Rotel 1056 vs Pioneer Elite VSX-55TXi

[merlock]

Ok I've posted this in the A/V Chalet but I'd though I'd get your guys opinion too.

I just got the Rotel 1056. But I have a few more days to take it back to the dealer for a Pioneer VSX-55TX. Just wondering what the advantages of i-Link are over analogue outs besides convenience? Is there a sonic improvement using I-Link? I have a few more days to decide and if there is indeed a sonic difference using i-Link I will exchange it for the 55TXi. I think they both sound great. Oh why couldn't the Rotel come with I-Link...WHY!!!!

What are people's opinions on these two great receivers?

merlock

[Andrew Pratt]

Please don't post two identical messages in different forums :naughty:

anywho as you mentioned iLink's main advantage is just that its a single cable vs the analog cables and that being digital it means the bass management could be done at the receiver not in the player. Rotel didn't include iLink b/c its a proprietary connection just like Denon's is proprietary as well.

As for the two receivers I've never been fond of Pioneer and generally they're not known for very good power amp sections...keep the Rotel and enjoy the music.

[aud19]

Ditto :T

Jason

[merlock]

Well boys,

Just wanna to give you guys an update on my decesion. I actually went back to my dealer today to do an A/B on the Rotel and the Pioneer. Popped in the Eagles DTS(my fav music dvd) disc and began my comparison. Well I am happy to say that the Rotel handily beat the Pioneer. In DTS, the guitar intros to hotel california sounded exaggerated and inaccurate to me. Don Henley's vocals also sounded very muddied and unclear. In PCM stereo the pioneer fared even worst and really seemed to fatigued my ears. The Rotel sounded so much clearer and accurate to me. Vocals were warm yet clear and instruments came alive before me. Anyways, long story short, musically IMHO the Pioneer falls way short of the Rotel. I came into this comparison really hoping that Pioneer would win me over since I really wanted features such as I-Link and auto room calibration(features I think Rotel should have included in the 1056) but walked out with a new admiration of the Rotel.

merlock

[shadow]

Well, in terms of the features like EQ and i-link, I like the features but the difference in sound quality you heard points to a salient difference between Rotel and other brands. Rotel has always put sound quality first and features second. This is generally the opposite of what the big companies do. A casual review of the various internet sites is dominated by blather regarding new decoding schemes or other features and very little space devoted to sound quality. Rotel is savvy enough to know that the driving force in this industry is features, but Rotel and a few other companies like B&K never forgets that its target customer puts sound quality above anything else. We want all the features and I hope that the EQ becomes a part of Rotel's feature set, but I am confident that Rotel will not sacrifice sound quality to give customers a new feature, and this is why you find such strong loyalty to the brand.