Rotel just announced their new flagship multichannel power amplifier, model RMB-1585, for videophiles searching for the best in movie soundtrack recreation. With five channels, each capable of producing 200 continuous watts each into 8-ohm loads (a full kilowatt of output power), the RMB-1585 masters any A/V system regardless of speaker load or room size.
But it isn’t just pure output power that distinguishes the RMB-1585. It’s the ability to reproduce both the dynamics of a Hollywood blockbuster and the musical nuances of acoustic instruments that sets it apart. It’s a direct result of Rotel’s celebrated Balanced Design Concept in which circuit topology and parts selection meld in the pursuit of sonic excellence.
As with all Rotel products, this performance level begins with a power supply based on Rotel designed ad manufactured dual toroidal transformers. In addition to providing proper voltages and current to subsequent rectifiers, regulators, and capacitors, these transformers also serve as a critical first stage of filtration for incoming AC power. And the toroid shape itself tightly focuses stray emissions to avoid their potentially negative impact on sound quality.
Also in evidence is the Slit-Foil capacitor, an improved variant of a conventional storage device. The Slit-Foil is named after the many precise cuts made in the aluminum conductors. These cuts or “slits” minimize the eddy currents that reduce a conventional capacitor’s ability to store and supply energy efficient. The power supply of the RMB-1585’s output section benefits from eight British-made BHC Slit-Foil caps, each with a capacity of 15,000 µF. Further, each channel uses six individual power transistors to ensure stable power delivery to all speakers in the system even under the most demanding conditions. Dual fans provide more-than-adequate airflow for proper thermal dissipation. The RMB-1585 also provides protection circuitry for over temperature, over current, and DC voltage.
These and other high quality components were carefully chosen for their significant contribution to better sound quality and then “tuned” to each other for even further aural improvements.
The RMB-1585 makes system connection easy with both single-ended inputs via RCA jacks or balanced connections via three-pin XLR connectors. In summary, you could describe the RMB-1585 as a “brute” that provides a full kilowatt of power. Or, you might regard it as an exacting conveyer of the most subtle aspects of music or a movie soundtrack. In either case, you would be correct. You would also be correct if you simply said that the RMB-1585 is the win-win answer for everyone seeking authoritative yet nuanced control of the speaker array of your choice.
Price and Availability
The Rotel RMB-1585 Multichannel Power Amplifier will be available summer 2013 for $2,999.
