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Denon vs. Rotel (1 Viewer)

Tim_D

Auditioning
Joined
Nov 11, 2003
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Hello all, I am new to the forum and would like to upgrade my current Onkyo TSDS575X reciever. After browsing through here and other forums, I think I have narrowed my choices down to either a Denon AVR4802R or a Rotel RSX-1065. I have some questions for the experts here.

The Denon is THX Ultra 2 certified, therefore I am paying extra for this certification. The Rotel is not. Am I giving up anything in the Denon due to these costs versus the Rotel? Any help/guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Also, any owners of these models out there? How are these performing for you?
 

Arron H

Second Unit
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Messages
332
Honestly, THX ultra certification does not mean that much. You should a/b both and go with what you can afford and with what sounds better to you. What speakers will you be using? Rotel/B&W work very well together.
 

EarleD

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Aug 27, 2000
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Earle Decker
Tim

As a current owner of a Rotel 1055 and a past owner of a Denon 3802, I feel for HT use they are both great receivers. I found the Rotel far superior to the Denon for music listening.

Matched with my Klipsch speakers the Rotel seems to mate perfectly. I am very happy with the 1055. Rotel offers fantastic customer support, something Denon sadly lacks.

Check out Club Rotel for a great source of info on Rotel equipment.

Hope this helps

Earle
 

Ted Pugh

Stunt Coordinator
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Jan 13, 2003
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108
Tim,

Everyone has opinions on what they like best. I am a Denon fan myself and currently own a 4802 that I am using as a pre/pro on my way to seperates I believe. Rotel makes nice gear but I think the 4802 is slightly a higher quality piece. The 4802 is made in Japan at the Denon/Marantz plant where is the Rotels are outsourced in either Taiwan/China, etc. Both pieces offer nice features and the only way for you to know what is best is go take a listen and play around with both and see which one is right for you. Remember, the salesmen will push you toward what he sells, so it would be nice if you have a dealer that reps for both.
 

Mark C.

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 21, 1999
Messages
558
Who needs THX Ultra 2, whatever that is?

I highly recommend Rotel. I have Rotel gear in my HT and a Rotel amp for my second zone. Dependable, quality products, regardless where they're made.
 

Mark All

Second Unit
Joined
Dec 10, 2002
Messages
256
Tim,
Denon's receivers are hard to beat at their price points. The Denon 4802R and the Rotel 1065 have the same sticker price. However, there are considerable differences between the two and I think the Denon wins handily on features. Compare them side by side from their features listings (surround processing, connections, etc) and the you'll find out what the differences are. Rotel's receivers tend to lag behind other manufacturer's by about a year.

In addition, the Rotel only has a 5 channel amplifier. You'd have to add extra amplification to get to a 7.1 configuration. I'd ignore the THX issue altogether though. To me Rotel beats Denon on amplification. That's why I choose to use a Denon 3803 and a Rotel RMB-1075.

The insinuation seems to keep coming up on this forum that Rotel is somehow inferior in quality because their manufacturing plant is not in Japan. Rotel is a Japanese company that does its design work in Britain and its manufacturing work in its own plant near Hong Kong. Rotel purchases high quality parts from other manufacturers, makes their own torroidal transformers, and does not outsource its manufacturing.
 

Rich Wenzel

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 9, 2002
Messages
556
My understanding is that Rotel was founded by a Japanese person in UK and is headquartered there and that they outsource various parts of their production to China.

I consider Rotel's QC to be better than most mass marketers.

Also, isn't Rotel owned by B&W these days?

As for Rotel's products being about a year behind, I disagree. When they come out, such as the 1098, 1055, and 1066, they tend to be up to date (maybe missing some minor reatures). It's just that their receivers tend to have a much longer production run that the mass marketers'. Given that their products can and often are updated, I consider this a plus as this means instead of buying a receiver that doesnt get updated but rather replaced every year, im staying on par with the curve at zero cost. How often does Denon provide updates for its non 5800 series receivers? And what does it cost?

I do agree that the Rotel has only 5 channels of amplification, but since most people only have 5 speakers that seems to make sense. Why pay for the extra amplification, especially since this extra amplification may reduce the overall quality of the amplification?

Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing denon. In fact, I think dollar for dollar, they probably make the best dvd players now that panny decided to kill their models. And their QC is much better than the pannies. I own a denon 1600, and if I was in the market for a universal, I would be deciding between the 2200, 2900 and possibly the 5900. I also think that Denon makes fine receivers and that choosing a Denon is a solid choice.

Rich
 

Ted Pugh

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jan 13, 2003
Messages
108
Rich,

I believe Rotel and B&W share the same North American Distributor and that is all. I might be wrong.

I also believe they do not manufacture there units in there own plants but outsource it.

Let me know if I am way off base. There was an article, I believe, in Theater Mag this month or one of the other mags concerning this. When I get home I will let you know which one.

Ted
 

Andrew Pratt

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 8, 1998
Messages
3,806
Also, isn't Rotel owned by B&W these days?
No They are seperate companies that share a common distributor. B&W did just purchase Classe though.

As for the 1065 IMO while its a nice all in one box a better idea is to get the 1055 receiver and pair it up with a 1075 power amp. You'll then have lots of options for bi amping or powering a 7.1 speaker set up or a second zone and the amps will be a higher quality then those built into the 1065 receiver.

The Denon's win on features but if you spend any time on the Club Rotel site you'll quickly see a long list of people that have moved on from feature filled Denon's to the better sounding Rotels (myself incl.)
 

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