker) and use the extra two for a second zone or future upgrade to 7.1. Nevermind the fact that if you're using only 3 of the 1075's channels at once, it's performance will probably be slightly improved on those three channels anyway...Am I wrong there, anyone? Not too mention the 1075's cheaper to buy.

J.R.




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[Tomek]

Thanks again aud19 and Andrew. That's funny because I was thinking along the same lines today - I would not want to give up the authority of 1090 power for 2-channel, which I do a lot of listening of. Also I have a chance to get a like new 1075 for $750 all inclussive, then I'd get the RSP-1098 from the local dealer by this weekend (at a good discount as well).

Even though I am leaning towards the 1098, I was considering the Anthem AVM-20 v.2.1. I know there has been some discussion on this forum as to which one is better. Any more unbiased opinions? I mostly care about the sonic performance and functionality, e.g., I'm not really putting too much weight into the neat TFT display of 1098 - although I do like it.

[Andrew Pratt]

Sounds like a great deal on the 1075 and a logical choice given your preferences.

As for the Anthem vs 1098 both are stellar pre pros and both offer a lot for the money. It will be hard to find someone that's owned both since I don't know anyone that returned either one to purchase the other. The anthem's usually more expensive but has THX and ballenced outputs where the 1098 has its XS processing, the TFT screen, better looks (IMO) and of course Club Rotel for support I seriously doubt you'd be unhappy with either one but I'm extremely happy with my 1098.

[Henk]

I have the 1098 as processor and use the 1090 for my fronts (Studio 100s) and the 1075 for rears (B&W 602) and 2 centres (Studio 40s). Sounds enormous to my ears. I listened to a number of other options at home, including the 1095. I would not replace the 1090 with the 1095, simply because in my opinion the Studio 100s require more than 200 watts per channel.

The 1098 has outputs for 2 centres and I was lucky to get the Studio 40s for a good price. I previously used one center only (Paradigm Studio CC) but was not quite happy with the results. Bi-amping it with the 1075 helped somewhat, but nothing compared to the two Studio 40s.

If I ever would change anything it would be to replace the 1075 with two 1070s (or even a 1080 and a 1070). I wil move the Studio 40s to the rear and buy the new V3 Paradigm Studio CC-570 (or the new center in the Silhouette range) driven by the 1070 (bridged to output some 330 watts). The new Paradigm centers, so I'm told, are a vast improvement on the V2 Studio CC but they both require poweful amps (200 watts at least).

[Tomek]

Here is the status report. I may have found RB-993, which may be the best choice. If it doesn't work out, I'll get the RMB-1075

Also, I just got the RSP-1098. Will hook it up tonight and compare to the Marantz SR-14EX.

[Andrew Pratt]

Sounds like a plan...keep us posted on what you find out.

[Azeke]

Tomek,

Congratulations on your RSP-1098 purchase, you will not be disappointed.
Although out of the box the 1098 is sonically pleasing, ensure that you provide break in time, the acoustics improve as time progresses. Also make sure you calibrate your speakers.

Good luck and enjoy,

Azeke

[Tomek]

I managed to purchase the RB-993 on e-bay. So, that amp will complement the 1090 for the 5.1 setup when it arrives.

I'm getting used to the 1098. I must say, like someone else at this forum, initially I was somewhat disappointed with the sound, when I first hooked it up. About an hour later sound seemed to have improved dramatically - I can't explain. I thought that amps and speakers need some breake-in, not processors. I must say that I'm not thrilled with the RR-1050 remote. It is a step down from the Marantz RC-5000i that came with my Marantz SR-14EX. There are a few things that bother me about it. Also, the 1098 seems to be having trouble properly decoding DTS 96/24, which I brought up in a separate topic. Also, I'm not crazy about the clicks during changes of sound modes.

[SpOoNmAn]

Rotel needs to make a monoblock.




Life is short, Play it LOUD!

[SpOoNmAn]

Ack..double post, sorry. Who else would like a monoblock from Rotel!? Can't be just me! It would solve some dilemnas I'm having.




Life is short, Play it LOUD!