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Randy, did you find the A11 Tribute noise floor a bit high? (I did). You said the new MK2 is "dead quiet". Did you notice much of a difference between the two? Besides more bass, do you feel that the A11 MK2 is significantly more open/airy sounding vs the A11 Tribute? More detailed/transparent?
Hi Randy. Any chance you will review the nad 316beev2v? I know it’s older, but would love your opinion on this compared to all the other budget amps you have reviewed. All the best
I’ve owned the A11 Tribute for a little less than a year and listening to music on it actually makes me deeply emotional. Rotel have done a spectacular job in my opinion. (Setup: Rotel A11 & CD 11 Tribute, DALI Oberon 3 Speakers and IsoAcoustics Aperta 200 stands).
I have a Rotel amp and preamp that I bought when I was in the military back in the early 90s that is still my primary audio components to this day and still sounds as good as ever! Love your channel!
What I do like about this amp is that the tone controls are physical ! you don't have to enter a dumb menu in order to use them! less digital = More intelligent
@@crish7832 c'est vrai mais il existe aussi une version avec télécommande, je n'aime pas qu'elle n'ait pas la possibilité de connecter deux paires d' enceintes
I bought an A12 about a year ago and I’m really happy with it. I run my Thornes TD160 with a Ortofon Bronze into my B&W CM9 speakers. The phono preamp in the Rotel is top notch. I don’t stream so can’t talk about that. Very happy with it, for now. Of course eventually I’ll get bored and want to upgrade, but don’t we all.
Thanks for the Rotel review. I have the RB1582 MKII amp and RB1572 MKII preamp and had such a good experience I recently bought the RCD1572 MKII CD player. Love Rotel equipment. Well built, look great and accurate stats with plenty of power, wide dynamic range and head space with no noise or issues. Highly recommended!
Good informative review. I think a better comparison would be against the similar sized, build quality and priced Audiolab 6000a. Here’s to hoping you consider a review!
Personally I'd rather have clean front end. Most people are only using a few inputs regularly and rarely are you constantly switching between them constantly.
Coaxial for the streamer, optical for the TV, Phono for vinyl and if possible a second coaxial for the cd player (but you rarely see that so most of the time it will be a second toslink) How do you get by with only one input?
@@quazar912 Whatever works for you, works, but many people need multiple inputs. I had a receiver that was pre-HDMI, and I used a ton of the inputs on that, as well as having two switch boxes. I miss analogue A/V. (I did use the digital audio connections, as well.)
When I first got into HIFI in the UK in the early 80's. Aside from the usual suspects of traditional British brands, so Naim, Rega, Quad, Linn, Audiolab, Arcam and so on. The highest regarded next tier for UK audio fans included the real value Japanese amps. This was very much the likes of Marantz, Denon and Rotel. Rotel especially were always regarded as high quality back then. I believe all these years on, although now assembled out of China, not Japan. It doesn't surprise me they have regarded, a strong product, with a high pedigree. Personally having owned the Rega Brio (current edition, post 2017). That retailed at £700, and is now close to being replaced, and available on local 😂discount at £550 in the UK. I would personally take that as my top sub £1000 amp tbh. It is only analogue, with next to no features. But purely sonically it is very very good, produces tonnes of current, even at 50w, and easily drives 85db 4 Ohm speakers, plus being a Rega, and given their Turntable history its only feature is a still very strong phono stage built in. But frankly the good things still said sonically about the Rotel Amps in the same price range doesnt suprise me at all. They were always very well regarded this side if the pond, and were a well respected company who always equally cared most about the sound. I am glad that that still rings true.
I picked up a gently used mk. 1 A12 a couple years back on Ebay and although I'm always looking for a power amp to pair with it I can't really justify it. Sounds awesome and has all the connections most would need. Can't beat the Rotel in-house built toroidal transformers.
Between your rec and Steve's, I think I'm sold on the A10 Mk ii for my first major upgrade. FWIW, I think it looks beautiful. Love how little Rotel's design language has changed over the years.
Just picked up the Rotel A11 Tribute and I am so happy with it. I have it paired with a Wiim Pro streamer and a Denafrips Ares II DAC and it just all sounds fantastic into my Martin Logan 15 bookshelfs.
I have the a11 tribute. It has a pre amp out (I use with a sub). It has tone control bypass the mk 2 does not. The tribute has a higher signal to noise ratio, 100 vs 90. The tribute has 2 sets of speakers out, the mk 2 has 1. The tribute has 4 analog inputs, the mk2 has 3. The tribute has a LCD display, the mk2 has no display. The tribute has no dac, but I use a better external one anyway. I'm not understanding how this is an improvement? As for comparing the two, Randy is going by memory more than 6 months ago using different dacs and speakers. I think Rotel needed to save some costs on this model
I agree and to add to it the A11 Tribute looks much nicer than the newer A11 mkii. Of course Rotel is claiming several internal improvements have been made but only a direct head to head comparison might reveal any differences in sound quality characteristics, better, worse or just different. Remembering sound qualities/signature from 6 months ago doesn't cut it for me.
