)Sound quality
The Rotel combination has an even, natural tonality and strong dynamics, but also suffers from a grubby, congested overlay that worsens as volume increases and the music becomes more complex. This was particularly apparent with complex orchestral and other material (I used a Mozart symphony recording, No. 38/Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto/Peter Maag on Arts LC2513, among others); but it was less of a problem with mainstream pop and rock (for example my son's Spice Girls album), where the bold and capable power amp really came into its own and the preamp wasn't under too much pressure to parse complexity.
Sure enough, the preamp turned out to be the culprit, and the power amp on its own (driven by other preamplifiers) turns out to be very capable. If you look at the price split between the two units, it's Ј150 for the preamplifier and Ј200 for the power amp, which tends to support my suspicions.
The panel gave this amplifier a low average score, but there were diverse views. "Unexceptional... sounds bland at low levels," was one sum-up comment, although another listener concluded that it was "quite pleasant at low levels" in the Mozart, and credited "good bass/dynamics and a tight sound" in the Michelle Shocked track.
Conclusion
I believe the somewhat schizophrenic character of this beast was reflected in the erratic auditioning observations it inspired. In any case, the hands-on listening was unequivocal in pointing to a loss of resolving power and transparency in the preamplifier. A pity, this, as the power amplifier is more than routinely competent, and deserves a more accomplished partner.
Да и новые Ротели (1070) они критикуют. Я бы сказал так: Ротель лучше мощник брать (991, например), а на пред - что-нибудь английское (со временем) или лампу (если нравится).
