Rotel RA-02 Amplifier
Rotel Company remains committed to the production of high-quality two-channel equipment, which cannot but rejoice. It would seem that such a large company should follow the general trends that imply a clear choice in favor of the home theater and stereo amplifiers out of production, however, seems to be the leaders of Rotel love music so that the arm is lying just to stop doing that in his time provided the company a success. And that's great! Otherwise we would have had no chance to get acquainted with such a pleasant in all respects the unit as Rotel RA-02. What is it good for? First of all, the component looks stylish and neat. Slim body, soft glow of blue light-emitting diodes, solid connectors for the speakers - all this creates a feeling of solidly made things. Pretty great weight of the machine is rather impressive. More precisely, the weight itself is not so great, however, given that the Rotel RA-02 is made in a slim design, its 6.5 kilograms of produce experience. The remote control is typical for all 02 series devices and is easy to operate. After removing the cover, find the familiar picture - Rotel uses only high-quality components. Corporate toroidal transformer is located in the corner near the entrance to the network cable. Capacitors - famous Rybicon par value of 6800 uF. The output stage includes two transistors per channel, though their brand could not be determined. Heat sink is located along rather than across the body, as usually happens.
Listening to begin with Mozart's violin works. From the very first bars confirmed my suspicions that the company's engineers tuned the sound of their vehicles on a similar musical material - as all models Rotel, that I've ever listen very well cope with delivering sophisticated tone strings. And even if other toolsets have problems, it is not reflected in the outstanding, dare I say it, playing violins (for that price category in which "plays" the company). Those epithets can be attributed to Rotel RA-02 - mobile, lightweight, but at the same time rich and "bodily" sound makes this process extremely attractive. Despite the fact that the scene is slightly closer to the listener, there is good separation of instruments and thin tone transferrings.
Turn to hard rock - here from the amplifier requires the ability not only to give a deep bass, but also to keep it in check, which means complete control over the speakers. And Rotel RA-02 once again did not disappoint. Version of the classic "Whiskey In The Jar" by Hetfield and company just did not give to sit still, so rhythmic and incendiary was sound. In this case, the device is very clearly separated from each other party all the instruments and did not allow them to merge into a "long-drawn howl". It's just wonderful.
In general. Very cool exhibition. Despite the fact that I have many times convinced of outstanding ability inexpensive equipment that the Japanese firm, Rotel RA-02 just fascinated me with its dynamic and harmonious sound. Here it is, the most convincing argument in favor of the good old stereo - no AV-receiver cannot be compared with him, when talking about the transfer of the subtle nuances of the recording. Bravo!
