Audio Emporium Newsletter 12-1-2009

New Catalog!

       We recently posted our new catalog on our site. You can download it there or visit the store for a hard copy.

Rotel Introduces Euro Products to America!

       Not so many moons ago… Rotel featured its Silver Euro Series in the USA. The Euro Series was comprised of some pretty sweet gear. It was moderate in size, power and price. It was clean and gorgeous to look at. For some reason (still unknown!) they decided to quit brining it into the US. It continued to be available in the UK where a lot of people are tight on space and don’t need hundreds of watts. We’re glad they listened to us dealers and have brought back the two best pieces in the line!

Integrated Amp: RA-05SE $600 (40x2)

        When you get down to it, a gutsy 40x2 amp will drive most of the B&Ws and Paradigms we sell. RA-05SE fills the bill.

         It has remote, a headphone jack and MP-3 input on the front. Audio inputs include on board MM phono, four high levels and a tape loop.

         It also has a pre out on the back. That’s a nice option in case you want to add a muscular amp in the future. Stash the amp elsewhere and just SEE the integrated function as a preamp.

          RA-05SE has speakers A/B, tone controls, balance control and detachable power cord- so serious listeners can upgrade if they so choose.

          Some of the design details that lead to such high performance is, RA-05SE is built like expensive gear, but smaller. It uses a custom toroidal transformer and symmetrical board layout with virtually no spaghetti. A look inside reveals a clean layout with high quality US (of all places!) caps of high performance.

CD Player: RCD-06SE $600

         Most CD players on today’s market are… cheaply built DVD players. They don’t sound good to discerning audiophiles. Their build is so flimsy that they mistrack often when they’re a year or two old. Then you get to toss it and buy another.

         Think of a basketball fitting within the hoop. On an entry level machine you’re lucky if the ball fits through at all (tracks properly). Nobody is taking the time to make sure the ball (tracking mechanism) is centered. Rotel does!

         Then you have the concern of the flimsy build. Even if the ball is barely within the hoop now- it will likely jiggle out of alignment within a year or so because of the lightweight mechanics of the transport. With Rotel, the build quality is hearty and, even though some endemic vibration is incurred, there is margin for error because of the precision alignment.

         RCD-06SE is the choice for those of us that want excellent sound in a modest sized chassis. Using a good sized power supply and Wolfson DAC, this player fills the niche of serious performer for modest size and price.

         This new player has RCA analog out as well as coax digital out. It has a detachable power cord so you can upgrade that easily. In addition to the new Wolfson DAC, Rotel has upgraded the filter and buffer stage components from last year (hence the SE designation) along with higher performance output coupling caps.

         Toss on some B&W 685s or CM-1s and you have a very detailed system with more umph than you’re likely to need!