General Asylum: REVIEW: Rotel RB-991 Amplifier (SS) by Steven J Kremer

This is a review if the Rotel RB 991 power amplifier. Prior to getting on with the review, I feel it necessary to comment upon certain editorial content that appeared in certain mainstream paper based publications critical of web based review by amateur reviewers. The concern was that amateur reviewers lacked experience in critical listening skills. Since I have written web-based reviews, find myself somewhat offended at an opinion I can only view as somewhat elitist. So a little background.

I play guitar, mandolin, banjo and a few other stringed instruments, and have been playing for more than thirty years, just donâ€™t ask how much more. I make it to religious services and listen to large choral groups in a large hall setting, and am surprised that most reviewers make no mention of so excellent an opportunity for a free musical experience. I make it to an occasional classical concert. I know what music sounds like live. I have yet to hear any system at any price accurately reproduce the sound of a single large body flat top twelve string acoustic guitar played banjo style with National Steel german silver finger picks and a Dobro thumb pick.

What I review, I own. This means that I have spent my hard-earned money from a non-audio related job that does not pay all that well. So for me to shell out for a new component it had better represent a lot of value for the money. Especially since I pay retail to support my favorite shops. I travel extensively east of the Mississippi and visit a lot of high-end stores to look at a lot of equipment to see what would warrant further investigation. I do not know anyone involved in the manufacture of audio equipment. I do not ever expect to be visited by a manufacturer in my home to set up a piece of equipment, or to ever have one correspond with me. Itâ€™s no loss because, quite frankly, if it costs more than my house, I wonâ€™t be buying it regardless of its performance.

Purchase decisions should be based on your personal listening experience in your home in your system using your favorite music that you are most familiar with. The more expensive the component, the longer the evaluation should take. The greater the hype, the greater the caution you should use. If it doesnâ€™t work for you, find something that does.

The Rotel was one of several amplifiers under consideration at the time of purchase. Units from Adcom, NAD, Parasound, Acurus and others in the $1,000 to $2,000 price range. The Rotel was initially auditioned at the dealers with a variety of speakers including Paradigm Studio 100s, Paradigm Studio 20s, B&W CDM1 se, B&W 602s and B&W Nautilus 802s. It was promising enough to bring one home. Including tax, the unit ran about $1150.00.

The 991 is rated at 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms. Rotel rates it at 300 watts into 4 ohms. Rotel does not recommend loads under 4 ohms, nor is bridging recommended as the thermal loading would be excessive. My unit came with a detachable power cord, a feature the first run of 991s lacked. It is equipped with both RCA and balanced inputs. That was a large plus in favor of the 991 as the amplifier will ultimately be located closer to the speakers than the preamplifier.

My main home speakers are an old pair of Infinity RS3a towers. These are from the days when Arnie Nudell was at Infinity and are far better speakers than many would suspect. They have been hotrodded a little bit over the years with better interior wiring and caps in the crossovers. They are nominally rated at 6 ohms and have proven to be brutal loads for inferior amplifiers. On some recordings they have tripped protective circuitry on other amplifiers at reasonable listening levels. They ate the output transistors of one inexpensive A/V receiver.

Other equipment used includes a Rotel RCD 991 CD player with HDCD, an old Kenwood CA-1 control pre-amplifier, a Pioneer PD 7030 CD player, a Technics SL-P8 CD player, a Sansui TU-717 tuner, and a newer Panasonic A-320 DVD player. Almost forgot an old Technics SL-1300mkII turntable. Yeah, I know it isnâ€™t the average reviewers ten thousand dollar model, but with a Grado cartridge it sounds pretty good and the tonearm adjustments for VTA and anti skating are easier than anything else Iâ€™ve seen. Maybe next year Iâ€™ll get a Rega 25 or a Basis 1400, unless someone wants to give me one first. No? Then I guess Iâ€™ll just have to soldier along with the Technics. Generally, DH Labs or the less expensive Audioquest cables were used. Oh yes, even Monstercable i400 mkII interconnects were used. I know perfectly well there are better cables around, but not at the price point of the Monster, and they are used for comparison and are thus a valid choice.

The Rotel was placed in the system and fired up. The first thing noted was that it is a powerful amplifier, with solid well-controlled bass. The upper frequencies were a more than a little bright. The extra sizzle on top was not troubling, as I had been warned that time would tame it.

Break in is recommended for any serious equipment and the Rotel proved no exception to that rule. After several hours it was obvious that the character was changing for the better. The sizzle was leaving. After four months, it has smoothed out considerably. I have taken to leaving the amplifier on, as it takes about an hour to warm up and get its sound back. It is essentially and honest amplifier. It does not add to or subtract from the performance in an obvious manner. It images well and it is quite dynamic. One nice thing is that it does dynamics well at lower listening levels in my system. At high levels, it does dynamics very well, with good definition and little strain. It rocks.

