Good news on RSP 1098 Centre Channel

[Aussie Geoff]

Hi,

There have been a number of postings (mostly in the thread http://www.htguide.com/CFBoards/inde...artRow=1&CFB=1) regarding the low level whistle in the centre channel that some Rotel RSP 1098 users are having (like me).

Following feedback from the Australian Rotel Distributor and my local dealer, I can confirm that:

• This is a now a recognised issue, occurring to varying extents in many RSP 1098s (some seem unaffected).
• It is apparently caused by RF broadcast interference from the DSP board which is near the Pre Outs (Centre Channel is very close).
• An RF shield has been prepared as a retrofit for affected units (very quick to install and can be done on a same day basis at a dealer with a tech shop of any kind, or potentially in your home by having a technician visit).
• New units will have the RF shield fitted as standard.
• Rotel are shipping to dealers for installation for affected customers.

Shipments have just started in Australia and will be made over the next couple of weeks. I understand Rotel are supplying the fix world wide on the same basis.

Great service! Rotel have apparently only found the problem and the fix in the last couple of weeks. However - it’s a pity “Club Rotel” didn’t get given some better information by Rotel earlier so avoid angst (Andrew maybe you can test your Rotel "connections" and ask them to keep us all more informed – Rotel could even become members....)

Geoff Costello

[jimmyp58]

Thanks for this posting Geoff. E-mail me and we can perhaps chat about why Rotel doesn't keep Club Rotel informed about these issues.

Jim

[DPA]

This is very good news..

Now I just need the Swedish Rotel support confirm this and repair my unit..
Called them a day ago and they had never heard about this problem..

Ive mailed this thread to them so now I just have to wait and see.




http://www.prisjakt.nu/galleri.php?user=Demon

[RobertKozel]

Rotel called me about 1 week ago and informed me that they would be sending a new digital board to my dealer to resolve the center channel noise issue. I took my 1098 to the dealer yesterday, and installed the new board. It was incredibly simple to do -- simply undo two screws, slide out the old card, and put in the new one. The board looks identical to the old one except for a piece of heavy black shielding on the back. After getting home and hooking everything up again, I now have a wonderfully quiet center channel. To be quite honest, the whole system sounded positively fantastic after the upgrade. It may just be my imagination, but it seems like it lowered the noise floor on all the channels. In any case, I'm delighted.

I can't thank Rotel enough for fixing this. Talk about customer service and above all listening to their customers. After seeing how simple this was to upgrade, I hope we see a lot of life to the 1098 with upgrades offered by Rotel. I would gladly pay for upgrades which could simply be delivered as card changes.

I wish I could tell you how Rotel is planning on making this available to customers. At this time, my dealer did not have any further information on what would happen for other customers. They may just be giving this to the customers that complained for now.

I would suggest to any of you that make this change that you may just want the board sent to your homes or ask your dealer to perform the upgrade at your home. You only have to access the back of the unit, and remove one card. It takes five minutes. So you don't really have to go through the time and grief of unhooking everything.




Robert

[DrBoom]

Wow, makes me wanna complain about it too, if that means i get a new and better digital board
It sorta makes sense that all channels would benefit from a better shielding, not only are distortions kept out of the digital board, but they 're also keeping the RF interference from getting out of it.
I find it quite weird in the first place that only the center channel has this problem, when all the pre-outs are that close together and all next to the digital board.
I find it even better that they just put in an all new board, instead of adding shielding to the existing one.
I've brought it up a couple of times with my dealer, but now i'm going to push it a little harder.
Next time i hear from Rotel regarding the test-tone, i'm going to inquire about this whining as well.

[Andrew Pratt]

As requested here's the images of the new board

Pic 1

Pic 2

[RobertKozel]

Andrew,

Thanks so much for posting my photos. Pic1 is the back of the modified DSP module. The black plate is the RF shield modification. Pic2 is the front of the module showing the daughter board. Everything is working great so far. Thanks Rotel.




