The Rotel RSX 1065 was reviewed in the German magazine STEREOPLAY, issue 3 2002 (www.stereoplay.de) and this is what they said; Who at this price is looking for a top multichannel receiver and most of the time is listening to stereo take the Rotel RSX-1065. See there website to compare it with other receivers and amplifiers; search for Stereoplay-Bestlisten, ubersicht Teil 5 (Pdf format, look at klang; left note is for surround, right note is for stereo). The British magazine What Hi*Fi? (www.whathifi.com) Reviewed this receiver in there march 2002 issue and this is what they said; But the Rotel has still to play its trump card; stereo performance. In stereo, from CDs, the RSX-1065 is the best-sounding one-box receiver we've yet heard. It's meaty when called upon, tight sounding, and musical whatever the genre. The Denon AVC-A11SR runs its close, but falls away by being just a little too smooth; the Rotel, by contrast, has the energy and timing to capture fast-paced beats crisply, defining each note cleanly in the mix. It rocks, it rolls and it shakes its funky derriere: you can't ask for more from a product of this type. The RSX-1065 is an enthusiast's delight. We love the way its looks, we respect the features its carries, and boy, does it sound good. See also; www.technofile.com/articles/rotel_1065_receiver.html or www.chicagotribune.com/business/showcase/chi-020329amp.story.
This is an excellent surround receiver with a near high-end CD stereo sound. I read above mentions reviews, downloaded the owner's manual and compared it with mine Denon AVR 3300. It has one big engineering bug; old fashion delay time setup; in milliseconds in stead of meters or feet and the steps for front and rear channels are much to large (5 ms=1,5 meter or 5 feet, probably a software upgrade could fix this) and a few minor "weaknesses;, bass and treble can not be by passed (direct source mode), no access on the remote to switch directly between stereo and prologic (on the receiver it can), standby power consumption to high; 10,2 watt, on remote input source buttons under the flap, European version has no AC outlet.
I've had the RSX-1065 in my new A/V system for a couple of months and am extremely impressed. It is loaded with video/audio inputs/outputs. I couldn't imagine anyone desiring any more flexibility than this unit contains. To my surprise it also included a new universal remote which is an upgrade of the previous model. It is so versitile that I haven't yet mastered it, but it comes with a very well written manual of its own.
But the thing which I have to rave over is the sound!! I have heard very few components (separates as well as other receivers) that can match the quality of this unit. The open, airy detail across the entire audio spectrum is phenominal. There are no shortcomings. Extremely tight and powerful bass, transparent tube-like mids and highs. Imaging is beautiful. The sound is just smooth and sweet.
For reference, the rest of my system is: JM Lab Cobalt 816 floor standing front speakers, CC800 center speaker, SR800 rear speakers, and REL Strata 3 sub, Cardas Hyperlink 5 main speaker cables, MIT Terminator 3 interconnects, audiquest video cables, Pioneer Elite DV47Ai multi format disc player (DVD, CD, SACD, DVD-A, MP3, etc.), Panasonic PT37PD4P plasma TV monitor. I have also hooked up a pair of Apogee Slant 8 ribbon speakers to this system, which resulted in one of the most gorgeous sounding combinations I've experienced. I'd even rate it right up there with another system I own, consisting of Wilson Audio Watts/Puppies driven with Krell electronics.
At $1,800 this receiver would be worth far more money. I don't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.