bpplaysguitar

Paired with my CF4s, the whole thing sounds robust and generally awesome. No complaints. The Bluetooth feature is nice to have, and I really don't use a lot of what it has to offer, just optical and Bluetooth. I like how the preamp can trigger the amps power. I personally think the series is beautiful as well. Disclaimer, my HiFi ownership is limited to the Rotel I had from 2007, and this rig. In terms of speakers, similarly a set of Martin Logans in '07 and now these CF4s. I haven't bought and sold as much gear as perhaps the average forum member. If I like it, I tend to just keep it and enjoy it.

BTW I have historically been somewhat of a tight *** as well, but I have recently changed careers so I'm doing better now than before, and also since I just bought a house, all this gear is barely a drop in the bucket of my spending. I think that made it easier.

They do indeed like power, which was a big realization after getting used to my friend's various Heritage models before buying my Epics. I recently sold my 100wpc Rotel RX-1052 receiver after 15 years of reliable and pretty much daily use, so I wasn't concerned about not having a warranty. My preamp was open box on Audio Advice so that does have a warranty and I suppose that may be the more complicated product. But if a used one would have been available, I wouldn't have hesitated. The amp was used.

Old thread, but I finally bought a house, renovated it (mostly so far) and got the system settled. I added some power and these is indeed a pretty big difference. 200wpc now. A friend and I did A/B test it. It really does sound more alive.

I'm not sure how it works. But it reminds me of the time I brought my 100w guitar amp in to test speaker cabinets for it, and I told the guy at the store (who builds guitar amplifiers) I was leaving its switch on "low power" mode, 70w, and the guy told me to just keep it in full 100w mode and it will always sound fuller and fatter, even at lower volumes. I don't know the science, I'm guessing he did. And yep, my guitar amp sounded better from then on. Something similar to having more torque, regardless of whether or not you need to spool the RPMs (engine, not vinyl) up high to wring out maximum horsepower?

Thanks! You just know I can't wait to move them into their house, haha. And yes, also like instruments, half the fun is just trying different things.

Our ears weren't crunching numbers, they were listening. Nothing of reduced quality was introduced, just more quantity. But the great thing about speakers, like instruments for my friend and me, is everyone can like what they like, and everyone's right.

I don't use either of those media. I have sold the RX-1052 and bought a 200w RB-1582mkii. Interesting thing about the power. Was the 100w enough? Yeah. But I wanted to give these 300w RMS speakers more, for the sake of knowing what that would sound like (along with this new sonic signature people are raving about with Rotel compared to my old one, and some more up-to-date features like Bluetooth and a good DAC). Before someone snatched my RX-1052 off eBay, a fellow speaker-head and I did some testing at his house, where my CF4s have lived since I bought them last year (I live in small apartment, had plans to buy house, house now obtained and moving in gradually). We did some listening to my CF4s, his Fortes, and his Choruses, powered by my Rotel RX-1052, his Marantz 2230, his Marantz 2238B. All the combinations. We listened to vinyl as well as Bluetooth audio. Here's the kicker: We tried every receiver on its own power, and run into my new 200w amp, and let me tell you there is a difference between 100w and 200w. Sidenote, many have said Rotel's new stuff may be rated a little conservatively. Adding power made a difference in every speaker/receiver. Worth the price? Maybe, maybe not depending on who you are and what speakers you have, but even at modest volumes, the sound was fuller, more details within the mix jumped out, it was more dynamic. It was a fun experiment, and it got my friend, who has used nothing but 30-some watt Marantz receivers for a decade or more, considering adding a vintage Marantz amp to his main room. That same friend has always believed in what he calls "the Best Buy effect," where if you're looking at six TVs on the wall at Best Buy all together, you'll notice the differences, but any one of them alone in your home would make you happy, so don't sweat the nuances. And that's still true of that day tinkering with more power, but if we're evaluating whether there's a difference, there's a difference.

Update: Bought an RB-1582mkii and looking for an RC-1572mkii! 😀

Thank you! I have some paint/wood refinishing/kitchen renovation ideas, but I loved the potential of it.