Rotel is probably reconfiguring their product line so that it "makes more sense", this A11 mkii makes sense to me, it's the A10 mkii with a built in DAC. I think it's perfect for simple 2-ch setup, for a mini hifi setup with small bookshelfs, many of us don't want a sub, don't need a/b speakers, the display on the other Rotels is really kind of crappy and makes them look cheap, so no love lost by removing them. This is a perfect product for me, 50W A/B power, volume knob, tone controls (because cheap small speakers tend to benefit from them), phono stage, and a nice DAC for my Wiim Airplay, clean simple aesthetic, looks timeless.
I too would appreciate a side by side comparison with the A11 Tribute. I own the Tribute and use the internal phono preamp for vinyl and a Geshelli J2 for the DAC. Should I upgrade?
@@chuckpardy8530 I own a Rotel A12, a Rotel A14mkii and I bought then returned the new A11mkii. None of these units sound different from one another, if they do we're splitting eyelashes. The DAC's in all these modern Rotels sound basically the same, whether your talking the CD players or the integrated amps. The current "Rotel sound" is homogenous within their product line, so you either like the sound or you don't (which to me leans neutral/flat relative to the other mid-fi brands). The models with the mkii designations have DAC's that are advertised as a faster bitrate (32b/384khz vs 24b/192khz), but sonically I hear no difference. Just pick the model that has the power output you need as determined by your speakers and intended listening volume, they all sound the same, you're going to hear a much more drastic difference between using the J2 DAC than you are between any two Rotel models.
Well... interesting indeed, however, at that price range I wonder if it can at least be on the same league with the PS Audio Sprout 100, which not only is an excellent integrated delivering 100 W at 4 Ohms and with subwoofer output, but it really sounds amazing and delivers awesome image and very cool and wide three dimensional soundstage.
Very nice review. From now on this amp is one of my options for my b&w 603 v1 speakers. I am impressed on what you said about the phono stage of the amp
Hi Randy, I love your channel. I started following you two years ago when I wanted build my first hi fi system. But I ended with samsung dobly atmos 11 channel soundbar with sub and satelites. Its working great for movies and good for music. (cannot say great, audiophiles will bump me off 😅)I bought that because money issues, renewing apartment and I needed to put in budget LG oled tv. Now I'm finaly ready to purchace my first Hi fi system. After so much research I decided to go with this Rotel a11 m2 and with Dynaudio Emit 10. Seller told me that it have warm tone for pairing with rotel amp and that it sound great.Also that is enough for my room which is 16 square meters. Amp is 800€ or $ and dynaudio emit 10's are 750€ or $ here in Croatia. I will gladly appreciate your help if you have some time😊 I'm so excited for this purchace
In Australia, Encel is an Australian hifi company that used to build hifi's and had a store in Melbourne. They've since become a distributor for a number of brands including Rotel but have recently released an amplifier called the 'Encel Brains', which is evidfently based on the Rotel A11 Mk2. That perhaps has a slightly more stylish exterior(the front and rear layouts are identical) that really leans into the hifi as decor and the vinyl revival.
A11 Tribute had binding posts for 2 pairs of speakers, pre-amp out for Subs, dated RS32 connection -- but no coax. A11 MKii adding physical BBT knobs and marker on the volume is great. Suspect about sound quality being more dynamic, but not 100% surprised. Good review!
I own a RA-1062 and I love it. I have to reconsider my comment. I thought the A11 and the RA1062 were comparable. And over the years some features had been dropped and others were added. But the right comparison should be RA1062 vs A12 Mk2 and here Rotel just upped the ante. All modern connections and still the same basic functions. Good job. There's a little story, in one review, the author said "I heard the RA1062 thought that thing was ONLY $900." In my case I heard the RA1062 and thought it only cost me 40€ 😁
I'd like to know how this compares to the Keces E40. The Keces is also class AB, $50 less and has a preamp output. It also has a MM phono input, a USB input, and 2 analog inputs. 50W @ 8ohms and 65W @ 4ohms. It also has a smaller input.
If you had a thousand for an amp what would you buy , clear vibrant , great bass producing ,with decent speakers ( evo 4.4) for a dac cd collection , no vinyl just cds
I know that you mentioned in the video comparing to Emotiva IAs, and I’m also curious how this would compare, from just the sound quality perspective, to the Emotiva BasX TA2. From a functional perspective, not really much comparison needed.
You really want to ask the manufacturers does it driver a 2 ohm load ? And does it give you a perfect square wave and what's its slew rate voltage, and at what power? tells you more about the amp than just driving 4ohm load
Thanks Randy. However I think most of us are more interested in separates. Would like to see some reviews on Stereo Power Amps under 1k under 2k and under 5k. Personally say NAD vs McIntosh or Peachtree
Love that amp. i'm still using the Rotel A10 here in Holland. But the A11MKii will be my next amp. with my B&W 706 S2 they are a great match. Great vid Randy 👍
While its power may be more than adequate for many people and loudspeaker pairings, the relatively small increment in power at 4 ohms suggests that there isn’t that much headroom on the power supply, which is definitely not something usual for a more expensive Rotel unit. And while this is not and expensive amplifier, it isn’t a bargain either. Maybe it can provide something on sound quality that compensates for that, but that would imply to compare with similarly priced products from other well established manufacturers. Being around this business for as long as I’ve been, I find that many stereo amplifiers have increased their prices more than their performance, which ends up being related to the (low) number of units sold worldwide these days. I’m not implying that this isn’t a good product or good buy, but I’d argue that you could spend more and get a better value (bang for your buck).
