9 series vs. 10 series stereo gear

[TommyV]

OK I have heard opinions on both side of this debate. I have heard people say that Rotel has gone down hill after their 9 series 2ch equipment and am wondering what my friends here at Club Rotel think about this. I will keep my thoughts to myself for now.

[madmac]

Well....I can't say for sure. However, Rotel is building it's stuff in China now so there could be reliability problems (I've had some!!). I would think however that the essence of the components inside are still mandated and controlled by Rotel and their specs. I have an RSX-1057 series surround sound receiver and I can honestly say I am blown away by it. The amount of Dynamic power the unit supplies my speakers is astounding. It simply destroys my speakers!!. No other receiver in that price range can touch it in my opinion.

[TommyV]

Well Rotel made their stuff in China then too so that has not changed. Also while i agree about the 1057 but THAT IS NOT STEREO 2CH GEAR! :B

I want to leave HT equipment out of this thread and just talk about 2ch stuff (because the 10 series would just kill the 9 then :E )

[geeza]

Previously I've had RC-1070 + RB-1070. Now I'm using RC-1090 + RB-1090 combo and I don't even think about to change it. Great gear for 2ch

[srb]

Although I haven't had the opportunity to compare a 9 series amplifier with a 10 series amplifier, I did previously have an RB-1080 amplifier in my system.

The Rotel was later replaced with an Audio Refinement Multi-5 amplifier, and I thought that my system sounded better (smoother with less grain) with the 125W/200W (8/4 ohm) Audio Refinement than with the more powerful 200W/300W Rotel.

My speakers have a sensitivity of 89dB, so it's possible that I might have preferred the more powerful Rotel with less efficient speakers. But given their medium efficiency, I thought the Rotel was not the best sounding amplifier available, although certainly not a bad amplifier in it's price range.

I will add that although a number of people had a fuse blowing problem with the RB-1080's left channel (that apparently did not exist with previous RB-990s or RB-991s), mine was rock-solid even with the use of the 12V trigger.

Steve

[stuofsci02]

madmac,

I use the 83SE almost primarily for stereo listening. I used also for Blu-Ray when I first got it, but I am moving the theater system downstairs, so for now the 83SE is just a CD player.

I love it! I used to have a Rotel RCD-1072 before and once I got the 83SE I sold it because the 83SE was better IMO, and did everything. The Rotel could only do CD/HDCD.

I have compared the 83SE Stereo Analog to a lot of others to including Squeezebox Touch, DACmagic, Squeezeboc Classic, Chord Peach, and Chord QBD76. For me only one of those above were better and that was the Chord QBD76 (which was the best I have ever heard). The Chord Peach came close to the 83SE. The Rotel, SB Touch and DACMagic were all grouped together as about equal.

Cheers,

Stuart

[TommyV]

I really wish you would take all talk of 2ch vs multi channel to another thread. This thread is getting flooded with off topic posts.

I recently purchased an rc-995 and rb-991. I am very happy with the combo and price I paid. I am still doing listening tests but I may purchase some more amps to compare to.

I have an rb-1050 here and was using an rsp-1066 for 2ch. I can tall you for sure the 995 blows away the 1066 for analog. I am also looking at adding a DAC to the setup.

I had heard that the 9 series amps were better than 10 series but I think it is more of a case by case basis. From what I have read my 991 does not have the blown fuse problem the 1080 suffers from.

[srb]

I really wish you would take all talk of 2ch vs multi channel to another thread. This thread is getting flooded with off topic posts.

I have an rb-1050 here and was using an rsp-1066 for 2ch. I can tall you for sure the 995 blows away the 1066 for analog.

The topic you started is "9 series vs. 10 series stereo gear" and yet you are comparing a 9 series dedicated 2 channel stereo preamplifier with a 10 series surround sound processor.

I think the superiority of the RC-955 has more to do with stereo preamplifer vs. surround processor than 9 series vs. 10 series gear.

Steve

[Kevin D]

2ch vs 5ch stereo topics split to their own thread. Please use that thread to continue discussing which personal preference is correct.

Thanks,

Kevin D.

[TommyV]

The topic you started is "9 series vs. 10 series stereo gear" and yet you are comparing a 9 series dedicated 2 channel stereo preamplifier with a 10 series surround sound processor.

I think the superiority of the RC-955 has more to do with stereo preamplifer vs. surround processor than 9 series vs. 10 series gear.

Steve

I was giving a history of my 2ch setup. My hope was to hear from people who have an opinion on which series has better stereo pieces. I never stated "the 9 series is better because my 995 sounds better than my 1066".

Either way I was using both units in a 2ch setup which is the focus of this thread. I would like to hear from other members who have something to add on that topic.

