bignasty27 Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 Hi Folks, Cant decide between the Rotel 1095 or the B&K 7250. Im running the full Klipsch RF7 lineup. They are roughly the same price but was hoping I could get the opinions of actual owners. I have the Rotel rb 1080 right now and enjoy the sound but feel that something is lacking especially at lower volumes perhaps a higher current amp? Have read numerous threads outlining the positives of each but need something to put me on one side or the other. We enjoy a 50-50 split between music and HT. Would be open to other suggestions as well. Prefer a 5 channel rather than a 3 and 2 split due to the lack of space in my wall unit. Thanks, look forward to your suggestions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkp Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 I have the B&K Reference 7270 which is most likely identical to the 7250 but with an extra two channels. It is powering my RF-7s and sounds fantastic. I've never heard a Rotel amp on Klipsch so I am not much use to you in that regard but the B&K works very well in my setup. If you are in MI you would be welcome to come by and listen. My amp is built like a tank and has a gain control on the back for each channel. It runs fairly hot so you will want to have a fair amount of ventilation around it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bignasty27 Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 Thanks for your inout. Just curious, how is your B&K at lower volumes? Do you really need to crank it up to get a detailed sound? Looking for that in your face type of sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bignasty27 Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 Thanks DKP for your input. Is anyone running the Sunfire 5 channel with the RF7's as I have heard good things about that amp but would like to know how it compares with the Rotel and the B&K. Looking for that in your face type of sound. DKP, how is the amp at lower volumes? I find the the Rotel does not do well at lower volumes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PYRO Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 I owned a RMB-1095 with my RF-7 lineup. Both sold now but I wish that I would have went with the B & K. Good luck in your search...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhenry Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 I have a B&K 200.5 S2 which is their newest model, but I understand the changes were just cosmetic. Not sure how it would compare to the model you are looking at but I can say that this amp is absolutly outstanding at ANY volume. I looked at Rotel when I bought this amp and all it took was one listen to the B&K and I was sold. The sound and especially the build quality is far superior to the Rotel. B&K is made in Buffalo, New York, too. An added bonus! What kind of pre amp are you using? That will also affect the sound you are searching for. Good luck. Just a side note: This amp draws a buttload of current- I have a dedicated 20 amp circuit for it and it trips the breaker on start up. I just leave it on all the time and have had exactly ZERO problems. Great amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkp Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Thanks for your inout. Just curious, how is your B&K at lower volumes? Do you really need to crank it up to get a detailed sound? Looking for that in your face type of sound. How does it sound at lower volumes? Ummm, quieter! [] It sounds great at low volumes. I would have a hard time finding fault with this amp other than like bhenry mentioned, it does draw a ton of juice. I run a trigger between the pre-amp and the amp so the amp power switch is always in the "on" position (although it's not drawing much juice) and then it powers up with the pre-amp. I believe that this method keeps the "reserves" of the amp full so that it doesn't draw nearly as much current when it powers up via the trigger as it would by simply turning it on. When I first got it into my rack I was simply turning it on when I was using it. I tripped the circuit a few times and then switched to the trigger and haven't tripped it since. I don't believe that there is much difference beyond cosmetics between the amp you are looking at and the current Reference 200.5 S2 version other than the individual channel gain controls on the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bignasty27 Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 Thanks DKP, Im sure you know what I was asking when I asked about the lower volume sound. I understand that it is quieter but was more interested in the details at lower volume. I just received the Onkyo SC885 Pre amp but haven't hooked it up yet because I am waiting on the amp obviously and for my Toshiba XA2 DVD Player. Hopefully I will have made a decision on an amp by next week and I am leaning towards the B&K. Anyone compared the Sunfire to the B&K? 5 channel 200w models. I guess I will stay away from Rotel after reading the previous posts. Thanks for the info and would love more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhenry Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 You won't be sorry with the B&K. I haven't heard the Sunfire so I can't comment, but I do listen to the B&K every day (I'm listening right now!!) and I just love this equipment more and more everytime I listen to it. Probably not related, but I used to have the Sunfire MarkIV (?) subwoofer. I kept blowing up the driver in it (three times!!) before I finally gave up on it. That little sub was sweet when it worked but not reliable at all. I'm not saying that goes for all Sunfire products- but after that experience I haven't bought any Sunfire equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkp Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 bignasty-check your pm's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelerFan Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 I have the B&K 200.5 and am very happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwillwalk Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 i went from denon to b&k ref 50 & 200.7 & i never knew how good my speakers were until then.....at any volume it sounnd s great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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