It`s great amp for sure..but is there a huge difference and improvement in sound from Tribute? I own A 11 Tribute and it really warms my heart.. I love it!!
Just to comment on Rotel Gear.A few years ago i owned from memory a rotel RA -970 integrated amp 70 watts and at the time i also owned an Arcam Alpha 9 70watts , the Arcam cost almost twice what the Rotel cost and to be honest you really had to concentrate to hear the difference between them...Basically what i am saying is that Rotel offer tremendous bang for your buck !
So is this the end of the road for the A11 Tribute?, Won't be selling my one anytime soon, I love the fact you can adjust the tone controls on the remote.
Thank you so much for validating my recent purchase of a restickered A11 ( wondered who made Encel brains when Australian Encel has shrunk/sorta died ++) but thankfully the remote is gorgeous in comparison 🎉 love ya work
DAC Texas Instruments PCM5102A I love the A11 Tribute and was surprised the A11MKii had so much less features than the Tribute (no A/B speaker posts, fewer source inputs) but if I understand you correctly, the sound quality (esp lower end) and BBT knobs seem to be a plus!!?!
I run an A14mkii (it was b-stock because it has a tiny scratch on the front) I run it into ls50 metas and if you happen to find it a little unenthusiastic for some rock music I’d recommend boosting the bass and the treble both up +2 or 3 in the tone section. It will liven up a lot for that punk rock sound. It’s great in tone bypass for more well recorded things though.
. If only they had designed it with the Left stereo signal into a switchable on-board Mono-able amplifier & a right side preamp stereo line out to an identical separate power amplifier. Or in other words, Just like the IOTAVX SA3 Integrated and PA3 Power Amplifier configuration. All & every integrated should be designed this way. I don't know what took us so long to figure it out. Reggae, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊
Hi Randy, I was wondering how would you compare this to the A300 smsl that you reviewed a few days ago? I imagine that the Rotel is better but how much? Thanks and keep doing those cool videos!
Good review. I think it would’ve been a good comparison to use the Emotiva BasX, integrated amp. It’s a little closer in price than the Yamaha, and it seems to have a near identical, physical format as well as much more closer matching inputs.
Hi Randy , another great video, I wonder this compares with a11 tribune , it’s great they have put proper controls vol tone controls back on. I noticed they dropped the the A B 2 sets of speakers option and bit surprised not have pre out and sub woofer o/p . Does the mk2 have just the one aux I/p as you know the tribune has option to have 2 aux inputs switchable on remote or front panel. You are correct with dac chip set . I hope if eventually Rotel brings out the T11 mk2 they put in the 12v trigger I/p it’s available on a11 as the my 2 as well Kind regard mark
@@Gibonz - yes, if the sub has speaker level inputs, you can do this; and since the sub is only using it as a signal (and not drawing very much current), it doesn't lower the impedance that the amp is "seeing" by any significant amount.
Great review as usual. Sounds like a special product, but was hoping for to a possible reference to the Audiolab A6000 which seems to be one of the leaders at this price range. Keep up the good work. Very much appreciated.
Thanks for another great video. I have a question though - Disregarding the phono preamp - Is the overall sound quality of the mk 2 significantly better than the A11 tribute ? I don't listen to vinyl so was curious if I should still make the effort to get the much harder to find (in my country) mk2... Thanks in advance :)
The A10 MkII appears that it would have the same sound quality, but no internal DAC. Same wattage, S/N and THD. The A10 MkII appears to be the better deal especially if you want to use your own DAC.
Another feature that the Rotel Amp doesn't have is AV Bypass so that you can connect it to a AV Receiver. Wish more amps had AV Bypass, because most AV Receivers Suck in 2ch Stereo
Good informative review. I think a better comparison would be against similarly priced Yamaha A-S701(11.5 KG BEAST).I have A-S 701 5 years and iam very very happy!
@@alanmodimages ... please tell more about sub speaker out connection. I have an Yamaha avr who has 2 outputs rca sub out. I know the timing is ''better'' with conventional simple system but with tons of adjust possibilities of my AVR it really easy to set the timing. I have 2 upgraded old B&W 801 sit on 2 Paradigm PW2200v2 subs ( with 4 great rubber pieces between both ) and it sound incredible.... For my kit i think i dont need to plug my subs to the output terminals of my AVR (i dont use it caus i use 2 sep amps for the front an old tweaked Couterpoint SA-12 hybrid amp and a SONY N-80ES cau i have a pair of Triangle Antal ESW speakers too that i love sooo much ) etc etc thank Alan 😉😊( sorry for the bad english i usually talk french )😁
Rotel A11 MK II has may changes compare to Tribute, technically. I dont know what itactually mens to consumers, how it affects sound etc. 1. As the display is gone, one can't set default start up volume. Also can't adjust tone from the remote. Preset tones not available that were present in Tribute like Rotel boost, max etc. Setting tone control on had some effect in A11 Tribute. 2. Only one set of speaker out. No A/B on A11 MK II. 3. No pre amp out that was available on A11 Tribute. 4. Damping factore reduced by 20, S/N ratio down to 90 db, compared to 100 db on Tribute. I don't know if this mk ii is better in some way, except it has digital inputs, which avoids me one more box on my desk, so went with A11 mk ii.