Robert

[mazuly]

Well I just checked my 1098 and it has the whine on the center speaker. It is very faint and I have to be really close to the speaker (ear 1 foot away from speaker) to hear it, but it is there. I hope Rotel will retrofit all existing 1098 with this shield upgrade. I would guess that would not be that hard for Rotel to do since they can recycle all the faulty boards they get back from the dealers by upgrading them with the shield.

I will contact my dealer on Monday to see what they can do for me.

Thanks,
Maziar

[sramsay]

Maziar, In Australia, I believe the fix is just to attach the new RF shield to the existing digital board so Rotel won't have to do any recycling of boards.

I'm getting my shield installed on Thursday or Friday of this week so I'll let you all know how it goes. Aussie Geoff might be getting his done a bit earlier.

Andrew, do you think we should be concerned in Oz that we are just getting the shield and not an entirely new board (from the point of view of other modifications being done to the board)? Do you know of any other updates to this board (or any other board for that matter e.g. video board) since the RSP-1098's release?

It would be nice if there was a way to register with Rotel as a RSP-1098 owner, so they could keep us informed directly of any updates we need to be aware of.

I must say apart from this minor complaint the RSP-1098 is an awesome bit of kit and I'm lovin' it everytime listen to mine.

Scott.

[mazuly]

Thanks for the information sramsay.

By the way, my dealer emailed me that they are looking into this center channel issue for me. They saw my post on this forum and this was before I had a chance to contact them today. Now that is customer service. Also I like to thank this forum and its members for all the information on Rotel products. I am glad that we have a place to get together to share all this information.

Thanks,
Maziar

[jimmyp58]

I spoke to Tim yesterday from tech support (U.S.) and he said he's only run into one other guy that has the problem. He told me that while this replacement is really just a screwdriver thing, it's really kind of a pain in the a** because you have to unplug everything from your pre-pro and take the unit in for this little device to fix something that you can't even hear unless you are right upon the speaker. Also, this little whine really does not negatively affect or interfere with your system's performance.

I explained to him that while I would agree that I cannot hear it unless I have my ear on or near the speaker, I know it exists and it shouldn't. Hence, I want it fixed. He told me that he had to get on another call and that he'd get back to me.

I must be living wrong or something because I just cannot say the right words, or something, to get Rotel to service my faulty gear.

Jim

[LEVESQUE]

I must be living wrong or something because I just cannot say the right words, or something, to get Rotel to service my faulty gear.

Jimmy, we must be living the same way, because I can't have Rotel replace my faulty RMB-1095 with a new one.

I always got the ''contact your dealer'' answer. But the dealer doesn't want to do anything. I've called him over 10 times for this and he is always ''checking with Rotel'' since 1 year.

It was my last Rotel gear ever.

:evil:

[Andrew Pratt]

Jim and Alain fire me an email and I'll forward you some info that might be helpful.

[jimmyp58]

I had a good conversation yesterday with Tim Wyatt and we are moving in a positive direction to resolving the whistling issue with my 1098.

Jim

[DPA]

Well I cant say that the Swedish Rotel support give me any good feedback either! :cry:

I have called and tryed to explane the sound from the center channel but I got the felling that they just thought that I were a pain in the a--.

The man who handles the software seems to be good but then I talked to the man whos in charge of hardware I did get a very unfriendly conversation. I could tell from his voice that he didnt trust me at all then I told him about the sound from the centerchannel. He asked me if this were something I have read about on the net!!!... I told him that I have this sound in my own 1098 and its not my imagination..!!!

So right now I have no idea what to do???
:?:




http://www.prisjakt.nu/galleri.php?user=Demon

[jimmyp58]

I spoke to Tim Wyatt from Rotel Tech Support this morning and he is going to send to me the device for me to install. I will report back on the results and how the installation goes.

Jim

P.S. It should arrive next Wednesday.

[mazuly]

I spoke to Tim Wyatt from Rotel Tech Support this morning and he is going to send to me the device for me to install. I will report back on the results and how the installation goes.

