Rotel RAP-1580 Surround Amplified Processor
IS THE ROTEL RAP-1580 THE surround receiver that dares not speak its name? In keeping with the two-channel distinction between stereo receivers and integrated amplifiers, Rotel calls it a surround amplified processor because it doesn’t include an AM/FM tuner. But to my mind, the defining trait of a surround receiver is that it combines a surround preamp/processor and a multichannel amp in one box. So I prefer to call this an audiophile receiver. You say tomato... [Editor’s Note: I’d call it a surround amplifier, and I don’t think it’s the last of this type we’ll be seeing...but, whatever.—RS]
Life isn’t easy for audiophile surround products, whatever you call them. They are reviled from one side for not having enough features— and reviled from the other side for being, well, an oxymoron, as if surround sound shouldn’t even aspire to audiophilia. But there’s a determined cadre of home theater buffs who are thrilled by the dynamics and subtleties of a great movie soundtrack. Some of them even collect music in high-resolution surround and stereo formats. I count myself among them.
And I love audiophile receivers. I gave up on surround separates years ago, as soon as the first true audiophile receivers became available. Some of the most convincing ones came from Rotel, one of the pioneers of relatively affordable audiophilia. Rotel poured so much love, know-how, and aspiration into the RSX-1065 and -1067 receivers—with their distinctive front-panel heat fins and golden, dynamic sound—that the existence of audiophile receivers could no longer be disputed. Such receivers were like quarks, antibiotics, and Post-it notes: Once discovered, they couldn’t be undiscovered.
Back to Analog
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2017 من Sound & Vision.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2017 من Sound & Vision.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Pinnacle Picture Performance
IT IS a small miracle that you can buy a TV as good as the 77-inch Samsung S90C Quantum Dot OLED for $2500.
AV Masterpiece
THE AV PROCESSOR is the less well-known sibling of the AV receiver. The main difference being that processors don't have built-in amplification.
Sit and Listen Streaming
FOR ANYONE who has been waiting for streaming music to be a high-quality sit-and-listen experience, the SVS Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase streaming integrated amp fits the bill.
Worth the Splurge?
AS A RULE I'm not particularly susceptible to the \"audio-jewelry\" school of component design; I'm a value/performance guy.
Focus on Gaming
OPTOMA BOASTS of being both the top 4K UHD projector brand globally and the number one Digital Light Processing (DLP) brand in the United States for 2022, citing the PMA Research Worldwide Projector Census, making the company no stranger to the world of projected light.
Sonic Surprise
OVER THE YEARS I've reviewed hundreds of audio and video products covering all the usual bases. But not up to now a soundbar.
Deep Concentration
IN THE realm of high-fidelity audio, the Bowers & Wilkins DB3D subwoofer offers a fusion of compact design and powerful performance.
When Less is More
MY EXPERIENCE with Bowers & Wilkins dates back over thirty years to my high school days, when I first admired the 801 Matrix in Stereophile magazine.
SHARP, BRIGHT, & BUDGET-FRIENDLY
IN JUST a few short years the home projector landscape has undergone a radical revolution in terms of price and selection.
They are Coming.I Can't Hold Them Back Any Longer.
This is my last communication. Outer walls breached. Door is splintering. Hinges giving way. Out of ammo. Just one grenade left. I'll take as many as I can with me. God have mercy on my soul.