RB985 or RMB1066, which to keep?

[tearinghairout]

Hi all

A long time ago I bought a RSP970 pre-amp and RB985 5x100 power-amp, which I have used for a while and been pretty happy with.

However the pre-amp didn't do do anything digital or proper 5.1 surround, so I decided to upgrade it. I found on ebay someone who was selling a package of the the RSP1066 and RMB1066 bundled together that was quite cheap. I asked and they said they would not break the bundle and only sell the pre-amp, but I figured upgrading my power-amp too would be good, so I got them both and planned to then sell the old pair.

However, in comparing the two systems side by side the new one (1066) doesn't seem to sound as good as the old one (985) for listening to music. I think that it is the power amp as I tried swapping the connections and the new pre sounded good with the old power-amp.

Is this possible/likely? At first I assumed that the new set would sound better because it's... well... "new". However, this did not seem the case.

Looking at some comments on this forum last night I started to think that maybe the fact that the 985 is 100wpc and the 1066 is 60wpc could be the cause. I am running speakers that I wouldn't think would need much power, and at fairly modest volume. The speakers are TDL RTL2's.
Can the power difference really make that much difference on smallish speakers at lowish volumes?

I tried bridging 4 of the channels into 2 on the 1066, and I think it sounded better, but by then it was late and I was tired and so I am not sure.
By bridging the 4 channels into 2, that only leaves 2 remaining channels for surround for movies, meaning no centre. Also comments I have read in this forum suggest that bridging compromises sound quality.

My "listening profile" of music/movies is probably 50/50, but I am not too fussed about sound quality of movies and want to concentrate on getting the 2ch music sounding good.

So, the questions I have are:

1. Is newer necessarily better, or is it quite possible that the 985 is just better for 2ch music than the 1066, and does the extra wattage really make that much difference?

2. Should I:
a. Keep the RB985 and sell the 1066 and have a centre channel?
b. Bridge the 1066 and sell the 985 and put up with no centre channel and possible sound quality compromise?
c. Sell both and buy something like the RMB1075 (5x120w) ?
d. Keep one, sell the other, and save up for a great-big-F-Off-2-channel like and RB1070 or RB1080, and then use two amps, one for front left/right and the other for surrounds/centre?
e. Any other ideas?

I realize that there is no right or wrong answer, particularly for Q2, but I wanted to get peoples opinions and ideas about what they might do in this situation.

Thanks
THO

[JDH]

If you can offload the 985 and rmb1066 for reasonable money, you would be better off buying a new or secondhand RMB-1075 assuming you plan to stick with Rotel analogue amps.

JDH.

Hi all

A long time ago I bought a RSP970 pre-amp and RB985 5x100 power-amp, which I have used for a while and been pretty happy with.

However the pre-amp didn't do do anything digital or proper 5.1 surround, so I decided to upgrade it. I found on ebay someone who was selling a package of the the RSP1066 and RMB1066 bundled together that was quite cheap. I asked and they said they would not break the bundle and only sell the pre-amp, but I figured upgrading my power-amp too would be good, so I got them both and planned to then sell the old pair.

However, in comparing the two systems side by side the new one (1066) doesn't seem to sound as good as the old one (985) for listening to music. I think that it is the power amp as I tried swapping the connections and the new pre sounded good with the old power-amp.

Is this possible/likely? At first I assumed that the new set would sound better because it's... well... "new". However, this did not seem the case.

Looking at some comments on this forum last night I started to think that maybe the fact that the 985 is 100wpc and the 1066 is 60wpc could be the cause. I am running speakers that I wouldn't think would need much power, and at fairly modest volume. The speakers are TDL RTL2's.
Can the power difference really make that much difference on smallish speakers at lowish volumes?

I tried bridging 4 of the channels into 2 on the 1066, and I think it sounded better, but by then it was late and I was tired and so I am not sure.
By bridging the 4 channels into 2, that only leaves 2 remaining channels for surround for movies, meaning no centre. Also comments I have read in this forum suggest that bridging compromises sound quality.

My "listening profile" of music/movies is probably 50/50, but I am not too fussed about sound quality of movies and want to concentrate on getting the 2ch music sounding good.

So, the questions I have are:

1. Is newer necessarily better, or is it quite possible that the 985 is just better for 2ch music than the 1066, and does the extra wattage really make that much difference?

2. Should I:
a. Keep the RB985 and sell the 1066 and have a centre channel?
b. Bridge the 1066 and sell the 985 and put up with no centre channel and possible sound quality compromise?
c. Sell both and buy something like the RMB1075 (5x120w) ?
d. Keep one, sell the other, and save up for a great-big-F-Off-2-channel like and RB1070 or RB1080, and then use two amps, one for front left/right and the other for surrounds/centre?
e. Any other ideas?

I realize that there is no right or wrong answer, particularly for Q2, but I wanted to get peoples opinions and ideas about what they might do in this situation.

Thanks
THO

[bleeding ears]

Other than not having the heatsink face plate and 12 V trigger I dont know if there is a lot of difference between the 985 and the 1075 amps on the inside.

Being the owner of a 985 myself I am pretty happy with it and at what they sell for used you may have to spend a fair bit more to get the 1075 but may not realise much gain for the expense.

You will probably get more for the 1066 than you will for the 985.

When I was considering getting a 985 amp myself,I did a search and found very positive reviews, similar to the reviews of the 1075.

Not so sure about the 1066 amp though, do a search here and also check out audio review website.

As for bridging the 1066 amp, if you have, or ever get speakers that are lower than 8 ohms, its a no no.

