Should I upgrade from Rasx-1055 to AVR-507

dmamsa · February 2004

The upgrade bug hit me again and I am thinking of upgrading to the B&K AVR-507.

With a $1000 price drop and cant wait on the sidelines any more.

My current setup is

LSi9 fronts
LSiC center
PSW650 sub
f/x300i for rear.

Rotel RSX-1055
Luxman M-111 for the the additional 2 channel

Although I cant complain about the sound quality of the ROTEL but I am not sure how it compares to th 507.

Any inputs

Frank Z · February 2004

Why not go one step farther and get seperates? Your ears will thank you!

Ceruleance · February 2004

are you using 7.1? do you have two pairs of 300's?

If not you should really go 7.1, you'll never look back

dmamsa · February 2004

I was thinking seperates but the cost is significant since I have to buy good quality interconnects..

I have a 6.1 setup but soon I will add the 7th channel.

criverajr · February 2004

dmamsa,

I was in the same boat, i have a Rotel RSX-1055 and was also thinking of upgrading to the B&K 307/507 but just could not see or hear that much of a difference in my setup. I think what you could do is look at the new Rotel line of recievers that are coming out, their specs are on the web site. They are now offering a 7 channel reciever for the first time. This is only my opinion after hearing both, but if your hears hear it and your heart wants it then I say go for it.

CRj:)

mantis · February 2004

Rotel or B&K.............been down this road myself.
I think they both are fantastic companies.There are benefits from owning both.Personally I like them almost the same.B&K with Lsi's I feel have a warmer sound.

The avr507 for 3 grand is a steal.The price drop is awesome.It's in a higher class then the Rotel rsx1055 and would be a nice upgrade.
Another choice for higher sound quality would be seperates as suggested by FrankZ.The rsp1066 is going Disco and you could possibly score a great deal somewhere.There amps are very powerful and nicely dynamic.RMB1075 or 1095 would fit the bill for 5 channels.
Comparing the seperates with the Avr507,well it's very close.Personally I would go either way.Sound quality at this point is very personal,it's what you want out of the system,room etc.

B&K has more features and built in 7 channels that can be used 2 different ways.Surround back or 2nd zone powered.The B&K needs to be rewired as the amps are not reassignable like the 1055 is.Easy if you know what your doing or simply can have your dealer do it when you buy it...

pjdami · February 2004

dmamsa,

I had the Rotel RSX-1055 for about six months last year and decided to switch to a B&K receiver. I didn't get the AVR 507 because it was an entire month before they announced the price drop and I didn't know they were going to do that. I did find a brand new 307 from an authorized dealer that he was letting go at a great price so I jumped on it.

Like Mantis says, the B&K receiver is more user friendly. You don't have to hook up a S video cable to your tv to change things for example. Also, once properly calibrated, at a volume of say -15 db you will be exactly -15 db off of reference level of 85 db. The Rotel has the 0 - 90 volume scale.

Another nice feature to have is the room equalization and notch filter which is a feature on the B&K that can help you tame some room nasties. I still have to play around some more with this myself.

My Rotel had a bass management issue which was kind of aggravating. Even though you set the fronts to small for two channel (with a sub) the fronts would still get the full range information. This is not a problem when you use a digital signal out only when using the analog outputs. Not sure if Rotel has fixed this problem. This was an issue for me because of my limited setup options with having my left LSi 15 about 1.5 feet from a corner wall where I could hear some boomy bass.

Sound quality wise, I had a major shootout in my house with both receivers side by side. The Rotel is slightly more forward sounding and the midrange just blooms. The midrange on the B&K I found to be more of my preference. The B&K is more laid back sounding but full of body as well. I have a tube amp now as well in my two channel rig and in comparison the B&K gear is the most tubey sounding SS gear that I had the past year and I went through NAD, Rotel, and have B&K now.

In the end, for me at least, the B&K was the better receiver for my living room as I have a tough acoustical environment with ceramic tile floors. The Rotel RSX-1055 holds its value very well and you should be able to sell it for $950 or more no problem so you won't lose too much here if you decide to make the change.

If you can get a loaner from your B&K dealer like I did and do a side by side comparison its your best bet to see if its worth the extra money for you.

Paul

criverajr · February 2004

dmamsa,

I think the best way to go is to get your listen on, Rotel is also coming out with a new series in the pre. It's the rsp-1068 and the 1098 has gotten very good reviews. B&K has terrific stuff, try to listen to them all and then get the one you feel is best for you. I thnik that your room layout and the speakers you have should also be part of your final decision.

CRj

pjdami · February 2004

Rotel is also coming out with a new series in the pre. It's the rsp-1068 and the 1098 has gotten very good reviews.

Good call CRj. I totally forgot about Rotel's new stuff. I know that there were a lot of folks at Club Rotel, Andrew included, that upgraded to the RSP 1098 and found it to be sonically sweeter sounding to them than the 1066 or 1055.

