Rotel A14 MKII: The Rotel Sound Reborn!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- Join our Systems Consultant Nat as he walks you through the all-new Rotel A14 MKII Integrated Amplifier. Does this new amplifier continue the change of sound established with the Rotel A11 Tribute? We also test the Rotel A14 MKII with 4 different pairs of speakers, the KEF LS50 Meta, the Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 and 603 S2, and lastly the Wharfedale Diamond 12.4.
For more information on the products shown in this video use the following links.
Rotel A11 Tribute Review Video:
• Rotel A11 Integrated A...
Rotel A14 MKII:
www.lenc.com.a...
KEF LS50 Meta:
www.lenc.com.a...
Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2:
www.lenc.com.a...
Bowers & Wilkins 603 S2:
www.lenc.com.a...
Wharfedale Diamond 12.4:
www.lenc.com.a...
Rotel A14 MKII Integrated Amplifier
The A14MKII is the flagship model in the 14 Series family of Rotel products delivering 80 Watts of Class AB amplification into 8 ohm speakers powered by Rotel’s in-house manufactured, oversized toroidal transformer and an array of 4 high efficiency slit-foil bulk storage capacitors delivering an effortless acoustic performance.
Manufacturers Details:
A fully redesigned Digital to Analog circuit topology utilises a Texas Instruments 32-bit/384kHz DAC with exhaustive tuning and hand selection of all critical components delivering a fuller, richer and more balanced presentation of the music. Improvements to the power supply and amplifier gain stages further refine the audio whether you are listening to a big band orchestra or a solo vocalist.
Tone controls provide treble and bass adjustments in 1dB steps up to +/- 10dB personalising your experience for all music genres, moods and settings with a BYPASS mode eliminating unwanted noise and distortion.
Engineered With Care:
The A14MKII supports your favourite sources including analog, digital, PC-USB with MQA, high-quality wireless aptX™ and AAC Bluetooth streaming and even a Moving Magnet Phono stage for vinyl fans.
The A14MKII is certified Roon Tested delivering the best experience using Roon software so you can just enjoy the music.
Key Features:
Control system integration is available utilising Ethernet, RS232, 12V-Trigger and remote IR connections.
Dual 5-way speaker binding posts allow Zone 2 installations with relay-controlled selection of the A-B speaker outputs. The front panel graphic display includes a large volume indication and audio stream information. The A14MKII is comfortable in any setting delivering countless hours of audio entertainment.
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I'm loving my A14 mkll, paired up with a my KEF 104.2 reference series speakers. I do miss that it lacks a dedicated tape in/out unlike my previous Rotel RC-1550 preamp set up, but I guess you can't have everything. It's pretty easy to drive too although I do find the writing tends to blend into the dark background (I have the black version). Another thing I don't like is that you have to disable speakers A + B if you solely wish to listen to headphones only. I would change a few of the features if I got the opportunity to make a few design changes, but nothing too drastic!
Thanks for this very clear and detailed review. My question is in regard to the USB-PC digital inputs. I have an original A14 amp and it has a USB-PC input with the options you mentioned. i.e. I can choose to have class 1 or class 2 etc. Can you say what the extra differences are please.
Greetings, can you please advise on choosing this amplifier or the audiolab 6000a. I understand a bit more power with the Rotel per the specs, but not sure if significant in real application vs the Audiolab (which may understate power spec @ 50W). I also understand you speaker AB option advantage with the Rotel. Thank you very much for any help.
Hello!
I am wondering if this model of Rotel sound better than Cambridge Audio CXA81?!
I`m in the intersection to choose between them and i don`t know who is better!
Thanks in advance!
Rotel all the way - better balanced sound and better build quality.
Does anyone find it a bit ridiculous that an amp like this around $1600 doesn't have a sub out? And I'm not talking about just Rotel but like any amp that's over $600 not having one? I know that you can do speaker-level with some subs but like come on, if the Denon 600NE or the cheaper Cambridge stuff can have one or even the Rotel A11T can have one at half the price, why are they not including one on the more expensive stuff? Just kind of irritates the sh!t out of me.
We hope in the next few years things like Subwoofer/LFE and HDMI Arc inputs on all of these devices becomes a standard.
@@living_entertainment I hope so too, it's kind of ridiculous imo that it isn't. Thanks for the reply
Prefer no display screen - there should b a life span on it.
And beware you can't run two sets of 4ohm speakers simultaneously as the impedance is too low and will shut down the amplifier.
One of the few amps I like in black - the Rotel A14. Sounds good too!
The A14 really is a killer little amp, and I agree, I'm not normally one for black amps outside of brands like Marantz but it suits the Rotel series well.
