Rotel P5 and S5 review
The general buying public has made a big move. In the early days, one had a single radio in the living room, no TV and everyone gathered around it to listen.
Then came stereo and everyone also had a turntable.
With the advent Dolby and surround sound, many bought larger system with every increasing number of channels.
Then with smaller homes especially in Asia, the wireless streaming options and the neat sound bar has replaced the multi box home theatre system with the spaghetti of cables flowing around the room.
So where does the stereo system fit in? Especially one which costs significantly more than a grand ?
Whilst many have a small sound bar that fits under the TV, the audiophile still wants a decent system for music playback and amongst these are those who are not satisfied with a basic Bluetooth sound box and want the best sound reproduction he or she can afford.
Now there are the regular suspects in the above 10 grand range, Rotel has been well known to make very good gear for not too much coin. But they also have made some really good flagship equipment that has impressed reviewers time and time again. The Rotel RCD 991 CD player was one of those that stunned me and impressed me to no end and it was very affordable by high end standards.
The Michi range has appeared in the past and they have revived the name to grace quartet of models, namely the integrated X3 and X5, the P5 pre amp as well as two power amps, one stereo with 500w per channel and a mono 1000w model. Yep 1000watts. Real watts in an amp that can handle 4ohm loads too.
But this isn’t just an analogue pre amp and power. The pre has digital inputs and a very decent Bluetooth too. With some very fine DACs and a multitude of inputs, we are looking at a very capable piece of gear.
First a link to the official website:
http://www.rotel.com/en-apac/michiHere you have a very interesting amalgam of digital inputs, with a Class AB analogue power amp that is loaded with quality parts, and enough capacitors to light up a small city. And Rotel really means it when they load an amp. The stereo amp weighs a backbreaking 60kg! The pre amp weight more than most power amps and the build quality is more solid than a bank vault.
Some important highlights:
P5 Preamp
Bluetooth
AKM DAC
Phono input
USB input for PC playback with MQA
XLR inputs and outputs
Subwoofer out
Good headphone out
S5 Power amplifier
XLR and analogue inputs
500W per channel into 8 ohms and 800 into 4ohms
You don't need a 20A line, so a regular power socket will be fine.
When you run your tired hand across the surfaces after heaving the pair into place (please get a friend or two to move these two models), you will be rewarded with a build quality that is simple yet solid. Very solid indeed. The remote is equally solid but rather basic. However it got the job done.
Also the remote works for both pre and power. So if you only own one of them, it will work with it. The more is beefy, but simply. You have to press more than one set of buttons just to change inputs, so it's definitely biased towards style rather than function.
In this day and age of streamers, it's perhaps a pity that there's no streamer function in the pre amp. It's a simple device with almost any input except HDMI.
So how does it sound?
Rotel has made very good value for money gear and now with this higher end gear, can it compete?
I used it with the Dynaudio Special Forty first:
http://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2017/07/dynaudio-special-forty-speaker-review.html
Then I used the Confidence One Platinum:
http://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2016/02/dynaudio-confidence-c1-platinum-review.html#:~:text=The%20C1%20Platinum%20has%20an,on%20their%20own%20Stand%206.&text=If%20HT%20is%20your%20game,a%20little%20more%20treble%20shine.
I love the Unplugged Corrs cover of Everybody Hurts and that has been my demo piece for vocals as well as soundstaging. Sting has a new version of his classic hits in the album "My Songs" and I enjoy listening to his "Every Breath You Take" hit. A great song to show off PRAT in your system.
The first thing you notice is the control and dynamic power. There is a certain soundstage depth that will leave you astounded. Then you will notice the very clear neutral tone. In a matter of fact fashion and when you try to put a signature sonic tone to it, it's quite hard, because it really just let's the music come through. It's ideal when you have a speaker which is equally revealing and there is great depth and the bass and slam is really good. If I'm pressed to define it, I'll say it's a tad on the warm side, and it's very smooth. This means you can blend it with many of your neutral and very revealing speakers or even those with prominent diamond or metal tweeters without gritting your teeth.
Separation is amazing. You can really define the position and places in space of the four members of The Corrs. There is a lightness in the voices, balanced by a good guitar, and you are aware of what each singer is doing, but it's all happening in a nice blend of good music. Not mechanical but a nice mix of good music.
With Sting, you get the musical experience that gets your feet tapping. No emphasis on any part of the music, but a get bass, mid and even treble that gets very precise without getting jarring.
Add MJ's "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough", and you have no choice but to get up and dance.
The Dynaudio speakers love power and this pair delivers in spades. But there is finesse and control too. This isn't just a muscle car which delivers SPL. There is a lot of detail revealed. And just for fun, I decided to play with the Bluetooth and don't laugh, but it was very good. But the range is really limited.
