Before this month, I'd never experienced Rotel amplification in one of my own systems, but I have memories of how their amplifiers sounded back in the early 1990s. In those days, at audio shows, I would audition every Rotel amp I could find; I was especially interested in their $369, 60Wpc RB-960BX. I was curious about that model because it was the number-one competitor to the 60Wpc darling of the audiophile proletariat: Adcom's GFA 535 II. My friend Corey Greenberg compared these two popular amps in Stereophile and concluded, "The Rotel is for the budget-minded music lover who wants a good, solid little amplifier that's not going to make listening to music a trying experience."
I trusted Corey's judgment, but the RB-960BX fascinated me because it was a plain-clothed, black-boxed budget amplifier that used ultra-premium, Japanese-made, "Modkateer-Approved" Black Gate capacitors by Rubycon, for which I was the US importer. I had more than an academic interest in the Rotel sounding better than the Adcom.
The Rotel amplifier I remember best is the hip, radical-looking RB-991, which Robert J. Reina reviewed and Thomas J. Norton measured in the August 1999 Stereophile.
When I read that review, I thought, Damn! Rotel put the heatsinks on the front! How cool is that? So ha! When I first saw Rotel's new Diamond Series 60th Anniversary RA-6000 integrated amplifier and the matching DT-6000 DAC Transport, at a preview demonstration at Café Kitsuné in Brooklyn, I recognized those fin sections that bookended their brushed aluminum faceplates as an aesthetic nod to the RB-991's coolfactor styling.
It was happy hour at Café Kitsuné, and after some relaxed listening, I set my drink on the bar, picked up my reporter's notebook, and asked Rotel's super-cool PR crew, "When I write about this, what would you like Stereophile’s readers to most understand about these new products?”
Denne historien er fra February 2023-utgaven av Stereophile.
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Denne historien er fra February 2023-utgaven av Stereophile.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
My last Far East trip
First comes the anticipation, that initial jet of warm water, that miraculous searching, finding the sweet spot, then heaven on earth as it cleans and caresses.
Riding the Common Wave
In the e-commerce era, brick-and-mortar dealerships must give customers compelling reasons to stop by. Los Angeles hi-fi dealership Common Wave's owner Wesley Katzir keeps customers coming through the door with a simple idea: that music matters in our everyday lives and that what he enjoys, other people will enjoy, too.
Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole
After a wild decade in the biggest pop music group ever, John Lennon's post-Beatles years were spent in protest, in various kinds of therapy, in immigration court, and in search of a new musical identity.
Trane meets the Motor City
Detroit became a destination for migrating African Americans early, starting with the Underground Railroad; the city's proximity to Canada was convenient for those seeking to escape Southern slavery.
Vital art never rests
At this late date, it seems impossible that there could still be \"lost\" albums lingering in the vaults by musicians as important and successful as Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney.
DUKE IN 10
TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DUKE'S DEATH, ROBERT BAIRD SELECTS A DOUBLE HANDFUL OF EXEMPLARY TRACKS FROM PERHAPS AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSICAL GENIUS.
Piega Coax Gen2 811
It's funny how we discover some music in unexpected, twisting ways.
Pass Laboratories XP-27
One of the pleasures of reviewing-and also using-products from Pass Laboratories is an encounter with Nelson Pass's writing, which can usually be found in the owner's manual and is always competent, insightful, and sometimes funny.
EMT 928 II
Modern turntables are a paradox.
Dynaudio Contour 30i
Ah, Denmark. Land of the Vikings and blue-eyed, blond-haired folk with faces sculpted just so.
