Who is planning on buying the RDV1092? Why? and upgrading from what?

[Nolan B]

I have a RDV 1060 and just wondering if there are others in my situation who are considering this upgrade. I will probably do it IF the sound quality is as good as the RCD 1072 as I can get a decient trade in from my dealer on my 1060. To me its worth spending an extra K in orde to get an all in one unit rather then have the 1060 and 1072. I will be happy if the picture quality on he 1092 is the same as the 1060....not expecting it will be much different as I have heard nothing in terms of which third party they used for scaling and de-interlacing.

[gianni]

My .02-

Keep the 1060 and 1072 for now. In a year or two you can get a decent blu-ray player and keep the 1072 for Redbook.

[Nolan B]

My .02-

Keep the 1060 and 1072 for now. In a year or two you can get a decent blu-ray player and keep the 1072 for Redbook.

at ths point i dont have a 1072...so its either get the 1072 or replace my 1060 for 1092

[gianni]

at ths point i dont have a 1072...so its either get the 1072 or replace my 1060 for 1092

Sorry, thought you had the 1072. In that case, I'd take a little time, read some reviews, then go listen to the 1092 for yourself. If you do decide on the 1092, do you think you'd feel comfortable buying a premium player with the new formats around the corner? I'd only go with the 1092 only if it surpasses the 1072. If it does not, I think the 1072 makes alot of sense.

On the other hand, with a format war on the horizon, the new standards may be slow to take hold. That would make the 1092 a better choice at this time. The 1060 however is no slouch. Tough call - sort of like receiver or separates. In any case with a 1072, you know your redbook needs will be covered and that may give you more lattitude in future DVD player selection.

If you audition a 1092, please pass along your thoughts.

[IntegrateMe]

It appears less and less likely that a true format war is going to drag out. Here's hoping that Blu-Ray quickly puts HD-DVD down for the count.

However, regular DVD is going to be around for a long time. It took us almost nine years to get here from DVD's inception.

Wait to look at the Rotel in person. If Sony can keep their date of August 15th, then the Rotel will only beat it to market by 2 months or so.

[gd]

I'd only go with the 1092 only if it surpasses the 1072.

I would certainly wait for user comments before buying blindly.

My own experience (plus 95% of what I read) tells me that virtually all DVD or universal players come up short on redbook CD playback.

I've come to use an outboard DAC in my HT, rather than get a separate CD player... in many cases, DACs have a small footprint and can be kept out of view, if that's important... that way you can routinely (and economically) upgrade your DVD player for the next generation of video technology without losing music SQ.

What's really important is that the right DAC can make CDs come alive, often outperforming dedicated CD players.

The current forum favorite is the Benchmark DAC1 (which I've not heard), and there are several other makes -- Bel Canto, Musical Fidelity, Perpetual Technology -- worth checking out... bargains on used units can be found on Audiogon.

[bzrk]

im getting it... think it will be a good upgade from a harman kardon dvd player which i also use for cd audio :lol:

[Nolan B]

I would certainly wait for user comments before buying blindly.

My own experience (plus 95% of what I read) tells me that virtually all DVD or universal players come up short on redbook CD playback.

I've come to use an outboard DAC in my HT, rather than get a separate CD player... in many cases, DACs have a small footprint and can be kept out of view, if that's important... that way you can routinely (and economically) upgrade your DVD player for the next generation of video technology without losing music SQ.

What's really important is that the right DAC can make CDs come alive, often outperforming dedicated CD players.

The current forum favorite is the Benchmark DAC1 (which I've not heard), and there are several other makes -- Bel Canto, Musical Fidelity, Perpetual Technology -- worth checking out... bargains on used units can be found on Audiogon.

I have thought about this. I was thinking of getting a Music Fidelity DAC. Can that make CDs sound as go as a dedicated 1072?

My .02 on the new format is that while players me be available I wont jump on board until new HD tittles are coming out every tuesday. At this point in my opinion HD doenst look much better then a GOOD upscaled and de-interlaced regular DVD.

[htsteve]

Considering RVE-1070

All,

I currently have the RDV-1060. I recently bought a 50" Sony SXRD with HDMI. I am considering the 1092 for HDMI and its upscaling capability. However, for $500 more, I am strongly considering the RVE-1070 video scaler.
I could run all of my video sources to it and use HDMI to my TV. :T I would anticipate that the picture on the 1092 will be definitely better than the 1060.
I called Rotel about the sound of the 1092. I ask specifically whether the 2 channel sound from the 1092 is lesser, even or better than the 1068 pre-amp I have. They said the sound was about equal in two channel. I do not have the 1072, so I cannot compare the 1072 to the 1092. Hopefully someone has both the 1068 pre and 1072 CD player and can comment on that comparison.
I also confirmed with Rotel that the 1092 is using the latest National Semiconductor chips. Since they are noted for their scaling capability, I suspect that this is the task they will do in the 1092. I did not ask specifically about the deinterlacer. I figured other people and reviewers would provide this data in time. Hope this helps.

