Rotel RSP1066 vs Meridian 565 - Discuss... (1 Viewer)

[Matthew_Ba]

I have a Rotel RSP-1066 waiting for me at the store I ordered it from a week or two ago. At the store I bought my speakers at they have a "new" Meridian 565 available for $1795.

The Meridian only has two digital inputs and one analog input and does not handle DTS-ES or DPLII. It handles DD and DTS and creates its own 7.1 interpretation of those formats. It also has a pretty great sounding 5.1 music setting that is highly customizable. It has very low wife usability factor.

The Rotel everyone is familiar with and costs the MSRP of $1500.

Thoughts ?

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Matthew is your dealer not willing to move from $1500US on the rotel? That's boardering on robbery at that price.

The Meridian has a great reputation but it will come down to features...does the meridian offer what you need/want? If so I'd consider it but only after comparing the two side by side since the Rotel is no slouch in the music dept either and its XS processing is quite good also.

 

[Matthew_Ba]

What is the going rate these days ? I am assuming the dealer didn't move on the price because he has a wait list about six people deep.

There are other dealers I can call around to in my area to see what they are charging.

 

[Brian Corr]

You can get 15% off easy, and many are getting 20% off.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

I got 20 percent off and there was a long waiting list at my dealer too but 15 percent off is more the norm from the numbers I've seen posted

 

[Bill Lucas]

Matthew,

Rotel makes some fine equipment but they are not in the same league as Meridian. The 565 is simply a superior product. If the dealer for the 565 is JS Audio (and I suspect it is) then they are not "new" but are actually new in an unopened box with the latest software and updates that Meridian offered. JS Audio purchased the last batch of 565's that Meridian produced. The 565 is much more setup intensive than the Rotel and will offer incredible performance. The question you need to ask yourself is whether or not you are willing to pass on the latest "gee-whiz" features for superior performance.

 

[ling_w]

The Meridian is miles ahead of the Rotel processor.

Its Trifield music mode is arguably the best music surround mode there is. It has a in-house version of DPL, which allows for stereo side and rear channels. Plus it has Ambisonic processing. Get some Ambi encoded 2ch discs and play it back in a 7ch system and you would want to throw all your DTS music discs away (Ambisonic actually does not have a output channel limit, but the 565 is limited to 7.1. The 861 goes to 12 channels and more serious versions goes to >32).

With the 565, your switching will be limited, many people combine that with a 562, 562v or 518. If that is the case, it might push the cost out of your range.

 

[Matthew_Ba]

Bill,
It is indeed JS Audio. By "new" I meant unopened but manufactured in 1999 which is hardly NEW They do have full warranty, etc.
I will have to look into the switching alternatives mentioned in the post above as maybe a future upgrade that would take care of some of my concerns.

 

[ling_w]

Some people utilize passive switchers instead of going the Meridian way.

You should request from the dealer to upgrade the firmware to 6.2a if you do decide to buy it.

The only bad thing with the 565 is that you will be hooked with Meridian forever and the upgrades to newer processors will cost your two arms and two legs.

The 565 had a very long and fruitful life. Starting out in 1993, and feature upgrades was not stopped until around 2000. Firware upgrades still occured, as could be seen by the 6.2a released early this year.

 

[BruceD]

IIRC, the 565 can only do 7.1 channels if you use Meridan digital speakers on 2 of output channels. I think it only has 5.1 analog outputs.

 

[Bill Lucas]

Correction, the 565 can do 7.1 with all analogue speakers. The Meridian 568 MUST have two digital speakers to do 7.1.

 

[ling_w]

You mean the 561. The 568 has 8 analog outputs, configurable into 7.1, 6.2....

 

[Bill Lucas]

Thank you ling, I did mean the 561. I came to this post to correct my typo and you beat me to the punch.

 

[Matthew_Ba]

Oh God! I am now looking at a slightly used 565/562.V2 combo instead of the Rotel. I am going to break the bank on this. I am already so over budget its not even funny But it is nice when I sit in front of everything.
You guys are *evil* for informing me of the 562 and thus taking away my chief complaint against the 565

 

[ling_w]

You could get a 562v instead of a 562v2 for the 565. And if you don't need video switching, a 562 would be sufficient. The OSD comes from the 565, so even w/o the 562 variations, all the setup would still work.

 

[Duke]

I had the 565 and used a 501V (this is an analog preamp with s-vic switching and multy room, going for about $400-$500 used). You can also use MSB products,I used the Digital Director to add more digital imputs.
The 565 is a super great sounding pre/pro, with many features. Music is number one with Meridian, HT second, but that doesn't mean it's not a great HT pre/pro. They have a special Mixed DD mode.
here's a Meridian user group
http://www.softronix.com/cgi-bin/Ult...assCookie=true