Hitokiri_Battousai Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 This is a review based on my own individual with the 1077. Note that as always, ymmv. I will write to the best of my knowledge & experience, so please pardon me if nobody understands what I'm talking about... ;D Ok, I replaced 2x 1075 for 1 unit of 1077. First thing I noticed after I slit the tape of the rotel box and opened it and lifted the packing foam was: Damn, this thing is thin!!! Very thin profile, not much difference in height as compared to a lower/mid range dvd player. Naturally one would question if this diminutive thing of an amp can deliver the power and juice. Only way to find out was to hook it up. Hooking up was relatively easy given the small and light profile of the 1077. Binding posts were similar to 1075, and were fairly spread out. The RCA inputs are gold plated, as with other rotel gear, but I personally feel that they are a little too near each other; slightly spread out would be great for large type rca plugs (not so cramped). The top of the amp is almost completely vented, and you can see all the circuitry inside quite clearly. Usual stuff from rotel amps can be found on the 1077: 12v trigger on/off behind, on face plate the darn bright (very bright) blue led and one protection red led (funny there's only one, when there are seven channels). The face plate is very minimalistic with just the on/off button, blue led 'on' indicator and the red protection led...nothing else except the silver metal face other than that, so some may like it, others may prefer more on the plate. The bright blue led can be a pain if your setup is in front of you; it even bothers me though my setup is to the side, but nothing a little black or blue tape cannot fix to tone down the brightness of the led. Oh, turning on the amp also lights up two greenish yellow leds inside the amp, which is visible from the top of the amp. The leds give off a nice twin glow inside the amp. 8) On with the tryouts! On first listen after hookup, I can only think of one thing to say about the 1077...smooth! Other than that, it sounded recessed, bass was quite flabby and uncontrolled, highs were slightly messed up. So as with most equipment, I let it break in from that point with fm tuner running all 7 channels. Next day, after 20hrs, I calibrated the channels to ref, not very much difference, but I must say that I had to calibrate down (some channels -1, -2) but overall the sound from each speaker was noticeably more even than previously with my 1075s, and this was through calibration only, not actual movie material. Preamp vol went up by 2-3 to obtain the same previous listening volume, this I not too sure why, but I can say that the 1077 sounds consistent when raising the volume, not quite suddenly soft to suddenly loud, but consistent incremental loudness(I hope people understand what I'm talking about here!). At that point, I got out Blade 2 and The Corrs Unplugged to test (these two dvds watch so often that I can almost remember how they should sound at any point). First the Corrs: Characteristically, the 1077 sounds much like a rotel, but I felt that the highs and soundstage still sounded recessed, but bass control and tightness surpassed my old 1075s easily. Simply put, there was more body to all levels of bass, and midrange was considerably different sounding, but yet there is no emphasis on any freq. Things sounded quite organic and 'meaty', to my surprise, but yet, something was different. One thing I quickly heard amiss was that with my old 1075s, the treble from the center was quite extended but seemingly harsh at louder passages or when the volume goes up. With the 1077, the treble did not seem to extend quite as high up...I wonder if it was because this amp sounded very much cleaner, which is evident in the rear 4 speakers as details were coming through nice and clear, though nothing I haven't heard from my old amps. In fact, at this point, I seemed to prefer my old amps, distortion or whatever that I was used to. Popping in blade 2 only confirmed my hearing...treble was not as extended, the soundstage seemed more recessed than before, more bass (think 'meaty' feel or sound) throughout the speakers, but not as 'exciting' due to the absence of visceral highs and wide soundstage. At this point, I felt like the old amps were still preferred because they gave a more exciting and enveloping feel to the movie before the 1077. I figured that more break in was needed, and having read up in the htguide rotel forums, most forummers experienced improvements after breaking in further. One more day passed, and after 36hrs break in continuously, I found the time to test out everything again with the same material. Putting in the Corrs and listening to the same tracks, my jaw dropped! :o :o :o Breaking in