Pls advise on budget integrated or pre/power comb.

I owned both the Audio Refinement Complete integrated and the Audio Refinement Complete Alpha CD player a while ago. When I sold the amp reget was immediate. It had a very smooth sound and was a joy to use; a real quality product. The cd player however never excited me. Not sure how it would stack up against the bigger Rotel. Good luck.

I agree with Warnerwh. Before upgrading components, I'd try to add some room treatment to tame the brightness. Just use comforters/blankets on the walls to see if it makes a difference before you invest in acoustic treatment.

Rob

I used the Rotel amp and pre/pro with my JM Labs Electra 926's. I too thought, on some poorly recorded rock CD's, that the sound was a little bright. I then moved to an Audio Aero Prima integrated amp. The brightness went away and a body came to the sound that was not there before.
The JM Labs are fairly easy to run and really love tubes.
The Audio Aero integrated is a hybrid amp. It has only one tube in the preamp section. It also has more power (40 watts) than I need and I listen to rock. The newer ones have fifty watts. At the used prices, that they are going for, they are a steal. They are also easy to sell if you don't like it. I love mine.

I can say without question the Audio Refinement Complete is a standout amp for the $$$, having experienced it first hand. The one question you do have to ask yourself is what is my listening preference. You will have to run the Complete twice as hard as you ran your Rotel at volume, which will doubtlessly add an element of fatigue to your listening experience. So, no longer having that option should greatly effect your decision. I'd recommend the Primare 30.1 or the Classe CAP 2100 both great neutral integrateds that should help with your brightness problem, and you don't take that huge power hit. Might be a bit pricey new, but you can usually find deals here on audiogon. Happy Hunting...