Power supply, dynamics, detail, soundstage, construction, price.

captive power cord, single set of binding posts, only unbalanced inputs.

Good detail, imaging and depth of soundstage. Handles transients easily and solo instrument or vocal image does not wander or smear when a complex orchestral passage joins in. Runs cool even though it stays on 24x7 and I drive inefficient 4 ohm speakers for 6-8 hours at a stretch.
Sound is neutral with good bass and treble (not as musical and forgiving as some, but you mostly get out what you put in). Will drive 86db/watt 4 ohm maggies louder than I ever want to hear them, though many recommend 200wpc Bryston's or Classe etc. to power them (a bit better but not enough to justify the extra cost, until I win a lottery or something).

Giving it 4 stars because there are better amps and 5 for value because it comes awful close to sounding like a $2k amp for around $500.

equipment
Pioneer 606d (pcm output).
Kenwood belt-drive and Technics SL1200MKII TT and various cartridges.
Yamaha CDC 665 cd used as transport.
Yamaha rxv995 reciever.
Rotel 981.
Magnepan MG1.6qr.
Sony MD recorder.
Tascam 122mkIII studio cassette deck.
DIY RG215-MIL coax interconnects.
DIY TNT audio UBYTE-2 cables (in bi-wire configuration).
variously branded optical cables.

Sound, value for money

Boring looks, only simple speaker binding posts

Typical story: been looking at B&W speakers for about 10 years, finally could afford (!! well, the cost didn't hurt TOO much) them and when I got them home .... Well, they sounded better than my old JBLs but not everything I hoped for. Was informed enough to recognize the limitations in the rest of my equipment and went shopping for new electronics (wife was real happy about that, but saw it coming). Wanted pre and amp for about US$1500 so only had limited chouces at audiophile store.

Liked the Rotel combo (w/ RC980BX pre-amp) and loved the dealer, so I took it home for a listen. Improvement over my NAD receiver was fantastic - but then the NAD only cost about US$500. In store could A/B with other equipment and compare differences, in house can only say I love the sound. More detail, presence and depth than I ever heard before. A friend who is professional opera singer came over with music he knew well and was blown away, another friend who teaches piano and voice did same with same results.

Love the protection circuit that makes for silent power up and shut down, runs fairly cool. Solid and well made, no problems in first 18 months.


Used with Tara Prime and Reference cables and HDCD equiped CD player. The silent parts are absolutely dead silent when playing Reference Recording's HDCD disks!

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Looked at ADCOM, Classe and Marantz

performance, detail, clarity, an ability to reveal the hidden treasures of my CD collection.

a barely perceptible hum; only audible when all of the sources are off, the room is still, and the neighborhood is completely quiet.

If you're uncertain about whether or not to embark upon the transition into separates, this is certainly a good confidence builder. You could start elsewhere, and certainly find more expensive and much more esoteric equipment than this Rotel, but at this price point, I doubt that you'll be as certain of your choice -- or as pleased.

I am currently using the 981 to drive some very demanding British speakers. I was under the impression that an 100WPC Onkyo receiver would suffice, but adding the Rotel has clearly shown just how wrong I was. The combination of the two has produced a blatantly winsome grin on my face that I may have to seek medical attention in order to remove.

I am very astonished by the sheer detail in music. I also have the distinct impression that using the Rotel w/ Onkyo as a preamp of sorts has resulted in clearer separation of the channels in HT. Perhaps I'm imagining it? If so, I won't argue with the experience. Even the illusion of improved performance is better than the base realization that your current setup is simply not up to par.

Ultimately, the RB 981 is far better than I imagined.

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none from a separates standpoint.

Excellent power amp for only $600. Fitted with accurate/(bit bright) speakersit's detail(resolution) levels are excellent. Power is rated at 130w/ch(8 ohm)
It's got pretty good headroom for $600 amp. handles 4 ohms without any problem
sounds warm and smooth and very clean. build quality is excellent for the price.

For the price i think the sound is great. Mated with my B&W DM 603's i could not be happier for the price. Take the time to audition, you wont be disappointed.

I had recently purchased a pair of mission 704's. The speakers sounded great in the store but just OK in my house. I went back to dealer and informed me that he was using the ROTEL RB-981 to drive them. I purchased the amp yesterday and bought a pair of demo bi-wire cables. I rushed home hooked up the amp with the cables and now i am in audio heaven.
great buy i even got a discount on the amp

Thanks Buzz Jensen

Huge power and subdued looks

Quite warm when run hard

I am running an all rotel system of

RB - 981 Power
RC - 972 Pre
RCD - 971 cd player
Acoustic enery AE 120 speakers (biwired)
Cable talk moniter 2.1 and QED Qnecy 4 interconnects
Chord company myth cable

An am so impressed with what this amp can do it never runs out of steam and the bass delivery is so crisp and sharp i think also helped by the speakers which i also thurouly recommend as i do all of my system,

It does get hot though not as hot as integrated that iahve tried but still hot none the less so carfull placement is needed i would recommend on the floor, also i think that when bridged and using tow it way be even better, and will let you know when i ahve tried this.

Similar Products Used:

Rb - 971 and sony mini sytem anlso heard rotel 971 integrated

Cheap, Good build and great sound

CAN run hot, to small to impress friends! (not a major concern)

I Have purchaced this amp to run a pair of JBL S312 speakers. It is a very honest amp that has a little more bite than refinement (just like me!) So it's best for rock and dance. I have listened (auditioned if you prefer) to many amps and this is the best ive heard. If you like your music clean and loud, this is the amp for you.

System: (Loud music)

Preamp: Rotel RTC-940
Amp: Rotel RB-981
CD: Sony MDX-D3
Speakers: JBL S312
Cable: Kimber Kable

Great sound - high, mids, and bass. Good control of speaker, never harsh sounding.

None, not even the "hiss" others have reported.

I bought this to power a pair of Vandersteen 2ce's (86db sensitivity), which I felt were underpowered by my Onkyo receiver. Plus, they simply deserved better than a receiver. The difference was substantial. The brightness that plagued my system is gone, the sound is far more musical and smooth, and the bass is tighter, deeper, and better controlled. The overall sound is balanced, without over emphasis or deemphasis of any area.

The remainder of my setup:
Onkyo 676 receiver (pre-amping the 981 for 2 ch stereo)
AMC CD8b CD player w/MIT 330+ II i/c's
XLO Ultra 1 i/c's connecting the 981 to the Onkyo.
Vandersteen 2ce's w/ Kimber 4PR (bi-wired).

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo receiver, hafler 500, have listened to various other brands.

Awesome power and sound quality for the price

Needs better pre amps than the Rotel ones; transformer hum

I purchased this power amp along with the Rotel RC-971 pre amp. For the first month or two I played the amp through my Cerwin Vegas, but was not happy with the bass reproduction. With hard house music there was an obvious lack of depth and control. Treble was also harsh and somewhat vague. I then connected the amp to a Peavey unity 1002 professional sound mixer and after listening for 5 minutes, I drop kicked the RC-971 down the stairs. Sound quality was awesome, with unlimited bass and crystal clear treble. Anyone not impressed by the sound of this or any other power amp should consider the quality of their pre amp.

This model has actually been discontinued now, but I will be buying the replaced model to bridge along with the RB-981 to power larger cerwin vega speakers.