Price Paid:  $300.00 from eBay

Summary:
Great sounding unit, lots of features. I also have Rotel amp and use the 5.1 serial cable instead of RCAs for preamp to amp- keeps it very clean. The volume knob has the sweet heavy Rotel feel to it- build quality is all you'd expect from a 19lb preamp. I've owned the RTC970 and was afraid to own another pre-pro WITH tuner as the RTC970 has 'shine thru' or cross-talk and I could hear the tuner very softly in speakers no matter what input was selected! Also the RTC970 had this really funky and crappy volume click-pad thingamabob. I hated that thing and love the usual Rotel 5lb feeling volume. Overall a great unit- I'm very happy with it. It's an older unit- I sold my modern HK330 to change back to Rotel components and with the 965 I didn't lose a single function, in fact when it switches (automatically unlike rsp980, rtc970 and others) to Dolby Digital, it'll scroll "dolby digital" across the LED screen. Has all the indicator lights etc that it could have.

Strengths:
Sounds great. Instant button acces on face to most controls. Can custom label inputs -i.e. turn Vid1 into 'Cable' etc. Lots of info readout. Heavy and built well. Full digital functions including auto switching unlike rsp980 and others. Serial 5.1 cable out to amp. For eBay prices- this is a great unit!

Weaknesses:
No Prologic II (no biggie). Some character fonts on screen are like 1985 Tron (why?). Button access is convenient but lacks super sleek Rotel face (doesn't appear at a glance to have over 50 buttons but it does!)- I wouldn't trade for the ease of use though. I'd give a 4.5 star if I could for this reason.

Similar Products Used:
Rotel RSP960ax
Rotel RTC970ax
Rotel RSP980
Harman Kardon AVR 330
Various Onkyo and Sony ES

Price Paid:  $800.00 from ultra hifi

Summary:
I have had this product for about 9 mos. No problems surfaced. Looked at Marantz AV 600. What drew me was the phono. Overall this is a great product. I brought it to replace my NAD pre (their 1st one) when she gave up the ghost. The sound is clean, clear. Fast Response, bass tight. Dialogue clear. I am going to replace other componets, but not this.

System:
Rotel RTC 965
Acurus A80 (pwr)
Marantz 170DC (pwr)
Cal DX2 cd
Panasonic DVD 120
RCA VCR
AE 109 spkrs
Energy e:XL 15
Pinnacle digital 150 sub

Strengths:
phono input, ease of operation

Weaknesses:
manuel written poor.

Similar Products Used:
none

Price Paid:  $1500.00 from Audio Etc

Summary:
I have read all through here about the noise and I have the Mark II amp combo and no noise. Everybody that hear's my systems wants one. I have B&W 601's and a CC6 center with a Definetive Technologies sub. The fuse did blow on mine but that's not the end of the world. I love this system and would recommend it to anyone. I though the manual was ok. I if you buy something like this you should be able to hook it up with out one, come on guys.

Strengths:
Easy to use and sounds great

Weaknesses:
None yet

Price Paid:  $800.00 from Access to Music

Summary:
I bought this as part of a discounted package with the Rotel 985 amp. Total cost was $1600. I really had done little research into HT and hadn't auditioned much, but could hear that the Rotel components sounded good on HT. In the store, the dealer had a good two channel set-up (B&W CDM1SE as L + R) and paired the main speakers with a good quality subwoofer.

Since I was buying the Rotel gear primarily for HT, I did not seriously audition the 965 on music. Too bad. I have since made the Rotel stack my primary electronics for both music HT. Since I have not heard the noise mentioned in other reviews, I may have a unit that doesn't have this characteristic. On the plus side, my RTC-965 has been quiet and produces a detailed and clean sound. Imaging is fine and it is generally a nuetral, if thin sounding pre-amp. However, it does not even begin to approach the sound quality of high-end two channel preamps (even the cheaper 2 channel preamps). For logistical reasons, I am using it for music now, but will upgrade it as soon as I can.

It is very good for home theatre. Movie soundtracks are balanced and the 965 does a good job in separating the channels and providing a satisfying HT experience. My 965/985 stack certainly sounds better than all the mid-fi gear out there, and that is why I bought it. If you are looking for a "value" audiophile or "entry level" audiophile grade HT pre-amp, the RTC-965 is a good choice for getting started in HT. I suggest you maintain your current two channel electronics, upgrading to a two channel preamp with an A/V loop for your main front speakers.

The pre-amp is not very dynamic, and I have to get the volume up to a good level to create a believeable multi-channel sound-stage. But it performs well once there.

In sum, I bought this for getting started in HT, and plan to use it in a bedroom home theatre setup when I upgrade. It is a competent performer that sounds better than all the cheap gear and many pricier A/V receivers. It is easy to use once set up. The only problem I have to report is that every now and then it loses the source signal from my VCR or DVD and has to be reset by turning it off. This has only happened a few times, but if it continues much more I'll take it in for servicing.

Recommended for starting out, but save your pennies and buy a used B&K unit if you can.

Strengths:
Ease of use, AV connections, price

Weaknesses:
Documentation, sound quality on music

Similar Products Used:
auditioned B&K, Lexicon DC1

Summary:
The sound is astounding. You'd have to spend thousands more to gain 10% more quality. Originally I did not plan to spend over $500. I listened to all kinds of equipment, including my audiophile friend's Proceed/Sonus Faber equipment. This was the price point which I determined that additional cost didn't buy much.

There is a slight lack of focus, but look at the price point! The Rotel RSP-985 sounded much more defined, yet lacked some midrange. To me, real life lives primarily in the midranges. All audio equipment is a trade-off of some kind.

Rotel did make the high pitched sound upgrade at no charge. This was a necessity, and Rotel obliged. They stand by their product, but one has to be patient. The imaging is wonderful. I'm not sure how big the soundstage is, but it fills my room which is small.

If I had to do it over again, I'd buy this same product. The only thing I would hope for is a variable crossover. I'd like to give this five stars, but in reality there is some room for improvement. Nine out of ten would be a more accurate assessment.

Strengths:
Great sound. Adequate features. Great mids. Warm Sound.

Weaknesses:
No variable crossover.

Similar Products Used:
Marantz SR7000, Harman Kardon AVR500, Denon AVR3300, Denon AVR 5700, Rotel RSP-985, Sony stb930, Marantz SR5000