Equipment does not match

Dereck, Tell us a little about what you envision the sound should be. What do you like, what do you think you're missing, etc. Also tell us about the type of music you listen to and the room/environment. And what are you streaming? Internet radio, mp3s, or CDs and high res files? All these play a part.

Just looking at the list of equipment, I would say that your speakers and preamp would benefit from a better amp and source but before we can recommend something we need to know where you want to get to. Sorry for the 64 questions. Dick

Dereck, Did you mean the Rotel is 125W? The SP17 is a preamp and doesn't power the speakers per se. However, my research indicates that the RB 1080 produces 200W @ 8 ohms. In one review, the measurements indicated that the Burmester could be a tough speaker to drive. The AMT tweeter in the B25 is very revealing and many amplifiers can become hard sounding when driving difficult loads - the AMT will convey this in a heartbeat. There's also the possibility that what's bothering you is jitter from the source component.

There are many possibilities here. As mentioned above, we still need some info about your listening environment and what is is that you're unsatisfied with in your system (I know it can be hard to put into words sometimes).

I'm not disparaging the Rotel amp - it's a nice, solid component but I don't think it's in the same league as the SP17 and certainly not the B25s. More refined downstream components will reveal flaws in upstream components in most systems. Dick

Mapman, I wasn't referring to exaggerated high frequencies but the ability to transparently reproduce what is passed to them. Ive never heard them but, from everything I've read, the B25s are pretty transparent. Dick

Dereck, Sorry to have left the conversation for a while but it's been a busy weekend. I think the marble floors and the close wall placement are a big piece of the puzzle. I agree with Mapman and Al - you need a rug at the floor reflection point. You didn't mention what you're unhappy with sound-wise but I'd be willing to bet that you're getting a lot of reflected sound. This is going to create a very lumpy in-room frequency response and a lot of sounds arriving at different times from different directions. Some reflected sound is necessary to provide a sense of space but too much is not a good thing. Another thought - are your speakers pointing straight ahead? A little toe-in toward the listening position will change those sidewall first reflection points (although it sounds like that may not be a problem with the left speaker). Dick

Dereck, Don't worry too much about the amp. From the Stereophile review:

"Fig.8 shows that the RB 1080 clips quite suddenly. However, this is at very high power levels. Using the conventional 1% THD definition of clipping, the Rotel puts out 291W into 8 ohms with one channel driven (24.6dBW), 558W into 4 ohms (24dBW), and even 800W into 2 ohms (23dBW)! Considering its modest price, this is one powerhouse of an amplifier. But, as Rotel recommends in the handbook, the RB 1080 is best used with speakers whose impedances don't drop much below 2 ohms.—John Atkinson"

Your amp has PLENTY of power for those speakers (especially in that lively room you have!). Earlier comments about the amp refer more to the overall refinement and not its ability to power you speakers. I truly believe that most of your problem lies in the room and speaker positioning. Best of luck and let us know how it goes. Dick