power naturality

ergonomics

Let me tell you the combination between my mono blocks and my fl-8 spendor unbelievable the soundstage the naturality and of course the power is uncanny. there is no power under 1500.00 that can blast my babys

Similar Products Used:

bryston roksan lynn

Better than any intergrated AV amps I've heard. Flexible too. Flip side is the large number of sockets needed to power up these babies for a 5-channel AV system. Amps like Audiolab 8000s, Classe and YBA sound a bit smoother and sweeter but cost considerably more.

While I checked off the "Audiophile" button next to my name, I must put parameters on this term. For one, I'm not made out of money, so the upper crust of hi-fi offerings is well beyond my means to obtain. While I can appreciate a Mark Levinson amplifier with the best of them, I must do so at my favorite audio emporium, and in limited intervals (I feel guilty taking up too much time and listening space when looking at equipment that is well out of my price range). Personally, I'm limited by budget (though not by heart or appreciation) to try and obtain the best sonic character from the least amount of dollars.
This brings up to my review of the Rotel RMB-100. Sure, there are better amplifiers out there, but I've yet to hear one that equals it for the price of admission (admittedly, I did not pay the $700 per channel retail, so perhaps my review is a bit scewed by the great deal I happened upon (two mono-blocks for under $850).

The amps I compare the RMB-100's to are ones I've had personal home experience with, or at least a long session at my local audio emporium. But before getting into that, let's look at the audio line-up. It is important to list the equipment attached to the amp - particularly the speakers - as some equipment is complimentary and some is not. Matching is an art that takes time to learn, so it's always best to consult a knowledeable dealer you can trust in regards to equipment compatability (and I'm not talking equipment that plugs in and works without blowing up, either). My system, modest as it may be, consists of a Rotel signal processor/pre-amp (not the THX model.. sorry, for some reason Rotel model numbers just don't stick in my head for long), NAD model 5000 CD player, NHT 1.3 mains and Cambridge Soundworks 12" powered and slave subwoofers. It's an oddball mixture, but it does a fine job for the $$$ invested. It is also important to note that the main channels are set up full range. I found that in my room, it was easier to blend the sound by letting the NHTs run full range (they're good to about 60hz with a fair amount of authority), and setting the sub's crossover at the lowest setting (55hz).

My chain of amplifiers is as follows, from oldest to newest (previous to my mono-block, currently used to power L & R channels), used as my main amplifier. Carver M1.0T, NAD 214 and Rotel 60 watt/ch amp (not the integrated one... told you I can't remember Rotel model #'s). Listening "tests" were done with subs off, for the most part.

First of all, for sheer gobs of power, the Carver is well ahead of the others. Of couse, it's rated at 200 watts/ch nominal, so it should have more power. Power is not everything, however. Compared to the Rotel mono-blocks, it sounds congested. Low-level detail simply isn't reproduced with the accuracy and presense of the Rotels. Oddly enough, the bass was less defined with the Carver, which suggests that the Rotel amps control the speaker cone much better.

Next up, we have the NAD 214. This is a little power-house amp, considering its modest output rating (80watts/ch). It does a generally good job in the bass, but mids and highs sounds a bit analytical to me, compared to the Rotels. It was detailed, if a bit bright in presentation. Soundstage, stereo separation, and imagine were far behind the mono-blocks.

The Rotel stereo amp (60 watt/ch) was a significant step up in sound from the NAD, in my opinion. The depth of the soundstage grew, and the bass had a more realistic presense. While this amp doesn't match the sheer output of the NAD, I thought it did a better job of controlling the speaker cone. Bass was cleaner, mids were more focused and highs were a bit less a forward (a boon in my system, as the NHT's are a bit on the bright side on some material). However, even with this much improved sound, they were no match for the mono-blocks. The RMB-100's took what the Rotel stereo amp did right to the nextlevel.

