Rotel RA-10 Or Rega Brio-r

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sureesh40

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May 29, 2008
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Hi

I am wondering which would be a better amp for my Monitor Audio BX2 speakers.

Rotel RA-10 or Rega brior-r . I could get the Rotel amp second hand for half the price of a new rega.

What would your advice. I can't bring my speakers to demo both amps.

Thanks
 
What's happened to the Marantz 6005 idea?

I would personally go for the Rega or save your pennies and buy a Creek 50A or Arcam A19. Unless you 'up' your budget, you'll end up with a same quality, the only slight difference will be tonal. At least with the Rega, Creek and Arcam you'll find an overall lift, albeit fairly small. And no, they won't be an overkill with the BX2s.
 
In my opinion the Rega is the better amplifier and it comes with a great phono stage if you need one. But I think the Rotel would be a good match for your BX2's, perhaps sonically even a better match than the Rega. Also, if you have no plans on upgrading your speakers then Rotel will do great. Price wise the Rotel and the BX2's are a better fit. If you wanted more expensive speakers in the near future then the Rega might be the way to go. The Rega has superior resoulution that would work better than the Rotel would on more pricier speakers.
 
The Brio-R is hands down the better amp in my opinion. If you can, listen to them both and chose the one you prefer. As mentioned above though, if you intend on upgrading your speakers in the future then ultimately the Rega should work out to be the better option.
 
Oh I currently use an Onkyo TX-8255 receiver.

I have second thoughts about the Marantz 6005 because I used to own the PM 6003 and didn't find it that fantastic. So I am a bit apprehensive about buying another Marantz amp at the same price point.

The Arcam would be out of my budget, it is pricessy where I live about 50% more that the Rega Brio-r

So the Rega is just slightly better than the Rotel when partnered with the MA BX2?
 
Hi

You said that the Rotel perhaps is a better match sonically for the MA BX2 than the Rega. Have you heard both amps on the BX2 ? If Rotel is better than maybe I would go for the Rotel as I may not upgrade my speakers.
 
Whatever you do, you should try to audition the stuff.

First of all, there is quite a noticeable difference between the Marantz PM6003 and the PM6004 or the PM6005. And by difference I mean improvement. The 6003 sounds tinny.

Secondly, the Rega Brio R is highly praised in lots of magazines and on forums, but it wasn't for me when I auditioned it, and much prefered a Rotel (not the RA 10) - for my ears the Rega was a diffuse pile of dung. That's why everyone says you should audition for yourself instead of following reviews and opinions blindly.

Thirdly, stuff like Arcam A19, Creek Evo 50a or Exposure 1010 (which are normally out of your budget) is worth looking into, because your dealer might have an ex-demo one for sale for way cheaper then what they normally go for, so it never hurts to investigate into it.

goodluck
 
Hi sureesh40

We've sold quite a few BX2's which are being used with Rega's Brio-R. BX2's with their clear, crisp, tight and fast presentation pair well with the Brio-R's weighty, smooth, punchy and dynamic sound
regular_smile.gif


BX2's can punch above their weight. Fwiw, we've used and found BX2's also cope admirably with serious amplification such as a Plinius Hiato (the look on MA's reps face was a picture when hearing this combination
omg_smile.gif
), the outstanding Hegel H30, etc.

BX2's are excellent speakers which can also hold their own with electronics which cost more then they do
thumbs_up.gif


All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 
rainsoothe said:
Hi rainsoothe

Which particular model of Rotel did you purchase? In what way was the Rotel better than the Rega? Was the sound punchier and more lively .So the PM6005 would be considered an upgrade. Maybe I should audition it eventhough I am not a fan of Marantz products after my experience with the Pm6003. But I do listen to vinly. Is the PM6005's phono stage good?

Whatever you do, you should try to audition the stuff.

First of all, there is quite a noticeable difference between the Marantz PM6003 and the PM6004 or the PM6005. And by difference I mean improvement. The 6003 sounds tinny.

Secondly, the Rega Brio R is highly praised in lots of magazines and on forums, but it wasn't for me when I auditioned it, and much prefered a Rotel (not the RA 10) - for my ears the Rega was a diffuse pile of dung. That's why everyone says you should audition for yourself instead of following reviews and opinions blindly.

Thirdly, stuff like Arcam A19, Creek Evo 50a or Exposure 1010 (which are normally out of your budget) is worth looking into, because your dealer might have an ex-demo one for sale for way cheaper then what they normally go for, so it never hurts to investigate into it.

goodluck
Click to expand...
 
1) Technical Performance - Rotel is a somewhat better made amplifier with modern circuit but these are budget amps so the difference is not wide as the ocean. What is better with the Rotel is quality control in the manufacturing process. Rega can't match that.

2) Cool Factor - Rega is better because Rotel is no longer cool like before. B&W as an owner of Rotel has neglected it a bit and now Classe is what the kewl people buy. With the Brio-R and the "giant killer" hype that comes with it you get an aspirational audiophile kit. In a way, Rotel is high end consumer hi-fi, Rega is low end audiophile hi-fi.

