Rotel News - new amps on the horizon

[rnoble]

Hi all,

Just read an article about some upcoming Rotel products link here .

I was wondering if anyone had any more info on these new amps for Rotel in 2005? I am hoping that they are the much awaited digital amps however the naming (RMB) would suggest they're just a regular analogue amp with a smaller PSU as discussed in the article.

Makes me wonder how these amps will handle tricky speakers with such a tiny PSU if they are indeed analogue.

[Darrel McBane]

A buddy of mine who is a HT installer at a local store told me that his boss (store owner) just got back from CES and was told that all of Rotels new amps are going to be digital. They will have a 500wpc mono-block amp as well. I guess you can't blow the amps. The just reset after a shut down period.

I'll be interested in hearing how they sound.

[EAmin]

...They will have a 500wpc mono-block amp as well.

Sweet! When is this bad boy expected to come out?

[Andrew Pratt]

I'm not sure when the new big mono block is coming but I know they're very excited about it

[Fishy]

Here are 2 pdf files that I was asked to host by someone on here.

1077

Rack Mount Amps

Fish

[EAmin]

I'm not sure when the new big mono block is coming but I know they're very excited about it

Thanks Andrew! I'm assuming the monoblock is NOT digital (or is it?). I'm wondering how it's gonna compare to the Classe Delta 400 watt mono. Sounds like there's gonna be some sibiling rivalries in the Rotel/B&W/Classe family.

[gd]

Wow!... how about the faceplates on those rackmount amps?... now that is handsome... if that's how next-generation Rotel products will look, that's even a step up from the already good-looking line... love that all-black-darth-vader-stealth look.

Guess they are not part of the new digital line, as a cooling fan is offered... wonder what their sonic characteristics are compared to the RB / RMB lines... will be very interested to see the RKB line develop.

[EAmin]

More on the digital amps

Some info on the new 500 watt amps

RB-1091 (1x500)
RB-1092 (2x500)

These are digital amplifiers and should be ready to ship at the end of the second, beginning of third, quarter this year. Target pricing will be $1500 for the 1091 and $2500 for the 1092. These are not firm prices though.

Woo-hoo! :T

[Andrew Pratt]

Hmm a pair of 1091's would look mighty nice in my rack :yesnod:

[Stevebez]

I assume when you say digital you mean class D amplifier ?

This amplification methodology is very usefull to drive bass but it can be noisy , so with the right filtration it can provide tons of current for low resistance loads e.g. big bass passages and the noise does not matter as it is only present at higher frequency so it is easy to filter out without affecting the sound amplification. This has been used by velodyne for some time with great success. The problem generally with this pretty efficient apmlpifier is filtering the noise when used for full signal path amplification.

You will note the 1077 has a somewhat middle of the road to poor THD of 0.05% I supopse a 1080 Class A/B has 0.03% max so while its not a massive drop its not great, My old Sansui had 0.05%!!!. What would be very interesting is the Signal to Noise ratio of these new amps.

Blazes 500watt mono's..... bring it on.

Rgds Steve...

[Andrew Pratt]

Steve theres a thread that I started a while back asking about digital amps and it proved to be an interesting read. Essentially the noise levels are higher but they shouldn't really be judged against the tpyical thresholds we use for analog amps. Anyway the proof is in the pudding as they say and from what we're hearing around the industry is that these digital amps can really sound fantastic.

here's some other threads on digital amps..

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=10782

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=9269

[mattburk]

Any updates? Any other products coming out sooner than the end of the second quarter?

[AlvaroD]

I've read the 1077's PDF and there's something intriguing.

Rotel speaks about their own "Controlled Oscillation Modulation (COM)" and "Multivariable Enhanced Cascade Control (MECC).

These are the same used in Bang&Olufsen ICEPower digital modules which can be found in some Jeff Rowland amps, the latest B&W sub (the PV1) and the soon to be released Samsung AV-R3000 receiver.

http://www.icepower.bang-olufsen.com/sw1067.asp

[Aussie Geoff]

Alvaro,

Good point!

What is also interesting is that the specs for the new RB-1091 and RB-1092 look awfully like the specs for the ICE Power 1000ASP as per HERE which is the one used in the very well regarded Jeff Roland 501...

500W into 8 Ohms and 1000W into 4 Ohms and great great reputation for sound quality!

Geoff

[Kevin D]

I was either told at Cedia, or read on one of the other threads that the new amps do use the B&O circuits..

Kevin D.

[Andrew Pratt]

Can't wait to give them a try :T

[jrd]

Still skeptical

Although the size of these would fit nicely for me, I'll stay skeptical until I can actually hear one. Bryston and the engineer at Phillips labs seem to have a different opinion on them. This is an interesting read for those seriously considering these products:

http://www.bryston.ca/newsletters/74_files/vol7is4.html

[jfinneru]

I sold my rb1090 and bought 2 monoamps with the largest icepower unit from B&O. there are acually a lot of good reasons to do so.
1. they sound better, timing, speed and bass foundation. also noise is non exsistant
2. efficency. they produce close to 90%, while std amps produce more like 30-40%, the rest is heat.
3. price
4. size

[Fishy]

From memory isnt B&O equipment sourced from rejceted Philips equipment.

Fish

[mattburk]

I would like to see 500x3

[dimigr]

Those B&O modules look that they gain a lot of popularity among various manufacturers. Do we have any news from the Rotel camp ? I hope for a three-channel model also.