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Sadly Disappointed by the RB-1092
I was running some errands today that inadvertently brought me near a Rotel dealer. I had some extra time on my hands so I thought I would pop in and see what changes have taken place since my last visit, which wasn’t that long ago. One of the salesmen, that I have gotten to know pretty well, was excited about a couple of new arrivals. The dealer recently put on display Rotel’s new “digital” power amplifiers, the RB-1091 and RB-1092. He was pretty enthusiastic about them and offered a demonstration. I figured I still had some time to kill so I obliged him, besides I have been curious to hear them. What started out as a casual and impromptu audition quickly became a puzzling display of disbelief.
The salesman already knew my passion for analog amplification so he thought he could take this opportunity to impress, or maybe persuade, me with his new digital wares. He began his presentation by describing how each power amplifier was connected to the system and how I could switch between them while keeping everything else constant. Starting with the RB-1092 he played for me one of his chosen CD’s, which I used for the remainder of the demonstration. I thought the system sounded okay but it wasn’t what I would call a standout. My recent and frequent visits with Classe’s Delta series equipment has set the bar in my mind for what I believe to be good sound reproduction with B&W’s 800 Series loudspeakers. Soon after my brief introduction to the RB-1092 I switched over to the RMB-1095 and I immediately thought… “Hmm, wait a minute…this doesn’t sound right.” I was expecting the RMB-1095 to sound inferior to the RB-1092, not better!
I went back and for the between the two amplifiers for the next half hour and it was consistently clear to me that the “analog connection” sounded better. I immediately suspected a flawed setup. I went so far as to question the correctness of the configuration to the salesman but he insisted that the connections and the setup were correct. It didn’t make sense that I would find the RB-1092 to sound sterile in the treble, dimensionally lacking in midrange presence and a flat through out much of the bass region, the one area where “digital” amplifiers are suppose to excel. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when I critically auditioned the RMB-1077 and I was left with a pretty good impression of it and I went on record saying so. I refused to believe or accept that the room and equipment was properly setup and configured. To convince me that it was, the salesman took me to another (better) room that also had an RB-1092 on display.
Not more than 10 minutes into the demo I could immediately distinguish between the two amplifiers, but this time I had no idea which I was listening to. As I discovered in the first room, the amplifier I preferred exhibited acoustical “body” throughout most of the audible range, presented a more balanced soundstage, had a more delicate top end and an involving midrange plus a more endowed low end. I was certain it had to be the RB-1092, based on the salesman’s expression and body language. To my surprise it wasn’t! It was an RB-1090, and I favored it by a large margin. Learning this actually frustrated me. I hoped, rather expected, that the RB-1092 would be the clear winner in this bout, but sadly, it wasn’t.
I was dumfounded by the results of this test and the one just a moment ago conducted in the first room. When I asked the salesman if I was the only one that is noticing the difference, specifically that the RB-1092 is musically lacking, and unfortunately, in a big way, he said that I wasn’t. He mentioned that three other gentlemen that were in earlier also felt the same way when he demoed the amplifiers for them in the first room. At this point I had to ask if he noticed any differences. He stated that he has a preference for digital amplifiers but also admitted that any differences he could hear were very subtle. He politely referred to my ears as being “finely tuned” and was expressively impressed with my ability to distinguish two different analog amplifiers using different front end equipment and speakers and in two different rooms without hesitation and pin point accuracy. While I appreciated the pleasantries I certainly didn’t feel any better. I began to question my in depth review of the RMB-1077, Rotel’s first foray into the digital amplifier world. I had to quickly remind myself that my review of the RMB-1077 was conducted under very controlled and carefully exercised tests. I still remember what I heard back then and I still feel that the RMB-1077 is a very good multi-channel amplifier.
However, my confidence doesn’t explain the results of these new observations nor the discrepancies between the digital amplifiers to my satisfaction. To address my bewilderment I formulated three possible theories. One possibility may be that my hearing has substantially improved in the last few months (not likely). Two, my in depth evaluation of the RMB-1077 was flawed (also not likely). Three, the circuit topology and its implementation in the RB-1092 is inferior to that of the RMB-1077 (this is the most probable and very likely).
