Can anyone make a case for the RSP-1066

[jDUB]

Hi All,

I have settled on getting a Rotel for my next processor. After following the threads closely, I have seen many talk about the RSX-1055 being the same as the RSP-1066. Can anyone make a case for buying the 1066 over the 1055??? For me, it is not a amp issue. I have enough amps to do EX/ES without the need for the processor. I can see the case for the 1055 in terms of price, tuner, and added value of the amps. But what am I missing? Does the 1066 have anything that anyone can say is of value or deciding vote for me to pick up the 1066 instead of the 1055???

Thanks jDUB

[ZX 6R]

I think the simplest and best case to be made is, it just flat out sounds better. Dedicated power supply hooked up to electronics that do less equals much better sound, in general.

[Brent]

Note that I have never done a side by side comparison but if you pull out the tuner and amps, it's gotta sound better.

[sndtowne]

jDUB,

There are no "improved performance" parts in the RSP-1066 over the RSX-1055. The primary spec differences between these two are 0.04% improvement in distortion (0.05% vs. 0.09%) and a two to three dB better signal to noise ratio on the RSP-1066 (because of the tuner and power section being removed).

The question is: Are these minuscule differences audible? The answer is - for most of the human race - no. Is the RSP-1066 "measurably" better than the RSX-1055 - yes. Is the RSP-1066 "audibly" better than the RSX-1055 - probably not for the vast majority of people.

Most human ears cannot detect a four one hundredths of one percent difference in distortion even on a sine wave - a single pure tone - much less complex musical passages. (It has been demonstrated that even "golden eared" magazine reviewers cannot reliably detect this small of a difference).
A 2 to 3 dB increase in signal to noise ratio is always a good thing - but - once the noise floor is far enough below the signal so as to be inaudible - any further reduction of noise will not yield an audible improvement (put another way, once something is invisible you cannot make it "more" invisible).

However, for many people, just "knowing" that the RSP-1066 has slightly better specs will produce "more enjoyment" in and of itself (whether there is an audible difference or not). It is a "phycological thing."

I have had both of these units and both are excellent. I can't hear a difference. Andrew has owned both and says he can't detect any difference (he currently owns an RSX-1055, I believe). I would say, if you want a tuner go with the RSX-1055. If the tuner and money are not issues, spend the few extra bucks and go with the RSP-1066.

Either way you can't go wrong.




Bruce

[Neal_C]

I asked this in a seperate post, but will try here also.

Is the crossover setting the same in the 1055 as it is in the 1066? (40hz to 120hz in 20hz increments).

And don't want to hijack a thread, but will I notice a huge improvement going from a Pioneer Elite 35tx to the Rotel 1055? I'm using Rotel 1075 as my amp.

Thanks,

Neal

[jaakan]

REV vs REV cleanly if you only use internal amps, Pioneer can't seem to make a solid amp. But your asking about using them as Prepros with a Power amp, it's not as big but you should still hear a difference.

[Neal_C]

So the 1055 worth the money to get Pro LogicII, Neo6, better amps for other uses, adjustable crossovers as compared to my Pioneer?

Thanks,

Neal

[jDUB]

Hi All,

Thanks for taking the time to view and respond. But give me a chance to rant. So if the 1055 is the 1066 with a tuner and power amp, why is it less money? Is it me or is something wrong with this picture??? Since when does the fact that the unit is a seperate component make it more money...surely it should offer more or should I pay more just for it's elite status.
Rotel should be looking to drop the price on the 1066 to reflect the value of it. By value alone, the 1055 should cost one more. I know some may say that since the 1066 was the first piece on the market that it needed to share more of the price load but now that both the 1055 and the 1066 share the same parts, they don't need to keep what seems to be a over-inflated price in place.

Let's face it, with the new 1098 coming, the 1066 is almost through a full product year. Why shouldn't they consider taking the price down???

But....with all that being said, I am ready to go out and get a Rotel processor. I think the product is great. I just wish the company would not price gouge when they clearly are.