certainly helped things: the soundstage opened up, the highs were back, but noticeably distortion-less and without harshness or sibilance in the lead singer's (Andrea?) voice. The signature neutral and musical rotel sound was still there, but now we are talking about extra icing on the cake. The surrounds and left/right speakers were extracting details I am pretty sure I have never heard before, e.g. soft nuances and decay/extension from the strumming and plucking of guitar strings. Clapping and envelopment was very convincing, more so than with my old amps, and I really felt more 'there' at the venue. No real emphasis on any freq, but the whole presentation felt more real and organic with improvements in bass control and tightness, good midrange and amazing clarity without harshness. With the track 'Toss the feathers', when the drummer sister went solo with a tamboree-like drum and stick, it sounded very much more convincing than with the 1075s before, as sound coming from the beating of the drum was no longer flat, but now was deliciously layered. Listening to a few good tracks confirmed my findings on the improvements (I wish I had the time to go through the whole disc again, seriously, as I was enjoying myself too much! :P) Popping in Blade 2 was a great mistake...now I felt like watching the whole damn movie again there and then... ;D Details (major and minute nuances inclusive), envelopement and good bassy control and tightness from all speakers brought out the best in the movie, and yes, the 'excitement' feeling was back, and it returned in spades. The best improvements have got to be the enhanced details and clearly being able to hear little things that either could not be heard before or were more 'quiet' before with the old amps, plus definitely more bass from all speaker channels...by more bass, I meant tighter control and punch, but not x2 difference kind of punch! :P The overall presentation was good, enveloping and 'clean' in a sense that I did not get ear-piercing problems or distortion with some scenes, but yet, every bit of detail and more was present. Oh yes, one more thing, raising the volume only made the sound a lot better; somehow the 1077 is begging to have the volume raised...the presentation on either dvd was so good, that raising the volume seemed to make things sound even better (don't go overboard here, since we don't want to be losing our hearing anytime soon!). In either case, the 1077 did not break a sweat and ran considerably cool, just a slight warmth to the touch with the aircon off, and completely ICE, ICE baby with the aircon on (it is afterall, running based on ICEpower). ;D Given the positive improvements I got from breaking in, I will continue to break-in continuously probably till 100hrs or so, then watch movies or concerts (I'm mostly too busy to dedicate 1.5-2hrs to watch on most days anyway). The 1077 is spec'd at 100w per channel at 8 ohms, but when the ohms go down (say 4ohms), the power is doubled (e.g. 200w at 4ohms), so no worries about power issues. They also suck very much less power from the wall, so I'm thinking of lots of savings in electricity bills compared to 2x1075s. At the weight of just under 10kg (packing box included), and at a 'relatively' cheap price of SGD$2,700 (as compared to overseas pricing), the 1077 is a no-brainer purchase for anyone that wants to improve your ht sound. Oh, my two 1075s are still at my place, waiting for pickup from KEC, so if anyone wants to buy them, you should head down to KEC after prior arrangements. For fellows that know me well, they will figure that my amps are as good as new, given how 'often' I actually get to watch any movie or concert in the last two years. :) Have a read on the magazine review and specs below: http://www.rotel.com/reviews/pdfs/poweramps/RMB1077_HiFiNews_dec05.pdf http://www.milleraudioresearch.com/download2005/reports/dec05/rotel_rmb1077_digital_amp.html (ID: avtech, Pass: 3chip)
Yubaba Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 you must be loaded or strike TOTO. $2,700 is never cheap for a needy family
Hitokiri_Battousai Posted April 11, 2006 Author Posted April 11, 2006 you must be loaded or strike TOTO. $2,700 is never cheap for a needy family Upon trading in my 2 amps, it is a cheap upgrade. When buying new, maybe $2,700 is costly to some, but my meaning of cheap is as compared to overseas pricing. Then again, with your dynaudio avatar and sig pics, $2,700 should be not too much to you, ya? ;D I wish I can strike toto...never made it past 4+1, and that was a long time ago as well... ;) Anyway, I have modified the 'cheap' comment so that others don't get the wrong idea.
louco73 Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 How about connecting up your old amps again before you let them go and do a final comparison?
