Rotel RB 1070 from Elite Receiver Big Difference?

The Rotel is miles better than the Pioneer. The Pioneer will also become miles better on any remaining channels by using the Rotel for front L&R. Nice upgrade.

The ONLY hangup with the RB-1070 is no factory 4ohm rating.
8ohm, sure and 'bridged' also, but no 4ohm rating.
It is 130x2@8 and (can't recall) 330 or 360 bridged/mono.

That being said, unless the Polks are really awful loads, you should be OK. The Rotel drove my Magnepan MG-1.6s quite well, except when going for sheer loudness and never ran too warm... The Maggies, while being 'current hogs' also are not a bad load, NEVER going below 4ohms and with moderate phase angles.

The RB-1080 is 200x2@8 and HAS factory 4ohm rating.

Maybe it is worth the extra (aprox)40% new?
2 further points.
What is the mininum impedence of the Polks?
Do you want to take a chance on having to do this twice?

What kind of sound would ATI be compared to Rotel and Elite?

I recently upgraded from the Rotel spearates to the Pioneer Elite receiver. I don't use it for music, just movies. In my system, to my ears, the Elite was just as good, and, perhaps, a bit more detailed, and a tad quieter. I would agree that the Rotel set up was warmer. The soundstage was a little wider but the Elite is definately more transparent. I am considering hooking up the Rotel 6 channel apm to the Elite pre-outs to see what it does, but not in a hurry as I'm pretty happy with it. The new audio codecs are simply amazing, which the Rotel gear, obviously, doesn't do. I think it's the RMB 1068 pre/pro.

I would want an amp rated at least 175-200 watts/ 8 ohm...long term satisfaction is very important IMO. Adding a dedicated amp to the receivers pre outs, takes a lot of the load off of the receivers power supply....this can only be a good thing.

This route also gives you the option of adding a higher quality two channel preamp (hometheater pass-through)... at some point down the road.

I agree with BOB Reynolds...all the budget solid state amps sound "pretty much" the same, as a matter of fact....they sound like their power supply (and more supply is better).

Dave

You do not want to bridge a RB-1070 and try to run a 4 ohm load. The bridge on the RB-1070 can only be run in a 8ohm load AND will produce a bit more distortion. Unbridged, the RB-107 can run a 4 ohm load, but wil get warm/hot to the touch so allow plenty of air flow.

I'm really considering the Odyssey Khartago stereo amp. It has the following:

Right price, accepts 4 ohms, high quality, 30 day money back, AND 100% credit for trade-ups. Oh by the way, a 20 year warranty (transferrable to one owner).

At 130 watts X2 (8 ohm), it would be perfect for my current situation. When I move out of the condo, I can upgrade or even power surrounds if I didn't trade in. I think I will try one out