I bought my Rotel 970BX about a year ago and teamed it up with B&W DM602 speakers. The amplifier is astounding as regards control of bass - tight and articulate. I feel the treble to be slightly bright (not helped by the 602's). I would have preferred the option of being able to bypass the pre-amp with an external unit of my choice. Absolute bargain - for the price and cetainly recommended to people who listen to music...

l bought this amp 4 years ago and l recently sold it to my friend. Honestly, its a very reliable amp. It sound like an Audiolab, tight bass, crisp treble. l like the sound of this Rotel but it tends to sound a bit dry at times. Its is best used to listen detailed music for a budget price.Only setback, no remote

I am listening to my Rotel right now, and even compared to the 'true' audiophile system I was listening to this afternoon at a local store, I still can't get over how nice and broad the sound is. While some have commented that the treble can be a bit bright, I have to disagree, and say that it is all a matter of system setup... with the right cables and speakers, run through a decent preamp, this is probably one of the best deals at this price range.

I have had this amp for one year.
When left on (or fully warmed) this amp sounds smooth, powerful and articulate. i would prefer a bass which is less lean but this is compensated for by transparency and soundstaging which is unrivalled at the price ($600 Australian).

For more thump and greater definition, plug this amp into it's own dedicated mains socket.

As I write this , I sit contently listening to my humble system with the RA-970BX integrated amlifier at its heart. I upgraded to the Rotel from a Yamaha A/V receiver and upon firing it up the amp wondered what ever possessed me to stray to the receiver realm. The fascia represents simplicity and purpose in design. Being pretty much a purist I would much rather have just a dim glowing LED on my pieces than a whole bunch of blinking lights. Music is reproduced with excitement and a high degree of fidelity. Vocals and instruments are rich and natural. While bass is generous and tight, I felt that a little more couldn't really hurt. That's really nit-picking, anyway. Hook up your speakers with banana-plugs, spades or something cos this baby doesn't have little holes in its posts to thread bare-wire through. That can be pretty much of a hassle. Other than that, this is truly a very satisfying solid-state integrated amp, whatever your musical palate may be.

Powerful, smooth, control, build quality

nothing considering the price, except for the lack of tone controls

I recently bought this amplifier from a girl for only
fl. 75,- (about $ 30). It was in mint condition.
While my regular amp broke down, I decided to use this as my living room amplifier. When I first listened to It I was really amazed about the sound this small boy.

I think it was produced between '86 and '90. It has only 40 watts per channel, but I would dare to compare it with a 80 watt NAD or Harman Kardon. The amazing thing is that it is a dual mono amplifier with two transformers and altough it measures 43x28x5cm it weights more than 7 kilogramms.
It even looks more sober than the Rotel amp's of today. 5 source buttons and a mono button plus the volume/balance control, that's it.

Playing music varying from Tori Amos to Underworld it amazes me how this amp is capable of delivering detail, dynamics, focus and control. I even managed to play it on maximum volume.

The amp delivers a very solid bass fundament to my B&W 601 s2's. Really, it is able to shake the walls and the floor.

Absolutely recommended

Similar Products Used:

Denon PMA 560, Nad 314, Harman Kardon HK 650

The Rotels are one of the amps that I own. I would have to agree with the other reviews that the Rotels are great for the money. Very detailed, lean, taut bass, and slightly bright treble that works well the the laid back B&W CDM1s that I have. The Rotels have a great wide soundstage and could drive a lot of speakers with difficult loads. I wish that they have a preamp out though. Also, in comparison to their wide soundstage, their depth is a little restricted.

Marvelous sound for the price, Quality, Detail, and great presence.

No way of by passing speakers, when using Head phones.

I paired this amp with Missions 780SE's, Pioneer pds702 CD, and cable talk 3.1 speaker cable.
The sound to say the least is brilliant, only wished the 780's could be pushed further!
I love the bass, the smoothe warm sounds that the amp gives, and I love the range of tones that are presented. Not too high! I like the sound smoothe and warm and yet crisp.

The quality of the mechanics/electronis is outstanding for the value. If I were ever going to upgrade, I would move straight for an audiolab or Cyrus III. that's the line of upgrade this amp makes!

I love this set up, just wished I could have brought over here to the USA to use. Wish I could find a Rotel dealer here in the States!

Similar Products Used:

none

Musically involving sound, simple yet elegant ergonomics

Looks clunky, no remote

I was looking for a cheap integrated for my office. I had previously owned many, and narrowed it down to NAD 304/314/C340, or Mission Cyrus II or NAIT II. The NAIT had turned out to be too expensive, and I didn't want to risk the Cyrus, because of its age. I settled on trying to find an NAD. I came close to picking up a 304 for $175, but I had just sold a Sugden 25WPC that was a bit anemic for my needs, so I hesitated at the NAD because I wanted a little more power. I bumped into a Rotel through this website, and noticed that it was on the Hall of Fame list. I decided to try it out. I had previously owned the Rotel 980BX power amp, but was not warm to Rotel due to purely non-musical issues (clunky aesthetics and irritation over the confusing nomenclature). I took the chance and am really glad I did. The sound is more forward than I expected. Somehow, the demure yet clunky looks made me expect laid-back and warm sound. On the contrary, the sonics are quite involving and aggressive, with powerfully tight bass. It sounds good (as opposed to mates well) with my Dynaudio Audience 42s. I am wishing I could have tried it with some warm Italian speakers I previously owned. I'm going to try it with my Gallo Micros and Radio Shack Linaeums next. I expect that this amp will be a reliable keeper.

Similar Products Used:

NAD, Audiolab, Audio Innovations, NAIM, Exposure, Sugden