2. amps-preamps
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Rotel RMB vs. Sunfire Cinema Grand

Hi guys,
After months of searching and reading etc, I have narrowed my selection of amplifiers down to two.
I am very much interested in what a Sunfire Cinema Grand could do in my system. My Infinity Kappa 600s (Front) and 400s(surrounds) are wheezing with the 50-watt Adcoms I have pushing them, and they are bi-wireable, thus the Sunfire, with it's voltage and current source posts for the fronts seems like the logical choice. THey are available here on the 'Gon for around $1,500 used, or less, and $1,699 B-Stock from various dealers such as ATS.
THe Rotel RMB-1075 is not as powerful, nor does it have the flexibility of biwiring, but it would save me roughly $600, and I could buy the Rotel here in town at my dealer, new in box with factory warranty. It would also leave me room to upgrade my interconnects as well.
Can anyone attest to the benefits of said biwiring, and are they worth it as far as musical performance goes? I am a fan of high-rez digital sources, SACD and DVD-A, and of course need the best performance possible in two-channel mode. (The best performance short of Halcro, Theta, VTL, etc!)

Any suggestions would be helpful. I am quite treble sensitive, and many amplifiers sound a bit edgy or bright - maybe a good amplifier will correct the harshness my Kappa's produce at limits of their amps - when auditioned with B&K amplification, they sounded wonderful and wieghty, but were very fatiguing, thus I am not looking at B&K!

Thanks! Happy Listening!

Jon BRown

breitlingdj@yahoo.com
breitlingdj

Showing 4 responses by breitlingdj

breitlingdj OP
23 posts
 
WEll,
My cable selection has always tended to the warmer/darker side of things, as has my selection of the particular Infinities I purchased. I am using speaker cables from MIT and Transparent, with great results, and if the Rotel happens to be a bit bright, a few Interconnects could change things a little.
My local Rotel dealer has a floor model of the 1075 that I am going to get a great deal on, so I think that I will go in that direction. If I end up hating the way it sounds, I'll take it back, but considering my strange amalgamation of amplification (say that three times fast!) I think I ll be OK.
H/K AVR 430 - center and multiroom
Mitsubishi DA series amplifier (75w per x2) fronts (which is now dead!!!) replaced by Adcom 5002 for fronts, and when i had to move the Adcom, I had to drag my old 8ohm rated Infinity Entra floorstanders as rears and amp them from the reciever.
I hope my dealer will allow me sufficient audition time. THe amp is a floor model, so break-in time will be negligible. I'm feeding it with a Transparent PowerLink Plus for power, and most likely MIT Terminator 4 or AVT2 IC;s.

THanks y'all.

Jon Brown
breitlingdj OP
23 posts
 
Sean -
From what I've heard, I have absolutely no doubt that, due to the voltage & current source connections on the Sunfires, they are smoother than the Rotels. My audition this evening of the Rotel RMB 1075, driving B&W 704s, yielded a very smooth, very laid-back sound. I was altogether pleased with the sound of the amp, which is why I ordered one, to be picked up Monday.
I saved some money, and like I said, if I don't like it, then I'll either put it elsewhere or sell it and get the Sunfire!

THanks all,
Happy Listening!

Jon BRown
breitlingdj OP
23 posts
 
That particular setup was as follows, straight from the sales guy:

Rotel 1072 CD Player
Rotel 1068 Pre/Pro
Rotel 1075 amplifier
B&W 704's FL/FR
B&W 705's SR/SL
B&W LCR 60 Center
Velodyne DD-12 Subwoofer / Monster MB1000 Sub IC
Digital Cables : Monster M1000D
Analog Cables: Monster M550
Speaker Cables: Monster Z2 Reference
Power Delivery: Monster HTPS 3500 (I think, I didnt ask him about that)

I referenced the new Dave Matthews Live at the Gorge CD, and although the space was smaller than most listening rooms in homes, the soundstage was quite wide, relatively deep, and imaging was very specific, although muddied a bit by the Dolby PL II processing I used to listen to all five speakers.
THe subwoofer was much to loud and I didnt mess about with it, but the overall presentation was good enough to have me produce the 50% deposit to order one from the factory.

I will update this hopefully by Monday, when I should be able to take delivery of the amplifier.

I did not hear ANY edginess or brightness from this amp personally, and it slightly reminded me of the sound produced by a McIntosh 402 driving Nautilus 803s. Very laid back and mellow, but still very detailed and lush. Just not quite so much as the Mac rig...

MOre later..

JB
breitlingdj OP
23 posts
 
IN reference to the THeta -
I want nothing more than a THeta system. I have auditioned the whole lot, from the Miles and DaViD players, the Gen VIII DAC, the Casablanca Pre/Pro, and the Dreadnaught I and Citadel Monoblocks.
If any of the Theta amps were in my price range, no question they would be at the top of my list.
I also agree with the system synergy. I just hope the Rotel drives my Infinities as well as it drove those B&W's!
If ya ever want to sell that Intrepid to move up to the Dreadnaught II, hit me up! I might sell my Rover, the poor girl is falling apart anyway!

Jon Brown,
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