Author Topic: Rotel AV Receivers/Amplifiers (Read 134683 times)

av_phile1 · « **Reply #90 on:** Mar 19, 2004 at 02:11 PM »

Quote from: punk_kid on Mar 19, 2004 at 01:02 PM

Nephilim is selling his RMB1066 until today.

Hope he visits this thread to tell us how the amp is. Unless he accepts visa or mastercard, i can't make any offer.

kid · « **Reply #91 on:** Mar 20, 2004 at 06:48 PM »

Quote from: av_phile1 on Mar 19, 2004 at 02:11 PM

Hope he visits this thread to tell us how the amp is. Unless he accepts visa or mastercard, i can't make any offer.

send him a PM so he can visit your thread and give some reviews...

av_phile1 · « **Reply #92 on:** Mar 22, 2004 at 10:44 AM »

Thanks Punk_kid. Silly me, why didn't i think of doing that.

Anyway, I've already made my decision.

audi0slave · « **Reply #93 on:** Mar 23, 2004 at 01:42 PM »

any owners of RA-02 int-amp here? compared to NAD C320BEE, which of these two amps would you prefer?

more or less they have the same specs on power capability but it boils down really to one's preference.

krets pulpol · « **Reply #94 on:** Mar 23, 2004 at 01:58 PM »

yep audioslave, it boils down to preference!

and it depends on the speaker you're using. some speakers might not do well in nad amps.

nad - on the bright side, not recommended if you're using stinging tweeters

rotel - warm side, much better with the b&ws

both amps are great, good soundstage and oozing with details.

my opinion only

av_phile1 · « **Reply #95 on:** Mar 23, 2004 at 02:01 PM »

Quote from: kretsdvds on Mar 23, 2004 at 01:58 PM

rotel - warm side, much better with the b&ws

I heard ROTEL is the official amp of B&W, used to design, voice and test B&W speakers. So the two are a match made in heaven.

Personally, I'd go for a ROTEL anytime. Just the solid build quality alone is enough to make me happy. Let alone the sonics.

I know of at least 2 owners of ROTEL who say the units they have are very senstive to speaker terminal shorts. The amps will die earlier than the protection circuit can be activated. Otherwise, they're great. Just be careful about such conditions.

I've also checked-out the NAD C272 power amp recently and was disappointed its front panel appeared to me to be made of plastic. Don't know about the receivers and integrateds. Aesthetics and build beside, am sure NAD's sonics are just as great.

krets pulpol · « **Reply #96 on:** Mar 23, 2004 at 02:55 PM »

yep av_phile1! be careful with the terminals of rotel amps, they are very very sensitive in shorts esp. when bi-wiring and bi-amping.

once it shorts, your amp goes directly to the service center hehe

audi0slave · « **Reply #97 on:** Mar 23, 2004 at 03:07 PM »

Quote from: kretsdvds on Mar 23, 2004 at 01:58 PM

nad - on the bright side, not recommended if you're using stinging tweeters

rotel - warm side, much better with the b&ws

both amps are great, good soundstage and oozing with details.

my opinion only

krets,

you might have it merry-mixed up. from my listening experience, I think NAD is the one capable of delivering a warm and soothingly relaxing music but this can be appreciated only at a higher volume where it can definitely stir up a pleasant atmosphere. Rotel, on the other hand, have the advantage of dwelling more on better soundstaging and precised imaging with richer details.

av_phile1 · « **Reply #98 on:** Mar 23, 2004 at 03:09 PM »

Quote from: kretsdvds on Mar 23, 2004 at 02:55 PM

yep av_phile1! be careful with the terminals of rotel amps, they are very very sensitive in shorts esp. when bi-wiring and bi-amping. once it shorts, your amp goes directly to the service center hehe

Yup, you really have to be extra cautious when bi-wiring. When my new MS speakers arrived, in my excitement, I had them bi-wired without removing the shorting plates. That would have beenjust fine, but the polarities from my LF and HF were opposite. Thus, a short existed. When I turned on the Onkyo Integra, I had only the right channel working and the left had its relay protection circuit activated. It lasted a good 10 seconds or more, unitl i shut off the receiver with a nervous and palpitating heart. When the short was corrected, to my relief, the Onkyo resumed normal operation. No problem.

