Rotel RB-991 Power Amplifier

I picked up one of these beautiful Rotel Amplifiers 'preowned' from a local high end audio store in Boston, MA quite a while ago. I just found out that it was in the Epinions data base, so I decided to write a review! I had long wanted more power for my front speakers, a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 70's. I have a Yamaha 5280 as my home theater AV receiver. It is a good reciever, and it delivers 100 watts per channel, however, for two channel music, I thought I could do better. I was right!

What is the Rotel RB 991 Power Amplifier?

This amp provides 200 watts a channel of pure clean stereo power. When I say 200 watts, I mean 200 watts too, many low end receivers sold at the local Circuit City or Best Buy will claim anywhere from 100 to 200 watts a channel for a total 1000 watts for your home theater! Don't believe a word of it! many companies measure power at one frequency with no regard for total harmonic distortion. In plain English, non audio phile terms, if you turned up your mass consumer receiver to its "1,000" watt total rating, it would deliver pure noise. What you want is a receiver, or better yet, a separate poweer amplifier that can deliver pure clean power with no noticable distortion (i.e. under .5% or less, many cheap receivers actually have 10%, thats TEN PERCENT harmonic distortion. Believe me, you can hear the difference between ten percent distortion and less than half a percent distortion).

A Rotel Amp delivers clean pure power so that any peaks in your music won't make your speakers clip. The Rotel is a large heavy amp too, it weights about fifty pounds (I'm not sure of the exact actual weight, but its much heavier than most A/V equipment.

How do you Use a Power Amp?

For those of you who are audiophiles, I KNOW you know how to use a power amp, this is for the benefit of those who may not. A power amp can either be used with a preamp, (an audio component that provides everything your receiver provides minus the tuner.) However, many people, like myself, also use a power amp with their Receiver. Most good recievers will have pre-outs on the back. You may have to read your manual to see if yours does. A 5.1 surround sound receiver like mine has six pre outputs on the back. ( a 7.1 receiver will have 8 preouts, one for each channel, including the LFE) Everyone knows that the subwoofer out is for a powered sub, but the other outs are for adding separate power for each channel, if you choose. I use the left and right front channels of my Yamaha to direct the audio signal into my Rotel. My left and right speakers are then connected to the Rotel instead of the Yamaha Receiver. The Rotel amplifier provides power to the front speakers now instead of the Receiver. Since my Receiver doesn't have separate power supplies for each channel, it is now free to use it's rated power of 100 watts per channel for the center and surround channels. The power from the Rotel is greater, and cleaner than my Yamaha (although the Yamaha itself has a very good sound and good clean power).

The Results Using Separate Power

The sound of all my stereo music is now fuller and cleaner sounding. It just allows uninterrupted power to be used as needed by the speakers. It is especially good for sources where there is a lot of dynamic range. Think of Beethoven's Ninth fourth movement for example, where a single voice is suddenly joined by the full choir and orchestra. Classical not your choice? Think of a Metallica song that starts with Hammett's single guitar that is joined with a full assault of Burton's bass and Urich's drums. From classical to heavy metal, separate power gives better cleaner sound. It wasn't until I added my Rotel amp to my home theater that I could clearly hear the difference between MP3s recorded at 128 khz and the original uncompressed CD. You do lose a lot when you compress! Listening with the Rotel, when I did an AB comparison with an album recorded on my computer harddrive in the MP3 format at 128, (and again at 190 khz), it was as if someone turned off a regulator and allowed the full range of the music to come through. I had never truly heard the difference just listening with my Receiver doing AB comparisons from the original CD and the MP3. On the other hand, even the MP3s now sound better than they did, but the drawback with really good equipment is it will show flaws when they exist. SACDs sound even more impressive than they ever did.

For movies, it just delivers a bit more power for whatever comes in from the right or left, but I have my speaker settings balanced for surround sound, so the left and right are not 'Louder' than the center or the surrounds, they are integrated into the overall system. It won't give your system an unbalanced sound.

Specifics on the Rotel RB 991

The Rotel RB 991 is a solid black power amplifier. It is an older model, the replacement is black and silver and sells for full retail, but this one is available used or on ebay. I believe that the original price of this was over $1,000, and I am certain that the new model is also $1,000 plus. It has large heat sinks on the front that give it a serious look. It has one single button on the front. The Amp is either on or off. A single red light glows when the amp is on. On the back, there are inputs for left and right channels. There are also balanced inputs. My humble Yamaha doesn't have balanced outputs, a feature only found on really high end stuff, but the Rotel has the balanced inputs if you require them. There are banana clip style posts for hooking the speakers up. Aside from the sheer weight of this, it wasn't a problem hooking it up. You should use good quality connecting cable for the best sound. I used regular RCA cable, which I later replaced with some basic, not terribly expensive Monster Audio cable connectors, and immediately noticed a difference. As part of the search for pure Audio Bliss, the Rotel delivers a really great sound.

Who is Rotel?

Rotel is the beginning of high end audio. I am not an expert on such things, but it is my understanding that Rotel is above Denon and Yamaha on the receiver and power spectrum, but not quite at the same level as Krell or MacIntosh amplifiers. Of course in high end audio, things are very subjective, so let your own ears be the judge!

Summary

I was very happy with my Rotel. I was pleased to find it used, because quite honestly, I couldn't afford its newer replacement at full retail. From a review of the specs, its pretty much the same too. It really gives me an added boost for my two channel listening.

Recommend this product? Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 400.00