I recently purchased Rotel 1062 Integrated, Rotel 1072 CD player and B&W 703 speakers. Perhaps system will settle in over time, but at this point it sounds very cold and clinical to me. Highs on many cd's are downright painfully harsh and generally the sound is fatiguing. "Warm and musical" it ain't. I tried the CD player with my old set-up: Nakamichi RE-1 receiver and B&W P5's, and this coldness was not apparent. I also tried substituting the P5's for the 703's with both Rotel pieces and the sound was still pretty chilly, though not quite as bad. Any suggestions? Maybe it's the amp? I have Transparent "the wall" speaker wire and whatever the cheapest Transparent interconnects are. I've heard people call Transparent stuff "cloudy" but never "chilly". Any suggestions?
Did you hear that exact system broken in, at the dealer before you bought it? Just wondering if you purchased the equipment new and are waiting for break in to occur. Also, not sure the Rotel is the right choice for the 703's. I'm pretty sure they need much more power than the 1062 can provide. That may be part of it. I don't think it's the cd player. I've owned the 1072 many times before and was very impressed.
Yes, I heard system broken in, so I suppose it could be my room. The 703's are pretty efficient speakers-- don't think power is the problem. I agree that the cd player is not the problem. I also listened to the 704's and they sounded a bit too bassy, but if there's something in my room that's accentuating brittle highs, then maybe the 704's would actually be a better choice. I'm going to see if I can bring home a pair of broken-in 704's to see how they sound. The thing is, the more I listen to the current setup, the less I like it-- not a good sign. At first i loved the added detail, but increasingly, the treble is killing my ears-- I don't even want to listen to it at this point!
I know exactly what you are talking about and some. Five years ago, I had a Rotel 980BX amp and RC-995 preamp driving B&W 602 S3 speakers.
Obviously a big step down, speakerwise, from yours. But, I ended up getting rid of the whole setup because of the extremely aggressive high frequencies. My ears simply could not take it. I tend to be sensitive to HF's and prefer soft dome tweeters to metal anyway.
I tried a lot of different things to smooth things out, but nothing ever made it to the tolerable level. Rotel+B&W = cold&hard, to me.
How many hours play-time do you have on the system?
But, keep in mind, I am the low-power SET tube amp + high-efficiency single-driver system kind of guy. Many perceive what I like as soft and mushy with no balls.
I'm not familiar w/ your equipment from personally use, but it seems to me the logical choice is to either change the spks. or change the amp. An amplifier can have a huge difference in the way a spk. can sound. More refined w/better bass and an equally proportioned bass/mid/treble are some of the things a really good amp can do for your system. It sounds to me your amp isn't capable of bringing out the best that the spks. have to offer.
Stuart, although the RA-1062 is an excellent amp, it is a bit underpowered for the 703s. The amp will play the speakers, but will not properly drive them above moderate volumes in medium to large rooms. The 703s may seem efficient on paper, but appreciate good clean power. A Creek 5350SE is about as low powered of an integrated amp as I would go with these speakers. Compared to your P5s, the 703s are far more neutral with a more refined tweeter. If you keep your current electronics, try a pair of Van Den Hul D102MKIII cables between the amp and cd player and VDH Teetrack biwire cable for the speakers. Just my two cents.
I suggest leaving your CD player going all day at low volumes. Just set the "repeat" function and head off to work. At least a hundred hours to break in that tweeter and woofer. Or maybe more.
I recommend Harmonic Technology Truthlinks as your interconnect.
If your previous equipment sounded fine in the same room then, it's unlikely thats your problem. But... Toeing in the speakers can help.
Ultimately Tvad is right. B & W's arent characterized as warm. They are a revealing speaker and generally appeal to those who like that sort of thing.
Thanks for the ideas, guys. I agree that the speakers are just not getting enough juice to bring them alive and that treying a different amp is next. Yes, the Creek 5350SE is one I plan to try. Others have suggested McIntosh and Musical Fidelity.
Thanks for the ideas, guys. I agree that the speakers are probably not getting enough juice to bring them alive. Trying different amps is next. And, yes, the Creek 5350SE is on my list. Others have suggested McIntosh and Musical Fidelity. The previous system sounded quite musical in this room, so I'm having difficulty attributing the unmusicial sound of the Rotel + B&W gear to the room. RE: "warmth", perhaps I should clarify that I like a clear sound that is neither especially warm nor especially cool. At this point, the sound is way over on the cold side, so I say it needs to be warmer, but probably not as warm as some of you may be thinking I mean when I say "warm". Words are so nearly useless when trying to describe sound!
If your system sounds "bright", please stay away from silver ICs. Silver ICs tends to be fast and very clean but bright. Some ICs that are on the warm side such as Harmonic Tech and AudioQuest. I owned some Rotel pre/amp before. They are not bright but very warm. So are the B&Ws ( more towards neutral side). Try to toe in the speakers 'till the image is focused . It may help with the brightness. It will not cost anything but may worth the efforts.
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