Rotel A11 Tribute Amplifier
Introducing the new Rotel. Replacing the much respected Rotel designs wasn't easy. The Amplifiers sold in great numbers and have been one of the top selling products in America and Europe. Regarded as superb value for money, they bring a taste of hi-end to affordable price points.
How to improve on something that is already close to perfect, especially when it comes to price/performance and the materials used for production?
The Tachikawa family in Japan – founders and owners of Rotel, finally had the opportunity to work with Ken Ishiwata, a highly respected engineer behind much of the success of rival brand Marantz.
Ishiwata is known for elevating sound quality by a combination of changes - both mechanical and electronic, with the application of damping materials helping to deaden vibrations in both the top cover and main chassis. Nine capacitors in the PSU have also been switched for preferred alternatives. Furthermore, the electrical ground paths within have been re-routed
The objective was to create the best sounding units for those with critical ears and limited budgets, and a feature set demanded by Audiophiles in the 2020's:
- 50 Watts per channel of analog Class AB amplification - perfect for your choice of bookshelf speakers
- Analog and digital inputs, also wireless aptX HD music streamer, also Phono MM input
What is aptX HD?
Now for aptX HD, which is essentially an updated, beefed-up Bluetooth with the ability to transfer music in a way that permits better sound quality
It was released in reaction to the increasing popularity of hi-res audio and it supports audio at 24-bit/48kHz. Compression remains at a ratio of 4:1, with a bitrate of 576kbps.
Short of adding a streamer like Bluesound Node 3, this is a convenient way of playing digital music wirelessly at very close to CD quality.
Reviews
"The Rotel Tribute's combination of warmth, detail and precise soundstaging plays well, giving a wonderfully focused view of the singer and the accompanying instrumentation" read the review in HiFi News
Specifications
- CONTINUOUS POWER OUTPUT 50W/Ch (All channels driven, 8Ω)
- SPEAKER IMPEDANCE 4Ω minimum
- INPUT SENSITIVITY
- Line Level Inputs: 180mV
- Phono Input (MM): 2.3mV
- TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION (THD) (20Hz–20kHz) <0.03%
- FREQUENCY RESPONSE Line Level Inputs: 10Hz - 100kHz ±0.5dB Phono Input: 20Hz - 20kHz ±0.5dB
- S/N RATIO (IHF "A" Weighted) Line Level Inputs: 100dB, Phono Input: 85dB
- DIMENSIONS (W × H × D) 430 × 93 × 345mm 17" × 3.6" × 13.5"
- FRONT PANEL HEIGHT 80mm (3.15")
- POWER REQUIREMENTS 120V, 60Hz
- POWER CONSUMPTION 160W
- STANDBY POWER CONSUMPTION <0.5W
- NET WEIGHT 6.85kg (15lbs.)
- Warranty 5 years
