I recently picked up a Rotel RX-1050 receiver at a great price.
At the time, the seller demo'd the same music on an ATI-2004, which he also had for sale.
The sound of the 2004 was significantly better than the Rotel, though I opted for the receiver due to price and the fact that with the ATI, I'd have to deal with a preamp set up in order to hook up my turntable, etc. This is a set up for 2 channel (vs. HT).
After a few weeks with the Rotel (which I really like) I'm still thinking about the ATI.
Given my current budget constraints, and the need for new speakers, I'm wondering if I can use the Rotel as my preamp. It has pre-outs, so thinking this might be an option.
My concern is that by using the receiver the sound profile of the Rotel would impact / degrade the better sound of ATI. Would this be the case? What I liked about the ATI is that it seemed to have more "weight", and sounded like it didn't have to try very hard to drive the speakers, providing a wide, detailed image at pretty low volumes.
It may be better to just hold on to the Rotel for now, and spend a bit more $$ on speakers (Sierra 2 vs. Sierra 1), then upgrade the amp with a dedicated quality preamp at a later date.
All thoughts and opinions welcomed and appreciated.