Review: Michi Pre-amplifier (P5) and Power amplifier (S5)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.พ. 2020
- Michi the premium brand from Rotel. This pre-amp, power amp combination will elevate your listening experience to the next level. If you want a modern pre-power amplifier that brings everything together, look no further...you will have the looks, performance and connectivity to entertain you and your family.
www.rotel.com/en-gb/michi
www.homemation.co.za/
www.aptx.com/aptx-hd
![หมานแต่ผัวเขา - แสตมป์ โตเกียวมิวสิค [ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/m0g1TSBJPgo/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey Nimrod and Theresa your TH-cam reviews have grown leaps and bounds and have really improved. I enjoyed watching this video. It is very nice that Theresa has now joined in.
Congratulations guys! Oh and the Michi looks like a winner.
Hey Stuart thank you for the feedback - we need the feedback to ensure we keep the contact interesting and informative. I agree the Michi equipment ticks all the right boxes...Have a great one!
Thank you for a detailed and great review. These seam like great products. I do hope they have the ability to become future classics, I am often concerned when DACs are included inside preamps, it tends to date the products quickly due to advances in technology and formats like we have seen with home theatre processors. Some manufacturers now offer two options of each model preamps one with and one without a DAC that seems to try and avoid this issue.
Hi Morne thank you for your insights. I strongly agree. DACs improved over the years...and I am sure they will evolve even further. It seems as if the AKM premium DACs used within the P5 will support 32bits at 768KHz so for now at least very relevant. Luckily one can still deploy external DACs if the need arise. Thank you again for your thoughts and support.
Beautiful amplifier looks!
Hi Alex. Nice vlog and also great review as always. I have already Michi for a month. Really great value for money. Greetings from Singapore.
Hi Sherine. Thank you for your comment. Indeed a very good product and excellent value for the money!
Thanks for the very interesting review!
Thank you for a comprehensive review of this amazing equipment! My P5 and S5 will be driving my Magnepan 2.7 x speakers. Just wanted to make sure it was okay to stack my P5 on top of my S5 amplifier
Hi, @jamesmathews thank you for the feedback and your inquiry. I had several viewers also asking the same question. It is not the ideal situation to have them directly on top of one another, but in general, you will not find any performance problems by having them stacked. I had them stacked for the review making it easier to discuss the various features and specifics associated with each component. In the long run, it will be best to have them physically separated. Enjoy the music.
@@TheAudioCouple I appreciate the input. Thank you very much and my best to you and your lovely wife
Ever since watching the unboxing on 'The Listening Post' channel, I've wanted to know more. Thanks for posting.
Hi Grant excellent we glad you enjoyed it! Appreciate your support. Have a great one!
@Grant Tobgo
Me too after seeing it on the same channel as you cited above.
Keep up the good work, THE AUDIO COUPLE guys !!!
And my best regards from a COVID-19 terrified Brazil.
Ah, these new Michi’s are some serious pieces of kit. Even the entry level X3 integrated amp is a beast - 62 lb and 2 ohm capabilities with insane dynamic power for “only” 200wpc.
Man I don’t know why at this price point they couldn’t do a nice wood case or side panels on something this. I think the combination of natural features with the high tech ( beautiful front display) would take this from desirable to irresistible. Anyway it is an amazing and beautiful product, bravo for the spectrum analyzer.
Hi Doug - thank you for your thoughts. I agree, wood brings in a touch of class that only nature can provide. I noticed the model numbers are S-5 and P-5 perhaps the P-9 and S-9 will have the wood trim :-)....let see what the future holds.
the original 80s Michi's had it also a great amp go look them up
Just wow. You are extremely knowledgeable and very tech savvy. This is without doubt the most detailed and thorough audiophile review I have seen on TH-cam.
