Rb-1090

[RoMan]

I am considering purchasing this amp for my mains. Can I get some feedback in regards to the quality of this amp? How does it sound? Build quality? A users feedback review of this amp would be much appreciated. I know they are discontinued but I do see them on audiogon and ebay.

Thanks everybody.

RoMan.

[linuxtx]

I have not owned this amp, but have spent a reasonable amount of time with it. Frankly it is very impressive. I have heard it driving Nautilus 804s and Nautilus 802s. For the price, it cannot be beat. Of course all of that power means it draws a good bit of current, which is the only reason I am sticking with the 1080 in my new office setup. Great sounding amp, plenty of power, and built like a tank.

[DL86]

I own one driving a pair of paradigm studio 100 v3's and couldnt ask for more. Build quality is very good. A joy to listen to music via a shanling cd-t80 source. In movies I get real bass that "sound" better than most subs below 1500 AUD. This amp drives my speakers with massive headroom I can play it as loud as I could possibly want.

[RoMan]

At first I was considering the RB 1080. Right now I own the RMB 1095. I want to power the mains with a 2 channel and also I will have a 7.1 home theater setup. I am concerned at how much current would be drawn as I live in an apartment building. When I turn on the system right now the lights in the dining room flicker. Would this be overkill for my electricity and blow fuses if I were to purchase this amp?

I am running a Def Tech setup right now. My mains are BP7002. Anyways, thanks for the responses so far.

RoMan

[DL86]

I had mine running in an apartment with an rb-1080. The lights used to flicker for me too, when I had mine hooked on one power point i.e. both the rb 1090 and 1080 the fuse would blow, so I got the RB-1090 and put it on a seperate line and left the other electronics on the same line and it worked out good. Not sure about running two of rotels biggest amps ever made though.

[Pez]

At first I was considering the RB 1080. Right now I own the RMB 1095. I want to power the mains with a 2 channel and also I will have a 7.1 home theater setup. I am concerned at how much current would be drawn as I live in an apartment building. When I turn on the system right now the lights in the dining room flicker. Would this be overkill for my electricity and blow fuses if I were to purchase this amp?

I am running a Def Tech setup right now. My mains are BP7002. Anyways, thanks for the responses so far.

RoMan

Do you have some sort of power protection (like the RLC-1040). I dont know if it will help in your case but I recenty had to switch to an outet that seems to have issues and with my RLC-1040 there are no more issues. With those Def Techs you will have lots of amps to plug in, the suggestion above to try and use multiple outlets (on different circuits) is a good one.

[meltdown]

rb 1090

I run the 1090 through a pair of Paradigm studio 100's also. Great combo. I ran a seperate lead from the breaker to a recepticle just for the 1090. Heard the amp play through B&W's, very good imaging and headroom. Very musical for sure.

[Wardo]

i have a pair of 1090's and a 1095. you can NOT turn all 3 on at one time even with a 20 amp circut. If you have multiplw amps you will need to switch them on seperatley, I think thats normal for powerful amps.
As far as build quality. I think that Rotel could have put a strong top on the case but other than that it's a beast! Built like a tank and performs like one. They have never left me wanting more power.
Sound is superb. It's a very transparent amp, no coloration that I can detect. Just some words of advice. Do not use MIT or Transparent cable with these Rotel equipment. In my experience Audio Research sound the best with Rotel/ Paradigm combo.

Eddie

[meltdown]

1090's

I remember you Wardo, your the nut case with two mono blocked 1090's LOL. Everytime you turn on that system I see my pressure drop in my boiler, and have to give the girl some more coal to maintain steam pressure.

[Wardo]

LOL... Yep, thats me.

[meltdown]

1090

In all seriousness, Iam glad that I picked up my 1090, as it was the last one to be had at my rotel dealer.

[RoMan]

Hey folks...thanks for all the positive feedback regarding the RB 1090. Thats great.

I was looking at the Monster Power AVS 2000 voltage stabilizer and was wondering if that would help? In regards to the new Class D amps, is there a significant sound difference??

Thanks again.

RoMan

[Wardo]

Hey folks...thanks for all the positive feedback regarding the RB 1090. Thats great.

I was looking at the Monster Power AVS 2000 voltage stabilizer and was wondering if that would help? In regards to the new Class D amps, is there a significant sound difference??

Thanks again.

RoMan

yes it will help. I just happen to havre one for sale.

[RoMan]

yes it will help. I just happen to havre one for sale.

PM me the details Wardo. Pics if you have any...thanks.

Would it help in terms of plugging 2 high current amps into it and not blowing any fuses in my electrical box??

[RoMan]

PM me the details Wardo. Pics if you have any...thanks.

Would it help in terms of plugging 2 high current amps into it and not blowing any fuses in my electrical box??

I am currently running the Monster Power 5100. It is pretty consistent at 120 volts and the lowest I seen it go was 116. The highest was 125.

[miner]

In regards to the new Class D amps, is there a significant sound difference??

