Rotel RSP-1572 Up and Running - Page 3

Thank you Steve,

Mine doesn't lit up and I can't see anything in the manual about enabling/disabling it.
I will ask my dealer for a replacement.

Herman

Mine has the "ring of light" also

@jrj127
I had first a Marantz AV7005 ist for me the Stereo-Performance was weak!
It is not on the high-end-level as Arcam, Primare or Rotel IMHO.

I have an old Primare SP31.7 that sounds great in stereo, but don´t have the new HD-Sounds, so i change to AV7005 and it was a huge step backwards...
Then i got the RSP1572 and i am happy again

That is only comparing the analog stereo-sound, of course!

Bye
SatHopper

Anyone had a chance to compare these units soundwise?

I wish Surround Sound reproduction wasn't a moving target. Using the EAD I have content that I prefer the pro logic surround mode to the DD 5.1 version; the DTS mode always seemed to sound over processed. It's my feeling that the EAD is a much better pro logic processor than the Rotel. The Rotel seems to be doing better with DD and DTS than the EAD. For now the Rotel isn't driving me out of the room and I could enjoy being in the same room as the EAD for hours.

Now with the Rotel I'm in the process of walking my speakers around the room. For the Super Bowl party I moved the Natuzi couch and recliner to the outside walls. That must have messed with the room modes. I currently have the speakers moved another 8 inches into the room and the FR and FL speakers moved apart another 16 -18 inches. I guess if I had bought one of the processors with room correction I would have just run auto setup and let the processor equalize the room modes out of the setup process. The neat thing about having the couch and recliner on the outside walls is it seems to have improved the bass response at the seating position.

The room was built with room modes in mind. You line your head up with the light switch by the side door to be sitting at the mathematically preferred distance from the front wall.

I'm still finding the coaxial input to outperform HDMI for best sound. I wonder if there is an issue with my early version of HDMI cables. It's hard for me to imagine the HDMI cable bits are different, but.

For me, the sound via coax or opto is also better then HDMI !
Not really big difference, but the mids are better, good to hear with instruments on audiophile records.

I don´t think that´s a question of cable type, it seems that HDMI-Audio and coax/opto are not processed identical !? Strange....

Bye
SatHopper

Connecting my appletv2 via optical made a dramatic improvement for me, much more detail especially with lower bitrates.

Thanks !

No, it doesn't light up. Did you set speaker size properly? Are you using a sub? There are tons of reasons why your bass might not be sounding right.

B.

Hi Brian,

Situation improved a lot, using optical now and also different speaker cable to take the sharp edge out of the highs (had cables with silver in it, a little too sharp with my diamonds). I think also because of the extra hours it has been running now. Using the rsp with a brand new rmb-1575.
Speaker settings were ok.

Thanks

Yes, if you have the tools.

March 2012 should be available now.

Sackrat, thanks for providing your thought process. I do not have a custom or rack setup so the size is not an issue for me. Were you able to do an A/B comparison between the Marantz and Rotel? My dealer didn't have either in stock so I was not able to listen to either.

Do you consider the SNR spec? I do not make my entire decision on it but seeing a 10 dB difference in favor of the cheaper Marantz raises concern. How can the Rotel sound so much better with a higher noise floor

I am curious as to how a user performs the EQ process on the Rotel. I have access to a spectrum analyzer and a SPL meter. I assume I just output a test tone on each speaker then adjust the Rotel's EQ to make the frequency response flat. After reading the manual, it seems straightforward, yet tedious. Does the test tone run continuously as you adjust the EQ for every speaker?

Funny,
I gave up Apple several years ago because they refused to support their users. I'm quite happy with my Rotel.

I've always found their support to be exemplary.

My newest issue with the Rotel is as variation on the cutting of the beginning of audio. If I change a channel or fast forward my DVR or put a CD in my Oppo the first second or so of audio is cut off. However, I don't have the problem with any subsequent tracks. This is all through HDMI inputs. Is this the same or different from other people
's issues with the audio? I got the impression that for some the second or two was lost with every track or with chapter transitions on a DVD.

This is a prime reason I question the thoroughness of publication reviews on audio equipment. This is an issue that has effected Rotel audio via hdmi for 3 successive models now. Is that really acceptable? Or do more users of Rotel equipment listen primarily via analog connection?

Stephen,

I am experiencing the audio clipping of the first second of each track. This is via HDMI. So I tried a connection via coax. I set my blu ray player to output audio PCM. When I play an audio CD now, the first song clips, the rest of the CD plays fine. It's my first Rotel and I'm disappointed by this. I had no idea this is a constant problem of past Rotel models. But my sense from other posters is that it's not strictly a Rotel issue, but HDMI.

What I am becoming perplexed over is reading some people who have not experienced the problem. Why is that when an overwhelming number are. Is it a combination of the players they use? The cabling? A setting in the audio set-up for HDMI? Like delay?

The dealer I bought my Rotel from has the same problem withntheir demo unit and tested two different blu ray players.

When I play a DVD, the clipping occurs at the start of a program.

I have faith in Rotel they are working on a fix.

Well I had the opportunity to demo one, and it had the same issue as well.
I own a 1570 and had a 1069. Both had the same issue. I was told they were working on a fix too.

My Stereophile March issue arrived and I enjoyed reading Kal's review of the RSP-1572. I had a few questions if Kal and/or others who have it would be able to comment.