I guess my question will be , is the Michi really "legit" per se with the price tag it demands. The concern probably stems from the Rotel brand itself. It just isn't a brand that has typically been associated with or established as a household high end brand if you will. If I am not wrong, the P5 is priced at around US$4,000 and the S5 at US$7,000. At, US$11,000, we are talking about Hegel H590 money and in fact more than the Jeff Rowland Continuum S2. Sure, those are both integrated amps, but are nevertheless very well regarded. I mean on specs alone no doubt the Michi is superior. I am not sure whether you might have listened to some of those top integrated amps and having now listened to the Michi, would you say the Michi is a level above being separates?
Keep up the good work. I will be looking forward to your future reviews!!
Hi Alex thank you for the feedback much appreciated! What you stated is indeed relevant around Rotel, and the asking price. Michi is Rotel' statement product, and the value lies in the completeness of the product considering both the pre-amp and the power amp as a whole. Build quality is beyond reproach, best I have even seen. The sound can hold its own against the best available. The preamp does everything well and then some. Excellent phono stage both MM and MC, excellent DAC, excellent bluetooth reproduction, remote control look and feel top notch. Power amp confident powerful yet effortless sound and never never ever fatiguing. In my book this is all very desirable. Some competitors will have slightly beter sound (maybe) but will come at a cost, perhaps the looks will be bland...etc. Others may have good looks and sound but will offer less connectivity. Thus overall the value as a complete product is enormous. Highly recommend. These components can literally last you a lifetime and coupled with the pride of ownership...you cannot go wrong. Yes perhaps you will find a better dedicated DAC (the only caveat) but only at the same asking price or even higher as what you will pay for the Michi pre-amp alone. But for the rest you will not be able to beat it easily - for example the MC phono stage, even high end dedicated SS phone stage designs will have a hard time against the Michi. Hope this will answer your question and concerns. Remember enjoy the music!
Really?
My guess is you are not an audiophile, nor a music lover, you sound like an assurance agent.. you just describe functions and functions, and again functions... with some bass in the middle of the treble... Really under the belt... If i am wrong, than give us some juice of your listening experience and joy ;)
Great review! Can you tell us, what kind music going in background? Some tracklist... Thanks :)
Hi Dejan sure here you go...
th-cam.com/video/pL5O91Ev-KU/w-d-xo.html
i did order one set , the shop told me the , the people who make the Classe Amps before ,are the same people who make the Michi , because the new Classe did go to Denon/Marantz. and the team that make the old Classe did move to a new job ,and work for Rotel ,so its a bit a Classe amp haha.
Congratulations on your purchase Carlos! 👏 Thanks for sharing. Haha yes Rotel with Classe punch = Michi
Tenho um Musical fidelity m6 500 I . Comparando com Michi s5 da rotel vejo que os dois tem a mesma potencia. Mas percebo que o modelo da rotel tem algumas coisas que faltam no concorrente. Sinto falta por ex de um vu e indicador de pico que tem no Rotel. Tem alguma outra vantagem no Michi S5 em relaçao ao concorrente que eue não estou vendo aqui agora ? Por ex quanto tem de capacitancia na fonte o Michi S5 da Rotel ?
Great review and I am thinking of auditioning. In terms of matching speakers, do you consider that slightly “forward” sounding models are the ones to go for? I’ve seen B&W matched to these amps, but I also wonder if Focal (Kanta) or Proacs would be a good choice?
Hi John thank you for your inquiry. The Focal (Kanta) would be a good match for the Michi's. 👍
I love your channel!
Thank you so much!
Thx For this good review !
Thank you Janis for the feedback, much appreciated.
Hello, Please advise if I can use the Michi X3 or X5 Integrated amplifier to drive a pair of Sonus Faber Sonetto V speakers for 2.0 stereo? Does the two models X3 & X5 have a built in equalizer? Thanks.
Hello Richard thank you for your inquiry. Yes both the X3 and X5 are equipped with remotely controlled bass and treble adjustable controls. I am sure that any of of the two will make for an excellent companion to your Sonus Fabers. Enjoy!
