Upgrade to RMB1585

[TimbaLand]

Hi guys

I have an RMB1095 and I have an opportunity to replace it with RMB1585. It's gonna cost some money to do this but I'm getting it at a good price. More like 40% off retail value. Is it worth it or this is just a waste of money?

[TimbaLand]

Any wise words out there before I pull the trigger

[mjb]

Well, it looks nice, I'm not sure if it will sound very different though. The 1585 has fans, this might be good in a confined space, or bad if you're bothered by fan noise. Still, getting one for a good price might be a good incentive to upgrade :T

http://www.blu-raydefinition.com/hardware/rotel-rmb-1585-multichannel-amplifier-review.html

[TimbaLand]

I sold my Rotel RMB 1095 and replaced it with the Rotel RMB1585. The real motivation was more aesthetics than anything else as I would be able to match the looks of my processor and the RMB1565 that drives the rears to that of the RMB1585. I thought about it for a week as the 1585 would cost me more with no difference in sound as the specs of the 1585 and the 1095 are almost the same plus the RMB1585 looks internally mor like it's the RMB1095 in a 15 series box.

I drive my fronts with the Rotel RB1090 which is a 380w x 2 beast. The intention was to have the RMB1585 drive the centre and the rears just as the RMB1095 has been appointed. I decided to temporarily connect the RMB1585 to the fronts just to hear how it will sound. Initially I thought it was my brain trying to justify the impulsive expense. I continued listening to the songs that I know every little note of. The sound has changed from aggressive to mellow. There's a lot more soundstage and depth to the songs. There's more length and volume to the tiny background noises and instruments that were there before but not as pronounced. Across the frequency range of the music it just sounds so better than on the RB1090.

I will get an educated ear to come AB the RMB1585 and the RB1090 just in case this is my brain being on positive post purchase buyers remorse. So now I wonder what to do. Should I go 5.0 on the RMB1585 and use it for stereo and movies or should I go back to the RB1090 for stereo and the RMB1585 for centre and surrounds as I had with the RMB1095? In a world where I would never upgrade again I would sell the RB1090 but due to possible future upgrade of the fronts to 802 diamond( day dream for now) I may need it to power a difficult load.

[mjb]

Timbaland, thanks for the updare, and congratulations on your new shiny new 1585. Why not give it a few days, but if you already prefer the 1585 driving your fronts, why not keep it there? The 1585 obviously has an updated circuit design, and its also capable of driving 802's - in the future