do I need to upgrade? and other questions

[Ashley Owens]

looking for a little help. I currently have a Rotel RSP-1066 surround sound processor my question is do I need to upgrade? I will be moving to a new house that will allow me to have a dedicated home theater room so I am looking forward to being able to use all seven speakers and the sub again after 5 years in a location I could only use 2 front 2 rear and the center. Can I use this surround processor to run multiple zones in the house if not what else do I need to add? I am a Rotel guy all the way so any other equipment would need to be Rotel for sure. How useful is a rear center speaker?
thanks,

[blackraven]

Use your Rotel for audio and get a new 7.1 or 7.2 ch HT receiver with 4K pass through.

Receivers | Product Line | Onkyo USA Home Theater Products (http://www.onkyousa.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Receiver&Source=hdrmenu)

You can usually find these Onkyo's for huge discounts on the web

[Mr Peabody]

Hi, if you are doing Blu-ray you should upgrade to the latest Rotel processor to get the latest decoding, Dolby Tru HD and DTS-MA, both are lossless soundtrack formats found on Blu-ray discs, and there are a few other new features you might be interested in, I haven't kept up with what Rotel's latest feature list is. For multi zone the features will have to list that specifically if the processor will have that capability. I've not had a rear center so not sure if it's worth it. I know you said you are Rotel all the way but it's worth mentioning I would not recommend Onkyo for a while, they are having some issues with their receivers and newest processor. Even after a firmware update I still have to unplug mine to reset it from time to time because it just quits passing video, and the internet is full of people with similar and other Onkyo issues...

[blackraven]

Mr P, I read somewhere that Onkyo fixed that problem. My preference would be to go with Marantz but with the way formats and codecs change, I feel that cheap is the way to go with a HT processor rather than shelling out $1K-$2K every few years. Unless you want it to do double duty for 2ch audio, then sky is the limit. I guess it all depends upon your priorities. For me 2ch audio is more important. An inexpensive mid fi HT receiver will perform just as well as an expensive one in most respects for movies. I think that it is the speakers and sub as well as proper settings that make HT.

[Mr Peabody]

Onkyo may be trying to tell people that but it isn't true, even their recently released processor has issues. The receiver I'm talking about is a recent model. I like processors for HT, I find the same benefit you get in music applies to HT, the clarity, panning of sounds, transient response etc. I'm still using the 8003, things aren't changing that fast, plus manufacturers, some any way, are wising up and now have internet connection for firmware updates. If the PS3 can add decoding and 3D there isn't any reason a processor can't. I guess it's like audio though, you take your system as far as you can or until you are satisfied. The bad thing is not too many people hear a high end HT system to know what they are missing.

[BadAssJazz]

looking for a little help. I currently have a Rotel RSP-1066 surround sound processor my question is do I need to upgrade? I will be moving to a new house that will allow me to have a dedicated home theater room so I am looking forward to being able to use all seven speakers and the sub again after 5 years in a location I could only use 2 front 2 rear and the center. Can I use this surround processor to run multiple zones in the house if not what else do I need to add? I am a Rotel guy all the way so any other equipment would need to be Rotel for sure. How useful is a rear center speaker?
thanks,

The simple, straightforward answer is yes, you will need to at least upgrade to the Rotel RSP-15xx series pre/pro, or if you're opting for a receiver, the Rotel RSX-15xx series AVRs. However, I strongly advise researching before pulling the trigger on any purchase. Rotel is a great brand, but no manufacturer is perfect in my experience. (I say that having returned an Arcam AVR600 back to the seller with an indiscernible defect just yesterday.)