3) Value & Longevity - The Rega will hold its price on the second hand market better but it may not get there and break down or have issues much earlier than the Rotel. However, people tend to throw an old Rotel in the trash and not invest 10 quid for a multimeter and TLC to refresh it. But for a flatearth UK brand like Rega they will pay for repairs and keep the amp going for years. This is how Naim amps get the "very reliable" label. They are frequently maintained and repaired because they are deemed worthy. Even some technical failiures are put up with from the owners because "it's worth it." Some brands everyone wants to go in bed with even though they are the sexy girl that can't cook, can't clean, hates children, spends your money fast and is bad in bed. So from that POV Rega here betters the Rotel.

4) The Sound - Only you can decide which one sounds better to your ears, with your music, in your room. It is rather subjective. One man's "pile of dung" is "amazing musicality and PRaT" to another.

2:1 for Rega since The Sound factor is a tie. Rega wins.
 
So I finally had a listen to the Rotel RA-10 and MA BX2 combination.

The sound was powerful, but it lead to ear fatigue after a while. The guy demoing it also switched to some Polk Audio floor standers. The sound was clearer and the sound stage more open than with the MA speakers. Now I would have to have a listen to the rega.
 
Vladimir said:
2) Cool Factor - Rega is better because Rotel is no longer cool like before. B&W as an owner of Rotel has neglected it a bit ...
Click to expand...

B&W have never owned Rotel. (Just as the Rank organisation never owned Rotel in the 1970s.)

B&W distribute Rotel exclusively but have never owned them.

Rotel have always been (and remain) a Japanese headquartered and Japanese family owned business.

http://www.rotel.com/NA/about/WhoWeAre.htm (If you read this carefully you see that Rotel are a B&W group partner whereas Classe are actually owned by B&W.)

There was a similar relationship in the late 1960s - 1970s when Rotel started making amps, tuners etc for Rank (who owned Wharfedale at the time). At first the Rotel amps and recievers were badged as Rank Audio but that was eventually dropped and Rank continued as Rotel's sole UK importer and distributor. They were never owned in the way that Rank owned Wharfedale.
 
Hmm. Someone needs to change this wiki article then, might be outdated. Claims that B&W is a parent company.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotel

OK. Regardless, even as a Japanese familly owned and run company, the global marketing hand is still B&W, thus responsible for the Rotel brand image.
 
Vladimir said:
Hmm. Someone needs to change this wiki article then, might be outdated. Claims that B&W is a parent company.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotel

OK. Regardless, even as a Japanese familly owned and run company, the global marketing hand is still B&W, thus responsible for the Rotel brand image.
Click to expand...

Wikipedia is not so much outdated as just wrong on that particular detail.

The distinction is very carefully made on Rotel's website...

"Rotel is distributed by The B&W Group. Bowers & Wilkins Loudspeakers and Classé Professional Audio Systems are both owned and distributed by The B&W Group."

Rotel - distributed.

Bowers & Wilkins and Classé - owned and distributed.
 
Vladimir said:
Hmm. Someone needs to change this wiki article then, might be outdated. Claims that B&W is a parent company.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotel

OK. Regardless, even as a Japanese familly owned and run company, the global marketing hand is still B&W, thus responsible for the Rotel brand image.
Click to expand...

Just to confirm what Chebby said: Rotel's UK distributor is Bowers and Wilkins based on the south coast. I also know this personally, Wiki aside, because about 3-4 years ago I phoned B&W to see how much they would charge to repair the drawer mechanism on my old Rotel CDP. Had a fairly lengthy conversation with their customer services: B&W don't own the brand or PR except for the UK. They are Rotel's UK distributor, and they use Rotel amps to test their new ranges of speakers (within the relevant price range. I'm sure they use Classe for their higher end speakers).

So their relationship with Rotel is the same as, for example, PMC being the UK distributor for Bryston, unless B&W have changed policy over the past 3-4 years.
 
Found this quote online but the reference website no longer is active.

"The Equity Company is the trading name of the B&W Group in North America it markets the four brands Rotel, B&W Speakers, Classe Audio and i-Command. The B&W Group owns Equity Inc. but does not own the Rotel Company, the Rotel Company of Japan is an independent manufacturer and has been for 44 years owned by the Tachikawa family. The B&W Group controls 75% of Rotel's international sales and marketing but Rotel is still privately owned and managed..."
 
Vladimir said:
Found this quote online but the reference website no longer is active.

"The Equity Company is the trading name of the B&W Group in North America it markets the four brands Rotel, B&W Speakers, Classe Audio and i-Command. The B&W Group owns Equity Inc. but does not own the Rotel Company, the Rotel Company of Japan is an independent manufacturer and has been for 44 years owned by the Tachikawa family. The B&W Group controls 75% of Rotel's international sales and marketing but Rotel is still privately owned and managed..."
Click to expand...

Vlad - rather than relying on Wiki and old websites, contact them by email or phone and get it straight from the horses mouth.
 
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