New amplifier
Posted by Michael Dale on Sat, 30 Jul 2005 5:03 PMWell I purchased my amplifier today. I tested a fair few.
I looked at:
Denon DRA-295
NAD 320BEE
I listened to:
Rotel RA-1062
Rotel RA-02
Marantz SR 4320
NAD C352
NAD C372
Yamaha RX-396
Yamaha RX-596
Yamaha RX-777
Denon AVR-1705
I was surprised by the Marantz as it sounded poor against the Yamaha and the NAD amplifiers.
I liked the sound of the NAD C352 and C372 (seemed warming than the Yamaha RX series), I wasn't able to test the 320BEE.
I also tested the AVR-1705 (I think it was that model), the only surround sound system. It wasn't all that great.
I liked the Rotel series of amplifiers and the RA-02 connected to a pair of B&W speakers sounded really good.
After going to 3 Hi-Fi shops and spending about 4 hours listening to them I purchased a Rotel RA-02 (http://europe.rotel.com/products/specs/ra02.htm) for $600.
I also ended up getting a Rotel second hand CD player (RCD-865BX) for $150.
I was using a DVD player as my CD player and was VERY surpised at how bad they sound compared to standard CD players. The reason for this is that the laser on CD player is much closer to the CD than in a DVD player.
Ah, the photo you changed it to is lots better... it has snazzy blue LEDs!! Coolness!
On a more serious note, does the remote controlled source select and volume, etc, work okay? Or do the controls feel less solid than they would if they didn't have a geared (presumably) system behind them?
And is source select rotary or are there buttons?
Yep it is pretty nice looking amplifier (the LEDs aren't too bright).
The remote can control the source select, power, mute and volume (although not the monitor for recording).
The volume and source selector have quite a bit of resistance to them, they feel heavy. The way I like it. They don't feel cheap.
The source selector is interesting. For the remote is looks like it is a digital selector but on the amp it is a real selector, if you know what I mean.
The only button on the system is the power one.
So... source select is a rotary switch that feels heavy but can be controlled by remote? That's very cool...
I'll be up next weekend. Care to show them off to me? I need a new amp (speakers too, but that's not as important) for the Hi-Fi system i've got running right now is dodgy.
(speakers too, but that's not as important)
Speakers are a very important part of the sound system. Some people recommend that you spend half your budget on an amplifier and half on the speakers.
Also with purchasing an amplifier it comes down to what you're going to use it for, and what type of music you listen to.
Feature wise my Rotel is very basic, it is designed to produce good stereo sound, and that is about it. But that is what I wanted.
It is possible that you may want a home theater system.
But yeah, you're most welcome to have a listen to it when your in Sydney.
Awesome... you gonna post more/better pics? And whilst you're at it, want to post a recording so we can hear what it sounds like?
Oh... umm... nevermind.
:P