THE CRITICS AGREE:
The Smart Choice in High-Performance High Fidelity Rotel hi-fi is an overnight success which was twenty five years in the making. Founded in 1961 as an OEM manufacturer building hi-fi equipment for many of the big names of the day, Rotel has today taken its rightful place among those respected brand names with a top-quality line of high-performance audio components designed for the serious audio enthusiast.
"After our experience with the RB880, we can better appreciate why Rotel
products enjoy favour among demanding high-end audiophiles. If the RB880 is
a typical example of the company's products, the reputation is well deserved." --
Stereo Review April, 1986
Twenty-five years' experience manufacturing audio components shows: since its introduction. the Rotel hi-fi line has won an overwhelming number of awards and accolades from the international audio press, culminating in the selection of the RA820BX amplifier as Hi-Fi Product of the Year (1986) in the prestigious What Hi-Fl Awards.
Such immediate acclaim and impact on the marketplace is virtually unheard-of. It is an indication that Rotel's performance-oriented design philosophy ,s precisely right for today's discerning audio enthusiast.
The Rotel line is designed in Britain to SA that very demanding, purist market. The United Kingdom has spawned some of the audio industry's most famous names--product lines which have led the way in advancing the state of the audio engineering art and science. Today Rotel hi-fi is one of the most successful, sought-after and valued names in the British audio market, and has earned the respect of knowledgeable audio enthusiasts in Europe and America as well.
Critically-Acclaimed Amplifiers
The first components designed to Rotel's very high performance standards were the superb amplifiers. Rotel amplifiers are available in a variety of configurations: power amplifiers (bridgeable for triple the power in monaural mode), pre-amps of the highest quality and refined performance, and integrated amplifiers combining the technology of the separates onto a single chassis for great cost-efficiency.
Each model has since come to be regarded as a performance leader in its price range, easily out-performing even amplifiers costing considerably more.
Technically Speaking
At the heart of each Rotel amplifier is the high-voltage, high-current design. In simplest possible terms, this means Rotel amplifiers will sound much more powerful when driving real loudspeakers than conventional amplifiers of comparable rated power.
Amplifier power ratings are measured under strictly-controlled laboratory conditions, with the amplifier driving a steady-state 8-ohm resistor at a continuous power level.
Once connected to loudspeakers and reproducing music, however, the amplifier faces a completely different set of performance conditions:
All loudspeakers are reactive, presenting the amplifier with an impedance which fluctuates as frequency changes, to twice the power for the same volume level.
Similarly, musical transients (short-term "peaks" such as a kick-drum note) may double or triple the power demand for a short period of time. High-voltage and high-current capability are required to cope with these conditions.
Rotel amplifiers are designed to easily handle these real-world demands. Such technical refinements as large power supplies and doubled or tripled output devices give Rotel amplifiers huge power reserves, great control on complex musical passages, and the ability to drive even difficult loudspeaker loads. The difference in performance quality will be truly appreciated with today's advanced digital recordings whose extended dynamic range puts tremendous demand on the amplifier.
Specially-Selected Components
Early in the design process it was determined that design and manufacturing dollars would be spent on those components which directly affect sound quality. For that reason, al electrical components such as resistors, capacitors and transistors are sourced from Europe's finest suppliers and hand-selected to a 1% tolerance for critical circuits (20% tolerances--that is, deviations from stated electrical values--are not uncommon in audio components manufacture). Such attention to close tolerances ensures that all circuits will perform precisely as intended by the design engineer. In addition, components are selected for the lowest possible noise levels, ensuring extremely quiet operation.
Straight-Line Design
Even the world's finest components are necessarily imperfect conductors. As a result, all Rotel amplifiers, tuners and receivers typify a straight-line design approach, eliminating all components from the signal path which are not strictly necessary for performance. This straight-line design is seen most graphically in the removal of "features" and controls which make no contribution to sound quality. It is also evident in direct loudspeaker connections and the absence of conventional protection circuits.
In strictly technical terms, this straight-line design eliminates the potential for phase shift, distortion and signal-loss. In terms of your listening enjoyment, it means a very low noise threshold, improved resolution of low-level details and the most natural, accurate sound reproduction.
System-Building with Rotel hi-fi
Rotel hi-fi is a complete line, including tuners, receivers, compact disc players, cassette decks and turntables, all designed and manufactured to the very high standards set by the Rotel amplifiers. The emphasis on pure, performance-oriented engineering has been the guiding principle in the design of every component in the line. Whether you choose to build a complete Rotel system or upgrade your current system with one or two 'Rotel components, you are assured of truly outstanding sound reproduction quality Rotel's quiet, accurate and supremely musical turntables, for example, illustrate the exhaustive attention to detail which is an integral part of every Rotel design: details like an arm-mount pillar precision machined from a solid piece of aluminum refined specifically to Rotel's high standards; details like a platter mat made of energy-absorbing Norselex and details like silicone-filled feet to isolate the turntable from external vibrations.
-----CROSS-SECTION, RPB50 TURNTABLE
The Balanced Design Concept
In the design of a high fidelity component, as in the selection of a high fidelity sound system, it is ultimately the weakest link in the chain, not the strongest, which sets the limit to the performance achieved.
In recognition of this fact, no singe aspect of a Rotel component's design is considered paramount. Instead, each model is engineered for performance quality which is consistently high in all its aspects.
Similarly, all Rotel components are designed to complement each other in terms of sound quality and performance. This consistency has been repeatedly recognized in the selection of complete Rotel systems as top performers in their field by the British audio press. With Rotel hi-fi, the weak links simply do not exist
Bringing You Back to What It's All About: MUSIC
In the final analysis, of course, the only criterion which truly matters in the design and selection of any audio component is its ability to reproduce music naturally, accurately and convincingly. While some "hi-fi" companies appear to have lost sight of this fact, we remember that you purchase audio components to enjoy your music to the fullest, not to read specifications. This is why the listening room remains our most important laboratory.
We invite you to put Rotel high fidelity components to the test. Visit your local Rotel authorized retailer with your favorite records or compact discs and listen to the music. A simple listening test is the best way to find out why Rotel hi-fi is the smart choice in high-performance high fidelity.
Designed in Britain, Enjoyed World-Wide
Also see:
Rotel RC-870 Preamp (Aug. 1985)
Rotel RT-2100 Stereo FM Tuner (Sept. 1979)
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