7500 trade-up

I received my 7500 today; I had originally had the 7125 combo'd up with the 990. I traded up and will be sending the 7125 back soon. The 7500 is very nice. It has more detail than the 7125 and seems to be a little warmer. Better bass and soundstage. So far most of my listening has been 2 channel CD analog (Bypass mode); It just amazes me how well this combo (first the 7125, now the 7500, and 990) sounds musically. I've always leaned toward the audio side when it came to previous seperates, and this gear hasn't failed in attaining that objective.

In retrospect, the 7125 is not that far behind in comparison to 7500. In fact, I was getting really attached to the 7125 as it seemed to get better after a 50-75 hour break-in period. I chose the 7500 only because I needed more power and I also liked what the specs and new design had to offer. As stated above, it does sound better.

Apogee Centaur Minors fronts, Phase Technology rears and center, Martin Logan Dynamo sub, Rotel RCD 1072CD, Sony DVP-NS70H DVD,DIRECTV H10 HD receiver, Rotel RP-855 turntable

Hey jmacari-

Thanks for the quick review. I'm also in RI and in the market for a five channel amp. Did you listen to any other amps before buying the 7125 or 7500? How did they stack up?

I did have a B&K ST202(150wpc) 2-channel amp powering my fronts (along with the 7125) that I had brought over from my pre-existing audio setup. It sounded real nice with the 990; but after 15 years of service, it finally died. B&K wanted too much for a complete rebuild, so I negated it and upgraded the 7125 to 7500. The 7500 is a better amp than the B&K (also, the 7125 in the setup was NO slouch either). I really like the 990/7500 combo. It just keeps sounding better as I put runtime on it. I also refined my settings by running a manual setup with a meter; that really has improved things.....I still am amazed at the sound this system puts out (HiDef TV, CD's, DVD's). I put in Cream's 2005 Reunion Concert at RAH last nite and was just blown away with how well it sounded-the old axiom of "almost like being there" couldn't have been truer! The phono stage in the 990 is quite good also-I've been listening to an assortment of old vinyl I've collected over the years.....and tech support, when needed, has been exceptional.

That's encouraging--I've listened to some B&K amps over the years and if you like the sound of the 7500 better, that is a good sign.

My speakers are a bit underpowered right now; they need more juice to bring them to life.