Thanks again.

RoMan

I had a friend bring over his monster RB-1090 to compare to my dimunitive RB-1092. He almost needed a cart to haul that RB-1090 into the house. I did the blind test on him since he had never heard the RB-1092. After the night was through he was very impressed with the Class D Rotel. The soudsateg was a bit less prominent, but all else matched up well. I used as my source a Rotel RCC-1055 CD changer, Rega P5 turntable, iPod (ha ha - source?), and a Nak BX100 cassette deck. In all instance his ears pick wrong when I swithced back & forth between the two amps. I initially was looking to get the RB-1090 but due to size, wt & heat I did not have the proper 'stand' for it. The RB-1092 fit my bill perfectly. BTW, my Houston dealer has one RB-1090 left for $1500 - The Home Theater Store.

[gianni]

... and a Nak BX100 cassette deck. .

Wow! Somebaody else still has one of these? I have one as well as a BX150.

[RoMan]

So miner it seems the RB 1092 had a bit better soundstage than the RB 1090 from your comparison. 1500 US is quite a bit of money when converted to CAD dollars plus shipping. I may as well get the RB 1092.

At this point I am hoping to find a RB 1090 for a good used or new RB 1090 that is under 1500.00 US. In another few years I can upgrade again to a Class D amp and hopefully the prices are more competitive in the market.

Thanks for that comparison with the two amps. I appreciate the info. :T

[miner]

Actually, the RB-1090 had a bit better soundstage - sorry to mislead you.

[Joey_V]

You can search this forum for my RB1090 review. I liked that guy.

JOey

[RoMan]

You can search this forum for my RB1090 review. I liked that guy.

JOey

Thanks Joey I will do a search for that review. :T

[UFObuster]

An RB-1090? So where do you park the fork-lift to move this thing around? Did you have to do anything to support your flooring? I know a good MD who does hernia repair .
Seriously, I love Rotel amps...have the 1080 (2 channel) which is just lovely to listen to. Recently added a 1075 (5 channel) to complete the HT package. The only other thing to consider is using smaller multi amps for tailoring your system. Otherwise... Go for it!

Roger

[RoMan]

An RB-1090? So where do you park the fork-lift to move this thing around? Did you have to do anything to support your flooring? I know a good MD who does hernia repair .
Seriously, I love Rotel amps...have the 1080 (2 channel) which is just lovely to listen to. Recently added a 1075 (5 channel) to complete the HT package. The only other thing to consider is using smaller multi amps for tailoring your system. Otherwise... Go for it!

Roger

LOL...UFObuster that is hilarious!! I have a RMB 1095 that was a beast to be moving around but I did find a way and the RB 1090 wouldn't be any different. Guess I'll just have to work out harder at the gym..lol... :B

I too was considering the RB 1080 but I have seen used RB1090's that go for a decent price that is appealing to me. I dont think it would hurt to have the extra headroom but also when I move into a bigger place at some point I will be ready and the equipment will do its job in a bigger unit...unless as I said previously that if Class D amp prices come down a bit more than another upgrade would be in the works.


:T

[Joey_V]

1090 is the one to get if you're sticking with Rotel, IMO.

You wont be disappointed at how good this amp is able to scale up compared to other monster amps.

[RoMan]

1090 is the one to get if you're sticking with Rotel, IMO.

You wont be disappointed at how good this amp is able to scale up compared to other monster amps.

Thanks Joey_V for the vote of confidence. It seems this is the amp to go for as I do want to stick with Rotel. So far with the RMB 1095 for the money IMO it sounds excellent and the build quality is rock solid too.

Stay tuned Club Rotel.

8)

[Joey_V]

Stay tuned Club Rotel.

8)

I'm staying tuned.... :T .

[RoMan]

Finding this amp is easy but the ones that are for sale have cosmetic defects on them that can easily be seen even on their picture. Any RB 1090's I see on Audigon are for USA only and excludes potential buyers north of the border. That's a downer.

Called 2 dealers in my area and 1 said it would cost me 3 grand CAD...I said "No way!". The other said they could find me one but when I informed him that they are discontinued he checked and agreed they were. So my options are if finding one under 1500 US means that cosmetic defects will be have to be accepted or just be patient and hopefully I'll get lucky enough to find one on Ebay. Anyone here know where one is for sale??

Thanks all.

RoMan.

[miner]

Home Theater Store Clearance Center in Houston, Texas ($1500)

[RoMan]

Home Theater Store Clearance Center in Houston, Texas ($1500)

Is it factory fresh and sealed miner? Is there a website I can access to check out there store? I'll try and google them. Thanks miner. Your input is greatly appreciated.


RoMan. :T

[Gutty]

An awful long way away... but http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Rotel-RB-1090...QQcmdZViewItem

[miner]

Is it factory fresh and sealed miner? Is there a website I can access to check out there store? I'll try and google them. Thanks miner. Your input is greatly appreciated.


