I have a pair of Boston VRM50 speakers and a 15 year old Sony receiver. I would like to upgrade to a better receiver or an integrated amp. I listen to just about everything, but I'm partial to 70's, 80's and some 90's rock. My music is run off a PowerMac using iTunes through the analog output. All the music has been ripped in Apple's lossless format. Then there's my vinyl.
My question: Are my Boston speakers worthy of a Rotel RA-1062 or RX-1052? Or any other product beyond the Yamahas and HKs out there? I know I can do better than what I've got now, and I have a pretty discerning ear.
Any opinions or recommendations are appreciated. Also... I live in Flagstaff, AZ which is a good three to five hours away from the nearest hi-fi store.
Depending on your budget, better speakers will make a larger difference than anything else (as long as your room acoustics are good).Onix Rocket speakers are great at their various price points, not to mention that they also look sumptious, with their rosewood finish. One can also buy them direct and they have a return policy. Paradigm and PSB also have excellent speakers.
The Rotels are certainly a big step-up in amplification quality, but the new Outlaw Audio RR2150 is more powerful (100 watts/channel 8 ohms and 160 watts/channel 4 ohms) and a far more sophisticated design and feature set. It lists at $599 and also has a USB port for directly streaming your music from either your PC or from an IPOD. Plus it is the only stereo receiver with a subwoofer output that includes selectable analog bass management. Take a look at Outlaw Audio online.
Have you considered a vintage integrated amp, perhaps a Sansui Au 717 or 917? Your Boston speakers would come to life and these amps have great phono preamps and lots of headroom. You could save a bundle and spend the difference on music.