Receiver Upgrade - Denon vs. Rotel

Ok. I admit it, what am I missing. I'm fat, dumb and I drink alot. Now, don't you judge me!

Hey drinking is the best tweek I have ever done.
After every drink my system sounds better.

My advice... Marantz SR8599, Rotel 1056 or Aracam AVR300...!

hate to add the confusion, but i second the arcam avr300..it is a real giant killer, very good 2 channel audio and great video processing.

I ran a friend’s Rotel RSX-1056 for a week and then tried the Denon AVR-5803A. The 5803A was a bit of a pain to setup but I felt the sound was at least AS GOOD as the Rotel ... in fact better. I'm running the Paradigm Signature S4's and S2's in the rear with a C3 center and a Seismic 12 sub. I purchased the 5803A used for less than the Rotel 1056 new ($1400). I see the 5803A going for about $1500-2000 and the Rotel RSX-1056 are $1100 or better used the RSX-1067 is $1800 or better used and a whole lot more new - I feel like going past the $1800 point starts to get close to the cost of separates which will yield a better overall sound and more flexibility. The Denon AVR-5803 - is one series back from the current AVR-5805 ($6000) but supports 7.1 and has about a million inputs ... is extremely configurable and has an impressive sound for a receiver.

After about two months of playing I came up with this:

The RSX-1067 is the sonic winner but the price point is too high to justify and the feature list is basic. They are hard to find used and sellers often refuse to budge on price. Lots and lots of AVR-5803's and people seem to be willing to deal.

The Rotel RSX-1056 didn’t have the features or inputs I needed and didn’t gain anything in the sound department. The friend that I borrowed it from is running Paradigm Reference 40's and ADP's - Very impressive setup for what he paid. Movies are incredible and really solid music playback.

The Denon AVR-5803A seemed to have it all; lots of inputs, impressive sound and a skilled audio hunter could probably work a deal for $1300(ish) ... It has 7.1 which is all I will ever want and I'm now running the front channels out into a tubed setup through a Mark Levinson 23.5. I can go from Movies to incredible 2 channel sound with the flip of a button. I have effectively taken two systems and packed them into one.

I dont think I will touch the HT side for quite a while. It can have you shaking in your boots !!! Master and Commander was almost too much (gulp) and audio concert DVD's (Dave Matthews Band) have a fantastic sound quality and sweet detailed video. I have three component inputs as well as a composite and svideo. The 5803A media converts it all to a single component video out and the video/audio switching works flawlessly. I also like the way you can assign any of the 11 digital inputs to any of the audio inputs. It's flexible and if you take the time to figure it out can be customized into just about any setup. I will be trying out the 6 channel DVD-A inputs next (cables on order). I cant imagine being any happier.

Hope this helps