I have a Musical fidelity m6 500 I. Comparing with Michi s5 from rotel I see that both have the same power. But I realize that the rotel model has some things that the competitor lacks. I miss, for example, a vu and peak indicator that you have at Rotel. Is there any other advantage on the Michi S5 over the competitor that I am not seeing here now? For example, how much capacity does the Michi S5 from Rotel have at the source?
Dear Josemar thank you for your inquiry. Yes, I must say one of the key features that has drawn me to the Michi power amp S5 was the minimalist design with the elegant digital VU meters. The Musical Fidelity M6 500i was well received by the audio community - thus in my opinion also a great product. Again in my opinion the difference will be more in the sound signatures between these two products, and how they are 'matched' wiith the other components in your system. They are also a duo - thus pre-amp, power amp combo which for me always provides for more versatility in terms of matching in a system. A quick comparison between the M6 500i and the Michi P5 pre-amp regarding inputs - the P5 has an excellent Phono stage and on-board DAC with very good bluetooth connectivity, and a separate or dedicated sub-woofer output if needed. But more about the S5 - this is truly a master in terms of build quality and refinement. The most important factor for me is however the sound. So if you have an opportunity to audition the duo in your system - this will be the best opinion to decide if the Michi will be an option for you. If you need a quick answer to consider the Michi duo - it will be a big yes - go for it...
Fantastiše
Thank you for your feedback much appreciated
Hey Nimrod and Theresa, excellent review! One question: do you hear hiss noise from the P5/S5 combo? Have you paired the P5 with another amplifier and noticed any siginificant hiss? I have read comments from acouple of other P5/S5 owners who complained about the loud hiss noise from P5.
Dear @yydingg Thank you for your inquiry and feedback. I used the balance or XLR connection options most of the time, with no hiss noise observed. I also connected other power amplifiers to the pre-amp with no noise from the P5. Perhaps check your installation and power source. Hope you can get this resolved soon. Enjoy the music 🎶
Hello, my congratulation - great video. Did you measure power consumption of S5 on low and high volume levels? I will be very grateful for this information.
Hi GW Tube. Thank you for your feedback and inquiry much appreciated. I didn't measure the power consumption but my estimatation would be around less than 60 watts at low volume levels and around 300 watts or more at higher levels on average. My loudspeakers are medium sensitivity 90db/w/m but they are 4 ohms so they require more 'amps' to get them going and in general the Duntechs need plenty of oomph.
You will notice from the specs the amplifier is equipped with two hefty power transformers but these only get tapped for peak power situations. On average most people will not come close to this type of wattage or useage. Enjoy!
@@TheAudioCouple Thank you very much for such a quick reply. You made me happy with this information, I was afraid that it will be much higher values.
For now, only the S5 is ordered by me. I hope it will do well with my speakers (Wharfedale Elysian 2) and I will order the P5 in some time. For now, the preamplifier will be Lyngdorf TDAI 1120 or NAD M33. I'm expecting a much better amplification :)
Best
@@gw_tube Excellent congratulations on your purchase!
Unless I missed it I didn't hear u mention what speakers you listened to the Michi system through. Maybe the 606's you reviewed before?
Hi Thomas thank you for your inquiry. We used the Duntech Sovereign speaker system to critically evaluate the performance of the Michi duo. They performed very well indeed.
@@TheAudioCouple Thanx. That Michi looks like a beast! I have a Rotel 1570 integrated so you can imagine Michi peaking my interest, just a bit lofty for my wallet though.😑 Appreciate the review.👍🏼
Hi , did you use the standard power cabling supplied with units? And do you have any experience of the x5 integrated?
Hi Robin thank you for your inquiry. Yes I used the standard power cables. On the interconnects I used Van den Hul and Furutech. I haven't reviewed the X-5 but I had a listen to it at a dealer. It had very much the same sound signature as the pre power combo.
Fantastic review.