• The manual states the remote MEM button does not operate with the RSP-1572. Is that true? Kal said it froze the entire processor???
• The manual states the remote Menu button requires the dealer to program. What is that all about?
• Kal's review focused on the EQ and audio which I was glad to read. It was a magazine about stereos, not home theater, after all! Can anyone comment on upscaling sources such as DVD?
• Would it be best to declare all speakers small and allow the sub to be used even during 2-channel audio listening as main speakers cannot extend to those really low frequencies? I run Paradigm Monitor 7 mains (about 12 years old) with two-6 1/2" woofers.
• Can anyone comment if they used Room EQ Wizard (REW, from the hometheatershack forum) free acoustic analysis software? I have the Radio Shack SPL meter. So far I love it and foresee myself enjoying rolling up my sleeves and adjusting the Rotel's EQ for all channels.
• What else competes with the RSP-1572 at this price range besides the Marantz AV-7005? Did anyone look at Integra DHC-80.3 or NAD T 187?

Thanks,
Jared

Thanks.


1. That's what happened.
2. That's what I was told by Rotel.
3. Sorry.
4. I do.
5. REW should work as well or better than XTZ.
6. Sure. I use an Integra HDC-80.2.

Hi Kal,

Sorry, I was not knocking your review! I understand it was for an audience geared towards audio. Did you do any comparisons of the video performance while you had the 1572? I ask because of my large DVD collection.

Would you be able to comment on a comparison between the Rotel and the Integra 80.2 even in just audio terms? Is there a clear winner overall or is each unit good in different areas? I read your July 2011 review of the 80.2 but obviously the 1572 was not out at that time. My application will be a Denon Blu-ray player sending everything via HDMI to the processor to do all the work (CD, DVD, Blu-ray, and DVD-Audio).

You wrote positive things about Audyssey XT32. Does the Integra let you view and tweak the XT32 EQ settings for each channel or are you just stuck with what it gives you? I like that the Rotel gives the user control of the EQ.

Thanks,
Jared

I did not take it as a knock. OTOH, I am somewhat constrained by two factors. One is that it is, indeed, an audio magazine and we have a sister publication that deals with video and HT. The other is that I am not a video person because I lack any enthusiasm for it and because my vision does not qualify me to comment on it.


I prefer the Integra, not so much because its basic sound quality is much better than the Rotel's but because its facilities, including XT32, allow it to sound even better.


Why? Audyssey EQs each channel individually and, although there is no way for a user to modify the EQ (unless one has the Pro kit), there is no need to. By comparison, what is achieved by the PEQ in the Rotel is merely adequate.

Funny. When I compared the Integra with the Rotel, simply for audio, I vastly preferred the Rotel. I didn't even think it was close. I thought the integra was decidedly un-musical. Different strokes, I guess.

Did you set up the PEQ on the Rotel and the Audyssey on the Integra?

No, I did not. I compared them in an independent home theater and audio store that has various bedrooms, living rooms and home theaters set up with different equipment. I was given a lot of time and listened to the 80.2 and the Rotel in theater environments where they had been set up for some time as well as listening in other settings. I just did not like the sound of the Integra one bit. I don't know how well adjusted or calibrated the rooms were. I simply found the Integra displeasing. I had the opposite reaction to the Rotel. I was mostly paying attention to the sound with an emphasis on music.

Are you sure it was not due to the carpeting or the upholstery?

I'm pretty sure. The main place that i compared were two fairly identical raked theaters (it's a good store.) But could just be me. I have never responded well to the sound of music produced by Integra, and I have heard many models in their range. Don't know what it is but it just doesn't sound right to me.

Most comparisons between the integra and the competition make use of room correction, and that puts the integra over the top in many situations. That is, the competition may have a slight edge without any DSP in the path, but once the DSP is introduced, the integra's implementation often trumps the unprocessed signal experience.

Of course, ymmv.

Wow, that is so interesting.....I have the complete opposite view/opinion than you Stephen. I found that I much perfered the sound of the Integra over the Rotel, and believe me, I auditioned both in the same dealer's HT room, both units were using their proprietary Room EQ software. I so wanted to get the Rotel, but certain issues as well as lack of Audyssey (very important for my room set up) made me look elsewhere.

like you said, different strokes.... I hope you enjoy your Rotel.

Paul

I find auditions of individual components in a dealers showroom interesting but not very helpful when it comes to assembling a working system in my dedicated Home Theater. I personally auditioned a processor in my room with my associated equipment that retailed for 3 times the value of the Rotel. I am so thankful that my dealer allowed me to swap the processor out for the Rotel. I never auditioned the Integra, I'm not sure there is a dealer within a states radius of where I live selling the Integra so it's not a processor I would even consider. If one has room issues I personally think you shouldn't depend on equalization to fix those issues.

My HT rooms dimensions were selected with room modes and seating in mind. I find I like diffusion at reflection points and have invested heavily in diffusors at reflection points. I have bass traps in the back corners and absorbers at the corners of the walls and ceiling. I have what I would call a live room. I could not imagine the need for more than the 5.1 surround currently in the room. I suspect more channels would only cause more issues.

I assure you when I auditioned the Rotel on a pair of TAD speakers at the dealers the Rotel was doing just fine. The Rotel performs very well in my HT.... Oh, I'd really love to be able to afford 5 TAD speakers for my HT, and Krell amplification to drive them.

But have you measured it? Do you know that there are no modal issues?

That's a leading Socratic question

Is there any domestic sized space that doesn't have modal issues?

When I read that statement about designing a room and seating with room modes in mind, I didn't think it meant that there aren't any modes, but that the least worst spot (in the least worst shaped room) was used as the seating position.

Which is a great way to start, if one can. And the treatments are another good foundation.

And of course digital room correction could still be useful....

And measurements would validate whether the foundation, sans room correction, is doing a good job.