B&W 805 D4: which 5 channel power amp should I go with (home theater): Parasound or Rotel


Hearing Hans Zimmer score play during scenes from The Dark Knight, Inception & Interstellar is life changing. The 805 D4 works great for l/r speaker for movies. Of course I need to add a center channel which would either be the HTM81 D4 or the HTM82 D4 but I’ll save that for another discussion.

Here are the power amps I’m looking at:

Parasound:

- Halo A 51

- Halo A 52+

Rotel:

- RMB-1585

- RMB-1585MKII

 

I’m not able to go into an audio store to test out power amps  so I would like your expert opinion on which might work better with these speakers or if you have any recommendations for 5 channel power amp then I would gladly go take a look at those online.

 

Thank you for your time.

 

candyisdandy

I think Rotel ,  even Michi seem to be on the brighter side. I would sound demo a lot of videos if you can't listen in storehttps://youtu.be/xoMQK6MDm4o?feature=shared

Own Rotel RMB-1555 and loved the improvements made when added to my setup (wider, deeper soundstage, more oomph. You name it). It allowed my Anthem receiver, now used as a pre-amp, to really sing!

However, Rotel warranty, at least in Canada, is definitely questionable. When I contacted Rotel Canada to mention a problem, I was literally laughed at. First, I was told warranty started when dealer unboxed unit as a demo (this is illegal in Quebec and also preposterous). When I mentioned this, I was then told the S/N indicated the unit was no longer under warranty. An answer I cannot contest as I have no knowledge of their serial numbering system.

There are other good (better?) products on the market, sold and serviced by serious OEMs who really stand-by their products and respect their customers. My advice is to keep looking (Anthem, Emotiva, NAD, Bryston, etc.) and if Rotel remain your first choice buy knowingly!

reflexively i would have voted for parasound, which i've always liked, but @woots makes a very valid point about rotel and b&w playing well together because they're from the same company--synergy is always critical--so i vote for rotel.