Rotel 1066 wish list.

[Brent]

I would like to be able to have an option to have the remote backlight only come on when I press the side trigger. 90% of the time I don't actually need the remote to light up. It's a small thing I know. :roll:

[LEVESQUE]

Why not include the upgrade cable with any new RSP-1066? Or the big brother? I'm french, and one of my employee had to call for me to order the cable because it's tough for me to be understood well on the phone in english. It would not make any difference on the final price at all.

Each time I order something form the U.S, they spell my name "ALIEN" instead of "ALAIN". My wife almost choke-up each time she see this... :LOL: Imagine me trying to spell St-Stanislas-de-Kostka...

[Gary Press]

Although I've mentioned on another thread some changes that I'd like to see in the 1066, I thought I'd pull some old and some new thoughts together.

. As so many have mentioned - setting delays in Feet and for the front Left and Right speakers.

. Longer delays should be available globally to allow for synch problems with video processors.

. For the remote, button for choice of inputs not hidden beneath a cover.

. Once Speaker Set-Up has been programmed, users should never see references to speakers not used in their system. If I don't have back speakers, then I should never have to see them listed on subsequent lists.

. There should be a way by which to set speakers levels without having to go through 1066 test tones. Some us prefer to use a DVD for balancing, such as "Video Essentials."

. Auto-calibration for balancing ala Parasound.

. Give us individual equalizers for each channel, using many frequency bands that can be adjusted in .5 db steps. This will help to smooth out room anamolies. Global tone controls in 2 db steps way too crude - almost useless.

. Special equalization for Front Center speaker to accomodate placement on TVs or shelves.

. Faster reacting volume control via remote and registered in decibles, not meaning less abstract numbers.

. Volume setting memories for each input.

. The only time an audio signal should be heard is when that specific input has been chosen. There is no reason for analog audio to be present at multiple input choices including Optical 2, when nothing is connected to that input.

. Set-Up and making changes should be able to be accomplished via the the unit's display, not only through OSD. Some don't like to use OSDs.

. OSDs that don't degrade quality of video signals.

. Balanced outputs.

. Better fitting power cord with 3 prongs that will allow third prong for grounding.

That's about it for dreaming.

The only problem is, what would the Dream Machine cost????

Happy Listening,

Gary

[jaakan]

Firewire

Logic7

Computer side control/setup/update program.
1. Downloads newest firmware for you unit
2. Updates units firmware
3. save/change/load settings

[Kevin D]

Gary,

For the most part about $2000.. You see the crazy thing is I just upgraded to the 1066 from a RSP-985 that took care of almost everything on your list..

Oh well, it may be a midterm solution, but the 1066 does have 7.1, PLII, and being in a 10 series case it doesn't look like a shoebox in the front anymore.. :LOL:

[craigdcan]

Kevin,

How has the quality of stereo material changed with the change from RSP-985 to 1066?

[Trevor_J]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

Please Please PLEASE output the volume in NUMBERS on the OSD! Or at least create an option to turn this on and off. My 1066 is sitting in a completely seperate room so it would be nice if I could tell what the volume level is on screen. I don't think this would be a big deal to implement so if they could include it I would be _EXTREMELY_ happy.

[garethk]

I have just upgraded from a sony processor, and although I know someone has already mentioned it, I would like to be able to disable the sub for stereo.
I think instead of the setting going from -7 to -8 to -9 to min it should go to off instead.

This i think should be a minor change. It is the only thing I miss from the Sony.

8)




GarethK

[Kevin D]

Craig,

Overall I would say the 1066 sounds better.. I've been without for over a month so it might be just having sound again. I'ld say a more natural sound, less bright which is nice for my B&W's..

Keep in mind the 985 also converted EVERYTHING to digital before it spit it out so I would expect a little improvement there..

Kevin D.

[Entice]

I'm quite suprised that no-one else has asked on the wish list for the ability to lower the volume whilst in mute mode, without actually restoring the volume setting (ie removing the mute feature). Years ago I had a car Cd player like this, and what it would do, once in mute, would be to stay muted yet lower the volume "number". If whilst in mute, a higher volume number was requested, the mute feature would disengage. This could be an alternative to faster volume ramping, as I find the ramping via remote quite slow, and the volume knob on the unit quite stiff for quick volume lowering....eg, phone rings but u still want to monitor the audio....

otherwise quite content.....

[Andrew Pratt]

Actually we did have this as a feature at one time but most people wanted it the other way so it got changed again.

[Entice]

ah well...

them's the brakes I guess....

Say..wouldn't it be nice if there was a simple pc program that we could use to make these small and subtle alterations ourselves???...but then again, we'd probably spend more time tweaking...less time listening..and after all, isn't the reason we all got into this thing so as to have something with substantial volume to drown out that of a significant other? no wait..I don't think I was meant to say that out aloud...

oops!

