BAMTM's + Rotel RA-04

[JamesPart]

Hello.

I'm currently building a pair of BAMTM's by zaphaudio and have the chance to purchase a RA-04. Do you think this could be a good combination, what are peoples thoughts. Thanks!

[joecarrow]

I could only find sketchy information on it on Rotel's website. The key thing to consider is whether or not it's rated for 4 ohm loads. If it was me, I'd be looking for an amp that does at least 50 watts at 8 ohms, and 100 watts at 4 ohms. The difference isn't that much between 40 and 50 watts- but you want something that's going to be able to provide a lot of current to a low impedance.

[fjhuerta]

AFAIK, Rotels aren't rated at 4 Ohm. My RB-1070 never had any problems driving any 4 Ohm design I own, though.

[tktran]

I've owned a few Rotels in the past, and it is true that Rotel do not "rate" the power of their amplifiers into 4 ohm loads.
All their power ratings are in the form of "All channels driven, 8 ohm load, 20Hz to 20KHz, 0.0x% THD"

However, for as long as I remember, all Rotel amplifiers run 4 ohm speakers fine. Some of the higher power Rotel amplifiers can run bridged mono at 8ohm, and some can run two pairs of 8 ohm speakers.

If you have a look at the back panel of the amplifier, it will confirm that the minimum allowable impedance is 4 ohm.

Check the RA-04 Owner's manual

http://www.rotel.com/content/manuals/ra-04%20user%20manual.pdf

[Gir]

The BAMTM can be difficult to drive for some receivers. I've heard of several people having problems, and my friend has a pair and has had a few (minor) problems as well. Sometime it will just turn the receiver (Yamaha) off if he's playing too loud. I'd check to see if that Rotel can handle low loads. See what other users have said.