Rotel Stereo Amp - Newie questions

[spadez]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to move away from my Onkyo 807 surround sound amp and embark on the path of a stereo system. I must admit, I'm not much of a movie person but I love my music.

I'm looking at the Rotel stereo power amp RB-1552. It looks like a beautiful bit of kit. I do, however, have some questions:

A) I see a lot of people talking about requiring a preamp. I'm thinking this is going to be a very simple single source setup so it's not required. Is there any other good reason why I should get a preamp under these circumstances?

B) I'm really unsure about the size of speakers I could drive with these. They are rated for about 120W per channel. I will start with a simple set of bookshelfs, but if I upgrade to some fairly hefty floor standings in the future, say something like the B&W 704, would this amp handle them fine, I should I be investing in something like the RB-1582. It would be shame to spend the exta money if I don't have to, but at the same time, I don't want to find I need to replace this in a few years.

Any thoughts or input would be really appreciated as I embark on this jouney.

James

[madmac]

As far as I can tell by looking at this amp, you will need a pre-amp for a variety of reasons, mostly for switching between various sources and for EQ etc.

You will have no problem powering anything with this amp! This will be a huge step up from your Onkyo!

[Audio_ElF]

Generally you will need a pre-amp for volume control as well as source selection. However if you are looking at a digital only system a lot of people are heading towards having a DAC with built in volume control and using that with a computer to play back music.

[spadez]

That's a shame, I was trying to avoid that but I guess you are right, I need something to control volume, since I wouldn't use the preamp for source selection (only one input). This gives me two questions:

A) Is there any way to limit the stereo amps (RB1552) volume to a set maximum. That way if for whatever reason the input is at max it wouldn't blow my speakers. This way I could probably get away with a volume dial.

B) Is there a way I can get a simple volume control unit without spending a lot of money. I.e an audiophile volume dial for the RB1552 with the sole purpose of controlling volume without any DAC or fancy switching.

C) Final question! Even if I did buy a simple Rotel DAC it doesn't even seem to have a way of controlling volume?

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/rotel-rdd-1580-digital-to-analog-converter/

I know I am asking a lot of questions, sorry about that! If anyone can help, even with one or two of the questions I would really appreciate it.

[Audio_ElF]

You could try a simple passive volume control between a DAC and a power amp. A couple of options I can think off off top of my head include TC Electronics Level Pilot, Schiit Sys or Emotiva Control Freak.

If you're looking to buy a DAC as well as an amplifier, don't forget that the RC1570 (like the RC1590) have a DAC built in.

[Alaric]

And to throw an answer in to the OP's first post question B) , yes , 120 wpc Rotel amp will drive the 704s nicely. And will sound quite good doing so.