Should i upgrade now or wait?

[ICEMAN70]

Hi guy's

I was thinking about upgrading my RSP 1066 to RSP 1098. I had the 1066 for a while now and have the upgrade bug. But is there any news that ROTEL will be introducing new products pretty soon here. There was a rumor that Rotel was going to upgrade their Pre/pro line and the High end receiver line by this summer. Is there any truth to this? Am i better of waiting couple more months and see what happens this summer?

Thanks,

[aud19]

The updated 1056 with HDMI is available now (1057) and the 1098 is due for upgrade around fall of this year folowed by the rest of the line. After that the next round of upgrades would likely include HDMI 1.3 and likely the new HD surround formats from DD/DTS. That is likely at least a year away though.

[spkerguy]

Personally,
I would wait if you can for HDMI 1.3. THat is exactly what I was planning to do until my processor (lexicon DC-1) just went and I was forced to find a short term solution (1068). Are there any other areas where you can upgrade to get your system to HD audio spec? More revealing speakers etc? I was diagnosed with upgraditis last year. I feel your pain!

Ken

[gianni]

Sometimes after having a piece for a while, we do feel the urge to upgrade even though what we are upgrading is by no means obsolete. While the 1068 and 1098 have brought improvements in performance and features, I do not believe that from a basic sound quality standpoint that these improvements are a quantum leap. I've even read a couple of opinions where the basic sound quality of the 1066 was preferred to the 1068. Now the 1098 is a step up, but also consider that there are those that maintain that it is only incrementally better than the 1068 which they upgraded from, a few even wishing they kept the 1068.

Where I am going with this is: I would wait for the introduction of the replacements to the current models to arrive. Since the sound quality improvements are going to be modest, I feel that feature improvements will also be needed to be significant enough to justify the upgrade.

I would go back and read some of the reviews from the 1066 when it was introduced. Perhaps this will remind you that the 1066 is no slouch and will help you fight the urge to upgrade a while longer so that that upgrade will be exactly that rather than a change just to have something new.

[gd]

What gianni said...

Exactly what is it you're looking to improve in your system?

[ICEMAN70]

What gianni said...

Exactly what is it you're looking to improve in your system?

At the moment i have an 5.1 system hooked up. A 7.1 would be great with HDMI. I was actually at my dealer today. He also told me to wait for HDMI 1.3 to come out. So i am going to hold off for a bit and save more $$$$ to put into something new. It is very hard not to spend any money each time i go to my Rotel dealer.

Today i was listening to the RSP 1098. Retail $4500 Canadian. 8O

[JDH]

At the moment i have an 5.1 system hooked up. A 7.1 would be great with HDMI. I was actually at my dealer today. He also told me to wait for HDMI 1.3 to come out. So i am going to hold off for a bit and save more $$$$ to put into something new. It is very hard not to spend any money each time i go to my Rotel dealer.

Today i was listening to the RSP 1098. Retail $4500 Canadian. 8O

Well you could always add a better 2ch amp like the RB-1080, or upgrade the RMB-1075 to either a RMB-1095 or RMB-1077 !!! I also have an RSP-1066 and wasn't looking at upgrading the AV pre-amp until the HD formats and HDMI spec issue is resolved.

[grit]

Wait. You'll regret it if you do not.

[mjb]

Just to swim against the tide, while common sense says wait - waiting can be hard. If the new 1098 with HDMI is imminent I could probably manage to hold out a few months, but to wait for the next 1098 with HDMI 1.3 in at least a year, well that could be tough. And by that time we'll be waiting for HDMI 2 or something. The computer world upgrades fast, so people say "if you need it today, buy it today". There'll always be something newer and better around the corner, but if you wait and wait, you'll never enjoy what you could have today.

[gd]

A 7.1 would be great with HDMI... my dealer... told me to wait for HDMI 1.3 to come out.

If your objective is to have the optimum convenience in switching, with a minimum of cables yes, wait for HDMI 1.3.

Whether 7.1 will be a significant performance improvement over 5.1 will have more to do with your room than anything... a bigger room will certainly benefit by going to 7.1... a smaller room is less certain.

And if you're just looking to upgrade 'cuz you have the itch (nothing wrong with that) -- why not visit CatCables and get some nice new speaker cables?

[chippa]

For what its worth I agree with Mike. As a recent convert to Rotel - RSP 1098 and RMB 1075 - I had to weigh up whether to enjoy the amazing capabilities of the 1098 now or buy something inferior and wait. Chances are if I waited, the HDMI 1.3 capabilities of the processor wouldn't be compatible with my LCD TV anyway.

[Clepto]

Chances are if I waited, the HDMI 1.3 capabilities of the processor wouldn't be compatible with my LCD TV anyway.

? HDMI 1.3 is backwards compatible, and the primary reason to wait for 1.3 vs the other flavors is the AUDIO capabilties, not the video. From a video standpoint, you might be better off as well though, as 1.3 is more likely to have required 1080p support, where it was optional in the older versions (though still possible)