Another reason why I think the RC995 is worth the extra money is that it has a serious phono stage, not just some circuit board to accommodate phono.
The phono circuitry in the RC995 is derived from the stand alone Rotel RHQ-10 phono stage which had an MSRP of $1900.00 back in 1993. The Rotel RH line of products were of a much higher quality than anything they've made before or since. The RC995 is possibly the best non-RH 2 channel stereo preamp Rotel ever sold, although I have not heard the RC1090.
The phono circuitry in the RC995 is derived from the stand alone Rotel RHQ-10 phono stage which had an MSRP of $1900.00 back in 1993. The Rotel RH line of products were of a much higher quality than anything they've made before or since. The RC995 is possibly the best non-RH 2 channel stereo preamp Rotel ever sold, although I have not heard the RC1090.