Question about Rotel 1575 & more

[manjo]

Hi all,

Just joined this forum. Have a few questions.

1st question:
I am considering a Rotel 1575, and PSB Image T65 speakers and SV12 plus sub-woofer. The question is does the 1575 have provision for a subwoofer ? The spec says 5x250W receiver, but I thought if it were to drive a subwoofer it would say 5.1 ?

2nd question:
I know the answer to this question is going to be "its a matter of taste", but I would like to hear your opinion anyway. I am also considering the Yamaha RXV-V3900 instead of the 1575, only because it is significantly cheaper. But I really don't care about the video aspects of it. I have a rega turn table + Graham II phono preamp, and this is the primary source of my music signals. Does the Yamaha RXV-V3900 come close to the sound quality of Rotel ? I did demo the rotel and it blew me away, compared to the Bose (lifestyle 20) setup I have right now. Will the Yamaha have similar sound characteristics ? It sure does have a ton of electronics like room sound balancing technology etc... does that really work? I cant find a place to demo this receiver so I thought to ask you guys.

I am leaning towards the Rotel at the moment, but it is failing the wife test.

Thanks

[hifiguymi]

The Rotel RMB-1575 is just an amplifier, not a receiver. To make it work you would need a preamp of some sort like the RSP-1570. What you are asking about is not apples to apples. Are you thinking of some other Rotel piece and just put the wrong model number down?

Eric

[manjo]

The Rotel RMB-1575 is just an amplifier, not a receiver. To make it work you would need a preamp of some sort like the RSP-1570. What you are asking about is not apples to apples. Are you thinking of some other Rotel piece and just put the wrong model number down?

Eric

Ouch! that is turning out to be a LOT of money! I did not realize that I will need a preamp like the 1570. Even if I plug in my Graham II phono preamp, I have no way of controlling the volume. I guess my options are limited now to the Yamaha. Thanks Eric.

[hifiguymi]

What about the RSX-1560? If you like the Rotel sound, give that a look. Don't be too hung up on the 100 x 7 power rating on the Rotel. That is with all channels driven at the same time. The 140 x 7 rating on the Yamaha is with only two channels driven at a time. In reality, they are very similar in power output. I know the Yamaha has a few more features than the Rotel, but the Rotel has a better preamp section in my opinion.

Eric

[bnieman]

Hi there manjo.

If you can swing it the RSX-1060 will sound worlds better than the Yamaha. Although just as Eric said, you will sacrifice some features.

[kmcheng]

If you cannot listen to the Yamaha, then I suggest that you not consider it.

I never had a chance to do an apples-to-apples comparison of Yamaha vs. Rotel. However, from my unreliable memory and my unscientific listening tests (different rooms, different speakers), the Yamaha sounded brighter and coarser. On the other hand, if one has never listened to Rotel, then the Yamaha sounds fantastic.

The 1560 is one fine piece of equipment. It even looks so much better than the Yamaha, so I do not understand why it fails the wife test. :

[manjo]

If you cannot listen to the Yamaha, then I suggest that you not consider it.

I never had a chance to do an apples-to-apples comparison of Yamaha vs. Rotel. However, from my unreliable memory and my unscientific listening tests (different rooms, different speakers), the Yamaha sounded brighter and coarser. On the other hand, if one has never listened to Rotel, then the Yamaha sounds fantastic.

The 1560 is one fine piece of equipment. It even looks so much better than the Yamaha, so I do not understand why it fails the wife test. :

Thank you for all the advice, I am going to drive to the local rotel dealer for a demo of the 1560 this week, I might take my phono preamp/turn table & a record with me to see how that sounds, acually that is all I care about right now... video comes second. $2600 is a little over my means, need to see if they do any financing etc.

Thanks again.

[hifiguymi]

If the RSX-1560 is a stretch then look at the RSX-1550 as well. It's a wonderful sounding receiver and is in the same price range as the RX-V3900. If you have a 5.1 system, as opposed to a 7.1 system, the RSX-1550 has all of the amps you would need. There is a link to a review from Home Theater on Rotel's web site that is pretty positive and shows you what the amps in that piece really do.

Eric