Hitokiri_Battousai Posted April 11, 2006 Author Posted April 11, 2006 I have heard the same material just nights before I changed the amps. Believe me, you don't want to go swopping in and out of 7ch interconnects and speaker cables unless you have too much free time on your hands. Besides, having heard the same material over and over again after calibrating and finetuning since late nov when I switched the whole setup to another room, I'm pretty sure I know what I have to listen out for. Besides, I did mention that your mileage may vary, as such, please, I don't expect the public to just take my word for it that the amp is good. Every bit of my review is my own interpretation and individual findings, so it is unlikely that every single person will also like what they hear. Do forgive my personal preference if anyone that demos the 1077 at the shops do not like what they hear. Thank you.
sky1624705740 Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 I was actually intending to buy the 1075 from an xtremplace member but it has been sold. Sigh... Any idea when KEC will be selling yours? Could you kindly IM me or sms me at 91891414. Thanks. :)
dbchoong Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 Awesome!! ;D What preprocessor and speakers are you using? Are you sure it's not you who has been broken-in to suit the 1077 than the 1077 breaking in and sounding better? ;D ;)
Hitokiri_Battousai Posted April 11, 2006 Author Posted April 11, 2006 sky and kzone, you can call up KEC at 65643188 and ask Clarence about them. He will be picking up both my 1075s, but I don't think he will sell them for less than $900, probably fully warranted as well. They are the silver face plate ones. If he sell for less, then it really is your gain. ;) dbchoong, I'm quite sure I'm not broken in, I did not sit down and listen continuously, only at the 20th hour and 36th hour mark. Using 1068 pre and def tech all around.
kzone Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 Yup, called him when i saw ur post abt KEC taking them. The price is not attractive for me but for those who'se planning to get it new, its a steal!
benzx Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 Hitokiri, Wah, your 1075 so hot items. Looks like if you post and sell here instead of trading in, will need to spend less for your upgrade man. ;D
louco73 Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 Are you sure it's not you who has been broken-in to suit the 1077 than the 1077 breaking in and sounding better? ;D ;) That was my point on asking to try the old amps again ;) dbchoong, I'm quite sure I'm not broken in, I did not sit down and listen continuously, only at the 20th hour and 36th hour mark. Using 1068 pre and def tech all around. I'm still a bit dubious that one power amp over another can make the kind of difference required for someone to correctly tell the difference from a listening test over 15 mins ago, let alone the previous day. Don't get me wrong Hitokiri, it may well indeed be the case, I'm just a bit of a cynic in these matters :). I completely understand it's your own opinion. It would just be the ideal finish to your review to reconfirm that what you are hearing is indeed the amp breaking in vs your ears :). Of course an even better result would be to invite a few of us over to compare ;). Maybe you'll even get some help to change all the cables ;D Anyway, well written and insightful.
Hitokiri_Battousai Posted April 11, 2006 Author Posted April 11, 2006 well, don't take my word for it, but I'm still pretty sure of my observations :). From 1 analogue amp to another, perhaps the difference will not be very obvious within minutes (especially so if they are from the same brand), but here going from analogue to class d amps it's another story, I guess. I don't know if it helps to mention this, but I can tell my speakers are giving problems or are off in their toe-in angles in less than five minutes of careful hearing (assuming every other factor is kept constant), and in my piano playing days, I can tell when pianos or specific keys are off-tuned as well. But yet, I don't have 'golden ears' when it comes to super critical hifi appreciation. Maybe I'm just not picky. :) Anyway, the doubtful or dubious tend to save lots of money, really. ;D But if I were a professional reviewer by profession, yes, I would be more than glad to do a/b comparison and recalibrate the whole system again each time, but as it is, I hardly have the time to sit down for 1.5hrs-2hrs straight for a movie/concert nowadays, what more to review stuff and do comparisons? I wish I had the freedom and time to do so, trust me on this. My views were just to give rotel owners and perhaps other ht enthusiasts an idea, not suggestion to upgrade. It is imperative that readers understand my intentions. Anyway, thank you for your comments. I appreciate them.
