Rotel Power Amps. Which one?

[BadAss]

Begining to look at Power amps and come across Rotels 1095 for £1600 which has 200 watts per channel and the 985 for £650 which has 110.

Has anyone demo'd these amps and how much difference is there between the two? Is it worth the extra cash as I never want to upgrade the amp again.

I want something that will last for 10+ years so should I be looking at 7 or eight channels instead?

They will be powering Kef model 2's from a Yamaha 3090 which will be upgraded later.

[russraff]

The 1095 is a lot better than the 985 mkII (this amp has been replaced with the 1075, by the way). For a start the 1095 has two 1.25kVa toroidal transformers - twice as powerful as the 985 (they are probably of better quality too, but I can't be sure on this). The capacitance in the 1095 is more highly specified in terms of quality and quantity, too as is reflected in the price. When you get down to it, though, both amps are a lot better than the Yamaha's, and you won't go wrong with either of them. If you don't want to upgrade for some time get the 1095, but it is an awful lot of money to spend without a demo from someone.

[MunkStar]

I have the 985, and yes it aint 1095 at £1600 which i must say is a fab power amp (i will buy one of these, one day!) i really just depends on if you want to save up and get the best of best. Either way i dont think you would be upset by either. All i would say is, have a look at your bank balance go and listen to each of them, or better still see if you can have them on loan for a home dem and just way it up. Oh yeh and if you do go for the 1095 mind your back because it ways a ton!!

[MarkB]

Perhaps they may release a 7 channel version! That would be ultimate.
Mark

A 7 channel version of the 1095 is what I'm on the look out for myself. I'm biding my time, but I don't fancy forking out that much money, only to have to buy another box to create the extra two channels. It would be interesting to hear if any people thought there were good alternatives to this product that carried 7 channels, that ought to be considered. Cheers.

[BadAss]

Just put an order in for the 1095. Ok it only has 5 channels but if you've read my other post A CHANNEL TOO FAR, its all I think is needed.

Quality over quantity is what I say. Hope Im right.

You have to come to some realisation that its not possible to upgrade every couple of year every time they bring out some thing new. This amp should last me 10+ years in that time there will probable be 20+ channel systems available.

IM NOT A GREAT FAN OF BIG 5 CHANNEL POWER AMPS.SINGLE STERO POWER AMPS FOR EACH CHANNEL IS I THINK THE BEST WAY TO GO OR EVEN BETTER MONO BLOCS.

WHAT DO YOU LOT THINK?

[MarkB]

I don't know why, but I've always been into single box amplifiers myself, maybe because I used to move around a lot when I was younger, that's why I went for the Denon AVC-A1SE. The ideal solution is 7 (or 5) mono power amplifiers, each with it's own transformer etc, then you could add channels as you see fit (processor allowing).

The thing I like about the 6.1 channel surround formats that are available, is that they easily downmix into standard 5.1 surround for those that do not have/want the extra channels. As I posted BadAss' A CHANNEL TOO FAR thread though, I don't know anybody that would revert to a 5.1 setup after hearing a properly configured 6.1 system.

Because of the fact that it is not possible to upgrade every 2 years, I would go with the best possible format system available at the time, or in the very near future. With people like TAG producing 6.1 processors, the format is here to stay (even if the software is a bit thin).

Mark

[Rob]

I too was looking into buying some Rotels. On reading thier catalogue, it seems there are many to choose from. I haven't yet found a store which has them all. I'm hoping to get a decent 7.1 setup and was looking at the 1095 + a 2 channel to pair up. I can't see the need for 200wpc to the side and rear surrounds ,At the moment I think I'll go for a higher power front end and something a bit tamer for the surrounds. Has anybody tried this?
Cheers Rob.

I used to employ 3 Rotel RB981 stereo amps @ 130 wpc which sounded noticably better than the 985 which my friend has. Anyone wanting to go to seven channels should contact me as I have two left over.