The OSD on the 1098 is a feature that I would have loved to have with Rotel gear. Makes changing things on the setup much easier.

Rotel makes great affordable gear with an excellent 5 year warranty. I still have a Rotel cd player that I will not get rid of anytime soon.

dmamsa · February 2004

Thanks a lot guys for all your replies.

It was this forum which convinced me to upgrade from the RTi line to Lsi, Onkyo to Rotel and now to B&K.

When I was purchasing my 1055 8 months ago, I liked the B&K but could not afford the $4K retail price, now due to the recent 1k price drop I am tempted again plus I wont lose a whole lot if I sell my 1055. I like warmer sounding receivers so I was limited to a few choices in my price range, although my usage is 65% HT and 35% music. With 2 young kids its hard to get some dedicated time for music. My room acoustics are very challenging, so I am very interested in the room equalization feature on the 507..(although I would rather have the MACC on the PIO 49txi-but it does not have a good reputation with 4 ohm loads).

I have been checking around and it seems like authorized retailers are willing to come down on the B&K ($2500 out the door is the best price I have gotten) which was not the case with ROTEL when I was shopping and I ended up paying $1200 out the door for it.
I am also interested in the new Rote RSX-1067 which will start shipping soon but I personally think it may not be in the same league as the 507-just an opinion.

My local dealer has a black 507 in stock which will need the latest 2.01 firmware. According to him I do not have to send in the unit for the upgrade as I can change the EEPROM card myself- I am not sure whats B&Ks policy is. He also says that I can change the face plate myself if I want different a color (silver or gold).

This weekend I am going to spend some time listning to the B&K 507 also I am going to check out the ref50/125.7 combo.

Keep the suggestions coming

mantis · February 2004

sounds like a done deal to me...don't look back.

criverajr · February 2004

It's your money, your ears, good luck with your awesome new gear.

CRj:D

dmamsa · February 2004

I bought at AVR507 and I am impressed so far!

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I demoed the 507 for a few hours last weekend and I was convinced that the 507 is what I want (oops need)!

Initial reaction compared to Rotel RSX-1055 (507 is without SPL calibration)

Packaging: The Avr 507 is built like a TANK but it lacks the "fine finish" compared to the Rotel. Big screws bolts and noticeable wiring (not clean)...my better half was not impressed although the face plate and buttons look great.

Initial Setup: No comparison to the RSX-1055 when it comes to set up with the BKsuit..Simply awesome yet there is a learning curve. I have lot to learn when it comes to different options and setting.

This thing RUNS HOT even without the speakers being connected

Music-2 Channel: I did not notice much difference except the LSI9s were happier due to the high amp output compared to the 1055. But overall I felt the sound quality was the same with 507 being little on the brighter side. I am sure proper calibration will reveal a lot more.

HT: Simply awesome! 1055 is not a fair comparison the Motorola chip is simply amazing. I played both DD and DTS tracks (Gladiator, 007, LOTR) much better detail, sound isolation and clarity. (Now I want an SVS sub)the PSW650 that I have sounded very boomy.

The SR10.1 (MX-700) is a great remote lot to lean there too

I will follow up with more detail later

Frank Z · February 2004

Originally posted by dmamsa

This thing RUNS HOT even without the speakers being connected

HMMM....that doesn't sound right. how much clearance do you have above the 507?

pjdami · February 2004

My B&K gear always runs hotter than Rotel or even NAD that I had. Its really more warm than hot. I can still place my hand on the top of the receiver and keep it there. If it is too hot and you have to move your hand away something is wrong. But in my experience with my receiver and two channel B&K gear they do like to run warm.

The AVR 507 has a lot of nice features. The notch filter and adjustable equalizer settings is really nice to help tame out some room modes.

Congrats on a nice piece.
P.

dmamsa · February 2004

Frank-Z

Sorry for wrong choice of words I meant to say WARM....

I can wait to spend some time on this new beast....:)

pjdami · February 2004

HMMM....that doesn't sound right. how much clearance do you have above the 507?

Frank brings up a good point. I had to build a new Flexy-rack due to the sheer vertical size of the receiver. I made sure that I had at least 4 - 5 inches ventilation clearance on the top.

dmamsa · February 2004

I have about 7-8 inches clearance on top and 2 inches on each side.

But this definitely runs hotter than the ROTEL.

pjdami · February 2004

Cool deal. She runs a bit warmer than other gear but no need to worry. Great that you have allocated ample ventilation clearance as well.

But overall I felt the sound quality was the same with 507 being little on the brighter side.

Is this a brand new 507 or a demo model? If it is new give her a couple of week to burn in. I found the opposite to be true but there are so many variables here from listener to listener.

Enjoy!
Paul

dmamsa · February 2004

Paul,

Yes its Brand new...I am sure after some burn in and caliberation it should sound great.

I watched U571 this morning and now I have to replace my PSW650 with a better sub...aargh...another expense

Should I upgrade from Rasx-1055 to AVR-507

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