dbchoong Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 Hitokiri, I also experienced the "breaking-in" with my cheap digital Panny... one thing I can conclude is that Def Tech speakers are very digital amp friendly. I'm also a Def Tech user. ;D
SiriuslyCold Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 Congrats on the new amp! I'd say 2.7K is very reasonable relative to its MSRP in US is USD$2.5K - I thought it would be closer to SG$4K be sure to post your impressions in Club Rotel :)
hyper1624705763 Posted April 12, 2006 Posted April 12, 2006 Well.. finally someone had a review locally. Congrats to the purchase. Well the price is not too high for a 7 channel amp. If you buy a 1x 1075 and 1x1070 it will set you at 2k+ if I am not wrong. Just one question, do you use the Rotel power cord or some fancy after market ones? :)
Hitokiri_Battousai Posted April 12, 2006 Author Posted April 12, 2006 Well.. finally someone had a review locally. Congrats to the purchase. Well the price is not too high for a 7 channel amp. If you buy a 1x 1075 and 1x1070 it will set you at 2k+ if I am not wrong. Just one question, do you use the Rotel power cord or some fancy after market ones? :) I use aftermarket ones. The rotel ones cannot make it.
DizzyD1624705734 Posted April 12, 2006 Posted April 12, 2006 Wow...Congrats on your purchase Hitokiri! I have been waiting for someone to buy. This is a no brainer at 2700 for 7 channel of digital power. I just have 7 channels of rotel juice sitting with me in HK including a beefy 1095. Unfortunately I have no space for them and they are temporarily left idle until I upgrade to a bigger apartment. Do consider an upgrade to a Lexicon MC4 or MC8...I will assure you that you will take 1 week of MC to play all your DVDs again. Cheers
macnux Posted April 12, 2006 Posted April 12, 2006 I thought it was a great 2 thumbs up review ! BTW does KEC have the 1077 on demo?
Hitokiri_Battousai Posted April 12, 2006 Author Posted April 12, 2006 Wow...Congrats on your purchase Hitokiri! I have been waiting for someone to buy. This is a no brainer at 2700 for 7 channel of digital power. I just have 7 channels of rotel juice sitting with me in HK including a beefy 1095. Unfortunately I have no space for them and they are temporarily left idle until I upgrade to a bigger apartment. Do consider an upgrade to a Lexicon MC4 or MC8...I will assure you that you will take 1 week of MC to play all your DVDs again. Cheers DizzyD, I have delibrately put off upgrading the preamp because future formats are coming up, so I think I'd wait alittle. With the number of dvds I have, 1 mth MC also not enough... :P Incidentally, any idea what are the current prices for the MC4, 8 and 12? I hope they will one day support hdmi. macnux, I think KEC has one opened, but not sure if it is hooked up. Best to call and check.
DizzyD1624705734 Posted April 13, 2006 Posted April 13, 2006 A purist approach to HT components would not have video processing combine with audio processing. I am happy for the high end processors to leave out video scaling, conversion or switching. IMO a seperate video scaler like DVDO should perform those functions. To key to buying Lexicon equipment is to buy from USA direct and not from local agent. A used MC8 is around SGD 6000 when I last check in audiogon.com I was given two opportunities to buy them from a Singapore seller and an American seller. I am glad I did not make that rash move given my 300 sq feet living room now. The MC8 Version 2 has better processing for surround formats. I am still a pre/pro fellow so that explains why I am hanging onto my rotel juice. How about a photo shoot of your rotel combi for us to drool?
Hitokiri_Battousai Posted April 13, 2006 Author Posted April 13, 2006 trust me...there really is nothing good to show, because the darn 1077 is so 'thin' that the whole setup looks so 'cheap'... :'( My setup not highend, so nothing to shout about, but I can try posting pics when I can find the time, and my digicam... :)
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