[TommyV]

Focusing in on the topic at hand

Here are some observations I have made on my gear vs 10 series components as far as features:

Disadvantages:

• Non removable power cord
• No DC triggers
• No IR In/Out on preamp

Advantages:

• Balanced Outputs on preamp

Now I know the RC-1090 has balanced Inputs and Outputs but it is also quite costly and very rare. I am more comparing my RC-995 to the RC-1082 and RC-1070. If my info is correct, I think the RC-995 is the only 9 series stereo preamp that is fully controllable by the remote. The previous RC-990BX can only be powered On/Off and volume up/down/mute with the remote.

On the amp side of things I would really like to hear some impressions of the other stereo amps. One person told me they had an RB-970 and an RB-1050 and the 970 blew it away. I don't have a 970 to compare but I personally think the 1050 is a good sounding amp.

Others of interest are the RB-980BX vs RB-981 vs RB-1070. I have done some research and looking at the internal design, the 981 and 1070 look like very similar designs while the 980BX looks completely different. That is not to say the 981 and 1070 are identical amps. The 991 and 1080 also look similar internally yet the 991 does not have the notorious left channel fuse blowing history like the 1080 apparently does.

The new 15 series "classic" stereo amps also look similar internally to their 9 and 10 series counterparts but the 1582 has dropped the balanced inputs and there is no 15 series preamp with balanced outs. I have heard the 1582/1580 combo with a 1520 CD player hooked to my exact speaker setup and the sound was incredible.

To sum it up, I am convinced my RC-995 is the best 9 series preamp. As far as stereo amps do I would like to hear impressions suggestions. I plan on purchasing some other amps to try with my setup like the RB-980BX,981 or 1070. Any feedback/opinions on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

One more thing: Class D. Now I have not touched on those at all and never really heard one personally. I have avoided them all together for various reasons. If you have experience with some Class D stereo amps that you would like to chime in on, I welcome that too. I am still curious to hear one to form my own opinion.

[Mikael]

Hi I have had the following preamps and amps from Rotel. RC995 with RB991, the RC1070 with RB991,RC1070/RB1080, and tried the RC1082/RB1070 and now I have RC1550 and RB1552.
IMO the RC1070 is a bit more musical than the RC995, but not that different,I have to say that the RC1550 is the best sounding of the 3,it has a bit more warmth to it and a better bass performance.The RC1082 is a very brigth and revealing and has a very dry and lean bass. when it comes to the power amps there is almost no difference in the sound of the RB991 and RB1080, the RB1080 again a bit more musical than the RB991 but not much. Before I bought my RB1552 I have the RB1070 at home to try out(I was going from the RB1072 class D) and I can say that the RB1552 is the best sounding power amp from Rotel that I have owned and heard, It has a full and powerfull bass pleasent midrange but still with fine detail and a smooth treble.
i don't know if it's the combined sound of the RC1550 and RB1552 that make it so good, but Rotel has definitly change thier sound a bit in the new series.
Hope this helps.

[TommyV]

Hi Mikael,

It is interesting to hear your impressions of the RC-1082. It does not sound like you much cared for it. I have heard the RC-1580 and thought the sound was quite impressive. From the looks of it, the designs are very similar between those two models.

Right now I have the Rotel RC-995/RB-991 in my setup. This is a very nice sounding pair. It is definitely more power than I need to drive my CM5s even though i have a fairly large room. I also have an RB-1050 but I prefer the 991 for now. I think I would be better off with one of Rotel's 125w x2 amps.

I am considering of purchasing some other Rotel stereo components to compare to this setup. Before I had a Parasound 2100 which I though was very bright and not pleasing to listen to. It did not mesh well with my CM5s. I had been using an RSP-1066 as an interim preamp. The analog audio on that unit is weak. Not nearly as good as my RSP-1069. It did however sound good when using a digital connection.

Thank you for all your impressions, you obviously have some extensive experience with Rotel's Stereo components. I will keep this thread updated as I try any new gear in my setup.

[Mikael]

Hi TommyV
good luck,How would you describe the sound of Rotel CM5 combo?, I live in Denmark where you can't hear Rotel & B&W at the same dealer, so I have only heard B&W speakers on NAD and Denon gear, the latter is not a good combo and the NAd/B&W combo has a great bass but a bit thin mid and treble.
Mikael

[TommyV]

The CM5s are the best bookshelf speakers I have ever heard. I never thought I would spend $1500 on a pair of bookshelf speakers but these are worth every penny. The CM5s soar when it some to highs and mids. That is truly their strong suit. I can hear detail in recordings not heard using other speakers. The bass on them is very respectable. For my purposes though I added a REL sub because I really like to feel the lower frequencies. Rotel+CM5s+REL T series sub = sonic bliss.

It is really too bad you cannot listed to to B&W hooked to Rotel. I would go out on a limb and say to just get a pair if you are in the market. They will sound magical hooked to your Rotel combo. Do they have NAD Masters Series components? I have heard from other that those give respectable sound though quite costly.