When you're young, your life is governed by a system of rules. Among these numerous childhood directives is the respectable and noble tenet, "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all." As a child gets older, rules become more difficult to enforce and, for many people, this one goes right out the window. Whether it's during a work evaluation, water cooler gossip session, or even a magazine product review (err...), you'll often find that gripes and complaints come easy, but compliments and encouraging words often go unspoken.

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Consequently, it should come as no surprise that Rotel is a company you don't hear much about. Why? Rotel components are solid, dependable and hard to fault, that's why. And where's the fun in that? The fun begins when you experience Rotel's newest A/V receiver, the RSX-1055.

Rotel has been building quality equipment for 40 years, and the RSX-1055 is part of their latest crop of uncompromising components. The RSX-1055 is a full-featured, digital surround sound processor, A/V control center, AM/FM tuner and (75 watts x 5 channel) power amplifier, all in one package. More to the point, it's all of those things in one elegant and downright sexy 45-pound package. Now that 6.1 and 7.1 recordings are making their way into music and movies, it's only natural that you crave a processor that can handle the extra channels. The RSX-1055 only has 5 channels of amplification, but it does offer Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES decoding for 6.1 and 7.1 soundtracks. To capitalize on the decoding, all you need is a separate 2- channel amplifier, but more on that in a minute.

Unique Features - The RSX-1055 has all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a high-end A/V receiver, as well as some nice additions you might not expect. In addition to the standard fare, the RSX1055 sports the aforementioned multi-channel decoding capability, wideband component video switching, outputs for an independent second zone, an adjustable subwoofer crossover as well as upgradeable microprocessor software for future upgrades.

On the subject of component video switching, the RSX-1055 is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it's refreshing to see two sets of component video inputs capable of handing a progressive DVD and/or HDTV signal without degrading the picture. This functionality greatly simplifies things when it comes time to connect your video hardware to your television or projector. On the other hand, the RSX-1055's onscreen menus are only accessible through the composite or S-Video monitor output. This means you have to use yet another wire, but more importantly, it means that you'll have to toggle the input on your television or projector to access the RSX-1055's on-screen menus. This may be nitpicking, but it's quickly becoming a pet peeve of mine as the industry moves away from S-Video and composite-based sources.

Anyone looking to use a new receiver to drive a multi-zone installation, will be happy to know the RSX-1055 can be set up for multi- room listening. To use this functionality, you'll need a pair of speakers in the remote zone, an amplifier to power them and an infrared repeater system. Once connected, the RSX-1055 will let you listen to any analog source component connected to the unit with independent control of that component as well as volume. Note, however, that you can only listen to analog source components; source components connected via digital inputs only are not available in the second zone.

Installation/Setup/Ease Of Use - "You had me at hello." I'm not prone to quoting Jerry Maguire, but it's appropriate in this case. The Rotel RSX-1055 had me from the moment I took it out of the box. When you look at this unit's black case, classy, brushed aluminum faceplate and sleek, purple power LED, it really raises your expectations for equipment aesthetics. Why can't every piece of gear look this good?

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