What do you think if I use the S5 with a Marantz Cinema 50 or 30 as a preamp? Will that be inferior, sound quality wise, compared to the P5?
Hi @dragonstone, thank you for the feedback and inquiry much appreciated. Yes, the P5 is a very good companion for the S5 as stated in the review. The Marantz Cinema 30, as well as the Cinema 50 will also deliver exceptional results however they may not be as well matched as the P5 (precision and articulation). Depending on your loudspeakers and your sound signature preferences the Marantz Cinema 30 or 50 could well be just what you wanted, presumably using the processor in a surround system setup. In stereo mode the P5 will have an edge or will give you extended performance.
@@TheAudioCouple Ah, I understand. Thanks for the reply.
I was thinking about pairing the S5 with the Wharfedale Elysian 2 and using the Marantz Cinema 50 as the processor. I'm not sure if external DAC's like the P5 are worth the price. But I guess I'll have to try it some time to listen for myself. :)
@dragonstone6594 thank you for the update. From our side it will be an excellent combination
Hello, Please let your opinion on Rotel's RC-1590 plus RB-1590 vs Michi Pre-amplifier (P5) and Power amplifier (S5). I am thinking of a pair of B&W 803 or 802 D3 speakers or Kef Reference R3 speakers. Thanks.
Hi Richard thank you for your inquiry. Good question. Both combination will excel with the stated speakers (B&W and Kef). The Michi will bring the best performance and connectivity but at a higher premium. My recommendation is to buy once and buy the best you can afford. Typically you dont want to sell equipment for an upgrade. But the loudspeakers will probably make the bigger difference in this case. The Michi however will be components that can aerve you for many many a years. Have a great one!
@@TheAudioCouple Thanks, much appreciated. How would you compare Anthem STR pre & power to Michi pre & power?
@@richarddegannes2928 hi again Richard I wish I could give you guidance here, but I not had the pleasure of auditioning the Anthem SRT range yet. But from other reviews I understand that the SRT also give worldclass performance.
I've the 802d3s, love them. mid and low end is improved over the 803s. I think the RC and RB 1590 would be a great combo with them as well! I have the P5/S5 currently with the 802d3s, and also the rotel 1585(5ch/200w) for the theater, really clean detailed sound. I've been happy with them! To your question about the 1590 vs s5, I've heard both of them, aside from build quality and features, the s5 brought a little more depth to the sound, hard to describe, but a more airiness. I think you'd be happy with either pre amp...
@@hybridtech7012 Thanks for all. Much appreciated.
Hi, thanks for the detailed review, which was very useful. I've been looking for a decent preamp for ages and I think the Michi P5 could be the one. I don't need a power amp as I already have some excellent Dynaudio actives, so I'm hoping that the P5 would be a good pairing.
The P5's looks and connectivity is fantastic, and I have only seen glowing reviews about its performance. However, it's a shame that they missed out HDMI ARC. That's certainly the future for integrating AV devices and reducing the number of remotes needed. Also, have you integrated a streamer, and if so what did you choose? I would probably go for a Roon-ready device such as the Bluesound Node 2i.
Is the remote backlit, and how did you find the quality and power of the headphone amp?
Hi Tony thank you for the feedback and inquiry. I agree I think the P5 will be a good paring. I use a laptop with a dedicated DAC to do streaming because I also listen to my own music collection via a connected hard disk drive every now and then. But the Bluesound Node 2i will be an excellent option. The remote works well in any lighting conditions because of the well designed ergonomics - thus in other words the buttons and overall design is as such that it feels so natural and or logical to 'command' the equipment from the remote - thus you don't need any 'guess work' to increase the volume, change a source or to adjust any parameters -- the pre-amp display gives you the required feedback to ensure your perform the desired tasks efficiently. Lastly the headphone out - it was very descent but will be just below the very best available - as you will find with dedicated headphone DAC - pre-amplifiers. The pre-outputs on the other hand (to a power amp) was extremely good. Enjoy!