[Nolan B]

All,

I currently have the RDV-1060. I recently bought a 50" Sony SXRD with HDMI. I am considering the 1092 for HDMI and its upscaling capability. However, for $500 more, I am strongly considering the RVE-1070 video scaler.
I could run all of my video sources to it and use HDMI to my TV. :T I would anticipate that the picture on the 1092 will be definitely better than the 1060.
I called Rotel about the sound of the 1092. I ask specifically whether the 2 channel sound from the 1092 is lesser, even or better than the 1068 pre-amp I have. They said the sound was about equal in two channel. I do not have the 1072, so I cannot compare the 1072 to the 1092. Hopefully someone has both the 1068 pre and 1072 CD player and can comment on that comparison.
I also confirmed with Rotel that the 1092 is using the latest National Semiconductor chips. Since they are noted for their scaling capability, I suspect that this is the task they will do in the 1092. I did not ask specifically about the deinterlacer. I figured other people and reviewers would provide this data in time. Hope this helps.

Interesting. A couple of conclusions can be taken from this. If the 1092 sounds the same as the 1068 then the CD playback on the 1092 is not better then the 1072, and not better then the current 1060. When I switch between the DAC in the 1060 and RSX 1067 (same DAC as 1068 ) there is no audible difference.

Not sure what they mean by using the latest "National Semiconductor chips" for scaling. For the price they are asking there really should be a notable third party chip. i.e. Realta, DVDO, Lumagen, Vantage, Crystalio etc. Personally i think they should have chosen a chip which is notable enough to use the name in order to market the product.

ht steve: On a side note i wouldnt get the 1092 if I were you until I knew that the "National Semiconductor Chip" used by Rotel is better then the internal scaler of the Sony. Who knows...it could be the exact same chip! Dont assume its better becuase you may end up spending $1,800 to just get HDMI output.

[gd]

I was thinking of getting a Music Fidelity DAC. Can that make CDs sound as go as a dedicated 1072?

I have not made that direct comparison.

This is the one downside about considering an outboard DAC... their usage is not widespread, and it is difficult to find feedback or reviews... after doing what research you can, you pretty much have to jump in and try one.

And it's doubly tough to predict sonic characteristics to accommodate another person's unique tastes... how critical a music listener are you?

My own experience is that the mid-fi DVD players and/or receivers I've had have always gained discernible improvement (detail, clarity, depth) by adding an outboard DAC (Audio Alchemy and EAD), even if the DACs were somewhat older than the HT gear... the EAD created an immediate improvement over the 900-series Rotel CD player in my 2-ch rig.

Depends on the listener... for many, their DVD players and/or HT receivers play music very satisfactorily.

[htsteve]

Vancouver,

Thanks for the feedback. I definitely am planning to wait until I can answer the scaling question (Rotel/NS better than Sony). I'm also leaning to the scaler, since this solution would be good for all video, not just a scaler in a DVD player. I've read that some of the engineers at NS recently came from Faroudja, who know a bit about video. I just called Rotel. They confirmed that NS will handle both scaling and de-interlacing. Also, the 1092 and the scaler will be HDCP cpmpliant, so this will cause issues with some other non-HDCP equipment (like TV's and satellite/cable boxes).
Also, I've just re-confirmed that the DAC's between the 1092 and 1068 are equal. The 1072 will sound better than the 1092 in two channel. The majority of the 1092's engineering went to the video side. For those familiar with Rotel's 1095 and 1080 amps, this is a similar comparison. Both are 200W per channel, but the 1080 sounds superior since it's a dedicated 2 channel amp, unlike the 1095 (5 channel amp). Similar story with the 1072 and 1092. The 1072 is a top notch dedicated CD player, while the 1092 is a top notch video player and good CD player.
For now I'm just researching. I'm on probation right now as far as AV spend is concerned (surprise after spending $$$$ on the SXRD, B&W 705's and some new cabling!).

[grit]

Given what the 1092 is bringing to the table, I'd go w/the video scaler, esp if you already have a decent DVD player.

[Nolan B]

Given what the 1092 is bringing to the table, I'd go w/the video scaler, esp if you already have a decent DVD player.

and taking into account what the rotel scaler does vs the price you are much better off getting a better external video processor which has proven scaling and de-interlacing, which can have any number of outputs to achieve 1:1 pixal mapping, and which can scale HDCP material.

[csuzor]

I called Rotel about the sound of the 1092. I ask specifically whether the 2 channel sound from the 1092 is lesser, even or better than the 1068 pre-amp I have. They said the sound was about equal in two channel.

Hmmm, my cheap Sony sacd player is much better than my 1068 for cd decoding playback, let alone sacd (which is in a different league).

That makes the 1092 a dvd only player.