Great sound

quality control

The RSX-965 sound is exceptional for the price however quality control is pretty ordinary (by my experience).

Have had three units so far with different problems:

unit 1 developed an intermittent crackling noise through speakers after a few weeks,

unit 2 would briefly short out the receiver when using an input source on video2 jacks,

unit 3 has problems with some DTS encoded sources (maybe the others had the same problem).

The last problem is significant in that it appears to be a design fault with the receiver. I only discovered it with the "Gladiator" DVD where there are passages of intense (not necessarily loud) sound. The receiver would drop out the DTS signal intermittently because it couldn't seem to cope with the processing. The only other DTS disk I have is the Eagles "Hell freezes over". I had no problems with this - but it is very acoustic and laid back without a lot of intensity. The Rotel dealer now tells me that this amp has a known problem with DTS decoding because it was designed prior to DTS standards being clear (don't know if this is a good excuse). Rotel have now offered me their newer model when available with a reduced upgrade price.

At least Rotel have been good with their responses as I have not had any problems in getting replacement units etc.

I must say that I am sick of having to replace the unit as it takes a good few hours to disconnect/connect - as well as the inconvenience.

All in all I wish I'd bought the equivalent Denon (but the Rotel sounds better and cost less!).

beautiful sound

dts problems, have to guess at speaker delay times, no digital outs, 20 bit dac's

sounded absolutely beautiful. blew away my previous favorite denon. but this unit continues to have problems. won't automatically detect dts movies, you have to cycle the input select to analog, and then back to auto. problem will reappear if you begin movie again, or go to another one.when will rotel get it's act together and get this thing working right? if they did, the'd have a hands down winner on my hands. as it is, my dealer discounted this $200, no doubt i'm sure , in order to spur on sales that have probably been dropping as more people have bought, or hear about problem models. i got an email from someone who had the same problem with their pre/pro version. gonna give them the benefit of the doubt,and let my dealer try to fix it, as it sounds so sweet,but one more strike, and rotel's out.5 stars if it worked. they've had enough time to get this right.

Similar Products Used:

hk 300,500, yamaha 995, denon 3300, integra dtr7, onkyo 676, marantz 880mkII

Sound quality, flexibility, Rotel Customer Service

None

I purchased the RSX 965 last month from our Rotel dealer Audio Alternative here in Ft. Collins. My first unit was defective when I brought it home. Switching between sources and increasing volume resulted in white noise. Rotel Customer Service was very responsive as was my local dealer, diagnosis from Rotel was most likely bad DAC's. The second unit works perfect.

I previously had a Denon Pro-logic unit that was nearly 7 years old. I demoed the Denon 3300, and although I liked the Denon quality the sound was no match to the Rotel when compared. I listen 50/50 music to HT and this unit clearly outperforms any other products in this price range.

The Rotel remote also works with my Denon CD player which previous reviews were critical of. I believe Rotel has recently taken care of handeling multiple brands of CD players through the remote that comes with the RSX965.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300

Build quality and sound.
4 digital ins (2 coax, 2 optical)
5 S-video in

No component video ins/outs
No digital outs
Remote doesn't operate very many CD players

I have had my unit for 9 months now and have been very pleased with it. Its sound approaches that of separates. I have the receiver mated to B&W CDM series speakers. At the time I purchased it (Feb), it was one of the very few receivers that had everything that I was looking for in terms of features (DD/DTS, 4 digital ins, 5 S-video ins). It seemed like Rotel put the money into the features I wanted and left out the ones that I would not need (lotsa DSPs, multi-room capability). The remote is pretty good too although my only complaint is that it does not have the ability to operate very many brands of CD players.

I did not have the quality problems that were reported with the earlier models with regards to video or audio.

When it's working a great receiver, excels as a stereo source, excellent HT performance, both ProLogic and DD, ample inputs and outputs. Good built in Amp for a receiver.

Hiss with 1st unit I bought, remote is unwieldy and menu interface really sucks as the frequently used buttons are oddly placed and inordinately small.

First unit had a high freq hiss which was readily audible and extremely annoying, especially in a fairly expensive piece of equipment. Was given a reboot procedure (cause was allegedly a bad dsp chip). Must have been it since reboot solved the problem, for a few hours anyway. Rotel replaced the unit (through my dealer) with a later production model that they claimed to have replaced the bad chip on and no more problems. Since then it has functioned flawlessly. Not much to say, it drives my speakers well on it's on, works great as a preamp to the dedicated amp I upgraded to, Stereo mode is on par with dedicated stereo pre's, and surround sound modes all kick. It's a solid performing piece of equipment (now) that satisfies all my listening needs with it's versatility. Would've gotten 5 stars if not for the initial problems.

Similar Products Used:

NAD, Yamaha, Marantz, Denon

astonishing sound and imaging.
connectivity. value for money

none so far

What a superb piece this is. Whether it is running in stereo, DSP or theatre modes,(5.1 or DTS), the sound and imaging is never less than totally engaging, beautifully controlled and utterly convincing, with seemingly limitless reserves of power.
At present I am running this piece with Celestion speakers, an Arcam DVD player, a Rega CD and an antique Linn Sondek turntable, and what a pleasure it is to listen to my vinyl records thanks to the phono input.
Although this was not the most expensive piece I auditioned it was easily superior to the others regarding sound and versatility. I must say that touchwood, I have had none of the problems beset by the other unfortunate reviewers on this site, perhaps I got the good one.

Similar Products Used:

NAD. DENON. MARANTZ

Soundstage, imaging, design, connections and quality

none

My system comprises:
Celestion SL700 speakers (front)
Acoustic Energy Aegis centre
AMC powered subwoofer
Celestion rear speakers
Pioneer 717 DVD
Rega Planet CD player
Sony WEGA 80cm TV

With this system I have found the Rotel to be absolutely outstanding regarding surround sound reproduction and the all important stereophonic depth and imaging. I heartily recommend this piece to anyone who loves their sound.

Similar Products Used:

Nakamichi AV10
Nad

Its great!

I feel sorry for all the people that have problems with this receiver, because I absolutely love it! I had a Yamaha DSP-A3090 and it sounded like complete junk compared with the Rotel. I have had my receiver for almost 3 weeks and with the exception of a little video jitter I have had absolutely no problems. If you're looking for a receiver with lots of DSP's and other useless crap you may not enjoy this receiver but, if you are looking for a receiver that sounds good w/ dolby digital, DTS, and six-channel outputs this a fantatasic receiver. The remote control with unit is easy to use and fairly intuitive, the only drawback is the CD button can only be programmed to use with other Rotel CD players.I definatly recommend this receiver to anyone that's interested in good sound and a good price($1200).

I took the plunge and purchased this unit after an extended investigation, choosing it over the Yamaha, Nakamichi, Denon, and Marantz receivers. I was considering going with separates, since musicality is more important to me than movie performance, but the sound of this receiver just blew me away!! It took a day or so for the sound to mellow, but in the three months I've owned it,it's never failed to impress!!
The DSP modes are OK for some, but I find that I just use pro-logic for AV and straight stereo, or three-stereo (to enable the sub), for music. The more I listen to this unit, the more impressed I am!! I can't say enough about the detail in the sound-stage, and the depth of the sound.

System includes mirage OM-10, OM-C2, PS-12 speakers, Sony CD, and Expressvu/Echostar DBS. 5 stars for performance at a reasonable price!!