B&W 685's + Rotel RA-05 + Musicical Fidelity V-DAC... HiFi store recommended this setup - what...

Hi,

I have the Rotel RA-05 with B&W 685s for more than 1 year; the RA-05 is pretty much the same thing as the RA-04, but with a remote control ( some say that the remote control circuit has done a bit of harm and that the RA-04 would be a slightly better device ... I can't confirm that, as for me they sounded the same ); in the meantime Rotel has refreshed it's line with some SE products, which inherit some design features from the newer 15xx series, so I think you should check with your vendor if it's a SE or the original version ( the SE sounds better according to reviewers, but I can't confirm that as I didn't get the chance to listen to it );

It depends on your taste, but the Rotel RA-05 + B&W 685 might be a bit on the bright side for you, in which case I'd look for a NAD 355BE ( should be in the same price range and it's also considered a great match for the 685s ); as for the DAC, it might be worth looking at the Firestone Spitfire ( it's in the same price range and it got good reviews  )

I wasnt that impressed with the 685's for 2 channel music use. I'd go to Paradigm Studio's instead in that price range.

uDAC will be beat quite soundly by any dedicated CDP in the 300-500$ range, or DAC's like Dacmagic, V-DAC or the likes.

In your price range i'd say the most important thing to do before parting with your cash is to listen to the set-up. Can you listen at your local hi-fi store? Source isn't quite so important in that regard but you should be able to take a source of music along to a good store and they'll set it up for you in a nice room. Some stores also offer very good short-term returns policies which can be treated as test-drives.

The ra-04/05's difference is in the remote control so if you don't need it save the cash. Did your store recommend that dac to you because it's the only one they sell or that they are registered dealers of? The 685's are good for the price and Rotel are part of the same group so are designed with B&W speakers in mind.

Can you get Monitor Audio where you live? (rx1's are very impressive speakers) Also maybe Quad (i'm thing 11L2). Depending also on price you can get them for. If you're in the states look for speakers made in america (like paradigm), they will be comparatively cheaper. Although bigger companies like b&w will not have so much of a price hike.