@@TheAudioCouple Thanks for taking the time to reply, much appreciated! It's good to hear that you like the remote, as so many are not ergonomic at all. Point taken on the headphone amp. I would probably use a spare analogue out to connect to a dedicated external headphone amp at some point. One more quick question if I may - I would want to use a sub and I couldn't see any reference in the manual to bass management. Do you know whether there's an option for low pass filtering in the P5?
@@UKTonyMagill Hi again Tony always our pleasure to assist. We did not test the subwoofer output, but the stereo signal is summed into a 2x mono output for 2 subwoofer 'channels'. I also did my best to find more information on possible bass management but could not find any. I was thinking that it should be a low pass filter of around 120Hz or so. Thus will require external bass management by the subwoofer, but I can not confirm this unfortunately. However the pre-amplifier produced such a full sound that subwoofers will only be required in extreme circumstances. Enjoy!
@@TheAudioCouple That's great, thanks again!
so im trying to get a feel for its ability to produce low level detail or blackness and also space and 3d staging now that you have had it for a while can you speak any more to the amps quality's im trying to get into a amp with 120snr and these specs but not many more are this kind of bargin, id love to hear your thoughts
Thank you again Mark for the inquiry. The Michi combo in my opinion, related to soundstage, is a bit retracted so you need to try a variety of interconnects to get the best from the system interms of sounstage and or to manage a 3D sound field...
@@TheAudioCouple was it the same with any speaker ... Did you ever runn it with your m2s I'm on 802 s right now and realize I kinda need the current capabilities
@@markw7303 no unfortunately not, but they will make for an excellent match wrt the 802s
How did this combo compare to you with the new Classe Delta Pre/Amp combo?
Hi @Bejamin thank you for your inquiry. The Classe combo has a slight edge over the Michi, but the Michi combo offers extremely high performance for the money.
What are those speakers? When will you review the monoblocks?
Hi Edward thank you for your inquiry. The speakers are the Duntech Sovereign speaker system. In my opinion, the mono-blocks will be slightly better than the S-5 but then again the S-5 already produce excellent results. You never know what the future may hold...
Great review. Thanks for that. I was wondering if you tested the Michi with the standard (powercabels) or do you use other cables? And have you connected them with an XLR cable?
Hi Paul, thank you for the feedback much appreciated. Yes, I mainly used various power cables on the power amplifier (S5). What I noticed is that if you use better than average power cables it contributed towards improved performance in the bass registers, but (tip from me) you don't need to use esoteric power cables on the S5. Regarding XLR - yes 90% of the review time I connected the pre/power via XLR (van den hul cables with furutech connectors) with excellent results. However the combo also performed very well via normal rca as well - but my preference was towards the XLR connection. I also used the balanced-in for the external DAC, and this also produced the best results. Another tip - the difference in performance between XLR and rca was not significant, thus it you have a favorite rca cable - I am sure it will perform well on the Michi between the pre and power amp. As with any component it will take some time to match the equipment with the the best cable configuration in your system to derive the best possible performance, but best suited towards your own preference. Enjoy!
I am curious as to the South African prices? Could you mention them for the preamp and the power amp please.
Hi Edward thank you for your inquiry. The P5 go for around R92 000 and S5 for R158 000 retail.
@@TheAudioCouple they surely hit you people hard with price...
@@deonellis8577 yes you know it....
Hi Fantastic Couple please tell me what should I get here in Australia the Michi P5 for $6k or the Krell 707 EVO processor/preamp( NO 3D ) for $10K and the intention is to use it as 2 channel only please help me as I need make an offer soon?..... honestly I think that the Krell is a little bit over price as most of those inputs aren't comparable anymore with todays formats!is becoming useless but please tell me which one sounds better when using the pre amp 2 Chanel thanks I like to make the purchase soon.Thanks
Hi Robert thank you for your inquiry. It basically comes down to your loudspeakers. If they are a bit forward sounding...go with Michi. If your loudspeakers need some serious drive the Krell will be best.