Just my $0.02, thanks jDUB

[Andrew Pratt]

you're trying to argue price vs cost which unfortunatly isn't how units are priced....its all about cost divided by total sales...which means that since Rotel will sell 10 times as many 1055's then 1066's they can afford to lower the cost of the 1055 relative to the 1066 even though the 1055 costs more to make. To us that may not make a lot of sense but when you view it though the eyes or marketing things look a little different. The other interesting thing that marketing does is that if something is priced too cheaply people automatically assume its lower quality then something priced more. You simply have to find a price point that says its good "value" but not to cheap to be viewed as lower quality. Look at the oppinion many people have on the Outlaw products...their amps are essentially rebadged ATI's yet most people will say if you can afford the little extra buy the ATI...why? they're exactly the same product...the answer of course is that ATI has more perceived quality then Outlaw (note this is just an example there are in fact some minor differences I beleive but you get the idea)

[sndtowne]

>

They really aren't. Let's take a look at the WHOLE picture here. Andrew has really hit the nail on the head with his observations. It's not that the RSP-1066 is over priced (this can be easily verified by looking at the price of its competition) it's that the RSX-1055 is probably underpriced.

I asked Rotel that exact same question and got the answer Andrew posted. Rotel will sell maybe twenty RSX-1055s for every one RSP-1066 - so, even though the RSX-1055 costs more to make, Rotel can sell it for less profit per unit because they sell so many more.

Profit is not just figured in dollars, but profit dollars times inventory turnover. ie: If you sell just one of an item each week you might need to make $300 to cover all costs, but if you could sell twenty of another item each week [even though it costs more] you could be profitable on perhaps just a $50 profit per unit. Also, Rotel has to stop a production line making RSX-1055s to make a run of RSP-1066s which it will sell far fewer of. All of this has to be factored into the price.

I also took the time to call my Rotel representative and he verified that dealers sell many many more receivers than processors.

No need to "rant" - just take advantage of this situation and purchase the RSX-1055. I have also found come trade up time, that it's easier to sell a receiver than a processor.




Bruce

[jDUB]

Well, I stand humbly corrected. I know the 1055 is a deal, that is why I will be trying to pick one up as soon as I find out if I owe on my taxes this year.
Thanks All, jDUB

[hanser]

just for your information: Here in Germany the pricing situation is different, the 1066 costs 1650 Euro, the 1055 2000 Euro. This was the main reason for me to get th 1066. Perhaps in Europe Rotel is not selling that much more receivers than processors???

[mattburk]

I just bought the rsp 1066 and rmb1075. It hasn't arrived yet, but what your saying is I just wasted my money. Is that the case?Is the 1055 ven better than the 1065?

[mattburk]

[sndtowne]

>

I can't speak knowledgably about European sales, but I do know Yamaha has said that, in Europe, separates are much more popular than in the states.

If you look at some of the British audio magazines (What Hi Fi?) you will see that they review more separates vs. receivers than the U.S. magazines do (except for the purist magazines). So, it is probably true that Rotel sells a higher precentage of processors vs. receivers in Europe. But again, this is speculation on my part based on what the American distribution branches have told me.

Perhaps some of the European members could comment on this? Hanser, can you give us some insight here?




Bruce

[Mats]

we're Americans. we want things simple, quick and convenient. in a country where fast food is considered our national menu, we shouldn't be surprised that more "a/v receivers" are popular.

[jDUB]

I just bought the rsp 1066 and rmb1075. It hasn't arrived yet, but what your saying is I just wasted my money. Is that the case?Is the 1055 ven better than the 1065?