Jim

P.S. It should arrive next Wednesday.

Hi,

Just make sure that you ground yourself before touching the board. Static electricity can really harm the board and with all the cold weather we are having and the low humidity (at least here in Canada ) there is lot's of static electricity around.

Thanks,
Maziar

[jimmyp58]

Thanks for the reminder...it's a balmy 15 degrees F here with 8" of the white stuff. Oh how I love winter (just got done with 3 days 30+ degrees F below zero with the wind chill).

Jim

[Sithlord10]

Hi guys. Just called my local dealer regarding the RF shield and they have one only and their going to let me have it They are picking my 1098 up on Wednesday and hopefully have it back same day. I will let you all know how it goes.

[jimmyp58]

All:

Not to send out the panic alarm but at least initially, they have just a very limited supply of the shields available. The will have more later but for now they have a very small supply. From what I gleaned from Tim, they are nearly out (U.S. division).

Jim

[jimmyp58]

All:

Not to send out the panic alarm but at least initially, they have just a very limited supply of the shields available. The will have more later but for now they have a very small supply. From what I gleaned from Tim, they are nearly out (U.S. division).

Jim

[mazuly]

Thanks for the reminder...it's a balmy 15 degrees F here with 8" of the white stuff. Oh how I love winter (just got done with 3 days 30+ degrees F below zero with the wind chill).

Jim

Well it is -25 deg C which is -34 deg C with wind-chill (-13 deg F which is -31 deg F with wind-chill for our US friends).

Well Andrew might say that it is just a little bit colder in Winnipeg. I hear it is -34 deg C WITHOUT wind-chill or -45 deg C with. That is -49 deg F guys 8O. You know it is cold when the deg F and Deg C are almost the same numbers. I am glad I live in Ottawa .

Good luck with your board swap.

Thanks,
Maziar

[jimmyp58]

I can't even begin to imagine what -45F feels like...wow, I guess I am living in Florida right now!

[Andrew Pratt]

Trust me you don't want to know what its like....my car's frozen up again :roll:

[whmacs]

Hi Geoff,
I was wondering if you spoke to anyone in particular at the Australian Rotel Distributor (International Dynamics) about getting the centre channel shield for the RSP-1098? I'm from Newcastle and am currently running an RMB1075 and RB1070 with my Onkyo 787 (7.1 setup). I will be speaking with my dealer about ordering an RSP-1098 to replace the Onkyo this week and want to ensure that the distributor fits the shield before it is dispatched to my dealer.

thanks,
Stephen




My Home Theatre

[Aussie Geoff]

Stephen,

My dealer organised it for me. However you will find Michael Thornton-Smith at International Dynamics very helpful. With any luck your 1098 will be a new build and witll have the shield factory fitted...

Geoff Costello

[Sithlord10]

Hey Geoff
I will be getting the RF shield done by International Dynamics on Weds 29/01/04. I'm told it will be the same day that I will be getting the unit back so I will post my impressions then. Thanks for all your efforts with the 1098 wish list very well done. I couldn't agree more, purchasing the 1098 has re-invented HT for me . With the intergration of the SVS B4+ subwoofer the pairing of the Rotel gear is a match made in heaven.

[Aussie Geoff]

Sithlord,

Thanks for the feedback. Don't forget to let your local Rotel dealer etc know that you want some or all of the wish-list items.

Off topic - I lust after the same SVS Sub as you have - how have you found it?

Geoff Costello

[whmacs]

Hi Geoff,
Thanks for the infomation. I will talk to my dealer today.

cheers,
Stephen




My Home Theatre

[Sithlord10]

Geoff the SVS went beyond my expectations it is simply amazing. I need a much bigger room but I was having too many problems with my old Sub (Whise Profunder) so I had to get a replacement and thought well if I buy a great sub now I want have to worry about it ever again. The shipping was a killer but it was worth every cent. I will forward the wish list to my local dealer who will then pass on to their Rotel contact. Again thanks for your efforts and I'll let you all know how the RF shield went.

