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In feb I had a chance of comparing side by side the rsp 1098 with the rsp 1066. at the time, I was thinking about upgrading from the 1066 to the 1098. the rsp 1098 was a loaner from my rotel dealer. I had the 1098 for one week. Although the 1066 is a wonderful unit, for my usage, ultimately, it was lacking in the speaker set up flexibility. This is one area the 1098 really shines. Also, when doing an ‘a/b’ comparison, the 1066 was coming up sonically a little short.
When the 1068 finally arrived, I swapped out the 1066. if the 1068 sonic enhancements was anywhere near the 1098, the 1068 would be a keeper. If not, I would have upgraded to the 1098. Compared to the 1066, the 1068 has 13 upgrades ( http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthr...p4?t=1923[/URL ) over the 1066. after having actually used the 1068 in house, I noticed a couple of more upgrades. One is a more robust power supply, switching over to the tordial transformer. Also, the display has been immensely improved. The display shows more info such as which surround mode is active, speakers in use, bit rate, input selection, dsp mode, etc.
Sonically, the 1068 is a noticeable improvement over the 1066. whether it’s the upgraded dac, the power supply, or the new processor; there is a definite sonic enhancement. There is more clarity, more presence, more immediatcey to the presentation. The sound is more analogue than digital. The surround steering is much more aggressive; the dpl IIx being far superior to the rotel Xs. The center rears are much more alive. Switching between the Phillips dvd 962sa dac with the rotels dac show no drop in audio performance, a sure sign that the rotel dac are up to par. Hdcd, xrcd, sacd material sound so involving, clear, detailed, and dynamic----the rsp 1068 would make a fine two channel preamp. The overall size is not imposing, the unit just blends into the rack with the rest of the components.
It has been awhile since I played with the 1098, but from what I can recall, the 1068 has not only closed the gap, but may have even equaled the fine sounding 1098. the only real difference between the 1068 and 1098 becomes the lcd panel. I actually prefer the 1068 display since it shows more info. In my thought, the double in price for essentially the lcd display was not worth it. The pc card concept of the 1098 is great if was for the purpose of being hardware upgradable. I found out the 1098 was not designed for this purpose. I do not like pc card circuitry layout since the circuit are longer with potential for picking up more noise and there are more mechanical connection points with potential for jitter. I prefer the audiophile approach….shortest distance approach with the least amount of components. The 1068 has the more direct approach with appropriate spacing of power/digital/analog/video. The 1098 does have a more rigid reinforced cabinet to help reduce vibrations. Both could use more shielding though.
Is the $400 difference between the 1066 and 1068 worth it? It all depends if: you are into 7.1 the dpl iix is a must have, have different size speakers, want a dual purpose preamp for both hometheather and critical two channel, a more informative display, current rotel support regarding to upgrading resources, than spend the money. If you are happy with 5.1 and have similar sized speakers all around, than the 1066 should be just fine and save your money.
Hitachi 65xwx20b
Rotel rps 1068
Philips dvd 962sa
Panasonic vcr
A pair of nad 208thx driving the front
Rotel rb 990bk
Parasound hca 1000a
Martin logan sl3, logos, scripts
Def tech bp2x center rears
Svs cs+ 16/46, stryke av12 sonotube, hsu vt2, titanic II, m&k 5000thx
Wires by wireworld polaris biwire, wireworld silver starlite digital, better cable ultra components, jps labs, nordost, signal cable, asylum pc, ixos, xlo, monster sub cables
Monster hts 5100
Panamax raxmax lite
When the 1068 finally arrived, I swapped out the 1066. if the 1068 sonic enhancements was anywhere near the 1098, the 1068 would be a keeper. If not, I would have upgraded to the 1098. Compared to the 1066, the 1068 has 13 upgrades ( http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthr...p4?t=1923[/URL ) over the 1066. after having actually used the 1068 in house, I noticed a couple of more upgrades. One is a more robust power supply, switching over to the tordial transformer. Also, the display has been immensely improved. The display shows more info such as which surround mode is active, speakers in use, bit rate, input selection, dsp mode, etc.
Sonically, the 1068 is a noticeable improvement over the 1066. whether it’s the upgraded dac, the power supply, or the new processor; there is a definite sonic enhancement. There is more clarity, more presence, more immediatcey to the presentation. The sound is more analogue than digital. The surround steering is much more aggressive; the dpl IIx being far superior to the rotel Xs. The center rears are much more alive. Switching between the Phillips dvd 962sa dac with the rotels dac show no drop in audio performance, a sure sign that the rotel dac are up to par. Hdcd, xrcd, sacd material sound so involving, clear, detailed, and dynamic----the rsp 1068 would make a fine two channel preamp. The overall size is not imposing, the unit just blends into the rack with the rest of the components.
It has been awhile since I played with the 1098, but from what I can recall, the 1068 has not only closed the gap, but may have even equaled the fine sounding 1098. the only real difference between the 1068 and 1098 becomes the lcd panel. I actually prefer the 1068 display since it shows more info. In my thought, the double in price for essentially the lcd display was not worth it. The pc card concept of the 1098 is great if was for the purpose of being hardware upgradable. I found out the 1098 was not designed for this purpose. I do not like pc card circuitry layout since the circuit are longer with potential for picking up more noise and there are more mechanical connection points with potential for jitter. I prefer the audiophile approach….shortest distance approach with the least amount of components. The 1068 has the more direct approach with appropriate spacing of power/digital/analog/video. The 1098 does have a more rigid reinforced cabinet to help reduce vibrations. Both could use more shielding though.
Is the $400 difference between the 1066 and 1068 worth it? It all depends if: you are into 7.1 the dpl iix is a must have, have different size speakers, want a dual purpose preamp for both hometheather and critical two channel, a more informative display, current rotel support regarding to upgrading resources, than spend the money. If you are happy with 5.1 and have similar sized speakers all around, than the 1066 should be just fine and save your money.
Hitachi 65xwx20b
Rotel rps 1068
Philips dvd 962sa
Panasonic vcr
A pair of nad 208thx driving the front
Rotel rb 990bk
Parasound hca 1000a
Martin logan sl3, logos, scripts
Def tech bp2x center rears
Svs cs+ 16/46, stryke av12 sonotube, hsu vt2, titanic II, m&k 5000thx
Wires by wireworld polaris biwire, wireworld silver starlite digital, better cable ultra components, jps labs, nordost, signal cable, asylum pc, ixos, xlo, monster sub cables
Monster hts 5100
Panamax raxmax lite
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