Behold II Smartphone with Android
Entered CNET Catalog: 03/08/2005
SKU: RX-1052
Manufacturer: Rotel of America
Manufacturer description
The RX-1052 conclusively proves that "stereo" is very much a part of today's world where both music and movies provide enriching entertainment for the entire family. The RX-1052 doesn't limit itself to one room either. In fact, the RX-1052's unique combination of capabilities means you can enjoy your music and video sources in many different areas of your home: the den, beside the pool, in the kitchen, or simply relaxing in the living room.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 04/28/2005
This 100-watt stereo receiver weighs 30.4 pounds--heavier than most midpriced 100-watt 6.1/7.1 channel receivers. Its beefy construction and massive power transformer and power supply humble the competition. Better yet, at 17 inches wide, 4.75 inches high, and 14.2 inches deep, the RX-1052 is a bit smaller than the majority of A/V receivers.
The skinny plastic remote breaks the high-end spell, but its buttons are logically arranged, and it's easy to use. A lot of Rotel RX-1052 buyers will use the receiver in a single room, but it can serve as the centerpiece of a four-room A/V system. It can route stereo-audio and composite-video signals to a second, a third, and a fourth room, or even be operated via home automation systems such as Xantech. You can select the source, control the volume, and select AM or FM radio stations from any wired location. To implement multiroom functionality, you'll need to run cables, buy additional amplifiers to power the speakers in each zone, and get the requisite IR repeater equipment, and you'll probably need to hire a custom installer to make it all work. We'd guess most of you will opt for Plan B, which forfeits most of the flexibility but remains a whole lot easier and more cost-effective: run a second set of speakers from the B connectors.
Beyond its multiroom capabilities, the RX-1052's connectivity options run to a total of seven stereo inputs, including provisions for a turntable, four composite-video connections, and three record loops (two with video). It's just too bad about the composite-only video switching. We know the Rotel is intended primarily for music-lovers, but at this price, we still expect S-Video or even component-video switching. On a positive note, the A/B speaker connectors deserve special mention: they're the sort of gold-plated, extrasturdy, solid-metal, banana-plug-compatible binding posts we see on high-end power amplifiers.
Finally, you can't beat the hands-on functionality of the RX 1052's rotary bass and treble controls. Power is rated at 100 watts per channel for 8-ohm speakers. The Rotel RX-1052 is pricey. It's almost twice as expensive Harman Kardon's HK 3840 stereo receivers, but during our comparison of the three, the RX-1052's sonic superiority became clear. James Taylor's vocals and guitar sounded more believably present, and the stereo imaging was more spacious. The RX-1052's advantages were even more obvious when we indulged in our rock & roll fantasies with Aerosmith's Honkin' On Bobo CD. The Denon and the HK never flinched, but the Rotel's greater bass oomph came to the fore, and Joe Perry's guitar jumped out of the dense mix with greater precision. Once we got used to the Rotel, there was no turning back.
Convinced of the RX-1052's soul-satisfying musicality, we moved onto the home-theater portion of the review with the Spider-Man 2 DVD. It was a real test of the RX-1052's stamina, but the receiver's 100 watts per channel felt very powerful, and kept us fully immersed in Peter Parker's world. The low-level ambience of the street noise in those early scenes in Peter's Queens, NY neighborhood sounded especially realistic, and the extended glass-smashing, twisted-metal ruckus on the speeding subway car made us forget we weren't listening in surround. No, we didn't hear sounds coming directly from the sides and behind, but we didn't really miss them either. Straight dramas such as The Godfather and The Shawshank Redemption were likewise enjoyable over the RX-1052.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 User Rating: 
8/10
Very happy with the Amp, may not suit some people.
Pros: Excellent sound, would like the corny features like hall, jazz or concert setting that i have on a cheap sony amp, but the cheap sony amp does not sound as well. I don't hear the distortion when I tu
Cons: Remote is slow to increase or decrease volume, the treble/bass settings are somewhat minimal but don't need them as the sound is so good. I don't use surround as i want a good music 2 channel sound,
Review: Buy it if you are not addicted to 5 or 7 channels with various settings like concert, hall, jazz, etc. The 2 channel sound is excellent so you do not need all the other stuff, but i would like to have them anyway. I match these to a pair of B&W CM1 speakers and it sounds like a much more costly set up. I also have a set of B&W speakers that sound good with it, but the CM1s are worth the extra money. Would consider the Harmon Kardon amp 3480 if i had less money, but i never found better speakers for the money than the 685 and the cm1s.