I’ll stick with my Emotiva TA1 I really like the overall design and features. BTW Emotiva just reduced their prices on their speakers, grab them while you can!
Will this sound better than a 30 year old Rotel RB-960BX dual mono 60wpc with a 30 year old Anthem TLP-1 pre-amp? I always wonder if age makes a difference.
I love British gear. Your review of the A11 mk2 might as well been for my 30 year old Rx950ax receiver. Same power output, same distortion and equally superb phono stage. It got amazing reviews to boot. It does have pre-outs but no sub connection. However, it's equipped with B speaker connections. Good review on a fine piece of equipment Randy. Next up, review gear from Cambridge audio. Thanks.
Thinking of upgrading to an integrated and digging this design . Do you think sonically it is an upgrade from an Akitika power amp? They have similar specs.
Great review and very informative! but Rotel sonically doesn't compare with Rega or Arcam....but hey, I've only been selling audio for 50 years. what do I know?
This has been my experience also as over a year ago I bought an A12 as a backup amp for our home systems the other amps are older Arcam A29 and Exposure 2010 and 3010 with B&W and Dynaudio Evoke 30 and Emit M20. I have tried but just can't like the sound with the A12 even after many hours of trying . Am I just being unfair to judge the Rotel against these other amps. Also I need to add that I have tried several other second hand amps in this same system with better results.
Rotel keeps making great-value products. Not including a sub-out is really a shame. Pre-in/main-outs would also have been great, but would bump up the price.
Rotel A11 mk ii howl.me/ckrnTMVOxLA
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Randy, did you find the A11 Tribute noise floor a bit high? (I did). You said the new MK2 is "dead quiet". Did you notice much of a difference between the two?
Besides more bass, do you feel that the A11 MK2 is significantly more open/airy sounding vs the A11 Tribute? More detailed/transparent?
Hi Randy.
Any chance you will review the nad 316beev2v? I know it’s older, but would love your opinion on this compared to all the other budget amps you have reviewed. All the best
I’ve owned the A11 Tribute for a little less than a year and listening to music on it actually makes me deeply emotional. Rotel have done a spectacular job in my opinion. (Setup: Rotel A11 & CD 11 Tribute, DALI Oberon 3 Speakers and IsoAcoustics Aperta 200 stands).
Which amp you are using now?
@@Junan.Reclaimed As listed Above, I'm using a Rotel A11 Tribute with a CD11 Tribute CD player and DALI Oberon 3 speakers on ISO Acoustics 200 stands.
Does the MK 2 sound any better?
@@Junan.Reclaimed Rotel A11 Tribute, I listed my entire setup in the original comment.
@@angelheart1129 That was my question, I do not have a MK2.
I have a Rotel amp and preamp that I bought when I was in the military back in the early 90s that is still my primary audio components to this day and still sounds as good as ever! Love your channel!
Thanks for serving!
What I do like about this amp is that the tone controls are physical ! you don't have to enter a dumb menu in order to use them! less digital = More intelligent
Finally! Someone who understands!
Oui mais il faut se lever 😅
@@crish7832 c'est vrai mais il existe aussi une version avec télécommande, je n'aime pas qu'elle n'ait pas la possibilité de connecter deux paires d' enceintes
@@Kouros-t6d
J'ai adoré mon A11 Tribute !
Je possède un RA1572MKII actuellement
I absolutely hate digital controls, especially the volume control. I prefer anything analog over digital. I don't stream, just records and tape 🙂
I bought an A12 about a year ago and I’m really happy with it. I run my Thornes TD160 with a Ortofon Bronze into my B&W CM9 speakers. The phono preamp in the Rotel is top notch. I don’t stream so can’t talk about that. Very happy with it, for now. Of course eventually I’ll get bored and want to upgrade, but don’t we all.
Thanks for the Rotel review. I have the RB1582 MKII amp and RB1572 MKII preamp and had such a good experience I recently bought the RCD1572 MKII CD player. Love Rotel equipment. Well built, look great and accurate stats with plenty of power, wide dynamic range and head space with no noise or issues. Highly recommended!
Good informative review. I think a better comparison would be against the similar sized, build quality and priced Audiolab 6000a. Here’s to hoping you consider a review!
It’s nice to see one button for each input so you don’t have to cycle through all of them.
Personally I'd rather have clean front end. Most people are only using a few inputs regularly and rarely are you constantly switching between them constantly.
who needs more than 1 input nowadays?
Coaxial for the streamer, optical for the TV, Phono for vinyl and if possible a second coaxial for the cd player (but you rarely see that so most of the time it will be a second toslink)
How do you get by with only one input?
for me only one - for the streamer - for TV I have yamaha AV reciever, I don`t use CD anymore or tape or phono @@TheMaevian
@@quazar912 Whatever works for you, works, but many people need multiple inputs. I had a receiver that was pre-HDMI, and I used a ton of the inputs on that, as well as having two switch boxes. I miss analogue A/V. (I did use the digital audio connections, as well.)
When I first got into HIFI in the UK in the early 80's. Aside from the usual suspects of traditional British brands, so Naim, Rega, Quad, Linn, Audiolab, Arcam and so on.
The highest regarded next tier for UK audio fans included the real value Japanese amps. This was very much the likes of Marantz, Denon and Rotel.
