new Parasound A21+ vs my old Rotel RB-1080

Don’t listen to someone’s semi-educated guess—especially if they have never owned or auditioned this particular model of Rotel.

Don’t listen to @lanx0003 who totally misses the point here. What he completely fails to realize is that the speakers just don’t possess the sound characteristics you’re looking for (as others have mentioned as well) so the amp is immaterial, but I think you’ve already realized that. I’ve listened to MLs with Bryston, Rotel, Arcam, and the result was always the same — they don’t have the bite/aggressiveness in portraying cymbals that you’re looking for and this is not a semi-educated guess but direct experience using high quality reference recordings. They just present cymbals in a different way — more diffuse and less focused. Not saying it’s better or worse as that’s a matter of personal taste, but an amp doesn’t change that.

Saying that Parasound is a step down from Rotel is absolutely untrue—it’s an overgeneralized statement. To be fair, Parasound's high-end models are a step up from Rotel’s lower-end models, while Parasound's lower-end models are a step down from Rotel’s higher-end models. As a satisfied owner of several Parasound amps and preamps, along with many other users here, I can attest to this, supported by cross-references with reliable reviews from prestigious audio journals covering both brands.

Again, don’t listen to some guy remitting biased opinion / exaggeration. Look at what he said before (see below), just opposite to what Stereophile has commented. A lot of people misinterpret brightness as being ’detailed,’ and I doubt some guys’ opinion is well-founded. Go look at the reliable reviews on ELS-X, no one has raise this issue.  I also owned ML Aerius in 1996 for a short while and found no issue like this.  I sold it because my 1 year-old son continuously trying to polk holes on the panel.

because the Rotel is already a pretty detailed amp in the treble.

i own  parasound A21+ ,  w  naim 272 pre, and  totem forrest signature  speakers. could  not  be  happier!  the  parasound A21+   will be  huge step  up. the  amp  does everything  well.  good  luck  jm 

The jc 1 is on sale 400watts 8 ohms 800 4 ohms 1.2 in 2 with 3kw in transients.25 watts class a.great amp for the money .on parasound classic website have older version jc 1 2700$ I bought a pair and love them.look at reviews out of 2000 or so it's great.