Rotel RC-1070 to computer?

A

Absolut Ballin'

n00b
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Messages
9
Hello, I was wondering if I would be needing to buy a DAC since I want to have my music source as the computer. I'm planning on purchacing Rotel RC-1070 (pre amp) and connecting it to my computer. I have an Xfi sound card which I'm currently using with really old Logitech z5300.

More detail:http://www.rotel.com/NA/products/ProductDetails.htm?Id=10

Here is my proposed stereo setup.

Computer(Xfi sound card)-->Rotel RC-1070 (pre amp)-->Rotel RB- 1050 (amp)-->Paradigm Studio 20 v4

Please tell me if I would be needing a DAC, and also if this amp is good enough for these bookshelf speakers. My room isn't large at all, just want to know if the watts affect the speakers performance in any way.

Thanks, all help will be greatly appreciated.
 
cleaner power is always gonna be your friend in any audio situation... but with a nice rotel amp like that i wouldnt worry about it, it's gonna deliver plenty of clean power...
 
I had a VERY similar set up before... Xfi to RC1070 to RB1070. I thought it sounded good, but a good DAC will improve the sound further and so does replacement of the preamp itself. I serendipitously found out that preamps made a difference when I was playing around with the RC1070 vs the preamp section of the Headamp GS-1. This was many years back (i.e. 3) and was one of the first times I had heard a difference in preamp designs.

You'd be surprised how much better youc an do than the RC1070 for similar price. IMO, it's not Rotel's best value piece.

Their amps are good, OTOH.
 
Pinipig523 said:
I had a VERY similar set up before... Xfi to RC1070 to RB1070. I thought it sounded good, but a good DAC will improve the sound further and so does replacement of the preamp itself. I serendipitously found out that preamps made a difference when I was playing around with the RC1070 vs the preamp section of the Headamp GS-1. This was many years back (i.e. 3) and was one of the first times I had heard a difference in preamp designs.

You'd be surprised how much better youc an do than the RC1070 for similar price. IMO, it's not Rotel's best value piece.

Their amps are good, OTOH.
Click to expand...

I, for one, would be interested in getting your opinion on some other products that may be better values in that $500 or so price range and still have excellent sound quality/low distortion.

Thanks.
 
Yeah I saw a picture of your old Rotel setup Pini, I kind of want to do similar (without ML's haha)

So I looked at the GS-1, and where do I plug in my X-fi there? I don't see any digital inputs on it.
 
AB,

The RC1070 is a preamp not a DAC, so there is no digital input because there is no conversion done within the RC1070 itself. What the preamp does is it takes the low level signal from your source (i.e. XFi, CDPlayer, etc) and converts it to a line level signal (a few mV) for which the amp can make use of. The preampis different from the amp in that the preamp serves as a voltage gain not a current gain.

RZ,

Instead of the 1070, I would really look at an entry level tube preamp from Rogue Audio. The Metis (tube preamp) was all around a better performer to my ears and it costs about $550 on audiogon.com. A little more costly than the RC1070. The RC1070, imo, is more of a swiss army knife - it has a multitude of inputs and is very easy to use. However, sonically, it is somewhat mediocre compared to simpler preamps that focus more on sonics.
 
So Pini, do you recall what did you use back then when you had the Rotel setup? I did see that later on you got a SB3 and a PS audio DAC, but I'm talking about way before that. I'm only wasting around $2500, and the speakers already cost 1k, so I won't be able to buy high end at the moment. Headamp does look better than the specs of Rotel, but I think $900 is a little over for me. Can anybody recommend me. I admit I have very little experience with the whole audio thing, so I'm confused. I want to make sure I know what I want before I go to my dealer.
 
I would buy this (from audiogon):

1. Paradigm S2 v1 ($1250)
2. Rogue Metis Tube Preaamp ($550)
3. Rotel RB-1070 amp ($500)
4. Use the XFi for now as your DAC. Later on, get a Cary CDP/DAC combo. Otherwise, a Benchmark or Paradisea are good alternatives.
 
So the amp is for sure fine for the speakers. Rotel amps are extremely good. They are very low noise, very low distortion, all in all the kind of thing you'd want to drive good speakers. I've seen them paired with B&W 800 series speakers before (B&W owns Rotel so no surprise).

If it is the power you are worried about, don't be. I use an RB-1050 to drive floor standing B&W 604S3s and I've never found it lacking for power. Unless you are in a big room with speakers far away, you don't need nearly as much power as most people seem to think. With speakers a few feet from you, 1 watt is generally all you use for normal listening (really!).

Also remember that the Rotel power ratings are no BS. When they say 70 watts per channel, they mean it. They mean you can drive that amount continuously, with no increase in distortion. Often amps will list their max power as what they can hit for a fraction of a second, but can't sustain (as in their capacitors have enough power but the transformer is too small) or in terms of a very high distortion level (meaning their transistors are too small). Not the case here, they really mean you can push 70 watts no problem for as long as you like and still get the performance you expect.

As for a DAC, give it a miss for now. You can always get one later. The X-Fi really has pretty damn good converters in it, especially the Elite Pro. That's what I've got and I decided to just use it and not get a DAC. It isn't that I can't find DACs that sound better, it is that I don't know that they are worth the money in this setup. I'd probably need better speakers first.

Remember that your speakers are pretty much always the biggest problem. Whereas your converters and amps will be expressing distortion in fractions of a percent and frequency deviations in 1dB or less, your speakers will talk about the level at which they hit 1% distortion (usually around 90dB or so) and deviations of 6dB or more.

So you may discover that you have to spend a good amount to get a DAC better than what the X-Fi has, and you also may discover that really that money would probably be better put towards speakers.

That's the situation I'm in. If I get some better speakers, then I think a DAC might be worth looking at. However as it stands now, I'd spend a lot of money for a pretty minor sonic improvement, money better saved for speakers that'd make a much larger sonic improvement.

Also you can consider leaving off the preamp, and ust hooking the X-Fi to your amp, since you can control volume on the X-Fi. I decided to go that route and it works well. You can always, of course, get the preamp later if you want it.
 
Hey thanks Pinipig and Syncraft, you two really helped me. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I will probably allow myself to put more money into speakers since I can skip the DAC and maybe the preamp too. I am liking that setup Pini. Very good price for Signatures, and I really like the looks of that tube preamp. I will go with a Rotel amp, but I think Syn is right. It's not like I'm going to power a pair of ML's. RB-1050 will do just fine. Again thanks alot. I will take it into consideration.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top