Rotel especially were always regarded as high quality back then. I believe all these years on, although now assembled out of China, not Japan. It doesn't surprise me they have regarded, a strong product, with a high pedigree.
Personally having owned the Rega Brio (current edition, post 2017). That retailed at £700, and is now close to being replaced, and available on local 😂discount at £550 in the UK. I would personally take that as my top sub £1000 amp tbh. It is only analogue, with next to no features. But purely sonically it is very very good, produces tonnes of current, even at 50w, and easily drives 85db 4 Ohm speakers, plus being a Rega, and given their Turntable history its only feature is a still very strong phono stage built in.
But frankly the good things still said sonically about the Rotel Amps in the same price range doesnt suprise me at all. They were always very well regarded this side if the pond, and were a well respected company who always equally cared most about the sound.
I am glad that that still rings true.
I picked up a gently used mk. 1 A12 a couple years back on Ebay and although I'm always looking for a power amp to pair with it I can't really justify it. Sounds awesome and has all the connections most would need. Can't beat the Rotel in-house built toroidal transformers.
Compact and gorgeous. But that's enough about Randy, the amp is good too.
I like when a product is not over designed, but the sound is good. A bit NAD over it.
Is the sound good ?
@@r423fplip I think so.
Between your rec and Steve's, I think I'm sold on the A10 Mk ii for my first major upgrade. FWIW, I think it looks beautiful. Love how little Rotel's design language has changed over the years.
A10mkii or A11mkii?
I went back and watched some of your vids from two years ago, man have you grown!
Rotel has made some of the best sounding amps for DECADES
Just picked up the Rotel A11 Tribute and I am so happy with it. I have it paired with a Wiim Pro streamer and a Denafrips Ares II DAC and it just all sounds fantastic into my Martin Logan 15 bookshelfs.
Love Rotel equipment. Had a RC1090 pre and RB1070 power, it was my primary system for a couple of decades. Keep up the good work Randy.
this is my kind of review!!!!!!! greatttttttt!!! i have an old Rotel RA 971 int amp. thanks Randy!
That's a very nice amp. I have the Sony STR-DH190 receiver because it has a phono stage input as well. I'm pretty happy with it. Great show! 🤘🏻
I have the a11 tribute. It has a pre amp out (I use with a sub). It has tone control bypass the mk 2 does not. The tribute has a higher signal to noise ratio, 100 vs 90. The tribute has 2 sets of speakers out, the mk 2 has 1. The tribute has 4 analog inputs, the mk2 has 3. The tribute has a LCD display, the mk2 has no display. The tribute has no dac, but I use a better external one anyway.
I'm not understanding how this is an improvement?
As for comparing the two, Randy is going by memory more than 6 months ago using different dacs and speakers.
I think Rotel needed to save some costs on this model
Agree, very challenging to compare such similar products from memory especially after six months of listening to many other equipment.
I agree and to add to it the A11 Tribute looks much nicer than the newer A11 mkii. Of course Rotel is claiming several internal improvements have been made but only a direct head to head comparison might reveal any differences in sound quality characteristics, better, worse or just different. Remembering sound qualities/signature from 6 months ago doesn't cut it for me.
Rotel is probably reconfiguring their product line so that it "makes more sense", this A11 mkii makes sense to me, it's the A10 mkii with a built in DAC. I think it's perfect for simple 2-ch setup, for a mini hifi setup with small bookshelfs, many of us don't want a sub, don't need a/b speakers, the display on the other Rotels is really kind of crappy and makes them look cheap, so no love lost by removing them. This is a perfect product for me, 50W A/B power, volume knob, tone controls (because cheap small speakers tend to benefit from them), phono stage, and a nice DAC for my Wiim Airplay, clean simple aesthetic, looks timeless.
I too would appreciate a side by side comparison with the A11 Tribute. I own the Tribute and use the internal phono preamp for vinyl and a Geshelli J2 for the DAC. Should I upgrade?
@@chuckpardy8530 I own a Rotel A12, a Rotel A14mkii and I bought then returned the new A11mkii. None of these units sound different from one another, if they do we're splitting eyelashes. The DAC's in all these modern Rotels sound basically the same, whether your talking the CD players or the integrated amps. The current "Rotel sound" is homogenous within their product line, so you either like the sound or you don't (which to me leans neutral/flat relative to the other mid-fi brands). The models with the mkii designations have DAC's that are advertised as a faster bitrate (32b/384khz vs 24b/192khz), but sonically I hear no difference. Just pick the model that has the power output you need as determined by your speakers and intended listening volume, they all sound the same, you're going to hear a much more drastic difference between using the J2 DAC than you are between any two Rotel models.
Well... interesting indeed, however, at that price range I wonder if it can at least be on the same league with the PS Audio Sprout 100, which not only is an excellent integrated delivering 100 W at 4 Ohms and with subwoofer output, but it really sounds amazing and delivers awesome image and very cool and wide three dimensional soundstage.
👍👍👍👍👍
Dated? No way! Perfect, to me. Basic and unassuming.
Very nice review. From now on this amp is one of my options for my b&w 603 v1 speakers. I am impressed on what you said about the phono stage of the amp
The Rotel A12 MK II is $1200 and has line out and 60 watts @ 8 ohms. Might be worth a listen if you want a sub out.
