I just bought a "new" Rotel 1056 which has yet to arrive. Got a pretty dam dood deal as long as it works properly but in the meantime I am still shopping . Very interested in the B&K 202 due to it's great reveiws and the amazingly depreciated price. Old versus new. Well not that old but old enough that it is obviously archaic in respects to technical advantage. My question is, does the extremely good deal of slightly obsolete outweigh the higher price buttons that don't often get utilized. I enjoy my music way more than any L/R crunching gravel under foot but is it inevitable to simply join the "Tech Side" and figure it all out cause movies are cool.
"My question is, does the extremely good deal of slightly obsolete outweigh the higher price buttons that don't often get utilized" I can understand the great appreciation for music but so far I have not substitued MY eyesight for hearing. It wasn't meant to confuse as I simply asked whether a 4 year old excellent receiver for 400 bucks down from it's 2800 held its own against a new tecnologically advanced receiver that may have options that are excessive. I also stated that I am musically geared but enjoy a cool movie. Do I really need 6 different formats of dts Neo etc or is a straight forward DTS just fine for 5.1. I don't know! Have you any opinion on the B&K 202 vs the Rotel 1056 or are you just going to grade a post as WRONG based on your lack of understanding. You may as well have called me a @#&*ing idiot... or did you?
personally Torchum I'd take good 'ole SQ over gee-whiz techie bells and whistles any day of the week.
Now that's in large part because I very rarely watch the kind of big-budget action flicks that really make surround sound and all those gizmos worth the money---so it boils down to YOUR taste and application. If I had to do it all over again I'd just buy the best 2-channel system I could afford, but hey that's just me.
You'll have to weigh your priorities and come to some sort of balance in terms of what is the best compromise.
In my experience it's much easier to get the bells and whistles for a whole lot less money than to get really good SQ.
$400 for a 4-year old Rotel with $2800 MSRP sounds pretty darn good to me though!
From what you wrote in your initial post I'd say you DON'T need the latest and greatest technology.
Keep in mind that about 80% of so-called "technological breakthroughs" are simply marketing gimmicks to make you get rid of your old gear and fork over big bucks for somebody else's new stuff.
I mean, they have Pentium 4 computers running over 3GHz speeds that make zero noticeable difference to the typical user who just runs the usual spreadsheet/word-processing and web surfing applications on a crusty old 800 Hz Pentium 2 or 3! It's all about marketing hype...
Edster...Thanks for the confirmation. I, as you, will end up some day with absolutely dedicated music equipment but for now the H/T has to be a factor. I will probably end up watching music dvds more than any movies and that is why a very musical receiver seems to be my choice. The 400 bucker is actually the B&K. I keep getting pulled in by the once MSRP and I know that this is almost irrelavent but the avr 202 as well as MANY pieces of great equipment are being overlooked and almost thrown away due to "upsourcing capabilities". Long story short again but just curious if the B&K avr202 would lean against the Rotel or stand on it's own 2 (5) legs. Happy 4th to all!
"music dvds"---you mean DVD-A multichannel format or just a DVD of a live concert? If you're planning on going into DVD-A and SACD music then I can see why you're curious.
All the same, I have the distinct impression that most non-high-end AVRs that are loaded with tons of electronic bells and whistles scrimp on mechanical basics like a quality transformer, because the bells and whistles are easier to market. Have never heard B&K though so can't help you there.
. Very interested in the B&K 202 due to it's great reveiws and the amazingly depreciated price. Old versus new. Well not that old but old enough that it is obviously archaic in respects to technical advantage. My question is, does the extremely good deal of slightly obsolete outweigh the higher price buttons that don't often get utilized. I enjoy my music way more than any L/R crunching gravel under foot but is it inevitable to simply join the "Tech Side" and figure it all out cause movies are cool.