Should I live another semester of poverty?

[Joey_V]

I wonder.... should I?

Dave (Twich) and I had been working on his Rotel 1090 deal.... I'm just not sure if I'm up for another semester of sandwiches and ramen (seriously). Should I or shouldnt I?

All Dave needs is my "go button" and the 1090 is all mine, however, as of now, I told him to post it on the 'gon as I dont want to hold him up much longer.... so, the question remains:

Should I live in poverty again or not?

 

[SugarMedia]

I wonder.... should I?

Dave (Twich) and I had been working on his Rotel 1090 deal.... I'm just not sure if I'm up for another semester of sandwiches and ramen (seriously). Should I or shouldnt I?

All Dave needs is my "go button" and the 1090 is all mine, however, as of now, I told him to post it on the 'gon as I dont want to hold him up much longer.... so, the question remains:

Should I live in poverty again or not?

Yes, you should... Suffer Joey, suffer. Remember, "Pain is weakness leaving the body."

 

[TheBobGoat]

I say - Yes --- it forces you to live cheaper anyway, so that is good
unless i buy it off audiogon first

 

[Reverb]

There is always another deal; it’s just how long your willing to wait for it.

I say if your willing to make the sacrifice then Yes go for it.

 

[kach22i]

"Pain is weakness leaving the body."

That's a great line, where is it from?

Joey_V, school first, play later....................keep your eyes on the prize.

 

[SugarMedia]

That's a great line, where is it from?

It's an old military quote that I used for a Mexican restuarant advertisment.

Pain is weakness leaving the body.
...Make mine extra hot and spicy."

Let's just hope Joey doesn't say it to some future patient.

 

[DTB300]

I wonder.... should I?
All Dave needs is my "go button" and the 1090 is all mine, however, as of now, I told him to post it on the 'gon as I dont want to hold him up much longer.... so, the question remains: Should I live in poverty again or not?

From the 1070 to the 1090 you will gain 4-5dB's due to the power differences. The Vantage are very efficient and will play quite loud with the 1070. Do you think you will need to play them louder? Are you a volume freek? Do you live by the "Ted Nugent" guage of volume levels?

The design of the 1090 is different than the 1070 (Dual Transformers, XLR & RCA, etc.), but does that equate to better sound? What do you think you will get for the 1070 when you sell it and how much will the 1090 cost you - do the math between the two and is that price worth it for the differences you may encounter?

Could you pick up another 1070 down the road (one on Audiogon now for $500) and run them in Mono getting essentially a 1090 power ability, for less than the cost of your 1070 sold and buying the 1090?

Many questions to think about besides just the purchase price.

Dan

 

[AudioFanKJ]

In hopes of not upsetting any Rotel faithful here...

JoeyV - as you know the Vantages are self powered for the woofer section, which opens up an entirely new genre of amps comparatively speaking with their past designs.

Unless you are determined to buy a Rotel, I would encourage you to look elsewhere. Quality of sonics, over Quantity of power will always be noticable on a stat. Even on a budget, there are many, many good amps that I would be certain would drive your Vantages well.

Take a look at other threads, where other members are using very low power (in comparison 40-60 watt) tube amplifiers on their Summits...

Again, please forgive me if you are committed to the Rotel. I don't know any type of deal you have worked out on it, but I am assuming you are around the $1,000-$1,200 price range? I am also not certain if you are avoiding tubes as well as matching with your preamp. However, let us know. I would be more than happy to point you in a direction in that price range (tube or solid state) that will most likely easily outperform the Rotel in sonics.

Again, the entire presentation is "system dependant" and will only be as good as your "weakest link"... Incredible speakers, Incredible amp, Incredible preamp, etc with weak front end or weak interconnects/speaker wire will show.

Good luck on the journey.

Oh and to answer your question - yeah go for the sacrifice, Ramen noodles aren't that bad, and when I was back in college I paid my dues on the noodles for a new pair of SL3's. However, make sure your sacrifice for a new peice of gear is a stellar performer at the price point you are willing to spend.

 

[Jeff Zaret]

Joey,

I would have to agree with Dan and AudioFankJ here. You already have an amp that should power the Vantages fine. I know the thought of owning a bigger amp is enticing but look at all your options here. You could get a tube amp or a really good used tube pre to match with the Rotel for now.

Patience "Grasshopper"

Jeff

 

[DTB300]

I would have to agree with Dan and AudioFankJ here. You already have an amp that should power the Vantages fine. I know the thought of owning a bigger amp is enticing but look at all your options here. You could get a tube amp or a really good used tube pre to match with the Rotel for now.

Yes, the 125 watt Rotel will be more than enough power for the Vantages...again depending on your listening level preferences

Jeff also made good point(s). Adding a nice Tube Pre to replace the Rotel Pre will get you improved and better sonic changes than going from the 1070 to the 1090. Patience....think it out....look at your options....evaluate all options and their plus and minues....then make your move.