Hi Randy, I love your channel. I started following you two years ago when I wanted build my first hi fi system. But I ended with samsung dobly atmos 11 channel soundbar with sub and satelites. Its working great for movies and good for music. (cannot say great, audiophiles will bump me off 😅)I bought that because money issues, renewing apartment and I needed to put in budget LG oled tv. Now I'm finaly ready to purchace my first Hi fi system. After so much research I decided to go with this Rotel a11 m2 and with Dynaudio Emit 10. Seller told me that it have warm tone for pairing with rotel amp and that it sound great.Also that is enough for my room which is 16 square meters. Amp is 800€ or $ and dynaudio emit 10's are 750€ or $ here in Croatia. I will gladly appreciate your help if you have some time😊 I'm so excited for this purchace
Funtastic review Randy, enjoyed the vivid comparison and descriptions of the aspects of the new Rotel a11!🔥🔥👍🏽
In Australia, Encel is an Australian hifi company that used to build hifi's and had a store in Melbourne. They've since become a distributor for a number of brands including Rotel but have recently released an amplifier called the 'Encel Brains', which is evidfently based on the Rotel A11 Mk2. That perhaps has a slightly more stylish exterior(the front and rear layouts are identical) that really leans into the hifi as decor and the vinyl revival.
A11 Tribute had binding posts for 2 pairs of speakers, pre-amp out for Subs, dated RS32 connection -- but no coax. A11 MKii adding physical BBT knobs and marker on the volume is great. Suspect about sound quality being more dynamic, but not 100% surprised. Good review!
I like good tone controls, allows you to dial in the sound.
Nice review. Rotel has always made nice components. I always thought they were the step up from NAD.
I own a RA-1062 and I love it. I have to reconsider my comment. I thought the A11 and the RA1062 were comparable. And over the years some features had been dropped and others were added. But the right comparison should be RA1062 vs A12 Mk2 and here Rotel just upped the ante. All modern connections and still the same basic functions. Good job.
There's a little story, in one review, the author said "I heard the RA1062 thought that thing was ONLY $900." In my case I heard the RA1062 and thought it only cost me 40€ 😁
I'd like to know how this compares to the Keces E40. The Keces is also class AB, $50 less and has a preamp output. It also has a MM phono input, a USB input, and 2 analog inputs. 50W @ 8ohms and 65W @ 4ohms. It also has a smaller input.
For a subwoofer out just use an RCA splitter it's still doable!
If you had a thousand for an amp what would you buy , clear vibrant , great bass producing ,with decent speakers ( evo 4.4) for a dac cd collection , no vinyl just cds
I know that you mentioned in the video comparing to Emotiva IAs, and I’m also curious how this would compare, from just the sound quality perspective, to the Emotiva BasX TA2.
From a functional perspective, not really much comparison needed.
I had the a11 tribute and the ta1 at the same time. Even though I had less features I went with the rotel. It sounded more clear.
You really want to ask the manufacturers does it driver a 2 ohm load ? And does it give you a perfect square wave and what's its slew rate voltage, and at what power? tells you more about the amp than just driving 4ohm load
Thanks Randy. However I think most of us are more interested in separates. Would like to see some reviews on Stereo Power Amps under 1k under 2k and under 5k. Personally say NAD vs McIntosh or Peachtree
You should compare it to the A12 MKII, that one has a pre-out and 5 digital inputs (2x coax, 2x optical and 1x USB)
Love that amp. i'm still using the Rotel A10 here in Holland. But the A11MKii will be my next amp. with my B&W 706 S2 they are a great match.
Great vid Randy 👍
While its power may be more than adequate for many people and loudspeaker pairings, the relatively small increment in power at 4 ohms suggests that there isn’t that much headroom on the power supply, which is definitely not something usual for a more expensive Rotel unit.
And while this is not and expensive amplifier, it isn’t a bargain either.
Maybe it can provide something on sound quality that compensates for that, but that would imply to compare with similarly priced products from other well established manufacturers.
Being around this business for as long as I’ve been, I find that many stereo amplifiers have increased their prices more than their performance, which ends up being related to the (low) number of units sold worldwide these days.
I’m not implying that this isn’t a good product or good buy, but I’d argue that you could spend more and get a better value (bang for your buck).
hi, what would you recommend ? cheers
Vintage Adcom GFA 535 60 watts per channel power amp. Circa 1987 used around 250.00 buy this before the new stuff. It’s got plenty of power
It`s great amp for sure..but is there a huge difference and improvement
in sound from Tribute? I own A 11 Tribute and it really warms my heart.. I love it!!
I still have my 1992 rotel ra40bx! Still sounds great after a new fix and capacitors! Great phono stage!
Love my RA-2020 with the RE-2000 equaliser.
The flashing 80's leds are awesome.
Just to comment on Rotel Gear.A few years ago i owned from memory a rotel RA -970 integrated amp 70 watts and at the time i also owned an Arcam Alpha 9 70watts , the Arcam cost almost twice what the Rotel cost and to be honest you really had to concentrate to hear the difference between them...Basically what i am saying is that Rotel offer tremendous bang for your buck !
So is this the end of the road for the A11 Tribute?, Won't be selling my one anytime soon, I love the fact you can adjust the tone controls on the remote.
That's why I'll probably snatch one up. And they're on sale now that mkii is here.