It reproduces female voice well. One recording getting play is the new Aria 2 New Horizon (TCD-4017) on Astor Place Recordings. It is quite sweet reproducing Rebecca Lukers voice. It also does quite nicely with cello and massed strings.

On Sheila Chandras Moonsung: A Real World Retrospective (7243 8 47184 2 8) on REALWORLD it does an admirable job of reproducing the combination of Sheila Chandras voice in concert with the drone. The first cut, Ever So Lonely is simply wonderful anyhow and the Rotel presents a clear and well-defined performance.

Patricia Barbers â€˜Companionâ€™ on Blue Note/Premonition (7243 5 22963 2 3) is a very obviously live performance. Much of the ambience of the venue is preserved and the Rotel does a very good job of presenting the atmosphere of the club. It also does a very good job of presenting the upright bass, percussion and especially a vintage Hammond B-3. Shades of my old garage band days.

Another recording worth mentioning is the Elektra re release of Judy Collins Judith CD (111-2). It has been remastered in HDCD and the sound is excellent. My old vinyl copy has seen better days and does not soundly trounce the upstart CD. The LP is a little smoother but the CD seems to have a little better detail, and of course, far less background noise.

Grand Funk Railroads Bosnia (EMI/Capital 72438-21935-2-4) is a personal favorite. It is not as good a party album as the original Grand Funk Live album (EMI/Capital SWBB-633), arguably the best live rock and roll album of all time, as the selections and play order are not the same. But the new recording is much better and at HIGH VOLUME it brings back many memories of a long ago concert. By the way, I caught Grand Funk at a local music festival a year and a half ago and they just plain crushed a lot of the one hit wonder new bands on display at the same event.

Using the DVD player for two of the Chesky 24/96 recordings yielded stunning sound. While I am not overly fond of Chuck Mangione, the sound of the 24/96 of â€œThe Feelings Backâ€ was excellent. The Rotel was able to convey the extra depth and texture that is available from the DVD. The Sara Ks â€œHoboâ€ was likewise well served. Vocals were clean with an excellent presentation of the singer present with many subtle vocal overtones easily distinguished.

Bass performance is solid, but here comparisons are difficult, as deep bass is room dependent and difficult to evaluate. The speakers are located in a medium sized room with a high vaulted ceiling that opens at the rear through large French doors into a larger room. Infinity originally rated the speakers as flat to 28hz. I canâ€™t argue with that and the Rotel certainly heads to the basement with authority and caused a few rattles in new places about the house.

One thing to note. A variety of different interconnects were used throughout this test. The one thing they all had in common was that every one of them affected the sound audibly. I have currently settled on DH Labs Silver Sonics for interconnects. They are bright when new but are settling in nicely. Speaker cables are shotgunned DH Labs, as the speakers do not have a provision for biwiring.

The latest versions of the 991 are equipped with a detachable power cord. It does respond well to different aftermarket power cords. But for right now I have not compared enough cords to really give much of evaluation as a couple of aftermarket power cords can cost more than the amplifier.

I personally view any wiring with skepticism regarding the price to performance ratio. Yes there are audible benefits to quality wiring, most noticeable to me in interconnects, but the outrageous claims and prices at the â€œaudiophileâ€ end look a lot like the emperorâ€™s new clothes. I estimate that with the DH Labs interconnects I get 90% of the performance at 10% of the price.

So, what is the bottom line? Well, if you are looking for a powerful solid state amplifier that is capable of fine detail and balance at a reasonable price, this may well be the best. As with all other components, it may take a little matching of interconnects and other components for best results. For some, it just may not match up well at all with their system. That is why I recommended an audition in your system to begin with.

If price is not a consideration, are there better amplifiers? Certainly. I lust after the large Plinius amplifiers, and even the small 8150 integrated is a wonderful piece of equipment. But they are certainly more expensive than the Rotel and more than I can currently afford, or at least more than I am willing to pay for. Lest you think that I have no appreciation of tubes, I also pine for a pair of VTL monoblocks, say the 450s. I have heard other expensive amplifiers that I do not consider to be as good as the Rotel, some of them MUCH more expensive. Once you get away from assuming price is directly related to performance, the 991 may just put some much pricier amps to shame. If you have a good dealer in your area that carries Rotel, see about getting a demo unit for a test drive. You may not take it back out of your system. Cost effectiveness? Sure, Iâ€™ll settle for 90% of the performance for, in some cases, 5% or less of the price.

The bottom line is getting the best performance for you dollar spent. And remember when I said I paid full retail? Being on good terms with your local retailer can result in being able to borrow demo equipment to audition in your listening room in your system. This can save you money in the long run by allowing you to decide whether or not you like something prior to purchase. This is not an option with mail order. I take advantage of it and there is no reason why you shouldnâ€™t either.

REVIEW: Rotel RB-991 Amplifier (SS) Review by Steven J Kremer at Audio Asylum