Ease of use, AV connections, price

Documentation, sound quality on music

I bought this as part of a discounted package with the Rotel 985 amp. Total cost was $1600. I really had done little research into HT and hadn't auditioned much, but could hear that the Rotel components sounded good on HT. In the store, the dealer had a good two channel set-up (B&W CDM1SE as L + R) and paired the main speakers with a good quality subwoofer.

Since I was buying the Rotel gear primarily for HT, I did not seriously audition the 965 on music. Too bad. I have since made the Rotel stack my primary electronics for both music HT. Since I have not heard the noise mentioned in other reviews, I may have a unit that doesn't have this characteristic. On the plus side, my RTC-965 has been quiet and produces a detailed and clean sound. Imaging is fine and it is generally a nuetral, if thin sounding pre-amp. However, it does not even begin to approach the sound quality of high-end two channel preamps (even the cheaper 2 channel preamps). For logistical reasons, I am using it for music now, but will upgrade it as soon as I can.

It is very good for home theatre. Movie soundtracks are balanced and the 965 does a good job in separating the channels and providing a satisfying HT experience. My 965/985 stack certainly sounds better than all the mid-fi gear out there, and that is why I bought it. If you are looking for a "value" audiophile or "entry level" audiophile grade HT pre-amp, the RTC-965 is a good choice for getting started in HT. I suggest you maintain your current two channel electronics, upgrading to a two channel preamp with an A/V loop for your main front speakers.

The pre-amp is not very dynamic, and I have to get the volume up to a good level to create a believeable multi-channel sound-stage. But it performs well once there.

In sum, I bought this for getting started in HT, and plan to use it in a bedroom home theatre setup when I upgrade. It is a competent performer that sounds better than all the cheap gear and many pricier A/V receivers. It is easy to use once set up. The only problem I have to report is that every now and then it loses the source signal from my VCR or DVD and has to be reset by turning it off. This has only happened a few times, but if it continues much more I'll take it in for servicing.

Recommended for starting out, but save your pennies and buy a used B&K unit if you can.

Similar Products Used:

auditioned B&K, Lexicon DC1

Easy to use and sounds great

None yet

I have read all through here about the noise and I have the Mark II amp combo and no noise. Everybody that hear's my systems wants one. I have B&W 601's and a CC6 center with a Definetive Technologies sub. The fuse did blow on mine but that's not the end of the world. I love this system and would recommend it to anyone. I though the manual was ok. I if you buy something like this you should be able to hook it up with out one, come on guys.