@@bigambientdeath A11 tribute is a beast, I love mine..
Thank you so much for validating my recent purchase of a restickered A11 ( wondered who made Encel brains when Australian Encel has shrunk/sorta died ++) but thankfully the remote is gorgeous in comparison 🎉 love ya work
DAC Texas Instruments PCM5102A
I love the A11 Tribute and was surprised the A11MKii had so much less features than the Tribute (no A/B speaker posts, fewer source inputs) but if I understand you correctly, the sound quality (esp lower end) and BBT knobs seem to be a plus!!?!
I run an A14mkii (it was b-stock because it has a tiny scratch on the front)
I run it into ls50 metas and if you happen to find it a little unenthusiastic for some rock music I’d recommend boosting the bass and the treble both up +2 or 3 in the tone section. It will liven up a lot for that punk rock sound.
It’s great in tone bypass for more well recorded things though.
. If only they had designed it with the Left stereo signal into a switchable on-board Mono-able amplifier & a right side preamp stereo line out to an identical separate power amplifier.
Or in other words, Just like the IOTAVX SA3 Integrated and PA3 Power Amplifier configuration.
All & every integrated should be designed this way. I don't know what took us so long to figure it out.
Reggae, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊
I would be curious how this compares to my AXR 100 from Cambridge Audio. I've been pretty pleased with it. No sub out or preamp just like this one.
Hi Randy, I was wondering how would you compare this to the A300 smsl that you reviewed a few days ago? I imagine that the Rotel is better but how much? Thanks and keep doing those cool videos!
Btw, did you try the rotel or the a300 on other speakers like the Klipsch Rp600 or the Polk R200? 😬
Good review. I think it would’ve been a good comparison to use the Emotiva BasX, integrated amp. It’s a little closer in price than the Yamaha, and it seems to have a near identical, physical format as well as much more closer matching inputs.
Great review. Now you need to do some equalizers, because who else will, and compare new to vintage.
Their tomatoes are a handy thing to keep in the pantry. Great addition to chili, enchilada sauce, lots of stuff.
😂 I pair Rotel with Velveeta cheese and sausage for my listening dip ❤
@@mikelanier5617 YES!!! I like some pickled jalapeños in there as well. Never tried sausage. Now on my list.
But have you tried Red Gold's tomato-tomatillo blend? It's better than Rotel.
i have allways liked Mexican and Spanish food,but i dislike snakeoil chefs!
Hi Randy , another great video, I wonder this compares with a11 tribune , it’s great they have put proper controls vol tone controls back on. I noticed they dropped the the A B 2 sets of speakers option and bit surprised not have pre out and sub woofer o/p . Does the mk2 have just the one aux I/p as you know the tribune has option to have 2 aux inputs switchable on remote or front panel. You are correct with dac chip set . I hope if eventually Rotel brings out the T11 mk2 they put in the 12v trigger I/p it’s available on a11 as the my 2 as well Kind regard mark
Some Class A/B amplifier goodness!
For connecting a subwoofer to this integrated amp, you can use the speaker outputs - if your subwoofer can do this.
Can you attach the sub speaker wire along with the normal speaker wires to the same binding posts yeh?
@@Gibonz - yes, if the sub has speaker level inputs, you can do this; and since the sub is only using it as a signal (and not drawing very much current), it doesn't lower the impedance that the amp is "seeing" by any significant amount.
Great review as usual.
Sounds like a special product, but was hoping for to a possible reference to the Audiolab A6000 which seems to be one of the leaders at this price range.
Keep up the good work. Very much appreciated.
I thought they were going to send me one but it never happened.
Righto...Thanks for the reply and all the best.@@cheapaudioman
Thanks for another great video. I have a question though - Disregarding the phono preamp - Is the overall sound quality of the mk 2 significantly better than the A11 tribute ? I don't listen to vinyl so was curious if I should still make the effort to get the much harder to find (in my country) mk2... Thanks in advance :)
The A10 MkII appears that it would have the same sound quality, but no internal DAC. Same wattage, S/N and THD. The A10 MkII appears to be the better deal especially if you want to use your own DAC.
Another feature that the Rotel Amp doesn't have is AV Bypass so that you can connect it to a AV Receiver.
Wish more amps had AV Bypass, because most AV Receivers Suck in 2ch Stereo
You can set many Rotel amps to fixed input which makes your inputs like mains in
Thank you for the thorough review! Do you like this a lot better than the A11 Tribute? Thanks
Link to the shower cleaning product?
Good informative review. I think a better comparison would be against similarly priced Yamaha A-S701(11.5 KG BEAST).I have A-S 701 5 years and iam very very happy!
No problem using REL subs with the Rotel.
Exactly. I wish more people here understood this, and the advantages of a High Level speaker connection.
@@alanmodimages If they knew it would change their life
@@alanmodimages ... please tell more about sub speaker out connection. I have an Yamaha avr who has 2 outputs rca sub out. I know the timing is ''better'' with conventional simple system but with tons of adjust possibilities of my AVR it really easy to set the timing. I have 2 upgraded old B&W 801 sit on 2 Paradigm PW2200v2 subs ( with 4 great rubber pieces between both ) and it sound incredible.... For my kit i think i dont need to plug my subs to the output terminals of my AVR (i dont use it caus i use 2 sep amps for the front an old tweaked Couterpoint SA-12 hybrid amp and a SONY N-80ES cau i have a pair of Triangle Antal ESW speakers too that i love sooo much ) etc etc thank Alan 😉😊( sorry for the bad english i usually talk french )😁
You mentioned the Rotel CDP...I'd love you to compare a brand new CDP to an old school one from the 90s or early 2000s. What has 30 years done.
