Rotel 1066 and 1075 OR Denon AVC-A11SR? (1 Viewer)

[Yu-Ming]

Hi folks. I'm starting from scratch so I've got a few ideas about amplification and source. I want something that is as good as possible for stereo music whilst having as many decoding options for home cinema as possible (don't want to enter this evil cycle of ugrading every 6 months like some of you poor folk!).

Denon AVC-A11SR (US equivalent is AVR-4802)
Denon DV-3800

OR:

Rotel 1066 preamp + 1075 amp
NAD 541i CD Player
(+ stick with my cheapie Toshiba SD210 DVD player for a short while longer)

What kind of difference could I expect between the two choices? I'd be open to any other suggestions in the same price range.

The lucky amp/source combo can look forward to getting hooked up with some Monitor Audio S8's + surrounds and center. Thanks in advance!

 

[Krzysztof W]

Hi

I was in the same position half a year ago and narrowed down my options to Denon 4803 and Rotel combo. I went with Rotel (RSP1066 and RMB1075) and I am really happy that I did it. The sound is definitely better for both music and movies.
A lot depends on the space you have and it may happen (slight chance) that Denon will sound better in your HT room. Enjoy your search for perfect sound

Krzysztof

 

[Arnold van Oostrum]

The Rotel is defenitely better with stereosound. But if you want all the HT options, you need to go to Denon. Rotel is lacking the DTS96/24 decoding. On HT sound the Denon is slightly better than the Rotel

Personally I would recommand auditioning the Marantz SR-9200, which has a real better HT and stereo sound than either the Rotel or the Denon. But, Marantz also lacks DTS96/24.

Beware, all are personal choices and favorites. Always listen with your own ears.

 

[Yu-Ming]

Thanks for the input guys.

I've had a think, and I'm just going to get a humble Denon 3802 for now and then get the Rotel amp some time next year and and use the 3802 for a preamp.

The reason being...I've done a bit of research and in UK there's not much chance of getting the Rotel gear at less than retail price which works out at about 1850 GBP. 850 seems like a bargain for the amp, which is the kind of gear that you can keep for years, but I don't want to spend a grand on a dedicated preamp.

Is it fair to say that most of the benefits from a seperates system come from having a dedicated amp? There's a dearth of preamps for less than 1000 GBP in the UK so a seperate amp paired with the preamp of a receiver seems to be the most sensible upgrade path. ta!

 

[Dan Harmer]

The Rotel is defenitely better with stereosound. But if you want all the HT options, you need to go to Denon. Rotel is lacking the DTS96/24 decoding. On HT sound the Denon is slightly better than the Rotel

DTS 24/96, while nice, shouldn't be a deciding factor (IMO)--there's hardly anything available. As a former owner of 3 Denon receivers (3802, 3300, 2400), two of which I also used as a preamp with a Rotel RMB-1095 power amp, I can say the Denon's never, ever sounded as good used standalone as they did paired with the Rotel amp. Not only that, but in my listening tests, the sound was much better using the Rotel Pre-amp than my receivers (Denon 3300, 3802, Onkyo 989 THX Ultra).

In my quest for a new preamp to mate with my rotel, I read time and time again of people moving from flagship receivers (such as the Denon 5803, B&K 307, Onkyo 989) used both standalone and as preamps with large power amps and almost unianimously everyone states the sound was better with a Rotel or Outlaw preamp paired with a nice RMB-1075/1095 (or equivalent amp) than the receivers. Do a search through the archives and you'll see many threads.

My Onkyo 989 did an admirable job, better than any of my Denons, but it still benefited from my Rotel RMB-1095.

Of course, YMMV.

-Dan

 

[Joe]

Dan -

Not only that, but in my listening tests, the sound was much better using the Rotel Pre-amp than my receivers (Denon 3300, 3802, Onkyo 989 THX Ultra).

Are you saying that you have a Rotel pre-amp and it sounds better than the Denon 3300, 3802, Onkyo 989 used as a pre-amp? What are you using for a pre-amp?

Thanks.

 

[Dan Harmer]

Joe, I do not currently have a rotel in my system, but came very close to buying one. I've heard the 1066 vs. the Denon 3802 used as a preamp mated with a Rotel RMB-1095 and believe the Rotel to be superior sonically, despite some of its other shortcomings.

I'm currently without a preamp of any sort while I try and decide which unit to purchase next. I was going to get the Rotel 1066 because it's a great piece of equipment for the price, but have been trying to talk myself into spending twice the price for an Anthem AVM 20. I like the fact that it's upgradable for firewire and is very tweakable. One thing I don't like the Rotel is the pathetic bandwidth for the component video switching 10MHz is totally useless. Even my 4+ year old Denon 3300 had 27MHz which is suitable for 480P sources.

The Denon 3802 and 3300 did a very good job as a preamp all things considered, but given my power amp and speakers I felt its processing was holding my system back. The Onkyo 989 I had seemed to have a slightly smaller, but more detailed soundstage compared to the Denons broader sound with less precision. Hope this helps.

My quest for a preamp still continues....

 

[BrentPollard]

1850 GBP!! is way too expensive. I paid 1850 Cdn for my 1066 which is what? 750 GBP, and Rotel is British. There is something wrong here. If that is the best price you can get then I would recomend the Denon.

 

[Craig_Kg]

Unless the Denon is similar expensive there..

 

[Mike_Ch]

Yu-Ming,
If you listen to a lot of music (stereo), then I would say the pre-amp would make a significant contribution to the overall sound quality. What source player are you planning on using?

Brent,

That 1850grp is for *both* the amp and preamp.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[EarleD]

I used to have a Denon 3802 which I used as a preamp with Acurus amps. I now have a Rotel 1055 receiver used as a preamp paired with a Rotel 985 mkII amp. The Rotel combo blows the Denon/Acurus combo out of the water.
I was shocked how much detail I was missing while using the Denon as a preamp. With the 1055 each time I watch a movie or listen to some music I keep on hearing new layers of sound. Everything is much more focused now.
I'm getting a Rotel 1080 or a 1070 amp for Christmas to power the R/L speakers . Then I most likely will be looking to a true preamp to run the show. The only problem is its hard to find a preamp with the features I want for under $3000. The 1066 would be perfect except for the analog bass management issues, come on Rotel lets get that fix done.
Hope this helps
Earle

 

[Craig_Kg]

Earle, get a good stereo preamp and put it between the receiver and the poweramp for the front channels. Then connect stereo sources directly to the preamp. This is MUCH cheaper than looking for HT prepro with equivalent stereo performance AND it won't become obsolescent when the next HT format rolls in. A unity gain bypass makes it a little more convenient but is not at all mandatory.

If you are primarily interested in multichannel SACD or DVD-A, then get a Sony TAP-9000ES 6 channel preamp.

 

[Dan Harmer]

One thing I don't like the Rotel is the pathetic bandwidth for the component video switching 10MHz is totally useless. Even my 4+ year old Denon 3300 had 27MHz which is suitable for 480P sources.

I just wanted to let everyone know that the all new Rotel 1066's are supposed to now have over 100MHz bandwidth for the component video switching! I read this in the January 2003 Stereophile Guide to Home Theater review on the unit last night...

-Dan