@@TheAudioCouple but don't you think 10k is too much money for using only 2 channel reproduction considering the size, its old, no digital formats capability can not even use balance subs when is use as 2 channel for music only (please correct me if I'm wrong).. I hear Krell has a good sound but I was very sad when the salesman was giving me a demo and suddenly realise he was running an external DAC and he refused to use it without it! then I ask what are you hiding? so please Couple tell me Is the sound alone of Krell 707 EVO worth $10K Australian,$8K US ? for only music reproduction?
But the way my speakers are 93 impedance JBL towers with hornes,im running 2 mono blocs 500w each thanks
@@robertrevelo1624 If you can get the Krell at below 10k let's say 7k it will be an excellent buy. The sound from the Krell is fantastic is you have decent power amplifiers and loudspeakers. The Krell is intended for large scale implementation. Thus for larger rooms...but will be equally perform well in medium size rooms. The performance of the Krell is still reference class even in today's market.
@@robertrevelo1624 thank you for sharing ! Wow amazing. If your listening room is large, I fully recommend the Krell, however if it is small to medium go with the Michi or even Mark Levinson. If you prefer a valve preamp go for the Audio Research Ref 6.
Is equalizer in amplifier and how nice it work
Hi Rob thank you for your inquiry. The P5 has tone controls for bass and treble. the tone controls actually work and perform extremely well!
Hello how would the parasound jc1+ compare to the michi s5
Good day, thank you for your inquiry. The JC1+ is an excellent power amp. The deciding factor will be your loudspeakers and personal preference. The JC1+ is up there with the best.
@@TheAudioCouple thank you so much for your reply , I've narrowed down to Klipsch Cornwall 4 with parasound JC5 .
As the jc1+ was shooting way out of budget.is the above combination good or should I consider any other options
Thank you again
@himanshukapur6912 yes indeed this combination will provide for a realistic yet musical representation or reproduction of music...enjoy!
@@TheAudioCouple thank you so much for your advice. 🙂
Nice review. He likes to say "actually" an awful lot
Yes, he does! Didn't notice it before you mentioned it... Thanks ;)
@@anthonyc.6645 I hate when people repeat "actually" or "basically". Drives me NUTS!
How does it sound w a CD player
Hi David thank you for your inquiry. It (The Michi combo) sounds superb with a cd player.
Would be nice to have little pauses in speech. I guess that is where you cut the video. But at it is it can get annoying. Also I would like to hear not only your thought about sound but your wife’s thoughts as well. Give her some room. Or do it by yourself and give it another name.
Not very smart using fans on an Hifi power amp of this class. The design could be passive.
Hey Benjamin thank you for your feedback. Yeah these days it is a huge compromise between power amplifier efficiency, audio performance, esthetics and industrial design considerations...
thank you, but no bluetooth is lossless or hires despite their claims.
Hi John thank you for sharing. Agree 100% with you. Enjoy the music 🎶
Pre stacked on Power Amp. No.......................
Hi Ian thank you for your observation and feedback. Luckily the S5 has 2 fans which run continuously to ensure the unit is running 'cool'. Furthermore, the power transformers are well isolated/insolated and 'shielded' to reduce the effects from stray inductance fields. I could not detect any sound impacts even by having the pre-amp in a different location during my initial setup and test phase. But in general, I also try and keep my power and pre-amps separate from one another via physical different location but within 2 meters or so...to ensure the interconnect are not too long... :-) Both the pre and power amp do not generate any vibrations when in operation. All in all excellent products.
Unfortunately made in China.
Hi @guillermomartina, thank you for your thoughts I believe that today made in China can no longer be used to say a product is inferior. Apple devices are made in China, are they inferior - nope. But it is always good to get a wide range of opinions.
I just got the S5. 60 kilos of solid build quality! It’s a beast!
Nice amplifier and nice wife. Very supportive. Wow.