Hi everyone
I've finally decided to upgrade from my Denon AVR-1906 to a stereo amp to run my B&W 684s. Yesterday I went into SuperFi and listened to both the Roksan Kandy K2 and the Rotel RA-1520. I was fully expecting the Roksan to be the better amp but was surprised at how badly it controlled the low range bass notes (please excuse me if I use the wrong terminology, still new to all this).
Basically, it sounded like there was definitely a bass instrument there but it was sort of inconsequential and just happened to be there, the best way I could describe it was "flabby". The bass on the Rotel on the other hand was really tight and felt cleaner and punchier.
On the other hand the mid and high notes on the Roksan stood out quite a bit more than the Rotel. The Rotel was great but I felt the Roksan was slightly better, crisper on the mids and highs. Particularly noticed it when listening to Santana - Black magic woman (Abraxas) and there's a bit of keyboard about 1:10 in. I didn't even notice it on the Rotel initially but when I listened to it on the Roksan it stood out so much I can hear it every time I listen to the song now.
It must be said that the room I was testing in didn't help at all and added a lot more bass than I would expect from the B&W684s anyway so I don't think it was a fair test, hence this post. I've placed my order for the Rotel but now I'm worried that I dismissed the Roksan too quickly. Would it be better in my room, was the "flabby" bass purely because of their room? Should I give it another go before taking delivery of the Rotel?
I kept asking for a home demo but wasn't possible so I've made my decision based on their room/setup rather than my own.
Thoughts, comments, HELP! Please.
Karl
I've finally decided to upgrade from my Denon AVR-1906 to a stereo amp to run my B&W 684s. Yesterday I went into SuperFi and listened to both the Roksan Kandy K2 and the Rotel RA-1520. I was fully expecting the Roksan to be the better amp but was surprised at how badly it controlled the low range bass notes (please excuse me if I use the wrong terminology, still new to all this).
Basically, it sounded like there was definitely a bass instrument there but it was sort of inconsequential and just happened to be there, the best way I could describe it was "flabby". The bass on the Rotel on the other hand was really tight and felt cleaner and punchier.
On the other hand the mid and high notes on the Roksan stood out quite a bit more than the Rotel. The Rotel was great but I felt the Roksan was slightly better, crisper on the mids and highs. Particularly noticed it when listening to Santana - Black magic woman (Abraxas) and there's a bit of keyboard about 1:10 in. I didn't even notice it on the Rotel initially but when I listened to it on the Roksan it stood out so much I can hear it every time I listen to the song now.
It must be said that the room I was testing in didn't help at all and added a lot more bass than I would expect from the B&W684s anyway so I don't think it was a fair test, hence this post. I've placed my order for the Rotel but now I'm worried that I dismissed the Roksan too quickly. Would it be better in my room, was the "flabby" bass purely because of their room? Should I give it another go before taking delivery of the Rotel?
I kept asking for a home demo but wasn't possible so I've made my decision based on their room/setup rather than my own.
Thoughts, comments, HELP! Please.
Karl