Pete

[Kevin D]

The RMB-1066 was primarily designed as a multi-room amplifier, so I would expect it to sound worse then the 985, even if it was the same power.

Kevin D.

[hifiguymi]

I'd sell the RMB-1066 and save up some money and get an RB-1070 or RB-1080 for your left and right front speakers. Since you do a lot of 2 channel listening that would be a place to focus your attention. The RB-985 is a very good amp and will work great for center and surround duties.

Eric

[chrispy35]

You don't mention whether or not you had levels matched when you were comparing the two amps (same volume on the pre != same SPL out of your speakers). If you didn't, in all likelihood the 985 could have been louder which your ears will tell you is better.

Spec-wise, the 1066 is right up there with the rest of Rotel's amps, it's only limitation is power due to it's size and # of channels.

Before spending more money, I would try the 1066 for a few weeks and see if it meets your needs. If it does, you've got a nice amp to match your pre. If it doesn't, just keep the 985 and sell the 1066 or sell both and get a 1075 as others have recommended.

Chris P.
RMB-1066 user

[mike c]

I like the concept of bridging the 1066 for the front 3 channels as long as you have 8ohm fronts. use the 985 to power the rears.

[tearinghairout]

Thanks for your comments

Hi all, and thanks for all your feedback.

After having read all your various comments I think I will go with option (d) and keep the 985, sell the 1066 and save up for a good 2 channel amp to eventually do the front left/right.

As bleeding_ears pointed out, needing to bridge to get a decent output limits the choice of speakers with the correct ohmage*, and Kevin_D suggested that the 1066 is intended for multi-room use anyway hence won't sound as good. So it looks like the 1066 will have to go.

I was tempted to also sell the 985 and upgrade to a 1075, but I don't suppose I would get much money for the 985 because of its age and to be honest I have never been disappointed with it, so I will keep it and use it for the time being.

Tune in next week when I'll be starting a "Does anybody want to buy an RMB1066 and RSP970?" thread. :lol:
Actually, I will probably start by seeing if any dealers will take it as a trade in on a nice 2 channel amp.

Once again, Thanks
Kevin

* Mandy: Homage? You're drunk, it's disgusting! Out! The lot, out! Bursting in here with tales about oriental fortune tellers. Come on. Out!
Wise Man 1: No, no, we must see him.
Mandy: Go and praise someone else's brat! Go on!

[JDH]

I've had my RSP-1066 or almost 3 years now and it has worked flawlessly during the period, it is now long in the tooth in terms surround features, but still does a great job on 2ch music compared to the majority of AV receivers used as a pre amp. You should still be happy with the RSP-1066.

I'm currently using an Elektra Theatre 7 ch power amp with the RSP-1066, which covers music and surround quit well.

JDH.

Hi all, and thanks for all your feedback.

After having read all your various comments I think I will go with option (d) and keep the 985, sell the 1066 and save up for a good 2 channel amp to eventually do the front left/right.

As bleeding_ears pointed out, needing to bridge to get a decent output limits the choice of speakers with the correct ohmage*, and Kevin_D suggested that the 1066 is intended for multi-room use anyway hence won't sound as good. So it looks like the 1066 will have to go.

I was tempted to also sell the 985 and upgrade to a 1075, but I don't suppose I would get much money for the 985 because of its age and to be honest I have never been disappointed with it, so I will keep it and use it for the time being.

Tune in next week when I'll be starting a "Does anybody want to buy an RMB1066 and RSP970?" thread. :lol:
Actually, I will probably start by seeing if any dealers will take it as a trade in on a nice 2 channel amp.

Once again, Thanks
Kevin

* Mandy: Homage? You're drunk, it's disgusting! Out! The lot, out! Bursting in here with tales about oriental fortune tellers. Come on. Out!
Wise Man 1: No, no, we must see him.
Mandy: Go and praise someone else's brat! Go on!

[tearinghairout]

You should still be happy with the RSP-1066.
JDH.

Yes indeed, the RSP pre-amp/surround-processor is great, and I do intend to keep that. When I said I was going to sell the 1066, I meant just the RMB power-amp.

My original plan was to buy a separate pre/processor to replace my ye-olde-steame-driven RSP970 which only does pro-logic. I would have preferred to just get the RSP1066 by itself, but the RMB also came as part of the bundle, and was effectively free if you assume I paid the normal price for the RSP.

It does seem a shame to break up the pair, but ultimately I need to pick those bits that work best for me and I am sick of dragging around tons of old gear every time I move house.

[bleeding ears]

Tearinghairout, if you do eventually get a 2 channel amp for the fronts, be sure to comeback to this thread and let us know if you notice much improvement.

The reason I am interested is that I went from a 2 channel 200 watts p/ch Rotel amp to the 985 amp and have not noticed any degradation in sound quality at the same volume level.

Any difference seemed to be minor in my system, however others may tell you otherwise with their system and their ears. I could not justify keeping the 2 channel amp and sold it.

Keep in mind that if you run 4 ohm speakers the 985 amp should be putting out around double the 100 watts per channel, so a significant jump in wattage with another amp and 4 ohm speakers could be a little bit unnecessary.

Nice to have that extra power but unless you are playing stuff very loud or have really inefficient speakers,it may never get used or be necessary.

It is always interesting though, to try different components and see what result you get, and that is what most of us on here are doing.

Others may argue I am wrong and if you were going from a 985 amp to a 2 channel amp a lot futher up the food chain the results may be very different, but thats what I heard with my setup and my bleeding ears.


Have fun, good luck

Pete