Researching new receiver .. anyone try the Rotel 1550? (1 Viewer)

[MrMoran]

Looking to upgrade from my trusty Yamaha (few years old, no HDMI inputs, etc.) and came across the Rotel 15 series. Reviews were favorable, but a couple mentioned some degradation in the video. So, I guess there are two questions: 1) has anyone personally tried out the 1550 and 2) any other brands out there in the $2K price range that are worth checking out? I'll be honest, the salesperson I spoke with presented himself as quite the audiophile and used the term "low end of the high end" when referring to the Rotel, which was sort of appealing.

 

[Ricky c]

I used to have the Rotel rsx1056,had some minor issues but sound was good.I upgraded to Marantz sr8002 in my opinion blew away the Rotel(which i liked).The Marantz sr8002 has 4 hdmi's and 2 out(Only 1 at a time).Musically it's fantastic as i have had other marantz recievers(still have 2).This rec doesnt do any processing with hdmi so what goes in goes out(no degradation).Which is a good thing in my opinion.But it'll come down to what you like soundwise and bells and whistles.

 

[Seth=L]

I'm not completely following this part.

This rec doesnt do any processing with hdmi so what goes in goes out(no degradation).

Do you mean to say you aren't doing any audio or video processing over HDMI? Are you using Blu-ray as one of your sources? To get the best sound from Blu-ray you'll need to do either a 5.1/7.1 analog connection or HDMI for audio. As far as video processing, I'd agree that most receivers don't really do much for video processing and the TV or source often can do a better job than the receiver can.

 

[Ricky c]

Probably bad choice of words.What i meant was video processing,the marantz except 480i to 408p wont do anything so 1080i/1080p or whatever is passed w/o any degradation.Realized i said processing should of been more specific and said video processing.There is also a good write up on hometheater mag and ultimateav.sorry

 

[JohnB57]

I've just purchased the Rotel RSX 1550. Did an a/b in the store between the Rotel and the Pioneer Elite Receiver I had been considering. I'm upgrading from my trusty Pioneer Elite VSX 59TXI. In its day, for Receivers, it fit my musical tastes to a tee. Now I'm in a smaller listening environment, and am looking for a better sounding unit for CD playback. I'll be losing Room Correction software that came with my Pioneer Elite, but I figure my room is well conditioned with Real Traps, and though I'm no expert in this area...as to whether room correction software as is used by Pioneer and other manufacturers actually helps or hinders the goal of "good sound".
My ears told me the Rotel sounded better; in the a/b comparison the store did for me. I was told by the salesman to put my attention on the bass notes of the Blues CD he had playing on the Pioneer Elite CD player. What I heard, as the machine which automatically switched between the level matched Receiver units, was what I clearly heard as over-processing on the Elite Receiver, while the Rotel was clean sounding, just the way I like it.
I'll not have such a mess of Interconnects to deal with, now that HDMI cabling is all I'll need for Mulitchannel surround sound. I'm getting the Rotel in black, as that was what was in stock, and it will look better with my other black components. Now to find a new hoom for the old Receiver so that I'll be ready to pick up and install the Rotel on Tuesday. I'm so excited, I love tax time!!!

Anyone have this unit? What are your impressions of it now that you've had some time with it. What type of speakers are you using? Thanks in advance.