YARC - Yet Another Receiver Comparison (Arcam vs Rotel)

[samurray]

First off, has anyone spent time listening to a Rotel RSX-1055 with any of the PSB Image series speakers? (Image 4Ts especially)
The PSBs have solid, bass, smooth mids but the metal tweeter can be harsh with the wrong amp (say a Yamaha for instance). How would folks characterize the Rotel's sound. I've listened to the Arcam and Rotel but in completely different environments so I'm leary of drawing any conclusions.

I've recently purchased an Arcam AVR200 to get more music out of my setup and boy it does sound good... a very smooth unit with exceptional musicality. That said, the Arcam is completely inflexible when it comes to the A/V side of things. For example, it only has 4 video inputs, none of the digital inputs are assignable and therefore you must use the AUX input if your DVD uses a TOSLINK connector. Similarly, it doesn't allow manual selection of digital / analog audio sources for a given input.

I'm considering returning the Arcam and picking up an RSX-1055. That said, my Rotel dealer won't give me the option of returning the unit and getting my money back if I don't like it.

So, if anyone has spent time listening to the Arcam AVR200 and Rotel RSX-1055 head-to-head and would care to characterize the differences (pros/cons) I'd sure appreciate it?

[Danbry39]

I wish I could answer your question, but have never heard the Arcam receiver. I will say that I own both Rotel and Arcam products though (Rotel's 1066 pre-pro and Arcam's CD 72T). I wonder if you can find another dealer that will allow the return of the Rotel if not completely satisfied. In many ways, I wanted the Rotel more for the music side than the HT side. I love HT, but the receivers I'd used were pretty pathetic when it came to music, especially two channel. Rotel receivers have a solid reputation of being able to deliver the goods on music as well. Nonetheless, if my CD player is any indication, Arcam would be a company that also fits into this category. But, the unit sounds like a pain with HT. Wish I could be of more help.




Keith