Dan

 

[Khanhrad]

Joey, I have to agree with Kach22i. "Keep your eyes on the prize"... Having been in your situation myself, I know it is tough. But then again, if by having an awesome system now that will help relieve some stress and help you refocus, then go for it.

 

[Craig]

I agree with the above posts. You won't gain much if anything by going to a bigger Rotel on the Vantages. You'll just have more of the same thing you already have. Your Vantages are not starving for more power. I've driven my Summits with a 15W Cary CAD 300SEI (15W) and an Art Audio Carissa (16W) and they both sound better (to my ears) than the 2 monoblock 220w SS amps I'm using now.

I say go for it but for not with another Rotel for Vantages or Summits. At 92db sensitivity they need much power especially if driven with tube power. Besides, you won't get fat if you spend all your $ on audio gear. I'm trying the high-end audio diet myself but apparently, I still need to buy more gear.

 

[MarkNewbie]

I wonder.... should I?

Dave (Twich) and I had been working on his Rotel 1090 deal.... I'm just not sure if I'm up for another semester of sandwiches and ramen (seriously). Should I or shouldnt I?

All Dave needs is my "go button" and the 1090 is all mine, however, as of now, I told him to post it on the 'gon as I dont want to hold him up much longer.... so, the question remains:

Should I live in poverty again or not?

Joey,

Your answer lies within the question itself. Simply, the fact that you are asking the question should give you the answer.

 

[Yang1815]

the music sounds better when you're in poverty

you'll also believe that it's all worth it!

 

[socialxray]

"Pain is Love"
- Ja Rule

 

[kwr]

I recall you saying that you are heading to a big set of exams. On noodles and sandwiches...Sorry Joey get a grip - how much will failing exams cost you.

Check out the overall picture. That sound of beating hooves- it is not a zebra.

Kevin

 

[Joey_V]

Check out the overall picture. That sound of beating hooves- it is not a zebra.

Kevin

Kevin,

You got that from Scrubs didnt you? Hehehe.... oh yeah, and I remember that the disease the guy had wasnt KURU even though JD thought it.

To the rest of my friends,

Anyway, man... dont really know - I could push it but its going to be like another 2 months of stinginess... I know an amp would push the Vantage further and I figured since I'm familiar with the Rotel sound and I like it, might as well take it to the next level of the same house sound - tighten the image up, bring forth the stage a little more and deepen it at the same time, bring out a bit more balance.... something to that extent is what I was looking for with the 1090. Just dont know if the improvement is worth another 2 months of suffering.

Having said that, here are some things on my mind (some may actually surprise you):

1. An amp - 1090, as everyone knows by now.
2. A new sub - preferably something along the lines of a Velodyne DD-12/15. Bring down the extension to the lower 20s and upper teens, couple that with Servo support and Room correction, wow!
3. Sell the Vantage and go for the Summits (used)... I have one nearby that I could pick up for about $2000 more than I paid for my Vantage. But my problem with this one is that the dealer doesnt accept returns and selling would be my only option.

Not really sure what kind of a loss I'm looking at here with a Vantage sale.

As shocking as it may seem, I am considering option 3 heavily. The Summits are just ridiculously good... and getting it would pretty much end my audio stint for a long long time. Another thing is that I wouldnt need to get a sub at all for 2-channel (and I'm not building an HT around ML so this shouldnt be a problem). Lastly, I know that in 2 years time, the first thing I'll spend my residency checks on would be a Summit... so why not make it a reality sooner? Hehehe....

I'm just blabbering now... .

 

[aliveatfive]

Joey -

Just don't go into hock to pursue the dream. Who knows what the future will bring as far as new technology is concerned. Good luck with the quest and remember - immediate gratification is sometimes a bad move. (I wish I could remember this myself.)

 

[Joey_V]

Joey -
remember - immediate gratification is sometimes a bad move. (I wish I could remember this myself.)

You make excellent sense.

 

[DTB300]

I know an amp would push the Vantage further and I figured since I'm familiar with the Rotel sound and I like it, might as well take it to the next level of the same house sound - tighten the image up, bring forth the stage a little more and deepen it at the same time, bring out a bit more balance.... something to that extent is what I was looking for with the 1090. Just dont know if the improvement is worth another 2 months of suffering.

If you have ever heard the 1070 compared to the 1090 and can honestly say the differences you state will occur, then it should be a no-brainer. But if you are making a guess (hope) on the change and the life style it will put you in, then you might want to reconsider.

The other option is stay with the 1070 model (since you are familiar with the sound) and purchase another for $500 used to get more power by going Mono.

Have you any dealers near you to be able to audition some amps once you get your Vantage to see what type of different sound you could get for the money you are willing to spend? You may be surprised on what another model may sound like.

Man, I hate to see you drop the $$$ on the 1090 and find out that it is very close or almost identical to the 1070.

My opinion on the Vantage: Stick with the Vantage for now, as I feel they are 80% of the performance of the Summits - panels are very very close...bass is better on the Summit. Aliveatfive made a great point..once you have that "Dr." title, who knows what will be out there technology wise in the way of ML's or some other company you may fall in love with.

Dan