Such a condition would be enough to ruin a ROTEL. Not surprisingly, most commerical receivers and amps have better protection circuits. I could only guess that they were designed to be IDIOT proof - more tolerant and forgiving of careless users - mostly amateurs. I guess ROTEL and other hi-end products are designed for the more seasoned and careful audiophiles. More robust but less forgiving.

krets pulpol · « **Reply #99 on:** Mar 23, 2004 at 03:55 PM »

it's just my observation too audioslave

try listening the nads with b&w speakers for several hours, it can be fatiguing to your ears. that's why pick a better speaker for the nad. by the way, the nad has a quicker thump on the bass.

audi0slave · « **Reply #100 on:** Apr 20, 2004 at 04:33 PM »

anyone here using the RA-02 as a pre-amp?

it has a pair of pre-outs and the speaker selector knob can be set to OFF position so it can be used as a pre-amp.

av_phile1 · « **Reply #101 on:** Apr 20, 2004 at 05:26 PM »

Interesting comment there Audioslave. I'd be interested in its pre-amp function. I know this may sound odd or even capricious, my apologies. But i know some headphones are connected to the pre-outs instead of the usual headphone professional jacks. And knowing some headphone amps can cost 3x that of the RA-02, I'd be very much interested in using this as a headphone amp. At the moment, my set-up (apart from the cassette deck and VCR which I rarely use) doesn't have any headphone jack nor any spare pre-outs for this purpose.

qguy · « **Reply #102 on:** Apr 22, 2004 at 10:42 AM »

hmm ... if this can be done...then a Tube pre amp can work as a head phone amp

Quote from: av_phile1 on Apr 20, 2004 at 05:26 PM

Interesting comment there Audioslave. I'd be interested in its pre-amp function. I know this may sound odd or even capricious, my apologies. But i know some headphones are connected to the pre-outs instead of the usual headphone professional jacks. And knowing some headphone amps can cost 3x that of the RA-02, I'd be very much interested in using this as a headphone amp. At the moment, my set-up (apart from the cassette deck and VCR which I rarely use) doesn't have any headphone jack nor any spare pre-outs for this purpose.

av_phile1 · « **Reply #103 on:** Apr 22, 2004 at 11:41 AM »

I am seriously considering this route. Most headphones have 16k-38kohm impedances and input voltage requirement of 160mv up to 600 millvolts. This is within many preamp out specifications.

qguy · « **Reply #104 on:** Apr 22, 2004 at 12:00 PM »

some suggestions and a few crazy ideas

1. Can a SET tube amp be use as a Headphone amp ?...like a 2A3 or an SE EL84 ?...i mean connect the headphone to the speaker out of these amps ?

2. There are some inexpensive surplus amplifiers at the pier, i guess those 20-30 watt amp should not cost so much...maybe in the 2-3 thousand range...just look for the one with the headphone jack...

av_phile1 · « **Reply #105 on:** Apr 22, 2004 at 12:25 PM »

The thought has crossed my mind. If i can find one with a pre-out, it would be worth getting for me.

The high impedance of headphones might ruin a tube output stage. I believe tubes can breathe easier with lower impedance loads than ss amps at the speaker stage. Maybe you're better off doing that with pre-amps.

redkoji · « **Reply #106 on:** Apr 26, 2004 at 02:54 PM »

its quite good to see that even in other topic...nad still being mentioned..thanks

audi0slave · « **Reply #107 on:** Apr 28, 2004 at 11:41 AM »

... because NAD products are among the best buy though it doesn't necessarily mean they're one of the best. NAD and Rotel are known for their budget priced but musically superior audio gears.

kid · « **Reply #108 on:** Apr 28, 2004 at 12:57 PM »