It's a nice AMP, but I'm disappointed that it doesn't have a subwoofer output.
Thanks for saying what I was going to say. A no-go for me!
@edwardwood969: I saw that. But, with most subwoofers I can work around that.
Just connect speaker wires to subwoofer who have those connections first and then speakers.
@@johper4 Exactly. That’s what I do.
@@johper4 Yep, even REL, a high end subwoofer brand, fully recommends "High Level" or speaker terminal connections to their subs.
in my young days rotel i always went for rotel the old rotel i love it
Hmm…
I wonder if the phono signal is going through the internal dac? Just a thought, probably not…but? Super nice little amp! 🙏🏼
Rotel A11 MK II has may changes compare to Tribute, technically. I dont know what itactually mens to consumers, how it affects sound etc.
1. As the display is gone, one can't set default start up volume. Also can't adjust tone from the remote. Preset tones not available that were present in Tribute like Rotel boost, max etc. Setting tone control on had some effect in A11 Tribute.
2. Only one set of speaker out. No A/B on A11 MK II.
3. No pre amp out that was available on A11 Tribute.
4. Damping factore reduced by 20, S/N ratio down to 90 db, compared to 100 db on Tribute.
I don't know if this mk ii is better in some way, except it has digital inputs, which avoids me one more box on my desk, so went with A11 mk ii.
Yet another excellent review, Randy!!
Hey Andy, plz tell more about the headphone output: if you plug it in, the speakers stop playing?
Sonic difference between it and the Tribute?
Randy, on the tone scale of warm/cool. What`s your listening opinion on where this amp lands?
I’ll stick with my Emotiva TA1 I really like the overall design and features. BTW Emotiva just reduced their prices on their speakers, grab them while you can!
Love the give away. Congrats on the 200K. It is going to happen!
Will this sound better than a 30 year old Rotel RB-960BX dual mono 60wpc with a 30 year old Anthem TLP-1 pre-amp? I always wonder if age makes a difference.
I am a huge Emotiva fan boy but love the design, layout and specs! The only downfall for me is there is no sub out?
I love British gear. Your review of the A11 mk2 might as well been for my 30 year old Rx950ax receiver. Same power output, same distortion and equally superb phono stage. It got amazing reviews to boot. It does have pre-outs but no sub connection. However, it's equipped with B speaker connections. Good review on a fine piece of equipment Randy. Next up, review gear from Cambridge audio. Thanks.
It's not British, it's Japanese.
It would be very interesting to hear how this (or the A10 Mkii) compares to the Cambridge AXR100 or even to their AXA35
British gear is ok, but it is insanely overprized!
Great review. Have you done a review of The Marantz model 50? Between the MK ii and the Model 50, which one is your choice? $$$ is no object.
Thinking of upgrading to an integrated and digging this design . Do you think sonically it is an upgrade from an Akitika power amp? They have similar specs.
Rotel makes great stuff! What you need to power our music?
Still own Rotel RA04 - excelent amplifier. will chage it only when I get very good deal for some Accuphase amp.
This sounds like a commercial for Sith Audio foaming bathroom cleaner.
Thanks Randy
Been hoping for a Rotel review.
This vs yamaha as701 or 801? Down to preference?
Great take Randy. Very high praise from you.
Great review. What would you say is the difference in sound between this and the Yamaha as801/as1200?
Would like to ask. Would u consider doing miniDSP FLEX?
Can the lack of DSD in Rotel's A series emps be considered as a deal breaker?
Crutchfield has the Rotel A11 Tribute on sale for $650.
Nailed it again!!🎉
Any comparisons done by anyone with this Rotel and the similarly priced Yamaha AS-801 integrated amp?
And with the introduction of the Mk II, the A11 Tribute now is $150 off on Crutchfield.
Great review and very informative! but Rotel sonically doesn't compare with Rega or Arcam....but hey, I've only been selling audio for 50 years. what do I know?
This has been my experience also as over a year ago I bought an A12 as a backup amp for our home systems the other amps are older Arcam A29 and Exposure 2010 and 3010 with B&W and Dynaudio Evoke 30 and Emit M20.
I have tried but just can't like the sound with the A12 even after many hours of trying .
Am I just being unfair to judge the Rotel against these other amps.
Also I need to add that I have tried several other second hand amps in this same system with better results.
For the cost and quality of this amp, I can't figure out why they wouldn't include a subwoofer out.
Seriously, why wouldn't they add it?
Back in the day, the NAD 3020 amp was a recognised classic and sold itself. The same would apply if this Rotel amp had a subwoofer out.
Rotel keeps making great-value products. Not including a sub-out is really a shame. Pre-in/main-outs would also have been great, but would bump up the price.
I can only find that the A11 Mk-II has a Texas Instruments 32-bit/384kHz DAC chipset, but not its version or model #.
This or a11 tribute?
I hope you can test a Purifi amp soon.