Talk Me Into A Rotel :)

[steelgtr]

Hi Guys

I've been receiver and speaker shopping and was set to buy the Sony 4ES or the elite 45tx. When I went B&W speaker shopping, they were using Rotel electronics and the combo was awesome in both Music and HT modes.

Please tell me what units you may have considered and why you finally went with Rotel? Is Rotel really *that* much more musical sounding than the mentioned other choices?

Appreciate it!
thx

bob

[wng]

Hey, Bob, welcome. San Jose...great area, been there a few times. Can you be more specific on the B&W and Rotel setup you listened to? Generally speaking, Rotel and B&W are a great match. Also, for a lot of us, Rotel is the next step up from the mainstream receiver brands, be it their own receivers or separates packages. Rotels are designed from a performance standpoint while the selling point of most mainstream receivers is features. Also keep in mind that when you look at power amplification ratings, Rotel's are always conservative.

[Scarp]

At least conservative watt ratings is better than plain lying which many receiver manufacturers do. Good manufacturers give lower ratings than they really are. TagMclaren states 5x100W (@ 8 Ohm) for their 5 channel amp, but when measured its actually 180W.

I traded in a 2 month old Onkyo TX-NR900 receiver for my Rotel RSP1066/RMB1075/RB1070 combo. That onkyo was THX select, had dts 96/24, THX Surround Ex, Mp3 through network, etc etc ... Lots of features, but nowhere near sounds as good as my rotel. I never miss those features anyway There is hardly any software that supports DTS 96/24 anyway.

[ZX 6R]

Maybe it would help, if you mentioned why you need to be talked into the Rotel? Was there something specifically you didn't like or were concerned about? You mentioned the sound being "awesome" and I believe that's what most around here would tell you was the deciding factor. At their given price points the Rotel products are pretty fierce competitors and are always amongst the best sounding in their respective categories.

[steelgtr]

Maybe it would help, if you mentioned why you need to be talked into the Rotel? Was there something specifically you didn't like or were concerned about? You mentioned the sound being "awesome" and I believe that's what most around here would tell you was the deciding factor. At their given price points the Rotel products are pretty fierce competitors and are always amongst the best sounding in their respective categories.

Mainly price; I can get the sony 4ES for $560 shipped, the Elite 45 for $824 shipped, both full warranty. The Rotels run $1300-2000 plus tax locally.

bob

[steelgtr]

Hey, Bob, welcome. San Jose...great area, been there a few times. Can you be more specific on the B&W and Rotel setup you listened to? Generally speaking, Rotel and B&W are a great match. Also, for a lot of us, Rotel is the next step up from the mainstream receiver brands, be it their own receivers or separates packages. Rotels are designed from a performance standpoint while the selling point of most mainstream receivers is features. Also keep in mind that when you look at power amplification ratings, Rotel's are always conservative.

wng,

I heard the 9NT's through a Rotel Stereo setup with the big power amp (380x2) and a separate amp controller (didn't say preamp, no frills, just input select and volume)

thx

bob

[Gary Press]

Talk you into a Rotel? Is it that much more musical sounding?

Please do yourself a favor and take some control of your own substantial expenditure and LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN!

It's fine to ask for help in developing a short list, but then it's up to you.
Do some or a lot of research. Invest yourself in your decision. Learn about the differences. Go to Web sites, download manuals, make comparisons. And what could be better than listening to music in the attempt to find the one you want to buy.

No one should have to talk you into anything. If you haven't gotten the message by now -

LISTEN!

Gary

[steelgtr]

Talk you into a Rotel? Is it that much more musical sounding?

Please do yourself a favor and take some control of your own substantial expenditure and LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN!

LISTEN!

Gary

Gary,

I have been listening. The problem is that my local Rotel store only has the big Rotel separates hooked up to the speakers I'm considering (CDM 9nt's) So I can't A/B to anything else.

In the smaller speaker room, the only receiver choices are the 1055 and a B&K 507. I'm going back today to A/B the Rotel and the B&K. Is that fair? (to the Rotel
thx

bob

[sndtowne]

[ I'm considering (CDM 9nt's) So I can't A/B to anything else. In the smaller speaker room, the only receiver choices are the 1055 and a B&K 507. I'm going back today to A/B the Rotel and the B&K. Is that fair? (to the Rotel...) ]

I have B&W 9NTs and can tell you that the Rotel will drive the speakers much better than the Sony ES or Pioneer Elite receivers (I used to have a Sony ES receiver hooked up to them). The comparison between the Rotel 1055 and the B&W 507 is probably not a fair comparison considering the price difference, but I would go ahead and do it anyway. You might be surprised.

I am currently using a Rotel RSX-1055 as a preamp - but I can assure you that even using the 1055s internal amps, it drives the 9-NTs better than any similar (or lower) priced receiver I have ever used. Go for the RSX-1055. It is a great match for 9NTs.




Bruce