Ive seen this Rotel 971mkII selling for 10k in the buy n sell section. Is this a good deal?

alanranch · « **Reply #109 on:** Apr 28, 2004 at 02:05 PM »

Is there any1 here who uses a ROTEL RB-03. HOw does it sound. Is it a good amp? Thanks

av_phile1 · « **Reply #110 on:** Apr 28, 2004 at 02:52 PM »

Quote from: alanranch on Apr 28, 2004 at 02:05 PM

Is there any1 here who uses a ROTEL RB-03. HOw does it sound. Is it a good amp? Thanks

ROTEL RB-03

Rated conservatively at 70wpc, this 2-channel torroid powered amp is priced very attractively. I would have gotten this to power my rears. Had it come in black.

av_phile1 · « **Reply #111 on:** Apr 28, 2004 at 03:01 PM »

Quote from: punk_kid on Apr 28, 2004 at 12:57 PM

Ive seen this Rotel 971mkII selling for 10k in the buy n sell section. Is this a good deal?

Is this the Power amp RB971 or the Integrated Amp RA971

kid · « **Reply #112 on:** Apr 28, 2004 at 05:21 PM »

Quote from: av_phile1 on Apr 28, 2004 at 03:01 PM

Is this the Power amp RB971 or the Integrated Amp RA971

RA971mkII integrated amp rated 60wpc

av_phile1 · « **Reply #113 on:** Apr 28, 2004 at 05:39 PM »

Am not familiar with the mkII but the RA971 is an excellent high current integrated amp that is conservatively rated. It can easily match some japanese brands specified at twice that power using DIN standards. For 10T, this is still a good buy. As an old and discontinued model (maybe more than 5 years), just check out the volume control as this is one weakness of previous Rotel models. They can oxidize as all potentiometers do and introduce noise. But nothing an LPS cleaner can't correct. (unless its severe enough to merit replacement)

krets pulpol · « **Reply #114 on:** Apr 28, 2004 at 05:39 PM »

this ra971 mk2 is a good buy for 10k depending how it was used. i could have gotten this integrated amp (brand new) but it was sold to someone else. it is rated for 60 watts compared to 40 watts of ra01 and ra02. some audiophiles and enthusiasts prefer this model than the new ones even if it doesn't have a remote. you can read the old reviews on different sites. by the way, this is a rated integrated amp from rotel.

a good replacement for this is the ra-1062, rated also and hi fi choice's 2003 product of the year (with remote) but at a whoppin' 30k ++

kid · « **Reply #115 on:** Apr 28, 2004 at 05:58 PM »

thanks for your comments bros, ill auditioned it first.

KEN · « **Reply #116 on:** Apr 28, 2004 at 06:14 PM »

Any feedback/comment of RA01 or RA02, I'm new to audio and got limited budget and thinking of getting RA01/RA02 to partner with my RCD02, currently using RXV800 receiver for both audio and HT ....

TIA

krets pulpol · « **Reply #117 on:** Apr 29, 2004 at 11:22 AM »

hi ken, you can't go wrong with the ra01/02 if you're going to pair with your rcd. these integrated amps are preferred for your rcd02 cdp by some users, others veer away to nads and hks. ideally, ra01/02 should be matched to rcd02s. your choice between ra01 and ra02 will narrow down if you prefer a remote control. for 40 watts, it can fill up a small to mid-size room without strain and good timing.

av_phile1 · « **Reply #118 on:** Apr 29, 2004 at 02:33 PM »

Quote from: KEN on Apr 28, 2004 at 06:14 PM

Any feedback/comment of RA01 or RA02, I'm new to audio and got limited budget and thinking of getting RA01/RA02 to partner with my RCD02, currently using RXV800 receiver for both audio and HT ....

TIA

At sound dimension, the RA02 is around 17T.

kid · « **Reply #119 on:** Apr 29, 2004 at 05:51 PM »

If anybody you know who wants to sell there rotel integrated amps, pls. PM me.