AAHH! Just got an RSP 1066+ RMB 1075 but...

[97disco]

O recently purchased an RSP 1066 and RMMB 1075 and I love it except for one tiny problem.... 2 CHANNEL SOUNDS LIKE MUFFLED GARBAGE! Heck, even the wife noticed how "muddy" it sounded. but when its played through Pro logic II, Dolby, etc, the front L R sound great.

Absolutely nothing wrong (at elast that I know of) with the equipment. I love
the RMB 1075. I hooked it up to my Denon 1905 and with 2 channel it sounded WAY better.

I went the the OSD setup and couldnt find any solutions.

I know this isnt the most interesting thread but whatever suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[htsteve]

O recently purchased an RSP 1066 and RMMB 1075 and I love it except for one tiny problem.... 2 CHANNEL SOUNDS LIKE MUFFLED GARBAGE! Heck, even the wife noticed how "muddy" it sounded. but when its played through Pro logic II, Dolby, etc, the front L R sound great.

Absolutely nothing wrong (at elast that I know of) with the equipment. I love
the RMB 1075. I hooked it up to my Denon 1905 and with 2 channel it sounded WAY better.

I went the the OSD setup and couldnt find any solutions.

I know this isnt the most interesting thread but whatever suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

97disco,

Congratulations. A very nice set-up. I figured you would like those units. As for the two channel issue, that seem wierd. I assume this means all 2 channel sources didn't sound right (i.e. you tried different CD's or other 2 channel sources). How were these hooked up, with analog RCA connections? You might try hooking up your CD via digital and see if the two channel gets better. Or try different analog inputs on the 1066.


I'm not sure there is a setting that might make it better. Did you get these from a dealer. If yes, give them a call. If you didn't get this from a dealer, you might still contact your local dealer to talk to them about it.


Hope this helps.

[97disco]

Thanks Steve!

No I didn't get them from the dealer and Im sure I paid half of what the dealer wants.

I have tried two sources (Panasonic BD55 Blu-Ray and an Apple TV) both via digital coaxial and toslink cables.

The best way i could describe it was on the Denon had a "direct" and "stereo" modes in which direct sounded muffled just like what Im experiencing with the Rotel. I have not tried it in a two channel source yet.

[Legairre]

disco,
Back in 2002 I had an RSP-1066(my first pre-amp) used with an RMB-1095 amp. I previously had a Denon 3300 receiver used as a pre-amp with the RMB-1095 and it sounded great. I figured since the Denon sounded great the RSP-1066 would sound even better. To my surprise the RSP-1066 was muffled like someone had thrown a shirt over my speakers. I kept the RSP-1066 for a year trying to convince myself that it can't be the 1066. Finally I bought a Sherwood P-965 pre-amp and everything came back to life. It really was like nigh and day. IMO the 1066 is a pretty warm pre-amp and lacks detail. I love Rotel, I'm just not a fan of the RSP-1066.

[97disco]

Legairre,

Well that makes me feel a lot better! LOL!

I was happy with the sound in other modes (Dolby etc) but I bought this expecting I would be getting BETTER 2 channel sound.... (sigh).

[Legairre]

Same here I thought the 2 channel would be an improvement, but it was a step backward from the Denon receiver. The Denon was an $1100 receiver and regarded by several magazines for it sound and it was in the price range of the RSP-1066(msrp $1500 if memory serves me), so at least a $400 Denon didn't best the 1066.

The Sherwood P-965 I swapped the 1066 for was an incredible sounding pre-amp. If it wasn't for the Sherwood not supporting the new HD audio formats I would still have it. I now use a Pioneer Elite vsx-92txh as a pre-amp that has room EQ software that equal the Sherwood in sound if not a bit better.

[97disco]

Interesting....

Well to add to my frustrations I bought the Denon 1905 for $50! So you think after spending 10x the $ you would get better performance. Im not saying the Denon is overall better than the rotel, but it does a better job on everything else other than 2 channel.

Is the RSP 1068 any better? I'm surprised no one else has mentioned this.

[97disco]

To not be completely negative I would have to say that the movies are FREAKIN' AWESOME! WOW! The bodasity! Its too awesome!

If anyone has any ideas on how to bring the two-channel back to life you would totally make my christmas!!!

[Legairre]

disco are you using the l/r analogs from your CD player or an optical or coaxial? Try using the l/r analogs from your CD player to the 1066. Then hit the "2 channel" button on the remote. This will disengage the 1066 DACs and use the DACs in your CD player. my CD players DACs sound a LOT better than the 1066 DACs and the CD player was a msrp $129 7 yr old technics.

Remember if your are connected from the CD player to the 1066 digitally(optical or coaxial) then you are using the 1066 DACs. If your are connected from the CD player to the 1066 with analog (l/r analog RCA) then you are using the CD players DACs.

if you connect both you must hit the 2 channel button to switch.

[Kevin D]

Make sure you have cinema EQ disabled and the tone controls set flat.

Kevin D.

