Jeffw,
I was really looking into Rotel for my step up into seperates from my Denon receiver past.
I found a very cool owner/store for audio. I had the chance to play at my own pace w/ the same rotel setup you are looking into. I purchased my speakers from the same place just months before - so most of the sound path was compairable.

The store also supports B&W (i went with Paradigm). So i tested the electronic on both speaker sets.
IMHO - the Rotel did not convey music the way i like thru either system. I was a little disappointed. Overall - i was not sucked into the presentation of the music. After an hour of listening (W/ my own music) i was looking for another combination. And the Rotels look so cool....

I have family that have Outlaw equipment prior to me .... so, i gave them a try. I was pleasently surprised.

For other listeners ... I'm sure Rotel feels and sounds right to them.

There is another thread in this area(990) in which owners are sharing their setups. "Which speakers and amp(s) are you running?"
Take a cruise and you will find a vast array of setups.

Happy system biulding and good holiday's

ps. Don't let the price fool ya.