One thing you do notice is that you will not run of of breath, no matter what volume you play and I think there is plenty of reserve even for the hardest speakers you can try to throw at it.
Bear in mind the power amp does run hot and will turn on the fan. If you sit at a normal distance away, you will not hear it, especially if the music is playing.
The interface is a tad clunky, and in an attempt to keep the front panel simple, you have to make use of the hefty remote, which is another simple tool. Very well made, but another exercise in simplicity to an extreme. A contrast to the remotes Rotel supplies with it's budget options. For example, to turn off the amp, you have to hold on to the power button on the remote for 3secs or longer, instead of just pressing it.
So does spending almost 5 times more than a basic Rotel amp get you more? It does, but the issue of diminishing returns also comes in. You will definitely notice the difference, especially if you have a top source and good quality material.
You have to spend a lot on this pair, but it's actually affordable compared to some of the more exotic brands. Just look around for what a similar 500W power amp will cost from the other usual audiophile brands, and you will see that Rotel has created a rather value proposition if you are into this range. And with the sound quality you get with the P5 pre amp, you will be keeping this for some time to come. Ideally I would like to see a preamp cum streamer, or you could use this with another make's streamer / pre amp, so I hope Rotel is listening...
____________________________________________________________
I have no financial interest or other interests in any of the items / events I write about.
In this day and age of streamers, it's perhaps a pity that there's no streamer function in the pre amp. It's a simple device with almost any input except HDMI.
So how does it sound?
Rotel has made very good value for money gear and now with this higher end gear, can it compete?
I used it with the Dynaudio Special Forty first:
http://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2017/07/dynaudio-special-forty-speaker-review.html
Then I used the Confidence One Platinum:
http://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2016/02/dynaudio-confidence-c1-platinum-review.html#:~:text=The%20C1%20Platinum%20has%20an,on%20their%20own%20Stand%206.&text=If%20HT%20is%20your%20game,a%20little%20more%20treble%20shine.
I love the Unplugged Corrs cover of Everybody Hurts and that has been my demo piece for vocals as well as soundstaging. Sting has a new version of his classic hits in the album "My Songs" and I enjoy listening to his "Every Breath You Take" hit. A great song to show off PRAT in your system.
The first thing you notice is the control and dynamic power. There is a certain soundstage depth that will leave you astounded. Then you will notice the very clear neutral tone. In a matter of fact fashion and when you try to put a signature sonic tone to it, it's quite hard, because it really just let's the music come through. It's ideal when you have a speaker which is equally revealing and there is great depth and the bass and slam is really good. If I'm pressed to define it, I'll say it's a tad on the warm side, and it's very smooth. This means you can blend it with many of your neutral and very revealing speakers or even those with prominent diamond or metal tweeters without gritting your teeth.
Separation is amazing. You can really define the position and places in space of the four members of The Corrs. There is a lightness in the voices, balanced by a good guitar, and you are aware of what each singer is doing, but it's all happening in a nice blend of good music. Not mechanical but a nice mix of good music.
With Sting, you get the musical experience that gets your feet tapping. No emphasis on any part of the music, but a get bass, mid and even treble that gets very precise without getting jarring.
Add MJ's "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough", and you have no choice but to get up and dance.
The Dynaudio speakers love power and this pair delivers in spades. But there is finesse and control too. This isn't just a muscle car which delivers SPL. There is a lot of detail revealed. And just for fun, I decided to play with the Bluetooth and don't laugh, but it was very good. But the range is really limited.
One thing you do notice is that you will not run of of breath, no matter what volume you play and I think there is plenty of reserve even for the hardest speakers you can try to throw at it.
Bear in mind the power amp does run hot and will turn on the fan. If you sit at a normal distance away, you will not hear it, especially if the music is playing.
The interface is a tad clunky, and in an attempt to keep the front panel simple, you have to make use of the hefty remote, which is another simple tool. Very well made, but another exercise in simplicity to an extreme. A contrast to the remotes Rotel supplies with it's budget options. For example, to turn off the amp, you have to hold on to the power button on the remote for 3secs or longer, instead of just pressing it.
So does spending almost 5 times more than a basic Rotel amp get you more? It does, but the issue of diminishing returns also comes in. You will definitely notice the difference, especially if you have a top source and good quality material.
You have to spend a lot on this pair, but it's actually affordable compared to some of the more exotic brands. Just look around for what a similar 500W power amp will cost from the other usual audiophile brands, and you will see that Rotel has created a rather value proposition if you are into this range. And with the sound quality you get with the P5 pre amp, you will be keeping this for some time to come. Ideally I would like to see a preamp cum streamer, or you could use this with another make's streamer / pre amp, so I hope Rotel is listening...
____________________________________________________________
I have no financial interest or other interests in any of the items / events I write about.
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