2. amps-preamps
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Rotel RA-1592 MK II or something else to deliver around 200W to B&W towers around $3000?

So I just purchased a pair of B&W CDM-9NT and am now going deep down the rabbit hole trying to find an amp that’s going to let these speakers sing to their fullest. I keep coming back to Rotel as the consensus appears to be that these amps pair very well with B&Ws. I was trying to keep the budget to $1000...then $1500...now I’m looking at $3000 options...I’m not willing to go up to the McIntosh prices at the moment so I’m capping myself at $3k new or used.

I was thinking that going integrated was the best option when looking at the $1500ish options. Now maybe separates would make sense at $3000?

Goals in sound are excellent imaging and separation. Strong and tight bass is a must. Music selection is mainly very bass forward genres like hip hop & EDM. I also enjoy jazz, rock and sometimes classical as the mood strikes. A must have is digital connectivity for hi-res streaming. The room is 14x18 if that matters.

Any help is appreciated.
yukispier

Showing 3 responses by lowrider57

lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,418 posts
 
Who keeps pushing Rotel amps to mate with B&W speakers? I'm guessing the dealers.

B&W has extended highs. Rotel also has a lot of high-end energy, they do not make a good match.
There was a thread posted last week, the member asked for help because the highs in his system made it uncomfortable to listen to. He was using Rotel and B&W.


lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,418 posts
 
I wrote a review on the RA1592... I have one on my sonus faber olympica 3 and I don’t have any issue.
That's an entirely different setup. You have the warmth of the SF's. They are polar opposites from B&W.


lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,418 posts
 
I haven’t heard the Rotel 1592, it gets very good reviews. I liked my Rotel receiver which I owned years ago.
I think B&W’s would be the problem in this matchup. They’re very revealing and much of that is from the tweeter. IME, highs are extended and there’s a lot of energy in the top-end. I don’t know where the highs to mids are crossed over, but much of the presentation is heard through a very crisp, detailed tweeter.

From The Absolute Sound:
   Significantly, the Rotel’s top-end was fluid; the dark cast of treble shading that I encountered years ago has been largely ameliorated. Here the top end was more immediate, and lent the presentation liveliness, along with transient sparkle and speed.

Pairing an amp with a speaker that both present "liveliness with sparkle and speed" in the highs doesn’t make a very balanced presentation.


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