|   What first . . . amp or pre-amp? | Cougar Guy
Mar 7, 2001 9:23 PM | | Hey everyone, I'm looking at upgrading my system in 3 or 4 months and can only really afford to do one component to start. I'm going to be replacing my current intergrated (Yamaha AX-592 2x100) with the Rotel RB-1080 power-amp (2x200) and the Rotel RC-1070 pre-amp.
I listened to this combo on a set of Studio 100's and it sounded exceptional. I'll be using it to drive my Studio 80's. My question is, which would be the best upgrade to start with?
From what I heard with the listening test (I chose the 100's because of their "similarity" to the 80's . . . as opposed to the B&W's they had), this setup focused the music much better than my current amp. The voices hung about 3 feet in front of the speakers as opposed to mine where they are centered but much more in the "back" of the soundstage. This combo was much more focused. Power was obvouslly noticeable, but the imaging and detail is what really "hooked" me.
The extra power is a benefit and I assume it accounts for alot of the detail increases. I was amazed by how this combo separated the music and made evrything so detailed and focused. Of course I made the mistake of listening to the same music on my system afetr the audition . . . why do we do that?
Which component do you think would be the best first upgrade? I can use my Yami as a pre-amp or power-amp so I can go with either. My initial choice is to go with the power-amp . . . if there is one thing that Yamaha is likely to be better at, I would say it is knowing what music is supposed to sound like as opposed to building amplifiers.
Am I correct in assuming that the main reason for the detail and soundstage improvements would be from the power-amp? Or is it a little more complicated than that? I just can't see the Yami putting out that type of sound with its power supply . . . I could be wrong, but I don't think it's that dynamic. It's a great amp for the money, but in a different league from the Rotel combo.
What do you all think? |
| Get the amp first - It's all about good clean power... | agro1
Mar 8, 2001 1:17 PM | | Especially with the Studio Series, they crave to be overpowered. My studio 20's have 200 watts going into them and they just keep cranking - Clean, tight and loud as sh!t without distorting - Louder than I can handle it...The 100's when pushed hard will go down to 4ohms so I would assume the 80's will do a bit of the same, make sure the Rotel is stable at 4ohms. |
| I agree with agro1 | KeithR
Mar 8, 2001 2:46 PM | | The amp will make more of a difference. The Rotel amps are nice...and so are the Anthems in this price range. Check www.odysseyaudio.com for the hottest amp on this site....still waiting for mine. |
| re: What first . . . amp or pre-amp? | Jetsons
Mar 9, 2001 4:19 PM | | I agree with the others about the amp. For preamp, seriously look into passives such as the Creek OBH-12 if building a two channel system. This little guy, which is no bigger than two packs of cigs, can be purchased new for around 260 bucks and does nothing to the signal. I just hooked one up today and I will say it is a clean sounding pre for not much cash. BTW, it comes equiped with a remote.
Audioadvisor.com has demos for $250.00 at times and you get to try it out risk free for 30 days.
Jet |
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