New to high-end, quick question

[Jestre]

I am soon to make my first Rotel purchase (RDV-1040) and am very excited about it. I currently run an older Denon 3300 as my integrated receiver but eventually I want to step up to better speakers and Rotel amplifiers. Should I continue to use the 3300 as a pre-amp? Or would it be wise to save up and match something of comparable quality to higher end amps? Thanks a lot for any help

[jlee]

You definitely want to go with a Rotel 1068 and 1075 amp or 1095 amp . Or at the very least, go with a Rotel 1056 or 1067 receiver. Even the Rotel receivers are very good value. I would take a Rotel receiver over any of the Denons from a musicality standpoint. I demoed the 1055 and 1065 (older versions of the 1056 and 1067) before finally deciding to go with the 1066/1075 combo. A friend of mine has the 1055 receiver and it's surprisingly good. He doesn't turn it up and he's not as picky, so for him, the 1055 is an outstanding value and reduces the number of cables in the system. It would be a big step up from your current Denon 3300 IMHO.

[eelco74]

I had a Denon 3801 as a pre-amp with an RB-981/RB-985MKII.

I tried the 1066 once, and found it far more superiour thant the 3801.
I upgraded recently to a RSP1068, wich made all the difference.