User Rating: 8/10
Great sound, looks, and build quality, powerful
Pros: Sound, build quality, power, Multi Room ability
Cons: No Pre-Amp or Subwoofer output, Expensive. limited switched power outlets
Review: This is a beautifully built and sounding amp that has multiroom feautures built in. It puts out 100 watts of understated high current power. However, it was choked down by not having a pre-amp or subwoofer outlet built in. (is Rotel trying to coax you up into buying seperates?).
If you want to run a sub, you need to use the extra set of "B" speaker high level outlet pair (better check your sub for speaker level input (not just a line input) - many don't have one).
Or another alternative way to connect a sub with this Amp (no sub or pre-amp outs which you would normally use on other amps such as the Harman Kardon) is to use one of the multi-room outs and adjust the seperate volume (which will be set seperate from the amplifier output) and be sure and turn off the multiroom outlet as it will stay on when you turn the amp off.
I think rotel blew it by not puting in a seperate pre-amp or subwoofer outlet or offering two switched outlets but they apparently wish to coax you into seperates or arrogantly thought it not as important as an extra seperate room control.
This amp has a very detailed sound with punch bass without sounding harsh except on speakers that are already prone to have forward treble such as B&W, Infinity, etc. For those speakers you might be better off getting a Harman Kardon amplifier which is slightly softer and warmer. On the other hand if you had some laid back speakers like the Polk LSIs, they may perk them up better than the Harman Kardon but both amps have quality sound with a slight edge in detail at the upper end and even more of an edge in build quality going to the Rotel. I would not hesitate to recommend either Amp. It is more a matter of how much money you have and your personal taste in music.
If you want to run a sub, you need to use the extra set of "B" speaker high level outlet pair (better check your sub for speaker level input (not just a line input) - many don't have one).
Or another alternative way to connect a sub with this Amp (no sub or pre-amp outs which you would normally use on other amps such as the Harman Kardon) is to use one of the multi-room outs and adjust the seperate volume (which will be set seperate from the amplifier output) and be sure and turn off the multiroom outlet as it will stay on when you turn the amp off.
I think rotel blew it by not puting in a seperate pre-amp or subwoofer outlet or offering two switched outlets but they apparently wish to coax you into seperates or arrogantly thought it not as important as an extra seperate room control.
This amp has a very detailed sound with punch bass without sounding harsh except on speakers that are already prone to have forward treble such as B&W, Infinity, etc. For those speakers you might be better off getting a Harman Kardon amplifier which is slightly softer and warmer. On the other hand if you had some laid back speakers like the Polk LSIs, they may perk them up better than the Harman Kardon but both amps have quality sound with a slight edge in detail at the upper end and even more of an edge in build quality going to the Rotel. I would not hesitate to recommend either Amp. It is more a matter of how much money you have and your personal taste in music.
User Rating: 
9/10
Fantastic Sound, Well Built
Pros: Sonically Superior and Gorgeous Looking
Cons: None I can think of.
Review: After moving into a small apartment, I began looking to build a two channel stereo. My first thought was to buy more expensive seperates. But with only a $1000 budget, I decided to buy the Rotel RX-1052. All I can say is that I made the right choice. After listening to the receiver for several hours it became very obvious that this receiver is sonically superior to any "mass" market receiver out there. It provides a rich and lush sound that reminds me of many good integrated amplifiers. Miles Davis, Roland Kirk, and Diana Krall sounded like they were in my living room. Not only does this receiver sound good, but it is built like military equipment, and it is drop dead gorgeous to look at. If you are thinking of buying a Denon, Harmon Kardon, Yamaha, or Pioneer Receiver, please go to your local dealer and listen to this. It simply humbles them. This unit doesn't have all of the features of most mass market receivers, but once you hear it you may change your mind. I am very happy with this receiver and it definately is a keeper.
Updated
I recently moved into a smaller living area and I was looking for something to provide me with audiophile sound without buying seperates. After testing several other mass market receivers, I found myself disappointed in their sound. However, when I auditioned the Rotel RX-1052, it quickly became apparent to me that this was no ordinary receiver. In fact, its sound reminds me of a very good integrated amplifier. When playing jazz radio or cd's the Rotel provides a lush and transparent soundstage. Not only does this receiver sound good, but it is absolutely gorgeous. It is built like military equipment and it is sonically superior to other receivers. I am happy with this receiver and its $900 price tag is well worth it.
