Question re: Rotel Amps

[Chris]

Hi all. Brand new to the board and was excited to see a Rotel section.

I have recently upgraded most of Paradigm speaker set-up to the Reference line with Studio 60s and Studio CC. Still running the Paradigm PDR-12 and Atoms in the rear. All powered w/ Marantz SR 7200.

I can tell that my Marantz receiver isn't allowing these new speakers to reach their full potential (although I enjoy it as a processor), and I would like to add an amp with an eye toward going the separates route in the future. I really enjoy the Rotel amps that I've heard, and my local dealer recommends them as well.

Do they go well with Paradigms? Anyone have a similar set-up? Which amp should I go with? I'm torn right now between the 2x200, the 5x120, or ponying up the dough right now and going with the RMB-1095. Obviously the 1095 would be ideal and would be around for a long time, the price just stings a bit after the recent upgrades.

Can I get the most out of a Rotel amp if running through a a/v receiver? What are your opinions of the three amps I've mentioned? Any suggestions, tips, or other?

Thanks in advance for any/all replies.

Chris




Chris

[Andrew Pratt]

I'd recomend you going with a 5 channel amp for the time being. This will allow you to really take the load of the Marantz and you'll notice a big improvement in dynamics all round. When you are ready to set up to a 7.1 system you can buy a more powerful 2 channel amp for the mains and use the 5 channel amp to power the other five speakers.

As for the Rotel/Paradigm combo I've heard that numerous times at my rotel dealer and have always enjoye the pairing.

[Chris]

Andrew,

Thanks for the reply. Another :?: for you: if I purchase the RMB-1075, 5x120, should I expect to hear a significant difference in sound over my current Marantz? Is 120 w/ch. (from a Rotel amp) enough to drive my speakers? Should a Rotel separate amp w/ 120 watts/ch sound markedly different that a Marantz with 105 watts/ch? I don't believe that the Marantz numbers are an RMS figure w/ all channels driven, but I'm not even satisfied with the way it sounds in 2 ch. mode.

Thanks again.




Chris

[Andrew Pratt]

Chris like you speculate there are very few receivers that actually meet their amp ratings so yes the Rotel will offer more power then the receiver you're using now...also remember that another benefit of seperates is that you are isolating the noise from the pre amp from the amps so it should offer a lower noise floor when using a seperate amp...of course being a receiver still means that it will be a little more noisey then a true pre amp but its a step in the right direction.

To get a feel for how well receivers really bench take a look at this site

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Hollow/3401/ratevsac.htm

[Chris]

Andrew,

ops: That's an embarassingly low number for my Marantz 7200. What a load of crap. How can they get away with that? Obviously my fault though for not performing better research before I bought it. Could I actually be damaging my speakers w/ that little power supply?

What is your opinion of the Adcom 7500 (5x150)? I can buy that used (demo) from my local dealer for $900. Good deal? How would you compare that w/ the Rotel RMB-1075?

If I were to purchase an amp for around 2K, like the Rotel 1095, what other amps would you recommend that I consider around the same price range?

Thank you very much for your replies. I appreciate your comments.

Chris




Chris

[greggz]

Hi Chris,

The 1095 has other improvements over the 1075 besides just the wattage difference. One being that 1095 has a dampening factor of 400 vs. 180 for the 1075. This translates into cleaner, faster, tighter bass. (At 400, the dampening rate of the 1095 is good, but doesn't come close to the 1000 rate that the two channel big boy Rotel amps have).

Not to take anything away from the 1075 which is a very well regarded amp and a very good choice, but the 1095 is almost universally recognized the best deal out there. It is frequently cited as being comparable to amps 2 to 3 times its price.

As far as other amps in the same price range as the 1095, the only one that I can think of is the Sherbourn 5/1500a. Unlike the Rotel approach of 2 massive toroidal transformers, the Sherborn takes a Bryston approach of 5 smaller individual isolated toroidal transformers. There is a review of the Sherbourn amp in one of the current HT mags on the stands right now (The Perfect Vision, I think).




Gregg

[Andrew Pratt]

Could I actually be damaging my speakers w/ that little power supply?

Honestly if you are playing movies or 5.1 audio that has some loud peaks at loud volumes then yes there might be a possibility of damage since the internal amps could be clip which would send a large spike to the speakers which is never healthy for them If you're watching movies at a more reasonable level then you're only using a couple of watts so you should be safe enough for now.

Regardign which amps to purchase...that's much more difficult to answer since different amps do sound slightly different and will affect the sound you hear from your speakers. All that said there are some amps that tend to stand out from the crowd more then others and in general amps are a safe bet to purchase on the used market so that Adcom would be worth looking into IMO. there are a host of other names to look at though and you might consider posting a thread in the Home Theater area asking about amps in your price range.

[DrumTemp]

Chris,
I, too, went through the same dilema over choosing amplifiers. My speakers are all Paradigm studio's (40's, CC, and 20's) along with a Hsu VTF-2 sub. I finally rationalized that with all of my speakers set for small, and crossed over to the Hsu at 80Hz, the power demands on my 5-channel amp should be substantially less due to the Hsu amp handling the low bass load. So, I saved a thousand dollars and went with the Rotel 1075. It has more than enough clean power for driving the fairly effecient Paradigm's in my 16x24 room to reference levels IMO. Also, as another consideration, the 1095 is HUGE! Way too tall to fit in my component cabinet. But, as with everything, if I really thought that I needed it...I would have made room for it!
:LOL:




DT