Rich,
I have never heard that particular amp. However I have a demo Cary Cinema 5 (200 x 5) & a Rotel 1080 amp at home now for demo purposes. My speakers are Klipsch RF-7 & RF-5. Have had the Cary for weeks now & have only had the Rotel since Fri., but have had long listening sessions on Fri & yesterday. Also have swapped between different components for input on the rotel amp (Cary Cinema 6 pre/pro, Denon 2805 & Rotel RC-1070) & a Denon 2910 DVD & Rotel RCD 1072. Following caveat - the Rotel appears fairly fresh out of the box when I received it, and may not be broke in. If I read correctly, you have a 1080 so any guidance you might offer on it's breakin period would be appreciated. Unfortunately, my demo time with the Rotel components ends Tuesday evening, so if amp is not broke in now will be little time for that to occur between now & Tues.
The difference between the Cary amp & Rotel amp is immediately apparent, regardless of components or source material, with the exception of certain classical music. Difficult to discern a difference w/ Dvorak's New World Symphony between the 2 amps. However, add vocals, and the difference is night & day. The Cary does a much better job with vocals, both male & female. The Rotel is also more forward, bordering on bright, to outright sharp with some cd's. The brightest was Rotel RC 1070, RCD 1072 & 1080 combo, to the point that listening at my normal level was uncomfortable. Not as bright with the Denon 2805 & 2910, and even less bright with the Cary Cinema 6 & 2910 or the Rotel CD player. The Cary amp is not bright or forward, precise & detailed, and exceptional with vocals.
Obviously, still in the process of tinkering, & seeing what sounds best hooked to what. My best advice when thinking about buying an amp is to demo it first with your components & speakers. I am still hopeful that I can find a combo where the Rotel amp shines, as the price is substantially less than the Cary. (If I purchase a Rotel amp will be the RMB-1095, but no one has a demo currently).
Has anyone heard a direct comparison between the Rotel 1080 & 1090 in the same system? Curious to know what the sound differences are between the 1080 at 2x200 & the 1090 at 2x380.