I recently moved into a smaller living area and I was looking for something to provide me with audiophile sound without buying seperates. After testing several other mass market receivers, I found myself disappointed in their sound. However, when I auditioned the Rotel RX-1052, it quickly became apparent to me that this was no ordinary receiver. In fact, its sound reminds me of a very good integrated amplifier. When playing jazz radio or cd's the Rotel provides a lush and transparent soundstage. Not only does this receiver sound good, but it is absolutely gorgeous. It is built like military equipment and it is sonically superior to other receivers. I am happy with this receiver and its $900 price tag is well worth it.
User Rating: 9/10
Great Sound, possible minor glitch...
Pros: High-end, under $1k price. Worth it.
Cons: Current Leakage(?)
Review: Okay, the (possible) bad news first. With the power on, you can feel a vibration when you lightly pass a finger over the metal front of the unit. This will also extend to any playing source connected to it. Although in no way dangerous, this suggests either a faulty internal ground or current that's not all going where it should.
The official Rotel Tech Support word (via the dealer) is that a fair number of the units exhibit this phenomena to greater or lesser degrees, and an exchange would not guarantee getting one that doesn't do the same thing. It in no way affects the sound.
Which is the great news about this unit. It sounds wonderful. Connected to even "mid-end" equipment (in my case, a Marantz CD6000-OSE, a Thorens TD-180 turntable, and Energy C-5 speakers), it provides a soundstage that draws you in.
Test cds at home turned into full-blown listening sessions. This was true of music ranging from the Bach solo violin Sonatas/Partitas (Arthur Grumiaux) to the Bartok 1st Piano Concerto (Ivan Kocsis) to Gil Evans (Barbara Song) to Springsteen's "Murder Inc". It hides nothing, all the detail that might've been missed on my previous power sources (the Onkyo TX-8511 and Marantz PM-7000) is there. And at 100 wpc, there's power to spare.
If a great traditional 2-channel source for extended and involved music-listening is a priority and the $800 price tag is within your means (even if it means chicken and pasta for the next two months), this is the one to get. As a full-time musician who loves listening as well as playing, I've been looking for something like this for quite some time now.
The tuner works well. As does the phono stage, but you do need to crank the volume somewhat. Would've been a nice touch to have a dedicated in/out for a cd recorder, but either of the two video in/outs suffice.
Rotel includes a full 5-year warranty, so I'm not too concerned about the leaky current fault. It detracts only in that one would imagine that Rotel's engineers would be able to cure what should be a simple problem. Since this could be at the beginning of the production run, most likely they'll find a fix for future units.
But again, if sound is a priority, this is the one to have....
The official Rotel Tech Support word (via the dealer) is that a fair number of the units exhibit this phenomena to greater or lesser degrees, and an exchange would not guarantee getting one that doesn't do the same thing. It in no way affects the sound.
Which is the great news about this unit. It sounds wonderful. Connected to even "mid-end" equipment (in my case, a Marantz CD6000-OSE, a Thorens TD-180 turntable, and Energy C-5 speakers), it provides a soundstage that draws you in.
Test cds at home turned into full-blown listening sessions. This was true of music ranging from the Bach solo violin Sonatas/Partitas (Arthur Grumiaux) to the Bartok 1st Piano Concerto (Ivan Kocsis) to Gil Evans (Barbara Song) to Springsteen's "Murder Inc". It hides nothing, all the detail that might've been missed on my previous power sources (the Onkyo TX-8511 and Marantz PM-7000) is there. And at 100 wpc, there's power to spare.
If a great traditional 2-channel source for extended and involved music-listening is a priority and the $800 price tag is within your means (even if it means chicken and pasta for the next two months), this is the one to get. As a full-time musician who loves listening as well as playing, I've been looking for something like this for quite some time now.
The tuner works well. As does the phono stage, but you do need to crank the volume somewhat. Would've been a nice touch to have a dedicated in/out for a cd recorder, but either of the two video in/outs suffice.
Rotel includes a full 5-year warranty, so I'm not too concerned about the leaky current fault. It detracts only in that one would imagine that Rotel's engineers would be able to cure what should be a simple problem. Since this could be at the beginning of the production run, most likely they'll find a fix for future units.
But again, if sound is a priority, this is the one to have....
User Rating: 9/10
Rotel = Quality
Pros: Wonderful stereo sound!
Cons: Who needs 4 zones?
Review: Give me two zone functionality and take $100 bucks off of the price is the only complaint here. The Rotel RX1050 which came before the 1052 was only $799.00.
The good stuff is obvious. With a good source this receiver can really make beautiful music.
The good stuff is obvious. With a good source this receiver can really make beautiful music.
