RC-1082 now installed

[bigburner]

My new RC-1082 is now installed. My first impressions are that it is less bright than the RC-1070 that it replaced. Sadly I wont get to listen to it properly until the end of this week.

Nigel.

[bleeding ears]

congratulations on your buy, Perhaps you can leave it on all week, and it will be burned in somewhat when serious listening time comes.

Please let us know more after some listening time has been put in.

[bigburner]

I have now listened to about a dozen CDs and watched half a dozen music DVDs using my new RC-1082 preamp. Overall I am pleased with the upgrade. The thing that surprises me most is that it sounds quite different to my old RC-1070. Given that the two preamps are from the same manufacturer, the degree of difference is greater than I expected.

I should point out that I never had the opportunity to do a direct comparison with my old RC-1070, as I traded it in on the same day. I’m therefore relying on my memory and the overall feeling I have about the musical experience at the end of each CD and DVD.

As mentioned in my first post, a difference between the two preamps is that the RC-1082 is less bright than the RC-1070. This is noticeable at higher volume and is a welcome improvement, particularly as my speakers tend towards the bright end of the spectrum. This reduction in brightness will definitely be advantageous when listening for long periods. The room treatments that I had planned are less of a priority now.

The overall sound of the RC-1082 also seems to be richer and thicker, but I struggle to explain exactly what I mean by those terms. All I can say is that listening is generally a more pleasurable experience because of these characteristics. I did have a moment of doubt when watching the Norah Jones “Live in New Orleans” DVD. It sounded like she was singing through cotton wool compared to what I remembered with the RC-1070. However, I had another sip and the problem went away.

I think that the bass on the RC-1082 may also be fuller and better defined, but that could be my imagination. I’d want to do a side-by-side comparison with the RC-1070 before making this claim. However I have noticed that my subwoofer is now turned down a little from where it was before, so I may not be imagining it.

I could mention a whole lot of other attributes that get discussed in hi-fi magazine reviews. However, I believe that most of these are due to the way that the music is recorded and mixed, not due to the equipment that it’s played on. I would only be fooling myself if I indulged in those clichés.

I should mention that I have already made use of the bass and treble controls that are provided on the RC-1082. For example, Robin Trower’s 2006 DVD “Living Out Of Time” is just too sibilant at high volume and benefits from a reduction in the treble. When listening to a couple of CDs at low volume for background music I noticed that a small boost in the bass was beneficial. Purists will scoff at these controls but I welcome them and will definitely make use of them if and when the need arises.

A couple of years ago when I listened to the RC-1090 it didn’t sound a lot different to the RC-1070. It seemed smoother but not greatly different. If I’m right it makes me wonder whether Rotel has decided to voice their equipment differently, perhaps in response to criticisms in some quarters that the Rotel sound is cool or lean or analytical compared to other brands. Has Rotel decided to change the Rotel sound? Was there ever a Rotel sound? Perhaps the RC-1070 is the more honest of the two preamps because it’s less voiced? Perhaps in a controlled ABX double blind comparative test I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two preamps? Perhaps the RC-1082 sounds better because I paid good money for it and I would be an idiot if I didn’t experience an improvement?

While I ponder these questions I’ll just get on and enjoy the music because good music sounds good on nearly every system.

Nigel.

[dinyaar]

Rc 1082

Hi to all,

Great detailed personal review of the RC 1082. Really informative.

My set up is RC 1070/RB 1080/ B&W 805 s. From what i had heard from various people and forums i was all set to upgrade the pre to the new Rc 1082. When i went for an A/B comparison at the dealers i could tell there was a difference in sound but was it better i couldn't really tell so i am back to my old pre. Maybe a more detailed listen with various types of music would expose more .

Congratulations on your purchase and good luck to all in the year ahead.

Regards

[miner]

I have both the RC-1070 and RC-1090. I upgraded to the RC-1090 once I knew they would be discontinued. I feel the RC-1090 is more 'open' with less simbilance. After 50 hrs of use it really opened up and works well with my N804s. It is not as bright as my RC-1070 and I find I do not need to have any bass/treble controls with this pre. Plus, I like the MM/MC phono stage on board - I use both at times.

[DL86]

Excellent review on the 1082, gotta love the hi fi magazines with the terms they use completely blows me away. Airy, sweet, open, dark lol

[Dmantis]

Nice review and thanks for the info. Glad to see your liking your upgrade.