[vfrjim]

The only fix that I would like is when the 1066 senses a different signal (IE: Dolby Digital then changes to Dolby Pro logic during a commercial with a HDTV signal) that it would not have an annoying static noise that is audible on the change, it is VERY annoying. Other then that, I am content with my new 1066.

Jim

[Scarp]

I wish they didn't scroll the current format from right to left. When you switch formats you have to wait till its scrolled completely untill you see what format it is (e.g. dts es / dts). They should just make it begin from the left and make sure the name fits on the display.

Another is thing on my wishlist is that they make an option to always have the display off (except when changing volume).

[LaurentG]

I would like to know if there is a possibility that Rotel enhances its RS-232 protocol in order to have better features like the possibility to get the full RSP-1066 configuration and set-up the RSP-1066 without the need to use the OSD ?
First question is : is it possible to enhance the protocol through a firmware update ?
Second question is : could Rotel accord some interest to this request ?

Laurent

[Ninipc]

Just a small thing too add on the list, but useful I think: a default volume on power On. I had this feature on my "old" Onkyo 595 and it's very practical (no surprise in the morning when you want to listen radio after the yesterday's party :LOL: ), it's probably very simple to add.

[suyver]

The two things that I really, really want for the next upgrade would be
1) The possibility to switch off the display permanently, apart from the few seconds that it's on when I do something with the remote. Having to turn the display off every time that I use it is annoying me.
2) The possibility to set the volume levels seperately for CD, DVD etc.

Just my 2 eurocents.





Check out my home theater!

[Entice]

:idea: Dunno if it's been mentioned before, but I'd really really like greater choice in sub crossover setting. Ie, As a first, perhaps steps of 5, or even 10Hz instead of the 20Hz jumps. Would be much easier to control sub setting depending on movie/audio. I find that I have to adjust the X-over frequency on the sub itself (after setting 60Hz on the processor) to approx 70Hz to achieve ultimate audio, but would prefer the lower Hz setting for movies (more boom and bang).... Much nicer to control this via processor remote than having to reach to the back of the sub!

Perhaps this could also be extended to have the X-over setting different for each format, ie, the db is settable for dts, dPL2, pcm, etc etc, why not have the X-over frequency also different on these?

Food for thought...

[shuang1234]

- Additional inputs. I have used all, and I still need to connect my turntable.
Adding two video inputs (that could be used for an analog or digital sound source) would be useful.

[suyver]

- Additional inputs. I have used all, and I still need to connect my turntable.
Adding two video inputs (that could be used for an analog or digital sound source) would be useful.

That's going to be really hard to do with a software-upgrade...





Check out my home theater!

[lhl12]

I would like to know if there is a possibility that Rotel enhances its RS-232 protocol in order to have better features like the possibility to get the full RSP-1066 configuration and set-up the RSP-1066 without the need to use the OSD ?
First question is : is it possible to enhance the protocol through a firmware update ?
Second question is : could Rotel accord some interest to this request ?

Laurent

I would also like to see some enhancements to the RS-232 protocol. In particular, I would like:

1) Discrete "Mute On" and "Mute Off" commands in addition to (not instead of) the the currently available "Mute" command (which just toggles the Mute state from whatever state it is presently in.)

2) The ability to query the current Mute Status from the processor and get feedback as to whether it is currently in its "Mute On" or "Mute Off" state.

3) The ability to query the current Volume Level from the processor and get feedback as to the level at which is it currently set.

I assume that requests like these would get applied to each of the 1055, 1065 and 1066.

[audunth]

Andrew, are you still updating the first post of this thread? I'm sure you know that many of the wishes in the 1st post have already been implemented and several new ones have emerged.

I also have a few wishes:

1) As partly said before, the ability to totally control the sub crossover individually for each speaker set (Center, Front, Surround and CB) AND for each surround mode setting

2) The ability to "lock" a surround setting. E.g. when I skip a chapter on a DVD, I lose sound for a couple of seconds because the 1055 re-detects the surround mode. When playing my Daredevil DVD, I even lose sound in the layer change! This applies also when browsing through different pages in the DVD's menu. I even have to turn off the OSD when using my TV to not have the surround mode pop up on screen every single time I change menu page!

3) That when I select DD EX for a DD disc it stays that way every time DD is detected until I change it back. If I skip chapter when playing a DD disc in DD EX, it snaps back to DD again. Same with DTS ES if they implement the forced DTS ES on DTS discs.

4) The ability to turn off the sub individually for PLII and DD, and also DTS and Neo:6.

