I don’t have a great deal to say about the RSP-1572’s intrinsic sound quality, because it was essentially transparent — a Very Good Thing, and in fact the highest praise for any audio component. Stereo music sounded as good as the source material. In the case of a high-rez title like Donald Fagen’s Morph the Cat (from a 96/24 HDtracks.com download), this was superb. As Fagen has done for some 30 years now, he pretty much sets the standard for squeaky-clean studio production on Morph the Cat, and the Rotel presented these meticulously arranged and obsessively recorded tracks in all their glory. A cut like “Mary Shut the Garden Door” was stereo audio at its best: transparent and deep, with pronounced details like delicate cymbal attacks, and a woody bass-strings “bite” that I only hear from properly reproduced high-rez files.
Irritatingly, however, the Rotel RSP-1572’s HDMI-format digital-audio output muted on even the briefest no-signal condition, and then required a half-second or so to unmute. The result: Nearly all CDs, and even my streaming music, were shorn of the opening half-second or so of almost every track, even when allowed simply to play through — a bit of a deal-breaker in my estimation. (This applied only to signals arriving via HDMI; both optical and coaxial digital inputs did not exhibit the cutoff.) Rotel told me it’s aware of the syndrome, and the solution it proposes to concerned owners is to set up a second input from their disc player (or other source), via optical or coaxial instead of HDMI for music listening. Sensible enough, I suppose, but it also reintroduces one bit of complication that HDMI was supposed to eliminate. The Rotel’s surround-music options include, a bit oddly, onboard decoding for high-rez PCM signals delivered by the nearly defunct DVD-Audio format, but not for the still-kicking, if admittedly somewhat moribund, SACD one. Listening to multichannel SACDs requires that you set up your player to first decode the DSD bitstream and convert it to PCM, or to use a multicable analog connection.
The RSP-1572 does incorporate Dolby PLIIz, whose “height” dimension, though conceived for film sound, can do some interesting things for surround-music reproduction. The most valuable, to my ear, is to contribute a greater sense of scale on large- hall recordings. The thrilling way that hall sound “bloomed” on the hammer blows in the “Death of Tybalt” scene from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet (from an old Telarc CD) was literally hair-raising when heard with PLIIz engaged.
Less thrilling were Rotel’s four proprietary DSP-surround modes. Named, with unusual restraint, DSP-1 through -4, these simulate progressively “larger” spaces but were without exception so clangorous and boingy-sounding as to be utterly useless. Rotel would have done better to leave them off.
I cannot believe this magazine allows a company like Rotel to continue to put out inferior products at a premium price and stoop enough even to review this POC. Can anyone say "advertising"?? I do not own this overpriced inferior performer but even from reading this poorly written article I can say, never will. Dropout problem between audio modes not a big deal. Oh yeah...big deal here guys? Shall I go on?
I agree with Mike Conley, I owned the Rotel for about 2 months it looks great and sounds okay and way overpriced. The farouda Processor is out of date,the picture quality is so Bad, why have a processor at all, Bryston doesn't, and if you do it would be nice to turn it off. And wht not have a setup program? The remote is so inferior to any remote out there, On a $2300 product a $5 remote just doesn't cut it. Rotel has very nice ads in your magazine but come-on man any receiver from Yamaha, Denon, Integra, and Pioneer Elite is far superior at half the price!
To add to my comments above:
I have a Pre Pro twice the features and $800 cheaper. (Integra DHC 40.2) This is one of the reasons for the decline of the mid-high end audio industry. iuliucra is witness to what I say here. I have been an S & V subscriber since late 70s (Stereo Review) and they have declined with the industry. that is unfortunate.
Um, thanks for the input. A few points here:
1) @MikeConley, @iuliucra :Rotel hasn't been a regular advertiser in S+V for years, so any claim that "advertising" influenced the outcome of this review has no factual basis. (And @MikeConley, as a longtime S+V subscriber, you could have easily fact-checked that before taking your cheap shot.)
2) @MikeConley: S+V has no control over what products a company puts out, and it's ludicrous to assert otherwise. It is safe to say, however, that any product that's been offered up for sale is fair game for a review.
3) @MikeConley: "Dropout problem between audio modes not a big deal..." The review cites the HDMI muting issue as being both irritating and a bit of a deal-breaker. Btw, S+V's is the only professional review I know of that calls attention to this issue in the current Rotel series. Scour the other reviews sitting on the Web and you'll see what I mean.
4) @iuliucra: The review is clearly critical of the RSP-1572's remote control. It even states that "any but the cheapest of today’s A/V receivers will outdo it." So what, then, is your point? Oh, right, it's that advertising dollars -- a non-starter argument in this case -- determines the content of our reviews.
Mr Griffen, I've subscribed to Sound & Vision, Home Theater, Absolute Sound & Stereophile mags for many years and one thing I know is advertising in a mag gets you reviews. A friend on mine has a small High End audio company and would to get his equipment reviewed, He approached one of the mags and they told him that he would have to start advertising in their mag. A few years ago Yamaha stopped advertising in Home Theater mag.for whatever reason. Guess what none of their equipment was reviewed during that time. About 2 years ago they started to advertise again in HT and low and behold their equipment is getting reviewed again. So don;t tell advertising dollars determines reviews, I know you can;t agree with me but I know you know it's true.
@iuliucra : Do you really think you're in a position to be lecturing anyone about truth? My response took you to task for saying something that was false: that Rotel "has very nice ads" in S+V. But instead of acknowledging that fact, here you come again making unsubstantiated claims and inferring that I "can't agree with you" because of my position.
What is the name of this "small High End company," and what is the name of your friend who owns it? I look forward to reading your response because it would be the first real bit of information that you've contributed so far to this "discussion."
Great article. Looks like a very nice surround sound system and would make a great fit in your home theater. Having a surround sound system like this one is great and can easily be hooked up with universal remotesthat can give your home theater great value. Thanks for sharing.
Matt@ Winnetka Custom Home Theater
I own the 1570, and i find it to be one of the nicest sounding units i have heard ! And i have owned Marantz SR7002, Cambridge 651R and demoed lots of others before i making my next choice... The HDMI drop out is in minimal And not as bad as the Cambridge unit. Tho i did really like the sound of the Cambridge. Hoping to hear the new 751R.
Calling the Rotel overpriced inferior performer, U need your fucking head examined...
(MikeConley) Your an idiot...
Good Review
Think i might upgrade my 1570 to the 1572
I for one am gratified to finally read a review that mentions the muting of audio at the start of every track. Had I known about this before buying it would have been a deal breaker. I bought the 1572 for it's audio performance, which I rather quite like. The utter transparency and dynamic range is fantastic for it's price but listening to music has become so unenjoyable i have simply given up. When I can get the money to replace it, I will
At one time Mike Sheehan at Rotel promised the company was working on a fix. i guess they gave up or lost interest. As have I.