Parasound vs. Rotel amplifiers (1 Viewer)

[Gerard Vogel]

I am looking to get a new amplifier to drive my B&W 601-S2's. I've narrowed it down to the Parasound HCA-750A or the Rotel RB-971. The Parasound will cost me $100 more than the Rotel.
If it was up to you, what would you chose? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
In case you're wondering, this is for a music only system, and i'll be making my own pre-amp (Class-A).

 

[Andre Perusse]

Since the American divisions of Rotel and B&W are in fact the same company, one might be led to believe that B&W's would sound best on Rotel amplifiers. And while I have a Rotel multichannel amp (the RMB-1095) and can attest to its quality in my system, I have never heard a Parasound amp so I do not how it compares.
Cheers,
Andre

 

[Mickey Brown]

I believe the Rotel would be a better match 'on paper' to your B&W speakers. But the proof is in the listening.

 

[Gerard Vogel]

Thanks for the replies guys, Rotel 2 : Parasound 0, interesting.
I know that the ultimate judge of these brand x vs. brand y questions should be one's ears, but there is not a showroom that has Parasound and B&W for at least 70 miles from where I live, and even then I don't know if they have B&W's hooked up to them.

This is why I am asking you guys, any more suggestions?

 

[rodneyH]

I happen to have b&w speakers (CDM7NT) and a Rotel amp, but this doesn't mean that I say the Rotel is the best.
1st-Rotel and B&W are seperate companies (but as I understand it, they are distributed by the same company here in the USA)
2nd-Parasound makes nice equipt as well (I have thier pre/pro).
I would take a listen

 

[Steven Simon]

I bought a 2 Channel Rotel 991 a few months back. I quickly returned it. Just to bright sounding for my taste. Parasound is my amp of choice, yielding warm audio, and a broader sound stage IMHO.
I ran this 2 Channel Rotel(220Watt@8ohms) with my Paradigm
Studio 100's and Studio 40's.
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Thanks,
Steven R. Simon
HTF Administrator
Theater Pics Updated 9-11-2001
Send Email: [email protected]
[Edited last by Steven Simon on November 14, 2001 at 09:43 AM]

 

[JerryIII]

I really don't think that you could go wrong with either company since they both make an outstanding product. I happen to own 3 Parasound amps and couldn't be happier with them. A friend of mine has a Rotel and he loves it. Parasound's ten year warranty is really nice too. I think that it would be worth your time to audition both. However, if the Rotel dealer is close to home and you like the way it sounds with your speakers then you may want to go that route.
Good luck,
Jerry
BTW I am using NHT speakers.

 

[Gerard Vogel]

Now that I think about it, the store where I origionally auditioned my B&W's at was using Rotel amplification (with a McIntosh Pre-amp), I liked it enough for me to buy the B&W's, so i'm leaning towards the Rotel amp now. As always, thanks for the replies. Any more comments are welcome.

 

[RobertW]

i've auditioned rotel and parasound amps with paradigm studio line speakers, and i liked how both sound with those speakers. the rotel doesn't seem bright to me, just very neutral, and paired with the paradigms, gave a pretty neutral presentation of the music. the parasound is a bit darker sounding, lush, what some call warm. it's a great match with the paradigms, as people often accuse them of being slightly bright. i bought a parasound 1500 because of a great deal on the price, but would be equally as happy with a rotel.
b&w's are a bit more laid back to my ears than the paradigms. not what i'd neccessarily call warmer, but smoother and more mannered in their sound. not quite as dynamic sounding. combined with the parasound's warmer sound, this may be lean a bit too much toward the laid back side.
listening is the only way to tell for sure. i'd drive 70 miles to listen to equipment in a heartbeat.

 

[Doug_B]

i'd drive 70 miles to listen to equipment in a heartbeat.

Living in Conway, do you have much of a choice?

Seriously, I totally agree when 1) the equipment has a good reputation or 2) I have listened to the equipment and have been happy and want to hear it in another setting (that happens to be far away). If, however, I have an unfavorable audition with a piece of equipment, I'm less likely to try it in another venue unless it's nearby (and has a good reputation).
Doug
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"Today is a good day to die." ...Old Lodge Skins

 

[RobertW]

actually, my local dealer is a paradigm/reference dealer, as well as onkyo/integra. until recently he also carried parasound, but that's a bit pricey for the local joe sixpacks around here, so he wasn't selling too many of them. he did get me my amp though, from another parasound dealer.
but you're right, to get anything of better than average quality, you usually have to travel a bit. but i don't mind, it's good to have an excuse to hit the road.

 

[Mark C.]

Funny how it seems every B&W dealer also sells Rotel. Anyway, I have an all B&W HT with a Rotel RMB 1075 5-channel amp. I like this combination very much and would recommend it very strongly. You can't go wrong with either company, but you be the judge of what's best for you.