@@living_entertainment Parasound amps look good in black fascia too. Rock on!
Hello,i am looking for a new amp. I am using Dali Opticon 2 speakers with budget yamaha r303d reciver. Not happy with the sound. Would my Opticon 2 pair well with this Rotel amp. Or should I look into some new speakers?
MQA went into receivership so now another useless function.
Great review, bought one myself using it with Monitor Audio silver 100 speakers. Would just like to know, can you play the two sets of speakers together ( Speaker set A + Speaker set B), or just one speaker set at a time? If you can do both sets together, how do you do it on the remote? Thanks
Hi, I've just bought the silver 100's. But I'm still undersided on which amp to get, I'm towards the Audiolab omnia.
How are you finishing the Rotel and speakers?
Hi,
I’ve got a A14 MKII. Updated and reset to factory defaults. If just turn it on and leave it, it doesn’t stand by after 20 minutes. Nothing playing, no actions. But the manual says otherwise. Why is it that?
pull the plug for a few hours..... then all power fades out the system
How much worse is the original A14 compared to this? Recently got the original, which I think does pretty good performance.
Can you connnect apple devices via airplay (2)?
I haven't bought a new amp etc since the 90s and am beyond confused! lol
A lot has changed since the 90s I can tell you!
@@living_entertainment oh I am finding out! Very exciting for sure!
Hi Nat, great review. I subscribed immediately! I have a question. I’m looking to upgrade my amp. I currently have an old underpowered Yamaha AV receiver driving a pair of Paradigm Studio 60. I think my speakers would benefit from more oomph. Since it’s impossible to listen to all the different amps with my speakers in my room, would you have any recommendations - would the A14MKii be a good choice? What about Hegel H95 or an Audiolab 6000A? I’m looking for a nice presentation / soundstage / imaging and something that will be non fatiguing at higher volumes. Thank you for any words of wisdom you may have.
Daniel here, you have some great speakers! Not having heard the pairing of those speakers with any of these amplifiers directly all we can do is speculate, but in terms of watts per cost the A14MKII is the way to go, where as the H95 will give you the highest overall grade of sound quality. Hope this helps!
@@living_entertainment Hi Daniel - thank you for getting back to me and sharing your knowledge. Cheers!
Hi!! Thank you for this video…I think very probably buy this amplifier but…which cd player do you think I buy for this amplifier?? Thank you for your answer. 😬🤔
Aesthetically the Rotel CD11 Tribute and CD14 are both obvious choices as aesthetically they match up perfectly. If you want to take advantage of the awesome DAC in the A14MKII something like the Audiolab 6000 CDT is also a great choice.
Hi, this amp matched with linton Wharfedale is it right
That depends entirely on the sort of sound signature you are looking for.
How does this receiver’s bass output compare to the Cambridge Audio AXR100?
Hard to know, every speaker reacts differently to different amplifiers, I can tell you that the bass is nice and tight on the Rotel, not boomy.
How does the A14MKii compare to the Rega Elex-R paired with LS50 Metas?
We are not a Rega dealer so we unfortunately cant do a comparison.
Hi, is it possible to set display with black background and white/clear letters/numbers. Thanks
Do you mean inverted? That would be a nice feature but if it is an option I am not aware of it.
@@living_entertainment Yes, as same as they have for RA-1572 MKII. Anyhow, thanks for your reply. Brgds
lates FW update : Main Software V3.05 - Mai 18, 2023 , changes "Tone Bypass" to "Tone Disabled" on the OSD.... I was a little irritated after the restart.
Excellent review! I am guessing the Rotel house sound changed due to the influence of Ken Ishiwata working at Rotel. Ken was one of the greatest amplifier designers of all time (who designed the magnificent Marantz PM-11S2 I still own).
I also own the 603 aniversary's. Wich amp would you use to get more punchy bass performance out of the 603's?
thank you for the review. I am thinking to get theA14MKII for my Lintons. what's your opnion ?
Thank to let me know I buy crap few months ago with the A14. I have ideas , i give my amp and i pay the difference to have the MK II................. F@%!k forget it.
Is it much upgrade compared to older rotel ra 1570?
Hi... what do you think of Klipsch RP6000 accompanied by this Rotel A14, the combination is right?thank you very much
Can I use the 2 speaker outs for bi amping?
Hi Nat, do you think this would be good match Rotel A14mk2 + B&W 703s2. Or
Rotel Ra1572mk2 + B&W 703s2
We haven't tried those speakers specifically on the A14MKII or RA1572MKII due to the price gap between them but we did find that both of these units calmed down the sound of the 603S quite a lot which we found to be a present surprise.
@@living_entertainment Thank you for your instant reply, have you try new Attessa with 703s2?