Next up we compare it with a more price-worthy advesary. Admittedly, this is an opinion not based on in-depth listening with a lot of different material, but was more an A/B comparison done in about 15-20 minutes. The amp in question is the Bryston 120 watt/ch amp (either the 2B or 4B, I believe). My impression was that the Bryston had more authority than the Rotel's but they weren't as "smooth" sounding as the mono-blocks. Stereo separation wasn't quite as noticable as with the other amps, but the Rotel gets the nod here, too. Soundstage and depth is slightly in the Rotel's favor, too. I thought both were musical amplifiers, avoiding the problems of less costly solid stage amplification (as they should). My opinion is backed up by the owner of this audio establishment, too, and he's done more in-depth comparisons between these two, and with more than one set of speakers.

After living with this amp for the last two years, I still haven't considered buying a better amplifier (which says something in itself), though now I'm in the market for a better set of speakers that can take advantage of them. 8^)

Though you don't find many reviews on these amps (most reviews are on their 5-channel HT amp, from what I've been seeing in the audio rags), they deserve a listen if you are in the market for something in the mid-fi price range. And if the sound isn't enough for you, they also have an auto turn-on/off setting, so you don't have to turn them on and off every time you listen. A VERY nice feature, IMO.

I highly recommend the Rotel RMB-100. It's the best amplifier in this price range than I've heard to date.

Steve's previous review captures my impressions of the amplifier very well. Unfortunately the RMB's are a discontinued item. If your looking for a good deal on amplifiers. I picked up a pair of these (B-stock) for under $800 and am thrilled with the performance.

I find the Rotel RMB-100 the most afordable mono amplifiers around.I have not tried the balanced input yet but soon i will get my new Thule
pre amplifier and we will se how the Rotel compares with Thule`s own amplifiers.

Overall Netrality
Power
Doesn't do anything wrong

Lack of Bass and bass definition
Shallow Soundstage
Doesn't do anything really well

I began my foray into High-end back in 1995 with the purchase of a Cal Icon MkII and took about two years to assembly a complete system. My slow pace was dictated by my lack of funds so I had a great deal of time to make the selection of individual components. I was also lucky that my local dealer at the time, St. Louis Sound, was increadibly kind and patient with me. I had opprotunities to listen to almost every component in the store at my leisure.

I listened to the AR D120, some other unknown 120x2 amp from a local manufacturer, and the Rotel RMB-100s. At the time, the D120 was out of my price range. At the time, I found the RMB-100s to be slightly bright, forward, and aggressive -- all qualities I liked back then so I took the amps home. My RMB-100s served me for six years driving Thiel CS1.5s. The Rotels were configured in balanced mode from an Audio Research LS3B preamp.

Recently, I sold the RMB-100s and bought an Aragon 8008BB. Now, I'm not one of those "it was like God himself played the music once I added those $100 foam discs to the walls!" type of audiophiles; I know what I like and once I find it I don't messs around too much. But, comparing the 8008BB to the Rotels revealed a lot of stuff I was missing, particularly in the lower end. The bass of the RMB-100s is suprisingly anemic for a monoblock. I found it muddy and ill defined. The Aragon was more laid-back and much less bright.

I also found some "musicality" differences in terms of soundstaging, midrange sweetness and imaging bloom between the 8008 and the RMB-100s. For the most part, the 100s were bland, not really doing anything spectacular, but not screwing anything up either whereas the 8008 did some spectacular stuff and also didn't screw up anything.

For the used market, I think the RMB-100s are a deal but I would recommend trying out other amps in the same used price range. Also, there is a 3db difference when using the balanced versus single-ended inputs. The balanced inputs sounded more open to me so I would recommended your own comparisons.

System:
Cal Icon MkII CD Player
Audio Research LS3B Preamp
Rotel RMB-100 Monoblocks/Aragon 8008BB
Thiel CS1.5 speakers
Tara Labs Ref. Gen. 2 Interconnects
Straight Wire Maestro II speaker cables
Transparent MusicWave 100 speaker cables
Homebrew cat5 speaker cables

Similar Products Used:

Aragon 8008BB
Audio Research D120

Those monoblocks are the best for their price.First , I've purchased the mission753 freedom loudspeakers. then , I was trying to find an amplifier that will get
the best out of those speakers. I tried the NAD 114 , a used Hafler , and the
best results was from those babes.