This amp is a steal at $500 for a floor model full warranty. I hooked it up using the pre-outs of my Yamaha RV-690 receiver (rated at 85w/channel for left,right and center). What a major difference. Even though the rotel is rated at 60w/channel @three channels, the sound is much cleaner at lower levels and music sounds warmer. Another great feature of the Rotel is that it is flexible.The amp can be used as 2,3,4,5 or 6 channels. This is amazing !

Clean, clear amplifier. Simple hookup. Variable outputs for amplifier pairs. Build quality, weight.

A bit harsh at first hookup (see review below)

I reasearched the amplifier market for quite some time prior to purchasing the RB-976. I looked at a variety of high quality two channel amplifiers including a Bryston 3B. I chose the Rotel because of its flexibility, low price, great reviews and excellent build quality. This amplifier is very flexible for those of us who want some options down the road, and have not been pigeon holed into a two channel amplifier.

The RB-976 provides the following configurations:
60w x 6
70w x 5
150w x 3
and various combinations of 150w and 60w depending on which amplifier pairs you have bridged. I am using the amplifier in my main listening area at 150w x 2 + 60w x 2 to power a set of speakers in another room. The outputs are also individually variable via 3 small controls on the amplifier front panel.

How did it sound???

Day 1: Hooked up the RB-976 to my Pioneer Elite receivers pre-outs and turned it on. Ouch. Way too bright, way too much bass, grainy top end. Talk about bleeding ears. It sounded awful (?different?) compared to my integrated. I went to bed quite disappointed.

Day 2: Decided to audition the amplifier again. Turned off my subwoofer (I can always add it later for effect), and adjusted my EQ (yes I am one of those people that uses an EQ). I had a marathon listening session; rock, dance, jazz, country, etc. etc. I could not beleive how much better the amplifier sounded than the day before. It has the ability to create a phenominal 3 dimensional soundstage. The sound seemed to come from beyond the speakers. The bass was clean, the highs were clear and the midrange was smooth. I am now hearing nuances on CDs that I have never heard before. The amplifier provides great sound on all types of music.

Day 3: This was very impressive. I listen to some mild jazz - The Holly Cole Trio. On their first CD, cut 4, there is a passage where someone is playing a harmonica quite loudly. Holly Cole is humming in the background and someone else is playing a stand up bass. The 3D sound stage was phenominal. The illusion went like this: The harmonica seemed to come from right in front of me, maybe 10 feet in front of the speakers. Holy Cole came in from the right, at around the speaker boundary. The bass seemed to come from behind the speakers at the left hand side (much like from the back corner of a stage). This type of imaging has sold me on the RB-976.

Conclusion: For $799 Canadian, this is truly a great amplifier. The sound is fantastic. The build quality is great. If also offers the added flexibility of channel bridging to help to future proof yourself. Dolby Digital 8.1 if on its way! For those of you out there without mega bucks for a Bryston or something in that range, check out the ROTEL, you will definately not be disappointed.

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