Thank you ALL!!!(Love the Rotel 1067 and B&W Speakers)

[amitsharma75]

All,
Thanks a tonne for all your suggestions and feedback. I decided to listen (read morelike it) you advice to get a perfect marriage. A ROTEL reciever and BW speakers.
The equipment I got...
DM604 S3 (Fronts)
M602 S3 (Rears)
LCR600 S3 (Centre)
ASW 650 (Sub)
Rotel RSX-1067 (Reciever)

After having listened to these beauties for over 4 hours now, I decided to thank you all for this terrific forum.
Would anyone know how much I should have paid for this equipment? I paid a total of $4500 USD (includes a $264 New Jersey tax). This was by far the best deal that i could find. I had been to 3 dealers in NY and 3 in NJ. This was the best.
I still havent read up on the manuals but i am guessing i am configuring the equipment the best I can.
I guess the only questions I have at this point are...
1) Was the price I paid decent?
2) Should I bother to get a power conditioner?
3) Would a 36 Feet speaker cable decrease my performance?
4) Any prefered music I should be doing my benchmarks on?
5) How do I bribe my neighbours?

Once again Thanks a bunch for all you advice and help in me deciding on the best equipment.

[Aussie Geoff]

Amitsharma75,

Welcome to our world... Glad to see you are enjoying your new equipment...

2) Should I bother to get a power conditioner?

Yes - If you can get one with sine-wave tracking (sometimes called active tracking) good HF rejection and filtering on all 3 wires (live, neutral and ground). I tried a few (Aussie ones) and found one (via a friend) that made a worthwhile difference in sound quality. They also protect your equipment against power spikes etc.

3) Would a 36 Feet speaker cable decrease my performance?

Yes - especially for the fronts unless you get some good quality thick speaker cords (the resistance with thinner cables builds up with distance). Heavy duty mains cable will do nicely if you can't afford more and then upgrade as you can...

4) Any prefered music I should be doing my benchmarks on?

I always like the Nora Jones "Come Away with Me" Album...
Music DVD - Eagles "Hell Freezes over"
Movies - Try the DTS track on "Dare Devil"

5) How do I bribe my neighbours?

Easy - invite them round for regular movie nights

PS - I don’t know US prices – but my advice is be glad for the discount and don’t worry – chasing the last extra $ discount just can lead to a dealer with poor service – and if you have the “bug” you’ll be back to that dealer a few times over the years…

Geoff