Rc 1070

[meltdown]

Just wondering if anyone has tried this stereo preamp. I was thinking of putting together another small system, and thought that this might be a decent preamp to use.

[Joey_V]

I use it... I think it's a solid preamp. There are better, obviously, but you have to draw the line somewhere, right? Even when you stepup to the 1090, there's still better.

The 1070 is good preamp and I use it in my system. When the time comes for an upgrade, then the 1070 will go... but for now and for the past year or so, the RC1070 has been a solid part of my Rotel system.

[miner]

I use the RC-1070 & RB-1070 as my BR system. A very solid pre - I have read one review where the writer thought the phono pre on it is worth the cost of the unit. My main unit coinsists of the RC-1090 & RB1092.

[benny]

It's been worth the price for sure. I had a couple of QC issues, but from what I've heard Rotel has taken big steps to resolve that. It sounds great.

[miner]

It's been worth the price for sure. I had a couple of QC issues, but from what I've heard Rotel has taken big steps to resolve that. It sounds great.

What type of QC issues did you encounter?

[bigburner]

I've owned an RC-1070 for about 18 months and I'm very happy with it.

[benny]

Well miner, I almost hate to open this can of worms (because I took alot of smart ass comments when I posted about it almost a year ago) but here's the deal: I had two units that got "zapped" by static shock when I touched them and it caused the unit to fail. It was in the dry winter months, yes I could have used the remote exclusively, but I believe a Rotel product with their power supply build should not be this sensitive to minor electostatic "shocks". Several others reported the exact same thing and then there were plenty of posters who thought it was funny and assumed that I'm type of moron. Whatever... And oh by the way, the one I have now that sounds so good, has a burnt out LED in the volume knob. No idea how/why this happened. I take care of my gear, isolation racks, etc. so know that neither of these problems were a result of misuse or abuse. -L8

[Nick M]

I recently picked a silver one up for a 2ch setup I'm putting together. I like it's simplicity. A great Rotel feature is the volume knob. When you turn up the volume with the remote, a motor in the 1070 physically turns the knob. :lol:

Using my "more weight is better" theorem, it passes the mark in that category too.

Yesterday I was in a local hifi shop where I listened to a pair of Signature S4's through a RCD-1072/RC-1070/RB-1080, and it seemed as transparent as anything I've ever heard.

I wouldn't try to build a home theater around it though. :B

[Joey_V]

Love the S4s... especially cant wait to hear the NEW S4 v2... drool.

Sorry for the side track! :P

[adinfinitum]

I wouldn't try to build a home theater around it though. :B

I disagree,

I had a RC1070/RB1070 for 2 channel for a while. Integrated into this was my RSX1055 for HT. Admittedly, it was a little fiddley having to set a pre-set volume level on the pre-amp but it was well worth it for me having a great stereo and a great HT for a small cost. I only have one room and can't seperate the 2ch from the HT.

OF course, Nicholas is partially right, if I had more money I would have looked for a preamp with HT bypass, but there was nothing even close to the RC1070 for anywhere near the price.

A great pre-amp for a low cost with a great Phono board as miner said.

[miner]

When I replaced my RC-1070 with the RC-1090 I did hear a samll improvement. For the difference in size/wt & internals I was expecting more improvement. Rotel did a fine job with their 2 2-ch pre-amps.

[Nick M]

Yeah, that sounds kinda "touchy" having to find a volume for your mains that matches the center and surrounds everytime you sit down to watch, unless you listen at the exact same level every day at every hour. :lol:

What I meant with my above comment was that when starting new for a home theater that will be used for 2ch as well, the 1070 wouldn't be my first choice.

It was my first choice for my current 2ch project though. :T

[bigburner]

Well miner, I almost hate to open this can of worms (because I took alot of smart ass comments when I posted about it almost a year ago) but here's the deal: I had two units that got "zapped" by static shock when I touched them and it caused the unit to fail. It was in the dry winter months, yes I could have used the remote exclusively, but I believe a Rotel product with their power supply build should not be this sensitive to minor electostatic "shocks". Several others reported the exact same thing and then there were plenty of posters who thought it was funny and assumed that I'm type of moron. Whatever... And oh by the way, the one I have now that sounds so good, has a burnt out LED in the volume knob. No idea how/why this happened. I take care of my gear, isolation racks, etc. so know that neither of these problems were a result of misuse or abuse. -L8

benny, my teenage daughter told me she got zapped by my RC-1070 the other day. It closed the pre-amp down for a few seconds. That's the one and only time this has happened in 18 months.

Nigel.

[benny]

^exactly. the first one or two times i could unplug/plug it again and it worked. the third time it went down...........and never came back. i really try to use the remote only during the dry months for fear of it happening again. good luck with yours.

[JimJ]

Figured I might as well bring this back instead of making a whole new thread...

I'm trying to decide between the RC-1070 and the B&K Reference 5 S2...can anyone with experience with these chime in?

Thanks

[Blindamood]

I have not used the RC-1070, but I do have the B&K Reference 5 in my two-channel setup (paired with the Reference 125.2 amp). I have been very happy with the sound and usability of this preamp. I went with B&K primarily because of the inclusion of the FM tuner, but ironically, I hardly ever use it since I now have both Sirius and Internet radio available in the same system.

Another advantage of the B&K is that it has an LED interface, which can be seen quite clearly from up to 8-10 feet away. Also includes the 12v trigger and balanced (XLR) connections to amp, both of which I use.

[JimJ]

Yeah, the decision is a little tough for me because I'm going to be using an outboard MM phono stage, so I don't really need the one built into the Rotel...and I don't really listen to a lot of local FM stations.

Guess it comes down to whatever sounds/is built the best.

[SIH]

I have also encountered QC issues with the RC-1070. When it worked it was was an adequate preamp for the money but because of the poor reliability I would never recommend it...ever.