Help with pre amp ?

[Opus007]

I have a the B&W 683 speaker setup.I am running a sony str-da4300es and want to setup a 2 channel setup for music only as the sony does well for ht.My dealer recomends the RC 1070 Pre and RB1080 amp.And has a deal on the 2. I have done some research and not all have been positive.I like a lot of bass extension in my music and listen to mainly 70's rock.Led Zepplin,Pink Floyd..ect...The reson for this is the Sony seems to lack the power when I crank it up ,which I do often.Is there a benift in going with this 2 channel setup and Rotel.I know everyone says B&W is best with Rotel.I suggested to my dealer that maybe I should go with the Rotel AV Receiver instead but he feels if I did that I would be back in a few days wanting something else.Says I have $5000 dollar ears and $2000 and that the pre and amp will bring my budget into the $5000 range by buying this.Any help is appreciated.

[calmac]

I have a the B&W 683 speaker setup.I am running a sony str-da4300es and want to setup a 2 channel setup for music only as the sony does well for ht.My dealer recomends the RC 1070 Pre and RB1080 amp.And has a deal on the 2. I have done some research and not all have been positive.I like a lot of bass extension in my music and listen to mainly 70's rock.Led Zepplin,Pink Floyd..ect...The reson for this is the Sony seems to lack the power when I crank it up ,which I do often.Is there a benift in going with this 2 channel setup and Rotel.I know everyone says B&W is best with Rotel.I suggested to my dealer that maybe I should go with the Rotel AV Receiver instead but he feels if I did that I would be back in a few days wanting something else.Says I have $5000 dollar ears and $2000 and that the pre and amp will bring my budget into the $5000 range by buying this.Any help is appreciated.

Rotel and B&W are indeed supposed to work well together but whether that is a successful combination for you will depend on personal audition.
Are the new components going to be used in the ht system?If so a pre amp with ht bypass will make life much easier and maintain sound quality for both music and ht.
I own a 1080 and think it is a great power amp.I owned a 1070 pre and would not rate it particularly highly , it's not bad , it's just not that great either.
I would buy the 1080 and add that to the Sony initially.This will improve both music and ht.Save up a bit and buy a better pre amp with ht bypass.I am in the middle of doing this at the moment and will be purchasing a Bel Canto pre early in the new year to finish off the stereo side of my combined music /ht system.
Gordon

[Opus007]

Thanks for the reply.I was very leary of going with the 1070 as I have been researching this for 2 days solid and my head hurts from reading so much.I did read that the Nad pre amps where more musical and yes I do plan on incorporating it into my ht system. I am almost at the point of starting over with different receiver ect...I really like these B&W speakers and know they have much more than the sony is producing music wise.So if I add the 1080 how does that bring more life to the music as it is just adding more power .am i correct in thinking that the sound is stil going to be dictated by my sony as I will be using the pre outs.also when using a emp with the pre outs can I control volume ,tone from the sony.Thanks.

[calmac]

Thanks for the reply.I was very leary of going with the 1070 as I have been researching this for 2 days solid and my head hurts from reading so much.I did read that the Nad pre amps where more musical and yes I do plan on incorporating it into my ht system. I am almost at the point of starting over with different receiver ect...I really like these B&W speakers and know they have much more than the sony is producing music wise.So if I add the 1080 how does that bring more life to the music as it is just adding more power .am i correct in thinking that the sound is stil going to be dictated by my sony as I will be using the pre outs.also when using a emp with the pre outs can I control volume ,tone from the sony.Thanks.

Hi Opus,Adding just a power amp should lift both music and ht simply because the power amp sections in most AVR's are woefully inadequate in the first place.
The sound should be fuller with better control and less strain and grain to the sound.You are quite right that the Sony will be having an impact on the sound ,even when only used as a pre amp but you should still get a valuable upgrade by just upgrading the power section.
Adding a pre amp with home theater bypass will remove the Sony from the chain when listening in Stereo and will give a huge improvement in Stereo sound quality.When you want to listen to ht you just flick a switch on the stereo preamp and the signal then goes direct from the Sony to the RB1080.
The Sony will still control volume tone etc for ht duties.
If you don't get a pre amp with ht bypass you have to use both the Sony and the stereo pre to control volume.
The Nad's generally don't have ht bypass and I would try to aim a bit higher in sound quality for the pre amp anyway.
Gordon

[Opus007]

Thanks and here is my concern.I read that the 1080 does not have a good low end punch but this was compared to a $4000 amp and can not recall the name as of now.Does the 1080 since you own one have that low end punch as this is important to me and I really appreciate your help.Will be giving it a listen too today after work and if I do not buy it outright will bring it home for in home demo overnite as my dealer is a good one .He carries more than just Rotel so will be giving a few a listen.Thanks Again.

[slyther3]

Hey Opus. Good choice of music as far as ROCK AND ROLL is concerned. I own a Rotel 1067 and I run with Paradigm Studio 100's in the front and a B&W 675 Sub. All my speakers are Paradigm. Good speaker. However I recently added a 1080 amp and I have to tell you these speakers really shine now. Low end Bass is tight and the High's are crisp. Imaging is so much better and HT is Cinematic and I am a Believer in the 1080. As far as the 1070 I would'nt know but I like everyonr else believe the 1080 is your solution. Have you bi-amped your speakers? Thats a sweet deal to. Happy trails.
CK

[calmac]

Thanks and here is my concern.I read that the 1080 does not have a good low end punch but this was compared to a $4000 amp and can not recall the name as of now.Does the 1080 since you own one have that low end punch as this is important to me and I really appreciate your help.Will be giving it a listen too today after work and if I do not buy it outright will bring it home for in home demo overnite as my dealer is a good one .He carries more than just Rotel so will be giving a few a listen.Thanks Again.