[greenjudas]

I have the 1066/1075 combo and have used 3 different brands of speakers. I have never thought that the sound was muffled.
I was using a Marantz 4200 as my preamp with the 1075 prior to getting the 1066. To be fair,the Marantz was the entry level receiver at the time but was well regarded for its 2 ch considering the price.
I would call the sound of the Marantz/1075 muffled somewhat.Once getting the 1066,the clean sound produced by this combo was far superior and I still have the Rotels in place. In fact,I would call the sound lively-far from muffled.

[97disco]

Legairre:
I'm using optical and coaxial but I will try using the i/r analogs!

Kevin:
I will reset the settings and the tone control...

greenjudas:
I am currently using b&w p6's with DM303's as surrounds and could only compare to what I previously had it hooked up to. You know there's a big difference when the wife walks in and says: "What did you do? That sounds like S$%$!

I appreciate the input and thanks for not hammering me for not knowing otherwise!

I'll let you know what I find out!

-Chris

[Alex999]

You must use left and right analogs with your CD player as Legairre already suggested. That's your problem :-). I have the same pre amp with RMB-1095.

[97disco]

Thanks Alex,

since its so late I will have to give it a try tomorrow!

[gianni]

Something has to be wrong with both of those 1066's. That pre does not sound muffled and is quite good in 2ch especially through the multi-input.

Maybe this is the reason the previous owner sold it. If it is working properly,
it should sound quite nice, and easily better DD sound when in 2ch whether digital in or analog.

As others posted, make sure you are in 2 ch mode. Try the multi in from your CD player. If this does not do it, have it checked out.

[Legairre]

There very well could have been something wrong with mine, because mine sounded muffled in 2 channel, DD & DTS. Then again it could just be a matter of the 1066 being a warm pre-amp, because I prefer a detailed sound. I do love the sound of my RMB-1095 and two RB-1050 amps. I would describe the sound of the amps as neutral and was surprised the 1066 was so warm which led to a muffled sound. When I used the CD players DACs vs. the 1066 DACs the sound was night and day.

[97disco]

Thanks guys! You were right and they sound sooo much better!

Im also running a Pannisonic BD-55 through the multichannel and holy crap! I love the sound!

Thanks again for your input!

[Mark_C.]

So, in conclusion, the RSP-1066 does not suck. I think a lot of us 1066 owners could have told you that. While I use the 1066 almost exclusively for home theater, there are times when I listen to stereo through it and enjoy it very much.

[Legairre]

No it doesn't suck, but you have to understand. He's now using the multi input on the 1066 which means he's using the DACs in the CD player and not the DACs in the RSP-1066. If you look at his earlier post he was previously using the optical or coaxial connections on the CD player to the 1066, which means he was using the 1066 DACs.

When he was using the 1066 DACs the sound was muffled(the same thing I experienced when I had mine) and now that he's using the CD player DACS the sound is greatly improved. So no the 1066 doesn't suck, but the sound is muffled when you let the 1066 DACs do the processing.

For some of us the 1066 DACs are just to warm which is another way of describing muffled. For some people it's not as noticable for HT because we are listening to a lot of speakers and watching a movie at the same time. For 2 channel we tend to pay attention to the music and nothing else and only have 2 speakers playing so it's more noticable. I can detect the lack of detail in the 1066 for HT and especially 2 channel. Especially when you have had a previous pre-amp or receiver that provide a more detailed sound.

I'm not saying the 1066 is bad it just doesn't provide the level of detailed I prefer and tends to be too warm for my taste. Perhaps you enjoy a warm sound in your equipment while I prefer mine more detailed. Sound is subjective and what one person enjoys another doesn't. Too me the 1066 DACs are just too warm for my taste.

[Mark_C.]

Funny. I find no difference between my players DACs and the 1066. To each his own (and I said it in much fewer words, too).

[Legairre]

Some of us are fortunate to have CD players with better sounding DACs than the 1066's DACs.

[wkhanna]

No it doesn't suck, but you have to understand. He's now using the multi input on the 1066 which means he's using the DACs in the CD player and not the DACs in the RSP-1066. If you look at his earlier post he was previously using the optical or coaxial connections on the CD player to the 1066, which means he was using the 1066 DACs.

When he was using the 1066 DACs the sound was muffled(the same thing I experienced when I had mine) and now that he's using the CD player DACS the sound is greatly improved. So no the 1066 doesn't suck, but the sound is muffled when you let the 1066 DACs do the processing.

For some of us the 1066 DACs are just to warm which is another way of describing muffled. For some people it's not as noticable for HT because we are listening to a lot of speakers and watching a movie at the same time. For 2 channel we tend to pay attention to the music and nothing else and only have 2 speakers playing so it's more noticable. I can detect the lack of detail in the 1066 for HT and especially 2 channel. Especially when you have had a previous pre-amp or receiver that provide a more detailed sound.

I'm not saying the 1066 is bad it just doesn't provide the level of detailed I prefer and tends to be too warm for my taste. Perhaps you enjoy a warm sound in your equipment while I prefer mine more detailed. Sound is subjective and what one person enjoys another doesn't. Too me the 1066 DACs are just too warm for my taste.

I have had my 1066 for three years now, and I could not agree more. For HT, it works great for my requirements, but as a 2ch music pre......even when using the multi inputs and sources with better DACs, it is still a bit sterile for my taste. I use a separate tube-hybrid pre for front mains.