Matt, I don't think you are wasting your money at all. The amp you bought is going to be cleaner than the one in the 1055 which should give you more enjoyment out of your speakers. I was just initially trying to make a point that in my opinion things did not make sense. When Rotel uses the same processing boards and parts in a unit but also adds a amp and tuner section but sells it for less ($200 less in Canada), how does that make sense? But as some have shown there are intangibles that I did not factor in, and maybe the 1055 is just being sold for less than what it could sell for.
But for me, this may turn out to be blessing in disguise. Because I am using three seperate amps to run my existing system, I can now look at this combo:

PSB Stratus Silvers: RB-991 (330watts) to the woofer section
RB-971 (120watts) to the mid/tweeter section
PSB Stratus C6: RB-981 (360watts) mono bridged
And use the amps in the RSX1055 to power the Rears and Center Rears.
I do have an integrated Rotel amp RA-960BX to use on the rears if I don't like the 1055's sound.

So, don't think going seperates will cost you more, it will. And considering what Rotel has done with the upgrades and listening to their end-users, has caused me to sold on buying one. Did you pay more for your 1066, some say no...others maybe. But get it in your house and start enjoying it and ask yourself the question again later in the week...I am sure your answer will be NO.

jDUB

[fhidayat]

mattburk,
I owned 1065 and IMHO, it sounds better than 1055. Perhaps because of more power, I dunno. I auditioned both, from sound quality and asthetic look and WAF, it's better, especially on the low. The low point is the lack of ability to redirect power to the rear, which I think has a great upgradeability appeal.




:banana:

[Poidog]

This thread subject is perfect for me because I am in the same boat, sort of.

I currently have a Citation 5.0 Controller which is just plain awesome for movies. However, it is not upgradable at all, music sounds okay, and the Citation line no longer exists.

If there is anyone who has owned or heard the Citation and got a 1066, please let me know if the two are similar in sound quality. I know everything is subjective but I'm still looking for opinions.

Being that the Citation was over $3K MSRP (I got it for about 50% off) and the 1066 is about half that, my concern is that I will get half the performance. I cannot afford a similar-priced preamp ($2K and above) right now.

Also, where I live, there aren't many high-end dealers. There is a Rotel dealer here, however.

I'm also worried about the popping noises and hums that others are talking about.

I am running the Citation through the Rotel RB985MkII amp and I have nothing but good opinions about them.

Thanks!
Poidog

[mickyboy]

i emailed b&w /rotel on just this very matter , the 1055 and 1066 have identical processers, so if a one box solution is wanted go for 1055 tuner etc, if better sound quallity is more important then b&W/rotel suggested 1066+external power amps eg 1066+1075+1070 or simular set up, hope this helps in the u.k the 1055 costs more than the 1066

[sndtowne]

Of course, in the states, you could probably get the same improved sound (over the RSX-1055 alone) for even less money by purchasing the RSX-1055 and the RMB-1075 amp and redirecting the receivers internal amps for 7.1.




Bruce

[LEVESQUE]

I'm a pharmacist. Here in Canada, a medication, Altace 5mg, cost more money then Altace 10mg... Try to explain this to a customer... It's because the company sell more of the 10mg then the 5mg... Not logical, but offer and demand rules the price... 8O

By the way, I own a RSP-1066, and wouldn't trade it for a 1055! LOL!

[Snow]

Hi All,

Thanks for taking the time to view and respond. But give me a chance to rant. So if the 1055 is the 1066 with a tuner and power amp, why is it less money? Is it me or is something wrong with this picture??? Since when does the fact that the unit is a seperate component make it more money...surely it should offer more or should I pay more just for it's elite status.
Rotel should be looking to drop the price on the 1066 to reflect the value of it. By value alone, the 1055 should cost one more. I know some may say that since the 1066 was the first piece on the market that it needed to share more of the price load but now that both the 1055 and the 1066 share the same parts, they don't need to keep what seems to be a over-inflated price in place.

I have often wondered the same thing. I can understand the production/sales explanation, but question it when I hear that the 1066 costs less in Europe. Are all Rotels manufactured in the same place, or do they have seperate factories in the US and in Europe? If they have only one factory, the above explanations don't seem to logical.

Either way, looks like I will be going with the 1055.

Thanks, Snow




DVD Collection