As the saying goes "everything is relative" so perhaps compared to an amp at 4 times the price the 1080 may be considered by some, on some speakers, in some rooms to have less punch but to my ears with my speakers it does the job very well and has plenty of punch and slam as well as being capable of great delicacy, as required by the music.My speakers are Tannoy Dual concentrics each with two 8" bass units and the 1080 controls them beautifully.
Having a listen to the 1080 at home should allay any fears.
If you buy the 1080 see if you can get a listen to pre amps from the likes of Nuforce or Bel Canto.Connect your cd player direct to the Stereo pre amp and prepare to be amazed at the improvement in Sound quality.
A dedicated cd player rather than universal dvd player is a must for quality stereo playback.
Have fun,
Gordon

[Ted]

I've also had no complaints with my RB-1080 with my 703's. I listen to many types of music, from Rock (new and old), metal, hip-hop, to musicals and a little classical. I've always been satisfied with the bass of my set-up. It doesn't rattle the windows, but there is plenty of solid, clean, bass. :-y

As Calmac stated, it depends on what you are comparing the 1080 to. I would think it will easily provide much better bass than your Sony, but it may not have the same as say a Classe or Krell amp (at much more money).

I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

[Opus007]

So i brought the Demo model home tonight and I have to be truthful I was not expecting alot.After hooking it up to the front Pre outs of my 4300EX I first tried our local rock station ,in reality it is a 100 miles away but I have a huge fm antenna on the roof and it sounded very good, much better than it did before the 1080.Next I listened to some XM music over the satelite dish as there are some very good stations there even though the quilty is so ,so and was really suprised at how much better rock and jazz sounded.So I tried some laid back classical just for fun and was impressed and I do not impres easy.Next it was too the cd player which is a 50 dollar cheap(need to upgrade) Hitachi and put in AC-DC Live and WOW...that was really good.It sounded as though everything was more full and the sound filled the whole room and the volume was -20 db than I ussually play it at and just as loud but much nicer and the base was controled and I found no low end loss.If anything it filled in the bass to where it had that punch I like .So onto Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath,Smashing Pumpkings and finally some Van Morrison for the acoustical value ...all get a A+.I wanted to see how it would do in 5.1 DVD and put in The Two Towers and watched the first seen and was amazed.Maybe its just me but the 1080 seemed too free up the other channels so that they could work better.The Sony never budged or missed a lick and stayed cool through the whole ordeal.Next was the dvd The Wall Live at Berlin...never sounded better.Everything was controled and detail was on the money.My last test was back to the XM radio .I like Reggie music a lot but with out the 1080 there was no punch and as we know reggie has that bass and I was not disappointed there either.Not only is the bass there but the vocals and music are wonderful.The 1080 seems to have brought everything together in a way I can not describe except YES...I will be getting the 1080.It is a vast improvement than without it.It is a keeper.Thank You Calmac,Slyther3 and Ted for helping me make this fine decision.And Ted, guess I will not post over in the B&W this long reply as you know the out come.I did re-listen to the the 1057 but felt it was a little bright still.Will be looking forward to when Rotel brings out a new line but am quite happy for now.Thanks All.Rotel and B&W Rocks.

[calmac]

So i brought the Demo model home tonight and I have to be truthful I was not expecting alot.After hooking it up to the front Pre outs of my 4300EX I first tried our local rock station ,in reality it is a 100 miles away but I have a huge fm antenna on the roof and it sounded very good, much better than it did before the 1080.Next I listened to some XM music over the satelite dish as there are some very good stations there even though the quilty is so ,so and was really suprised at how much better rock and jazz sounded.So I tried some laid back classical just for fun and was impressed and I do not impres easy.Next it was too the cd player which is a 50 dollar cheap(need to upgrade) Hitachi and put in AC-DC Live and WOW...that was really good.It sounded as though everything was more full and the sound filled the whole room and the volume was -20 db than I ussually play it at and just as loud but much nicer and the base was controled and I found no low end loss.If anything it filled in the bass to where it had that punch I like .So onto Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath,Smashing Pumpkings and finally some Van Morrison for the acoustical value ...all get a A+.I wanted to see how it would do in 5.1 DVD and put in The Two Towers and watched the first seen and was amazed.Maybe its just me but the 1080 seemed too free up the other channels so that they could work better.The Sony never budged or missed a lick and stayed cool through the whole ordeal.Next was the dvd The Wall Live at Berlin...never sounded better.Everything was controled and detail was on the money.My last test was back to the XM radio .I like Reggie music a lot but with out the 1080 there was no punch and as we know reggie has that bass and I was not disappointed there either.Not only is the bass there but the vocals and music are wonderful.The 1080 seems to have brought everything together in a way I can not describe except YES...I will be getting the 1080.It is a vast improvement than without it.It is a keeper.Thank You Calmac,Slyther3 and Ted for helping me make this fine decision.And Ted, guess I will not post over in the B&W this long reply as you know the out come.I did re-listen to the the 1057 but felt it was a little bright still.Will be looking forward to when Rotel brings out a new line but am quite happy for now.Thanks All.Rotel and B&W Rocks.

Glad to hear you had a good result.
Gordon