Yamaha vs Rotel

What did you end up with?

  

I’d put the Cambridge and Rotel more in the “white wine” sonic category

Thank you. What about Denon PMA 2500NE and more expensive Technis SU-R1000 ( or maybe SU-G700) Would you say they would be both closer to Yamaha in terms of warmth and build quality. They are both made in Japan.

Yamaha will have best build (and probably parts) quality by far and will have a warmer, fuller and more robust sound.  I’d put the Cambridge and Rotel more in the “white wine” sonic category, and both have had their share of reliability problems with Cambridge probably being the worst just going by the number of people here who’ve had problems with their gear.  Personally I’d take Rotel over Cambridge generally speaking for both build quality and sonics FWIW.  Hope that helps. 

"... Where do you guys think Cambridge amps fall..."

I've owned a 40WPC and an 80wpc Cambridge Integrated. They were just OK, nothing special. 

Thank you guys a lot! Where do you guys think Cambridge amps fall interms of musicality, sonic performance and build quality in comparison to Yammy and Rotel? Of course, in the similar price range of max $4000-$5000 for new gear.

I agree the Yammy would be a bit warmer and likely mate better with your DALI speakers.

I upgraded to the McCormack DNA -750 monos. Much better!!,

I keep thinking about separates and monos. Then I feel like I open a whole lot of new can of worms with the disputable interconnect cables. I have a tendency to obsess over minute details and those interconnects won’t help with that.

Owned the ARotel rd 1090 for 2 years,
one day I pushed power button, and a white flash, small ploom of white smoke came out.
 So upset, the rb-1090 made my cerwin Vega D-9’s sing like no other amp for years.

  Returned to dealer, they gave me their floor model instead of a warranty replacement. Bit angry.  That RB- 1090 was amazing, bass, mids, treble, the punch, power was superb!!

 Played steve wonder remastered greatest hits, it was amazing.
    As well as Mercyful fate, humble pie, foghat, wishbone ash, slayer,   Y&T, 

 Opened wi Dow’s, had my good friend (rip Asit) walk to top of the hill, about , just under a 1/4 mile up the hill, I cranked it, he said he heard it loud and clear.  
 That amp was killer.I still miss her.

   Carver Sunfire 600, don’t have the clarity, and punch of the old rotel 1090 amp. 
 I sold it to a absolute idiot on PayPal, threatened me with shipping cost, and other stuff.  
 Anyway, the Rotel is a top tier powerhouse. 

   I upgraded to the McCormack DNA -750 monos. Much better!!,

  but the old Vegas are in basement now and need recoding!

 Loved that rb-1090 amp,,

I think pretty much any streamer/DAC combo will be a step below your system, even going used.  If you’re up for it, I think something like a raspberry pi streamer with a Gustard A18 DAC would give you better performance than an integrated unit at this price level.  It also gives you greater flexibility to upgrade one or the other as tech evolves.  Anyway, that’s what I’d do FWIW, and best of luck in whatever you decide. 

Personally I'd like to see you move up the scale to a better amp, a Musical Fidelity perhaps.

RME dac is an excellent choice. Now that Bluesound has roon that would be a great option as well.

For a streamer with DAC, Node 2i new or used.  Use the built-in DAC for a while, than save up for an external R2R DAC. 

it was shorter than that of my other option in the dictionary (antidisestablishmentarianism.)So I thought I'd go with this one to make things simple.

Your name is to short.

I was thinking the same. I love warm sounding amps. I looked at the streaming components and now try to find a streaming DAC that is at par with the overall quality of the system. Have you checked out Yamaha MusicCast NP-S303? not sure about the quality of DAC.I am also considering Cambridge Azur 851N and RME  ADI-2 DAC FS.

Agree with soix the Yamaha will probably sound a bit warmer, not sure if that is a good thing for your set up but I really enjoyed the 2100 in my system. I also had the R-N 803 streaming receiver and it sounded like a mini version of the 2100. Amazing amp for the poultry sum I paid for it. 

under $1000.

Budget for DAC?

Thank you. much appreciated. I am thinking of a streaming DAC if I go with the Yammy. Any recommendations?

I’d think the Yammy would be a little warmer sounding just going by reviews, and way ahead in the looks department IMHO.  Congrats on winning the longest screen name award btw.