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STEREO AMPLIFIERS
A beautifully judged new entry – straight in at number one – and a quartet of stylish stalwarts. Welcome to the corridors of power
Fresh off the production line, this is an unusually expressive amp
Image credit: Sony
■ Rotel A8 £399
If you have read the ‘First Tests’ section of this issue, you may already know all you need to about this terrific new integrated amp from veteran Japanese amplification specialists Rotel. If you haven’t, fear not; here are the highlights.
Although we have awarded the A8 five stars, what we didn’t let on in our test (see p12) was that it has bagged our stereo amplifier Product Of The Year.
Although competition is fierce in the budget amplifier market, the A8’s combined talents are enough to edge it onto the top podium spot. That said, it is modestly styled and not packed with features. It even misses out on the digital inputs and Bluetooth connectivity that is relatively common at this price level. Are those big losses? Our answer is ‘no’. This solidly built, 30W-per-channel amp has a moving-magnet phono input for your record player and three singleended line-level inputs for the rest of your sources. There is also a 3.5mm headphone output on the front panel. Straight out of the box, the Rotel sounds restrained and unremarkable, but give it a few days’ use and it starts to shine. We listen to Barrington Levy’s You Say Me Say and find the A8 handles the bassline with considerable skill, delivering it with impressive grip and punch. The song’s easygoing momentum is communicated well with a fine sense of drive and authority. This integrated amp is surefooted with rhythms and unusually expressive as far as dynamics are concerned. Levy’s voice comes through with character and charm intact too.