RSP 1066 end RMB 1095 Help please

[shazbot]

Am thinking about buy the Rotel RSP 1066 and the RMB-1095

But am confused about the 1066 7.1 and the power ampli only 5 channels

Am I missing something or should I go for apower ampli that has 7 channels

If I am not wrong should I keep my Sony power ampli NA 9000Es and only change the pre ampli

Thanks for any help

Shazbot

[nahoj]

You´ve to get another 2-channel amplifier to get 7.1 configuration.
For example use an RB-1090 for the frontchannels and the RMB -1095 for the surroundchannels.

Another way is to use an RB-1070 for the EX channels and the RMB-1095 for the rest.

[spiffnme]

You do indeed need a separate amp for those last two channels.

Unless you have VERY power hungry speakers, you'll really be wasting money with the RB-1090 for your mains.

Personally if I were you, I'd get a RB-1080 for the mains, and use the RMB-1095 for the remaining channels. That will save you some money over the RB-1090 and you'll have an even 200 watts/channel all the way around.

You'll also save a ton of money if you look for these amps on http://www.audiogon.com They're built like tanks, and most audiophiles treat their equipment better than their children anyway. I bought both my RMB-1075 and RB-1070 used, and they're perfect. I saved hundreds of dollars!




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[jimmyp58]

shazbot:

You haven't gone totally wacko. Yes indeed, the RSP-1066 pre-pro is designed for 7.1 but none of the amps from Rotel, nor most other higher-end companies come in 7 channels. The only couple that come to mind for me is the B&K 200.7 (200W X 7), the Aragon 2007 (200W X 7), and a couple from Outlaw; I don't know what the MSRPs are. I am not sure what the thinking is behind this but all I can come up with is that most folks have not converted to full 7 channel speaker setups so for the time being all they need is a 5-channel amp. Another possible thought behind this is that most folks that are truly into this want a separate 2-channel amp to drive their main/front speakers as they have more power hungry speakers there. Lastly and in step with my previous sentence, these folks are music purists too and they want the most efficient setup for music listening in their ht. Hence, they get a separate 2-channel amp to handle these duties.

I am in the last category. I still only have a 5.1 setup using only two rear surround speakers. Eventually I will add 2 rear center back speakers but I am very comfortable for the time being with the setup I have. I have the RSP-1098 pre-pro and the RMB-1095 to power my center and surrounds; I use a separate 2-channel amp for my fronts. I listen to music 80-85% of the time and I have some very power thirsty front speakers (Def Tech BP7000SC's). My 2-channel amp has a higher power rating than the 1095 (Bryston 14B SST --- 600W X 2) so when I want to kick the music volume a notch or two I've got plenty of power to get my speakers sparkling. I also enjoy multi-channel music listening (dvd-a and sacd).

This is one way of approaching this. Someone else commented that instead of getting a Rotel RB-1080 (200W X 2) or a RB-1090 (I think its 380W X 2) you could get a RB-1070 (don't know the rating here - sorry but I know its less than the 1080) and use this for your EX speakers and use the 1095 to power the rest --- the thought here is that you'll save $$$ and go for something with a little less power because you really aren't going to need much power to crank these speakers anyway. Indeed this is another way of approaching this and a very effective cost-saving move.

Really, it comes down to what your setup is and what your listenings are all about. If you don't have rear surrounds AND rear center back speakers yet, don't sweat it. Just get the 1095, enjoy it, and when you get the extra set of speakers get a separate 2-channel amp. Or if you like music more than movies you could do like me and probably a few others and get a 2-channel amp off-the-bat (whatever rating you want) to power your fronts and leave the unused channels empty on the 1095. If you have seven speakers already you could look at the B&K, Aragon, or Outlaw amps in order to get a one box solution, get the 1095 and a separate 2-channel amp for either the front or the rear center backs, or stay with your Sony ES amp (I am not familiar with it --- is it 7 channels?). If you have seven speakers decide what your tastes are. Many of us listen to music more than watching a movie so a higher (or equal) rated 2-channel amp is in our collection to power the fronts. Yet some do the movie thing more than music listening so they opt for either an equal rated amp or a less one for the rear center backs.

Hope this helps....good luck!

Jim