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The best of Rotel amplifiers

Jezzer said:
A £500 amp with £2000 speakers seems like a mismatch to me. As good as the Rotel is for the price, your ProAcs are deserving of much better amplification. (I’ve had a Rotel RB991 in the past and it was decent)
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Isn't that a marketeer's dream statement though as surely it's based on paper stats only rather than how good the amp goes with the speakers? Am genuinely interested as to how you have drawn that conclusion that there must be cost parity between the 2 components. What constitutes 'much better amplification'? Genuine question.

The amp I have at the moment is a Yamaha R-N803 (£600) and I have had no issues with the sound or its ability to produce quite astonishing music through the DB1s. The only reason I am considering changing is to go back to an analogue amp with something like a Node 2i for the digital stuff.

I am not having a pop by the way - just very curious as to your statement. From what I have read the A11 seems decent enough but I am often wrong :). Eager to consider others.
 
Paulq2 said:
Isn't that a marketeer's dream statement though as surely it's based on paper stats only rather than how good the amp goes with the speakers? Am genuinely interested as to how you have drawn that conclusion that there must be cost parity between the 2 components. What constitutes 'much better amplification'? Genuine question.

The amp I have at the moment is a Yamaha R-N803 (£600) and I have had no issues with the sound or its ability to produce quite astonishing music through the DB1s. The only reason I am considering changing is to go back to an analogue amp with something like a Node 2i for the digital stuff.

I am not having a pop by the way - just very curious as to your statement. From what I have read the A11 seems decent enough but I am often wrong :). Eager to consider others.
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I’m sure the A11 is great. I saw a recent review on YouTube and the guy loved it. As you might imagine, I try to speak from personal experience. I’ve owned a couple of pairs of ProAcs and still have a pair now (had 1SC and have Tab 10 Sigs) and have used all sorts of amps with these speakers. Especially the 1SCs which I had for years. They worked well with cheaper amps from the likes of Rotel, Harman Kardon and Arcam but were magnificent on the end of a Krell KAV400xi. So maybe I’ll dial my previous post back a tad: While the Rotel will do a good job of driving your DB1s and will more than likely provide a foot tappingly entertaining sound, the DB1s will benefit from more expensive amplification.

IME, my Tab 10 Sigs sounded decent with a Hegel H90 but they positively came to life on the end of a Bel Canto power amp and Hegel dac/pre (with a Node2i as the streamer).
 
Always had a soft spot for rotel, owned several amps,820, 830, Michi pre power , tuner phono stage and couple of decks , amps of various power, just found rotel easy to fit and forget. Occasionally a somewhat dry presentation but for money that’s very picky, I got on best with michi passive with pre a pair of mono locks (1070?) that matched very well some mission 752f, big fun sound.
Built to last, components generally of good quality, the phono 970 is I think still a fine sounding bargain.
 
The big buggers from the 70’s are good fun, 1412 and 1803 but fetching silly money or silly money being asked.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
RA820 is more than a match for Naim Nait on sound quality but look at the difference in S/H value!
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That is interesting you say that as someone who knows his "Rotels" likes the 820AX too... I was chatting yesterday to a Danish guy called Per that modifies Rotel amps... He has a thread on DIYaudio "Improve a Rotel amp THD by 20dB!".

I have one of his amps on trial at the moment. An RA 971 mk11 with a little "AngelP Signature Mk11" badge on it. It's quite magical, the amp sounds pretty dam good though my Kef LS50s :) ..

He also said the 820AX was quite a special amp in the Rotel line up. £30-50 is much better than £750 for a Nait 1.
 
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jonnoshore said:
That is interesting you say that as someone who knows his "Rotels" likes the 820AX too... I was chatting yesterday to a Danish guy called Per that modifies Rotel amps... He has a thread on DIYaudio "Improve a Rotel amp THD by 20dB!".

I have one of his amps on trial at the moment. An RA 971 mk11 with a little "AngelP Signature Mk11" badge on it. It's quite magical, the amp sounds pretty dam good though my Kef LS50s :) ..

He also said the 820AX was quite a special amp in the Rotel line up. £30-50 is much better than £750 for a Nait 1.
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I have never heard the 820AX, but I have the 820A. I’ve listened to many cheap Rotel amps since I started this thread and the 820A is the most satisfying. Many of the others have a voice which seems to emphasise treble - bright - which doesn’t suit me.
 
mandryka said:
I have never heard the 820AX, but I have the 820A. I’ve listened to many cheap Rotel amps since I started this thread and the 820A is the most satisfying. Many of the others have a voice which seems to emphasise treble - bright - which doesn’t suit me.
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It may be the A he was meaning
 
Only really had much to do with a Rotel RA-930AX amplifier. Auctioned ok into Tannoy 605 speakers at the time, but experience now tells me that series of speakers sounded good on almost anything.
Ran the Rotel myself with some B&W DM100i, Castle Trent and Kef C55 speakers where it, while decently clean and controlled, sat firmly on the lean, slightly aggressive and not inconsiderably insistent and relentless sounding side of the fence.

Nicely made and completely reliable though.
 
Del monaco said:
I really like vintage Rotel. I have a 965BX CD player and RQ 970BX phono equaliser.Such solid unfussy products.
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Yes, I’d have had one of their cd players over one of their amps anytime during that vintage. I’ve had both of those too.
 
mandryka said:
I have never heard the 820AX, but I have the 820A. I’ve listened to many cheap Rotel amps since I started this thread and the 820A is the most satisfying. Many of the others have a voice which seems to emphasise treble - bright - which doesn’t suit me.
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The 820A (maybe the plain 820) was my first ever amp in late 1983 but it’s so long ago I don’t even have a pic of it, I must look it up for nostalgia, the rest of the system was Pink Triangle, Syrinx PU-3, A&R P77 and Heybrook HB1 speakers.
 
mandryka said:
I have never heard the 820AX, but I have the 820A. I’ve listened to many cheap Rotel amps since I started this thread and the 820A is the most satisfying. Many of the others have a voice which seems to emphasise treble - bright - which doesn’t suit me.
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I just got a one owner mint boxed 820 AX from Facebook sales for less than a tank of fuel £30!

One channel is down but it is only one F4A 250v channel fuse blown. Both DC offsets are fine and it looks unmolested inside.

Each channel sounds amazing. Bet it'll sound even better playing in stereo.

The A and AX are almost identical according to Per. Well chuffed.

Driven from my AACD3 and through each of my Naim IBLs it sounds pretty d good for £30.

...off to order some fuses.
 
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