5) Make the PLII Music optional parameters also available for PLII Cinema

6) If the decoding chip supports it, the addition of Dolby Headphone decoding isn't that stupid even without a headphone output. It could output the decoded signal to Tape out, one of the 3 Video outs, Zone 2 out or main speaker pre out for hooking up to a separate headphone amp. Of course the best would be if you could select which of these outputs to use for the DH signal!

7) Negative delay for the center channel, to accomodate for setups where the center is farther away than the fronts. Which would essentially mean adding delay to all the other channels including the fronts.


I hope Rotel still gets these suggestions!

BTW, I am currently using the 1.50 firmware.


Regards,
Audun

[audunth]

Forgot this one:

- To have it turn on from standby when pressing either one of the input selector buttons on the front! I hate having to use the remote to turn on the receiver when I'm already in front of it to put in a DVD or turn on the power amp!




Regards,
Audun

[will1066]

There's not enough processing power to do some of the stuff you requested. They're in the 1098, though.

[spiffnme]

Forgot this one:

- To have it turn on from standby when pressing either one of the input selector buttons on the front! I hate having to use the remote to turn on the receiver when I'm already in front of it to put in a DVD or turn on the power amp!

I've found this annoying as well.




www.funnyfarmcomics.net
All Daredevil, All the Time!

[audunth]

There's not enough processing power to do some of the stuff you requested. They're in the 1098, though.

Probably not, but I hope they read this so they can fix whatever's possible to do something about




Regards,
Audun

[Trevor_J]

While we're wishing, how about a firmware update for DPL IIx?

[audunth]

I have another one also, and this is really a bug which should be corrected:

When I turn off the sub in Stereo mode, the display still shows L, R and LFE as the active speakers. LFE should not light up in a mode where it is inactive.




Regards,
Audun

[mattburk]

Being able to set a default volume setting for each input so that when you switch from one source to another you dont get blown out of the water. For example if I am listening to am/fm my volume is set to at most 50, but if I am watching tv it goes to about 60 and then dvd/cd to 70-80. So, If I am watching a movie at night and then in the morning I get up and turn on the radio and forget to turn it down to 50, If feels like I am going to blow out my speakers.

Aside from that the things that bother me the most would be the delay in detecting a digital signal, and then not automatically detecting what the best decode format for each setting is.

[stewc]

Being able to set a default volume setting for each input so that when you switch from one source to another you dont get blown out of the water

Oh boy, do I second that! The volume difference between Tivo (analog) and Comcast/Moto STB (digital) blasts us every time!

[suyver]

Things I would still really like to see in a future software-upgrade:

1) The possibility to have the center-speaker set to 'large', even though the fronts and rears are set to 'small'.

2) Being able to set the volume for CD's (even though the signal comes from my DVD-player) different from that of DVD's (coming from the same player).

3) After having switched off the display once, it should stay off. I want my HT dark. It seems like a pet peeve, but it really bugs me that I have to turn the display off each time. My Pioneer DVD-player remembers the setting, as it should be.

4) A way to delay the sound up to about 10 ms, to synchronise with the picture which lags slightly due to the scaler that I use. However, this is probably not realistic due to the amount of computer-power / storage required for this. Would be nice though...

By the way: is there hope at all that the friendly guys at Rotel will get us another upgrade?

Cheers,
-Freek.





Check out my home theater!

[audunth]

Does these suggestions still reach someone at Rotel, or should we mail them to tech support ourselves? Andrew?




Regards,
Audun

[aud19]

I might be able to help some people here with audio levels on digital cable box's anyways.

For Digital cable my tiny cable service provider uses a Motorola box that, in it's set up menu, has an audio option I believe they call "compression". (I'm at work so forgive me if this isn't 100 %) When you lower the "compression" the over all volume goes down, more so with the digital channels than the analog through the analog connection to my TV. However, if I remember correctly, when listening to a digital channel through the box's digital coax output it was FAR louder than the analog connection was to my reciever (which I sold so can't test at this time). So my theory is that by lowering the "compression" it may aid in balancing out the levels between those to your pre/pro or amp of the analog vs. digital connection. May also work with satellite or other manufacturers if they have similar options? Still doesn't help with CD's / DVD's though...sorry

J.R.




Need a new display? Questions about new display technologies? Visit RPTVs, plasmas, and other monitors @ HTguide

[tbusquet]

I'm not sure if some has mentioned this before but here it goes:

I would like to be able to turn of Rotel's XS technologie so my centerback channel will only play on DD-EX or DTS-ES material.

A menu setting to make the display go of by default after a few secs would also be nice. Since I get tired of pressing and holding the display button to turn off the display.

The ability to disable the subwoofer in 2ch mode with one press of a button on the remote.

[Gary Press]

Andrew, when I first bought my 1066, more than a year ago, I posted the following comment, I think it's worth reiterating.