Hey all, I'm buying a new house, and it's a very open house where I could imagine sound travel would be a real concern. I'm wondering if this big wood piece against the back half wall with about 8 inches of open space behind it does anything for acoustics, or if it's just some sort of art or design element. Strange but kind of cool thing to find in a house. It will stay either way, I'm just curious if there's any function to it.

Available

4 + (3 x 2) = 10, CF-10s!

I dig the Epic CF10s!

I drove to the same area 7 hours from me for some CF4 V2s for $1500. I suppose that price is fair in comparison for the magical, mystical V1s of the one-step-down model.

Rotel RX-1052 100 watts per channel at 8ohm. In near mint condition with no significant marks. Comes complete with remote and all original packaging including inner and outer boxes. I'm the original owner and I've had this since 2007. Not one issue with it, ever. I bought some different speakers last year and I want a little more power for them (CF-4s) so after all this time, I'm finally ready to explore some other options. Price: $400 I can take all the usual non-crypto digital payments (add a fee if there is a fee). Located in the Minneapolis, MN area and will ship at buyer's expense.

I could also go for the 120w RA-1572 mk2. Probably comes down to what I can find on the used market because these things are expensive new! My 100w RX-1052 sounds great, but I'd like some updated features as well as the additional wattage.

Hey all! What are some of your favorite integrated amplifiers/receivers to use with Epic CF4s? I'd like something that has Bluetooth and a nice quality DAC on board. Probably well over 100 watts, possibly up to 200 as I've heard these speakers like power to come alive. Thanks!

I will be in a medium sized living room in a house with the CF-4s. I guess I was thinking I needed 200w, but even if I don't now the main appeal is packaging everything I need into one box with the bluetooth and digital inputs. It would be great to get rid of all the cables and pieces I have to assemble together externally. So thats why I was leaning more towards the newer Rotel stuff. I've read reviews that the newer stuff has been improved in sound as well, which makes sense given the higher prices compared to my mid-2000s era Rotel. But yeah I'm open to other brands with modern features too.

Hey everyone! I've had my CF-4s for about a year now, and I love them. They are pictured living at my buddy's place, set up next to his gear since I've been in a small apartment the last year. But I had to jump at the chance to buy them, and in fact now I'm shopping for a house for them (okay, for me too). I have read mixed opinions as far as how many watts the CF-4s should be powered by, and currently I'm giving them 100w. I've been keeping an eye out for a used Rotel RB-1080 which is a 200w amp I could pair with it. But in my search, I came across Rotel's RA-1592, and RA-1592 Mkii. That unit presents an interesting proposition because I use an external DAC as well as external wireless casting device with my old-fashioned RX-1052, and the RA-1592 could not only upgrade my power to 200w, but could also eliminate the need to use any other external gadgets and gizmos, which would be great. Does anyone have any thoughts on the RA-1592/RA-1592 Mkii, or any other recommended units I may not know about that would also give me 200w, bluetooth, and a good DAC for digital inputs? Please keep in mind that the Rotel, at around $3k new and hopefully a bit less used, is already questionable for my budget so I'm not likely to go way over that price point. Like I said, shopping for a house right now so that's the priority for my dollars. Thanks!

I picked up my CF-4s in February for $1500. They were pretty mint and version 2, as I'd expect for that price. From what I understand, version 1 is the best, with 2 being near as makes no difference as good, and 3 being notably not as good as 1 and 2. I think my $1500 was on the high side, but like I said pretty mint, good version, and I looked for months to find a pair in the color I wanted so I was ready to jump even at that price. Here in the Minneapolis metro there are some Oak CF-3s for $800 on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/302311454620549/

Believe me I tried to think of a use for them, but I just don't need another set right now, and I'm currently unemployed - or wait, "just graduated a university-affiliated web development boot camp and am job hunting" sounds a lot better - so money's too tight for superfluous speaker purchases.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/302311454620549/ Looks like version 3 Epic CF-3s. I have the CF-4s and I keep thinking I want to grab these just because they are near me, but I really have no need for them.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/402421784641098/

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/246594920801703/ 😁