RoMan. :T

May be a demo BUT it will have full factory warranty.

www.hometheaterstore.com

Look in the Clearance Center area

[Alaric]

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/auc.pl?ampstran&1181438024

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1183263242

Found a couple.

[zmanbands]

Home Theater Store 1090

I called. It is a demo and it's $1700. No Thanks.

[Joey_V]

I called. It is a demo and it's $1700. No Thanks.

You can haggle... and it comes with full warranty... that aint too bad.

[RoMan]

I called Home Theater Store too. He did say it was a demo with a full warranty too, however they were out of stock with the 1090. He did say that the price was accurate on their website for 1499.00.

I will keep trying for a bit but it appears that I may have to get the RB 1080 for 2 channel listening at this point.

RoMan.

[zmanbands]

1090 on audiogon for $1200

Its been there 8 days now. In Ca. Perhaps you can haggle. Shipping 102 lbs won't be cheap. Perhaps you can get free shipping. 856 views so far.

[Joey_V]

Its been there 8 days now. In Ca. Perhaps you can haggle. Shipping 102 lbs won't be cheap. Perhaps you can get free shipping. 856 views so far.

When I shipped my 1090, it cost me 27$ through fedex ground. I forgot where it went... but it can't be an arm and a leg.

[zmanbands]

Your Dreaming

Where did you ship it to the next town? It weighs 83 lbs Without the box.

[Joey_V]

Where did you ship it to the next town? It weighs 83 lbs Without the box.

Must've been somewhere close.... I forget where. But I was surprised by the charge... and I didnt argue.

[zmanbands]

Just received a 1090.

Some of my comments are preliminary since I listened only a few hours to the 1090. I was pleasantly surprised that this runs luke warm, not hot at all. Listening level was 80 db at the listening position which was comfortably loud.The manual says it's power consumption is 800 watts not the 1250 that I have seen in a few places. Mine was originally purchased in 1999 but has been in storage a lot and has been used very little. The owner had 3 of them at one time. It sounds better than my RB990 [which is fully factory refurbished], but not dramatically better. I was able to lift it onto a shelf that is about 2' high. Price paid was just under $1200. Bought a special custom UPS proof box from Rotel for $60 for shipping. Owner had no box. Conversation with a Rotel tech indicated he would rank the sound of 1090 best. 1080 second and 990 third. Hope this helps.

[ricktsu]

Hey folks...thanks for all the positive feedback regarding the RB 1090. Thats great.

I was looking at the Monster Power AVS 2000 voltage stabilizer and was wondering if that would help? In regards to the new Class D amps, is there a significant sound difference??

Thanks again.

RoMan

Hey Roman

I run a Rotel 1090 and 1095 through the AVS 2000. I use it to stage the turn on time of the rotels along with my front Oinx RS1000's internal sub amp's. I have not blown a breaker on this set up but i do get a quick dim of lights in my HT for a few secs. I can not say for sure if the AVS 2000 makes a sound diff. but it def does something, I can see voltage changes depending on the time of the day. I can say I am happy i purchased it and would like to get another for rear RS1000's and projector and main sub.

Rick K

[wkhanna]

Conversation with a Rotel tech indicated he would rank the sound of 1090 best. 1080 second and 990 third. Hope this helps.

Now the asking price of the 990 will go up $100. :M

[RoMan]

Hey Roman

I run a Rotel 1090 and 1095 through the AVS 2000. I use it to stage the turn on time of the rotels along with my front Oinx RS1000's internal sub amp's. I have not blown a breaker on this set up but i do get a quick dim of lights in my HT for a few secs. I can not say for sure if the AVS 2000 makes a sound diff. but it def does something, I can see voltage changes depending on the time of the day. I can say I am happy i purchased it and would like to get another for rear RS1000's and projector and main sub.

Rick K

Thanks Rick for your comment. Unfortunately it appears that the RB 1090 is going to be a hard item to get because it is discontinued. I may settle for the RB 1080 because they are abundantly available and in black which I am looking for to match other components.

I've seen AVS 2000 voltage stabilizers on sale used at ebay, audiogon. Have u ever looked at Richard Gray Power Company power conditioners? I see the AVS is quite the beast too. It must weight a lot.

I know that it would also help out with my components as my apartment building is pretty big so it wouldnt hurt having this beast in my system too.

RoMan :T

[zmanbands]

1090 on audiogon looks black in pic.

Owner says its only been played 30 hours and wants $1300. Maybe you can talk down the price a bit.

[RoMan]

Owner says its only been played 30 hours and wants $1300. Maybe you can talk down the price a bit.

Thanks zmanbands. I see it is for USA only. I like Audiogon but when used products are for USA only its gets somewhat discouraging unless it says USA and Canada or Worldwide than there is a shot. I've seen lots of RB 1090's available on there but most were USA only. Guess its a beast to ship and theres a better chance that it will get there safely if sold to US only. Not sure but anyways, thanks for the heads up. Appreciate it. :T

RoMan