The speaker level settings and the settings for treble and bass should be in .5 db steps. Currently, there just isn't enought flexibility to finely and correctly compensate for room anomalies.

Gary Press

[will1066]

I have another one also, and this is really a bug which should be corrected:

When I turn off the sub in Stereo mode, the display still shows L, R and LFE as the active speakers. LFE should not light up in a mode where it is inactive.

Very true. Luckily, my sub has an LED that goes red if it doesn't receive a signal after 5 mins. I use that for confirmation.

[Stevebez]

Would enjoy a delay setting to be added in firmware/OSD for the 12v trigger output ... this will solve I think the popping issue at startup many experience when hooking up the RSP1066 and 1075 via 12volt trigger.

Not sure if this is a mechanical switch though but if not this would be great.

[Stevebez]

The new 2.26 version which displays vol permanently is a little frustrating when you make changes to settings and the VOL stays on the LED display. You cannot view anywhere what you are changing when in composite mode.

Whatever function is being utilised at the time via remote or on front panel should take precedence over the VOL display. The display can revert to VOL after a short delay.

[Patrick TX]

Dolby PLIIX is a MUST for the 1066. Also, the volume needs to be correct. Mute needs to STAY MUTED while the volume is being adjusted down, unmuted while volume is increased. This is the best way to have it IMO, and most gear is this way.




My Equipment

Rotel RSP-1066
Rotel RMB-1075
Front - B&W CDM 9NT's
Center - B&W CDM CNT
Surrounds - B&W LM1's
Subwoofer - SVS PB2+
HDTV - Pioneer Elite Pro630HD
DVD - Panasonic DVD-RP91K, Denon DVD-1600
SACD Changer - Sony SCD-C222ES
PVR Box - SA Explorer 8000
HD Box - SA Explorer 3100HD
Gaming - Sony PS2
Remote - Home Theater Master MX-500
Power Conditioner - Panamax M5300
Rack Light - Panamax RacMax

[Andrew Pratt]

Patrick the mute function was something we asked to be changed and most people like the way it works now. I can understand your point but I don't think they'll change it now.

PLIIx is unlikely IMO given that we already have Rotel XS that does the same thing and it would require a payment to Dolby

[zeppelin]

If Rotel were to upgrade existing owners of RSP1098 for free than I'm sure owners of RSP1066, RSX-1065 and RSX-1055 will get it too because if we are talking about payment for DPLIIX licencing RSP1098 owners are not exempted too right.
So if its because of cost than all existing pre/pros wont get any DPLIIX upgrade, unless ofcourse its given for free by Dolby or Rotel.

[Trevor_J]

If cost is an issue, I would be willing to pay a small fee (no more than $50) to cover licensing costs.

[Amras]

Rotel has done an excellent job so far with these these updates- a couple of suggestions for the 1055-

1- Audio-Video Delay- I know it's been mentioned but it is becoming more of a standard- I've already been burned a few times w/o it.

2- Remote Trade-In - the new remote is so much of an improvement that I wish we could trade in our old 969s plus a reasonable upgrade fee for a new one- I'm almost ready to rip that sliding cover right off!




Amras
Take it easy... If it comes easy, Take it twice!

[Ernest Yee]

Well - i've been playing around with the unit for a couple of weeks now - and I have the latest firmware, upgrades, etc etc.
----

These are the 2 things I would like to see addressed since they shouldn't be too hard to software program in and they could be definitely seen as flaws on the unit. Both are for Tivos - more specifically DirectTivo.

1) When the 30 second skip on my DirectTivo, I cause a "break" in the signal (from the unit to the Rotel), so the Rotel defaults to redetecting the signal, hence losing a few seconds of signal.
Sometimes, when I do multiple skips, since the unit is still in the process of detecting signal, it will detect nothing (since it was probably in between another skip) - so I'll completely lose audio till i hit pause or something that will cause a stop in the signal and my Rotel can redetect the sound mode again.

2) Not sure about this one, but when switching programming within the same source, the unit will remember the last sound mode. Is there a way to default a sound mode for a source? IE, when I am watching regular programming, I set it to 2 Channel, but once I jump into a movie, it will set itself into PLII Cinema. I have no problem with this - but when I stop the movie and jump back into the regular programming, it will stick with the PLII Cinema. That is the part that is annoying.


I figure if they can make the unit "overlook" the signal skip for the 30 second skip ( maybe an option under the OSD for each Video Source to force a sound mode regardless of jumping signal ), that would address the first issue / and partially the 2nd since I would have no problem switching to PLII Cinema when I want it. My old Sony DA4ES was able to instantly jump from source to source / sound mode to sound mode without issues - even while in the same TV/SAT mode for my Tivo so I know it can be done. The Rotel sound is just awesome and I would love it even more if they could address this!