Does RB-1070 sound the same as RB-1080?

[audiofan]

Hi,
I was torned between rb-1070 and rb-1080. Due to the budget constraint, i can afford rb-1070 , even though i would go the route " more power is better" . However, I don't think the gain in db between 1070 and 1080 is much different. What i concern about is the sound between these amps. My speaker has a good sensitivity (91 db ). my current a/v is denon 3805. Has anyone listened both ? please give me some advice.

thanks

[DrBoom]

Obviously the gain between a 120W and a 200W amp is very small, 2.21 dB to be exact
What you will gain is more control at the same volume level, because the amp has more headroom and will play more relaxed.
I haven't heard either of them, but I could imagine depending on your speakers and preferences the 1080 would have some benefits.
If it's all about playing louder, there won't be much difference, just a little.

[audiofan]

Obviously the gain between a 120W and a 200W amp is very small, 2.21 dB to be exact
What you will gain is more control at the same volume level, because the amp has more headroom and will play more relaxed.
I haven't heard either of them, but I could imagine depending on your speakers and preferences the 1080 would have some benefits.
If it's all about playing louder, there won't be much difference, just a little.

Thanks.

What do you mean by "What you will gain is more control at the same volume level, because the amp has more headroom and will play more relaxed."

I rarely turn the volume to the max. I probably didn't use the right word. Is the dynamic different in between both amps? FYI, my speaker is Axiom M60ti

[whmacs]

Hi Audiofan,
The other advantage of the RB-1080 is a higher damping factor (1000) while the RB-1070 only has a factor of 500. The damping factor indicates how much control the amp has over bass. The higher the number the better control. While 500 is good (for example, the RMB-1075 amp only has a value of 180) 1000 is outstanding for any brand of two channel amp!

cheers,
Stephen

[DrBoom]

Let's say you're using 20 Watts when you're playing pretty loud, and at that time a peak appears in the music, which sounds 2x as loud as the volume you were playing.
Twice as loud, requires 10x the power, so that would draw a 200W peak.
The 1070 will have to struggle to get that much power, so your music will start to compress and lose dynamics.
The 1080 will have enough juice to get that extra power to the speaker.
That's just one example though, generally speaking an amplifier sounds better if it's far far away from its maximum power.
Compare it with cars, most cars can do 100 mph, but some can do it without any strain at all, and others can barely hold it together at that speed.
Same thing for amps, the more headroom (power to spare) you have, the better.

Your speakers are rather efficient, but still a more powerful amplifier will make them sound smoother and less straining at any volume level.
More power is always better, and I'm a firm believer in overpowering speakers to get the most out of them.
I spend at least as much on amplification (maybe even more) than on speakers, while most do it the other way around.
That doesn't mean I'm pumping 300W into them all the time, or at any time for that matter, but they just sound better with an overpowered amp than with one that's "just powerful enough".
Still you should audition both, and then make a choice based both on your budget and the sound.

[aud19]

For damping factor, anything over 100 is just gravy.

They should sound fairly similar as any Rotel equipment I've heard, (I've never heard the 1070) all sound quite similar. They are made by the same people with similar parts etc.

Regarding the headroom, basically what DrBoom was trying to say is that at a given volume the 1080 will play cleaner as it has more power or headroom to draw from. For example if you're using say 110W of power with either amp, playing at the same volume, the 1070 will be much closer to it's upper limits than the 1080, as such it will sound more strained where the 1080 will just be cruising at that volume.

Jason

[DrBoom]

You're right on that damping factor Jason, I've heard amps with a damping factor of 100 producing the tightest bass I ever heard.
My Parasound also has >1000 damping factor, and it 's pretty tight, but it can't hold a candle to what an Accuphase puts out with its seemingly measily 100W per channel and damping factor of around 100.
Same goes for Classé, also very tight bass with a low damping factor.

[audiofan]

I have a subwoofer....so does it mean damping factor is not that important? Thank you all for good examples about power wattage. I definitely like more power...Well, i will need to do audition and i may stretch out a bit more for RB-1080.

[Andrew Pratt]

Forget damping factor its really not an issue unless the amp is very poorly made (which these obviously aren't) and anything above 100 is really no better or worse. There's plenty of other factors that do have an impact that you should pay attention to such as the size of the power supply etc.

The 1070 should be plenty of amp for speakers as efficient as yours but if you think you'll eventually want to upgrade it would be cheaper to just wait until you can afford the 1080...I've purchased lesser items thinking it would do but all the while knowing that I'd likely upgrade later and it just means you end up paying more for the item you wanted in the first place

[wernert]

RB1080 vs RB1070

I tested the 1070 connected to my RSP1066 with Jamo Classic 8 in front and classic 6 at the rears. The intention was to get my surround back (Jamo c160) up and running so I opted for the 1070 with my RMB1075 as opposed to the RB1050 for the surround. I connected the 1070 to my front speakers and found little or no difference in sound compared to the two front channels on the RMB 1075. It sounded I bit clearer, but not a major difference. I felt that as there is not a lot of 6.1 material currently available here in South Africa, I would not be worth the investment, so I upgraded my 4 year old NAD T550 dvd player to a RDV1060 instead.

I then auditioned the RB1080 and what a difference. I have read a lot of reviews on both amps I still believe that to much power is better than adequate power. The amp has seperate circuits for the left and right channels, better damping factor and obviously better power output and dynamic range. The only problem is that I am hooked on this amp, but have to start saving as the cost is almost double compared to the RB1070. It will be well worth the wait.

[audiofan]

I have recently gone to audiogon everyday and i'm always late for the amp i want . Since i can stretch out a bit, i think i won't bother with used 1080, but rather go with the local dealer. Bad news is that none of the local dealers has rb-1080 in stock, even the demo so that I can do audition.

Well, i keep looking and thanks all for your valuable input and advice.

[Azeke]

Just a quick note, I purchased the RB-1050 to power the fronts b/c that's what I could afford at the time. I did not see a significant difference, but knew I should have purchased what I needed from the beginning. Luckily my retailer has an upgrade policy, I went over the edge (thanks Will) and upgraded to the RB-1080, and I haven't looked back.

Just my story,

Azeke

[will1066]

Don't blame me, dude. You knew you wanted it. :T

[Jurgen]

I am a bit hesitant to bring it up, but... :unsure:
You could also try two rb1070's in a bi amp configuration. :T
I had a good deal on two 1070's (the two of them combined were much, much cheaper than a single 1080) and I am a firm believer when it comes to bi amping (one of the effects is lots of headroom). However, quite a few threads are already dedicated to this subject, so I won’t bring it up again here.

Jurgen

[Drew_W]

You also get the option of balanced inputs on the 1080...if that makes a difference to you.

[Drew_W]

Ahh yes, and I believe the new 1080s have 2 sets of terminals for left and right for easy bi-amping (I *think* that's what they're for).

[aud19]

Drew, those are for bi-wiring to be more specific and Jurgen yes if you have two amps bi-amping can lend a noticeable improvement especially when done properly by crossing over the signal prior to amplification and bypassing the speaker's internal crossover. However IMO you're better off just getting a bigger/better single 2-channel amp (1080) than bi-amping two smaller ones if you don't already own them.

Jason