This post is not some lame attempt to discredit the RB-1092, as I stated earlier my dealer clearly likes it, but I clearly do not. Furthermore, I had very high hopes for the RB-1092 and its brother the RB-1091. In fact both were on my list of possible upgrades and they had been for months. However, the results of this evaluation can not be overlooked and leads me to conclude that Rotel has much work to do if they intend on making Class-D amplifiers a regular staple in their lineup. I must say that I am extremely disappointed in Rotel’s latest offerings and this post is nothing more than an opportunity to express that. I know Rotel can do much better!
The salesman already knew my passion for analog amplification so he thought he could take this opportunity to impress, or maybe persuade, me with his new digital wares. He began his presentation by describing how each power amplifier was connected to the system and how I could switch between them while keeping everything else constant. Starting with the RB-1092 he played for me one of his chosen CD’s, which I used for the remainder of the demonstration. I thought the system sounded okay but it wasn’t what I would call a standout. My recent and frequent visits with Classe’s Delta series equipment has set the bar in my mind for what I believe to be good sound reproduction with B&W’s 800 Series loudspeakers. Soon after my brief introduction to the RB-1092 I switched over to the RMB-1095 and I immediately thought… “Hmm, wait a minute…this doesn’t sound right.” I was expecting the RMB-1095 to sound inferior to the RB-1092, not better!
I went back and for the between the two amplifiers for the next half hour and it was consistently clear to me that the “analog connection” sounded better. I immediately suspected a flawed setup. I went so far as to question the correctness of the configuration to the salesman but he insisted that the connections and the setup were correct. It didn’t make sense that I would find the RB-1092 to sound sterile in the treble, dimensionally lacking in midrange presence and a flat through out much of the bass region, the one area where “digital” amplifiers are suppose to excel. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when I critically auditioned the RMB-1077 and I was left with a pretty good impression of it and I went on record saying so. I refused to believe or accept that the room and equipment was properly setup and configured. To convince me that it was, the salesman took me to another (better) room that also had an RB-1092 on display.
Not more than 10 minutes into the demo I could immediately distinguish between the two amplifiers, but this time I had no idea which I was listening to. As I discovered in the first room, the amplifier I preferred exhibited acoustical “body” throughout most of the audible range, presented a more balanced soundstage, had a more delicate top end and an involving midrange plus a more endowed low end. I was certain it had to be the RB-1092, based on the salesman’s expression and body language. To my surprise it wasn’t! It was an RB-1090, and I favored it by a large margin. Learning this actually frustrated me. I hoped, rather expected, that the RB-1092 would be the clear winner in this bout, but sadly, it wasn’t.
I was dumfounded by the results of this test and the one just a moment ago conducted in the first room. When I asked the salesman if I was the only one that is noticing the difference, specifically that the RB-1092 is musically lacking, and unfortunately, in a big way, he said that I wasn’t. He mentioned that three other gentlemen that were in earlier also felt the same way when he demoed the amplifiers for them in the first room. At this point I had to ask if he noticed any differences. He stated that he has a preference for digital amplifiers but also admitted that any differences he could hear were very subtle. He politely referred to my ears as being “finely tuned” and was expressively impressed with my ability to distinguish two different analog amplifiers using different front end equipment and speakers and in two different rooms without hesitation and pin point accuracy. While I appreciated the pleasantries I certainly didn’t feel any better. I began to question my in depth review of the RMB-1077, Rotel’s first foray into the digital amplifier world. I had to quickly remind myself that my review of the RMB-1077 was conducted under very controlled and carefully exercised tests. I still remember what I heard back then and I still feel that the RMB-1077 is a very good multi-channel amplifier.
However, my confidence doesn’t explain the results of these new observations nor the discrepancies between the digital amplifiers to my satisfaction. To address my bewilderment I formulated three possible theories. One possibility may be that my hearing has substantially improved in the last few months (not likely). Two, my in depth evaluation of the RMB-1077 was flawed (also not likely). Three, the circuit topology and its implementation in the RB-1092 is inferior to that of the RMB-1077 (this is the most probable and very likely).
This post is not some lame attempt to discredit the RB-1092, as I stated earlier my dealer clearly likes it, but I clearly do not. Furthermore, I had very high hopes for the RB-1092 and its brother the RB-1091. In fact both were on my list of possible upgrades and they had been for months. However, the results of this evaluation can not be overlooked and leads me to conclude that Rotel has much work to do if they intend on making Class-D amplifiers a regular staple in their lineup. I must say that I am extremely disappointed in Rotel’s latest offerings and this post is nothing more than an opportunity to express that. I know Rotel can do much better!
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