Rotel RA-1070 <<-->> NAD C372 [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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RuiDO
11-02-2004, 06:55 AM
Integrated Musical differences comparison for those?

kexodusc
11-02-2004, 08:02 AM
I own the RA-1070...I also looked at a few NADs, Arcam, Parasound, and PS Audio. I own two other integrateds, 3020, and 3140 from way back, always been a big fan.
Relatively speaking, the NAD was just a bit brighter, and didn't produce as warm, natural a sound as the Rotel, very close other than that.
I can't really put my finger on it, I really liked the NAD, but I fell in love with the Rotel. Maybe I just wanted something different. I suspect your speakers could influence your decision...either way you'll end up with an excellent piece of gear.

musicoverall
11-02-2004, 11:23 AM
Relatively speaking, the NAD was just a bit brighter, and didn't produce as warm, natural a sound as the Rotel, .

I haven't listened to anything from these two brands in years but wasn't it historically reversed - that the NAD's sounded warm and the Rotel's a bit brighter but closer to neutral than the NAD's? I'm not questioning what you heard but it would be sort of funny if the two brands sonic signature reversed themselves over the last decade or so!

kexodusc
11-02-2004, 03:16 PM
Ha ha...I get that alot...in all honesty, I found the nads bass and highs a bit too over done...the midrange seemed relatively lacking...a bit different than how I'd describe either of my older NAD integrateds, which tend to have rich bass and pleasing mids...and are a bit on the warm side of the spectrum...borderline they can be a bit low in detail at lower volumes.

I've never actually heard any Rotel gear other than my integrated so, but I was told they were either bright, or neutral...I'd say it was brighter than some of the others I tried out, but it seemed more evenly balanced than the NAD, that's for sure.
Again, this was all done on MY speakers, so take it for what it's worth, but the NAD was DEFINITELY brighter than the Rotel.

Some people have suggested to me that the newer front ends on NAD integrateds and their pre-amps have changed a bit over the years and their power amps still retain their signature sound? I don't go that that far into it...mostly I just go with a subconscious gut feeling of what sounds best rather than WHY it sounds best.