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Solid State Amp of the Year - The Absolute Sound Magazine
A Power Amp That "Conveys All the Music You Could Want"
The Rotel RB-1552 MkII stereo power amplifier is built upon the same platform as the RB-1582 MkII with only a slightly smaller power output capability at 2 x 130 watts. It is engineered to be powerful and robust, yet able to extract every last nuance out of even the most complex musical score.
Notable features of the amplifier include independent left and right power rectification stages and decoupling. The layout is essentially a mono block design. Further evidence of design over-spec is in the selection of premium “slit-foil” capacitors. Input options are balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA connectors.
The RB-1552 MkII stereo amplifier has been engineered to provide high-resolution audio performance, yet it is very affordable, as has been the tradition with Rotel electronics for over 50 years.
"Affordable Amp of the Year"
The Absolute Sound magazine honored the RB-1552 MkII with its Solid State Amp of the Year in the "Affordable" category.
"Through the RB-1552 MkII, strings are properly rich, bass is weighty, and the piano possesses a lovely round tone. Microdynamics and tiny tempo variations come through clearly, too, allowing the listener to hear the give-and-take between players. The amp also delivers robust dynamics, a broad soundstage, well-placed images, and infectious timing. Another Rotel winner."
"Delivers the Heart of the High End"
"I was very taken with this product's ability to combine power and liquidity in one package and to do it all at such an extremely reasonable price," observes Anthony Nicosia, enjoythemusic.com. "The RB-1552 was not embarrassed by amplifiers costing far more. This was one amplifier I definitely found to be cost effective and worthy of being associated with components normally found with more expensive amplifiers."
"Modestly priced audio products may not be able to produce the 'absolute sound,' but the best of them can fully deliver the heart of the high end," reports Alan Taffel in The Absolute Sound magazine. "Rotel's 1570/1552 stack falls decisively into this category, forming an incredibly affordable, versatile system that conveys all the music you could want – and more – with very few trade-offs. Rotel is back, my friends. And it is good."
Extremely High Performance Power Supply
The RB-1552 MkII's high-end performance begins with an extremely large toroidal transformer using special “slit foil” capacitors to provide completely stable power to the output stage. Slit foil capacitors have the ability to charge and discharge extremely quickly, thereby ensuring signal fidelity during orchestral crescendos or repetitive kick-drum impacts, for example.
Dual Monoblock Design
Both left and right channel construction are laid out in a dual monoblock design (after the toroidal transformer) and all grounding is terminated in a star pattern on a copper grounding plate to ensure low signal to noise. The powerful output stage is a discrete design that consists of high current bipolar transistors.
Input and Output Options
Input options consist of both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA connectors. A toggle switch in the rear panel selects the type of input signal to use. The RB-1552 MKII has four pairs of color-coded speaker binding posts, two for each channel – allowing you to run two pairs of speakers at the same time, if you wise. These connectors accept bare wire, connector lugs, or dual banana type connectors. (Note that there is no speaker selection switch, so both pairs of connected speakers will play if you use two pairs.)
Protection Circuitry
The RB-1552 MKII features thermal and over-current protection circuits that protect against potential damage in the event of extreme or faulty operating conditions. Unlike many designs, these protection circuits are independent of the audio signal and have no impact on sonic performance. Instead, the protection circuits monitor the temperature of the output devices and the current they are handling and shut down the amplifier if operating conditions exceed safe limits.
Most likely, you will never see this protection circuitry in action. However, should a faulty condition arise, the amplifier will stop playing and the LED indicator on the front panel will light up.
The RB-1552 MkII stereo power amplifier is yet another outstanding example of Rotel’s Balanced Design Concept and will form the heart of a very impressive stereo or home theater system for years to come.
