Rotel RA-10, what speakers to go with it?

[Coll]

I would take something that does not sound good on my system and see if it sounds better at the demo.

Also I would take something that I know sounds good and see if it sounds better or worse.

One thing I have found all the time is that even kit which reviewers say is warm is bright sounding to me so I have to be very carefull to avoid wasting money. I am 67 and my high frequency hearinf is supposed to be not so good so I hate to think what I would of thought of modern kit if I was younger.

 

[rainsoothe]

I would take something that does not sound good on my system and see if it sounds better at the demo.

Also I would take something that I know sounds good and see if it sounds better or worse.

ahem: SOUND advice there.
Also, regarding the SH discussion, the models I suggested aren't really vintage, they're the RA12 precursors. Some like Rotel, myself included, others don't. I also encountered a dealer that dissed Rotel, (who was also a Rotel distributer) but imo it was the wrong way to go about it. He should've prepaired the Rotel for me to audition, and afterwards present me with alternatives.
Bottom line is, it's good that you wanna audition for yourself and make up your own mind.

 

[DaanS]

Bottom line is, it's good that you wanna audition for yourself and make up your own mind.

This evening I went on my first audition, to check out the dali zensor line. These we hooked up to a NAD amp and a project II turntable, playing War of the Worlds which has a wide variety of tones. I noticed the Zensor 1 gives a very different sound from 3 and 5 (emphasis on the highs and less warm) and that the 5 is more controlled across the board in comparison the 3. So the 5 is the one I focused on for tonight. Time to put on Streisands amazing and very well pressed Broadway album. The sound was warm but a bit to controlled. It's avery playfull album and as such it felt a bit stiff to my ears and we hooked up the Marantz 6005. This fit the bill, and Queen's debutalbum, Tool's Undertow and Judas Priest's Sad Wings of Destiny all sounded good (but surprisingly Judas Priest needed some convincing from the Zensor 7, whereas the baseheavy Tool allready did splendid on the Zensor 5). Queen made me sit back to enjoy the album and for a little while I forgot I was testing a setup. Great! Then I put on Deep Purple in Rock and things felt off right from the getgo, very muffled, even more so than my own speakers. I still feel weird about that. I hadn't listened to the album in quite a while so I thought that maybe I was misrembering things, but back home the album sounded a lot more like the way I remember it sounding; be it at home, with friends or going out.
This is kinda strange to me, but time was running out so I'll be back for a second session and focus some more in classic rock and classic metal (the main genre I listen to) and I still have to check out the Cambridge Audio amps. Today I wanted to cover a broader spectrum of music.

I like the Zensor series, but am wondering whether it will give me the desired improvement. Ultimately I'll have the hear how they perform at home (which is smaller and more heavily decorated than the store) and I can try out a set at home for 14 days and return them no questions asked, or exchange them within 60 days without problems. Great service on their part.

I have an appointment for another audition on saturday in a store where they have a big selection of Wharfedale's. It's a 1,5 hour drive (eek) but I'v heard a lot of good things about the 200 series; evenleveled and warm across the board. If I can find an amp to give it that attitude and playfullness I also want I think that can be a winner. It looks good on paper and they also have a selection of Rotels there (which I'm told pack a bit of punch, might be just the thing. I fear the warmth of the Marantz, the supposed warmth of the Wharfedales and the warmth of my own home might be a bit too much ones combined) so I'm pretty excited about this visit and I'll have a couple of hours there. If the Rotels are the way to go for me, I'll definitely keep an eye out for some SH amps.