[mazuly]

Hi guys,

Just an update. My dealer has the part ready for my upgrade. Rotel had sent the plate to be retrofitted to my board and I will be doing that next week.

This is excellent customer service from my dealer as well as Rotel.

Thanks,
Maziar

[whmacs]

Hi All,
My dealer (Audio Junction) spoke to the Rotel distributor's Service Manager here in Oz who was well away of the shielding issue (Thanks Geoff). My dealer says that more shields would be availble in 2 - 3 weeks from Rotel and he would come out to my home and fit the shield for me. Got to me happy with that level of service!

cheers,
Stephen




My Home Theatre

[whmacs]

Hi All,
My dealer (Audio Junction) spoke to the Rotel distributor's Service Manager here in Oz who was well away of the shielding issue (Thanks Geoff). My dealer says that more shields would be available in 2 - 3 weeks from Rotel and he would come out to my home and fit the shield for me. Got to me happy with that level of service!

cheers,
Stephen




My Home Theatre

[Sithlord10]

Just an update I wont be getting the mod done until next Monday now as they couldn't promise me that I would have the unit back before the weekend. Their 2 main tech guys are on holidays for 2 weeks and they are extremely busy.

[jimmyp58]

I just received the device from UPS and will install tomorrow. I'll report back on how this goes....

Jim

[jimmyp58]

Whistle no more center channel! I installed the device today and so long Mr. Whistle. Had a couple of verbiage questions for Tim regarding the instructions sent out and once that was out of the way, presto.

One other person commented that after their fix it seemed all channels had better sound reproduction due to lower noise floor but I didn't hear this. Regardless, it's great to have this fixed.

Thanks Tim...

Jim

[jimmyp58]

Whistle no more center channel! I installed the device today and so long Mr. Whistle. Had a couple of verbiage questions for Tim regarding the instructions sent out and once that was out of the way, presto.

One other person commented that after their fix it seemed all channels had better sound reproduction due to lower noise floor but I didn't hear this. Regardless, it's great to have this fixed.

Thanks Tim...

Jim

[kneptune]

Jim,

Did you lose any system configuration settings as the result of unplugging or resetting the board?

My local dealer is going to send me a new board with the shield already installed for me to swap out at home. Just wandering if I need to go through all the menus and document the settings before I do the change out.

Thanks,
Kevin

[DrBoom]

You mean you don't know all those settings by heart ? 8O
:roll:

For shame !

Jim, is the noise completely gone, or just lower ?
Maybe I should get mine updated too then, if it's worth it.

[Azeke]

Jim,

That is indeed great news.

Enjoy,

Azeke

[Azeke]

Opps, triple post?

[Azeke]

Opps again ops:.

[jimmyp58]

The only noise that is left is a very faint white noise.

As far as settings go, all settings were memorized so all I had to do is sit back and enjoy listening to music in 2-channel, multi-channel, or watch movies.

Jim

[kneptune]

Jim, thanks for the update on the memory settings. I'll let everyone know my results as well, but it looks pretty conclusive that the update works.

This is one of the main reasons we've bought the 1098 (for those of us who have) is for hardware replacement capability!

[Sithlord10]

Well I got my 1098 back from International Dynamics with the Shield fitted. I personally had a buzzing sound coming from all channels which I believe to be a ground issue from something and the shield has made no difference to the buzzing. I wasn't expecting it to so I'm not worried just another possibilty eliminated. On a good note though the Hi-Fi shop where I buy all my HT from gave me their shop 1098 and the owners sons 1098 to upgrade for them and they gave me a pair of Audio Quest Diamondbacks Audio Interconnects for nothing worth $200 . I now have another pair and I'm using them B/W the 1095 and the 1098 for the 5 channels (Waiting for another single one to arrive). What an amazing difference. Thanks go to my dealer and International Dynamics for their prompt and friendly service,and of course this forum for it's continued help and support for all things Rotel.