To the OP - kindly take my opinion with a grain of salt.......
Audio is truly subjective and while we can suggest various brands till you get cross-eyed, its your opinion that will matter the most - so I'm afraid you have to do the legwork of auditioning what sounds best to you.
Dont worry, its a fun & educational experience......kinda tiring too, but you'll be thankful later on
Being both a Rotel + B&W user, in my opinion they sound good - but then again thats just me. Others may like it, while others may not - no worries there
We all learn to agree to disagree
Rotel + B&W is owned by the same company, so I could relate how both brands will match each other - althou, this doesnt mean that they're the only solution. Other speakers may sound great with rotel & I also believe that B&W speakers will also sound good with other amplifiers. Thats why auditioning is the solution to your quest.
For me, having both brands gives me the opportunity to only talk with one service personnel if i have a question on both products - its actually just an email away. I really like their e-mail support & have benefitted from the infos they have provided me in the past. I really find their support as one of the best in the world!
To the other poster who is contemplating a single footprint avr to separates/pre-pro, I hope I can share my experience as well......
I've been a single footprint avr user for a number of years. About a year ago when I thought of upgrading systems, I deliberated long & hard to find out if I still will go single avr or try pre/pro. It took me about 7 months to decide, but after experiencing pre/pro, i dont think I will ever go back to single footprint avr.
again, this is just my opinion.
There are many benefits of having a pre/pro setup but I wont discuss it here - madami na sa net
When I transferred to pre/pro last year, i also knew about the new codecs and the absence of HDMI in my Rotel 1068 processor - late kasi maglabas si rotel ng HDMI
However, i still forged ahead with my purchase & after doing the research, pm & email to various rotel forums & to B&W Group USA - I was satisfied with the answers I got.
As one example, I was concerned in missing the new codecs that are provided by bluray players - here's one email I received:
Hi Mardon;
I am told that the Panasonic DMP-BD50 and the Sony BDP-S550 Blu-ray
players will decode and output the new HDMI audio formats in a 5.1
analog audio format.
The 5.1 analog audio outputs from the DVD player would be sent to the
RSP-1068 Multi Inputs.
This would allow the DVD player to decode the new HDMI audio formats and
send them to the RSP-1068 as an analog signal.
This would give you the benefits of the new HDMI audio formats and still
allow you to use the RSP-1068 as a 5.1 surround sound preamp.
Some of the new Blu-ray DVD players will not decode the newer formats
and send them to the 5.1 outputs, in which case you will be missing the
newer formats, so make sure when you look for a Blu-ray DVD player it
will internally decode the newer formats and output them from the 5.1
analog outputs.
Best Regards;
George Miller
B&W Group USA
Technical Support Specialist
54 Concord Street
North Reading Ma. 01864
1-800-370-3741 Ext 236
[email protected]Here's also one PM I got from a respectable guru of HTGuide Forum:
What's happening now is mass confusion on the subject matter causing people to react faster then they need to. The video upconversion isn't really needed as you pointed out since most equipment has HD output or all ready has a upconversion circuit in it.
Yes there are several new flavors of DTS and Dolby Digital, but they will only be on Blu-ray discs for at least the next 5 years. Yes they have the pontential to sound a lot better then what's currently on regular DVD's. You could compare it as DVDA/SACD versus regular CD, or regular CD versus an MP3 of the same song.
There are several ways to play these new types of formats and several ways to get the output to your speakers. The problem is a lot of people bought the first round of Blu-ray players that don't support all formats or ways of sending it out. Since they have to have the latest and greatest they do what they can to get it, reguardless off how it effects the ultimate sound quality. With the next round of blu-ray players coming out in the next few months, they will have the ability to decode all the new formats and send them via 8 analog RCA cables to the multi-channel inputs on your 1068. So HDMI to your TV for the best video and analog cables to your 1068 for the best audio.
Kevin D. So, for me - while it is indeed new codecs, I still enjoy the SQ of Rotel in its analog form - again, this is just me & subjective.
There's no doubt, bluray is king - you do get the new codecs from bluray......but then, buying bluray is also expensive
Now, to drive home a point - we are now leaning towards the convenience & inexpensive media of NMTs with various codecs/files.........we dont exactly get the new audio codecs, do we?
Again, please take my opinion with a grain of salt - its just one man's opinion