@@matts.5516 Yes we have actually, they sound quite excellent together!
@@living_entertainment thank you very much, really appreciate your advice.
It's ok for dali opticon 2? Thanks
Not a combination we have tried so we can't say, hopefully someone else who has tried the combo will see your comment. :)
@@living_entertainment ok. Thanks anyway
hi, Does the rotel a14 mk2 have home theater bypass, ps it would have been nice to hear all the speakers but a great review cheers.
Thanks for a clear and comprehensive review. I love that Rotel are a long standing, family owned company that make high quality, reliable, good looking amps. In the hi-fi industry, they're a diamond in the rough.(old saying meaning a rare gem). I'm planning to buy the A12ll (now available) and the cd14ll to go with my Krix equinox bookshelf speakers. I'm confident that they will be a good match.
Would it be good combo with ma silver 100 6g and 7g
Hi guys, I'm late I know but did you test the headphone output ? thx
Would you say itd be a good pair with dynaaudio evoke 30s?
Nice review as always...have you had much experience with the Michi x3.
Earlier in the year, i was looking for a new Power Amplifier to replace my old one. I read a review on the Rotel RB-1582 MK 11 Power amplifier from Rotel The reviewer commented on the Rotel as having a "warm sound." So i ended up buying one.This seemed to be a good match with my LS 50 Metas which can sound a bit bright with some amplifiers. It is also a good match with my Mini-Max tube phono stage and Goldmund Line Level Tube Preamplifier.
The Meta's are definitely a very revealing speaker (which is why they are our reference speakers when trying new amplifiers) so pairing is very important. We haven't heard them with the RB-1582MKII so its good to know they work well together.
hello, I have a question, I see that it is using project as transport, the label does the mqa rendering? I have a bluesound node of the latest models with usb output and I'm not sure if it works well
The Bluesound is a much smoother experience in terms of useability. While the Pro-Ject Streambox is a cool little device it's something we would mostly recommend to Roon users.
Too much introduction and talking can't even hear how the machine is peerforming.
hello. how would you compare the a11 tribute wit the a14 mk2? im debating between them. what are the similarities and the differences? Thank
The biggest differences are in power first and formost with the A11 Tribute having 50w per channel vs the 150w per channel of the A14 MKII. Second of all the digital to analogue conversion stage in the A14 unfolds hi-res audio like MQA. Sonically they are very similar so I would recommend the A14MKII for that extra power if your budget can stretch enough for it. I hope this helps!
@@living_entertainment thanks
Hi!
I'm also considering those 2 along the A12.
Would you say that the DAC inside the A12 or A14MKii is an upgrade from the DAC on the Bluesound Node?
I'd prefer not buying a separate DAC as the space where it's intended is limited. Also I don't think I necessarily need the extra Watts as I'm driving only a pair of bookshelf speakers.
@@ivanluhi The A14 MKII has a different DAC implementation to the A12 (which I haven't had a lot of time with unfortunately). Is it a better DAC implementation than the Bluesound? We haven't done any direct comparisons, but having spent a lot of time with them both now if there is a difference (and im sure there is) its too minor to have been noticed from our casual listening.
@@living_entertainment wow! THANK YOU for the really quick reply! *clicks subscribe*
Ok, so I guess I'll keep pondering if the trigger (and the availability of digital inputs) on the A12 is worth the extra money from the A11 Tribute.
I'm guessing the sound quality between the A11T and the A12 is in the same ballpark (?)
you should have allowed us to listen to the speakers you paired with this rotel.
Then people would be barking in the comments about how is it possible to listen to the difference over TH-cam / mobile device 😂 - reviewers can’t win !
Chazi ????
Thank you for another great review
Refer back to the A11 tribute when you were pairing it up with Diamond 12.2, the usual nature of the speakers were not there while the balance between range was not recommended?
And when this A14 pairing with Diamond 12.4, the easygoing and warmth nature is present?? Could you may be elaborate a bit on the bass in terms of room filling and the punch of that???
While Diamond 12.2 and A11 tribute may not be a very right match, is the pairing of Diamond 12.4 and A14 matching well because it is a higher model with bigger power???
One more thoughts.
How would you compare/ recommend between the Diamond 12.3 or 12.4 to the Linton???
Thank you very much
Its entirely possible that the Diamond 12.4 is matching better with the A14MKII due to power but its really hard to know for sure, sometimes you just end up with these weird anomalies.
As for the Lintons they offer a very different experience to the Diamonds, much wider and higher soundstage, perhaps slightly less articulated when it comes to imaging and detail, but very voluptious and controlled bass. They pair very nicely with both the Tribute and the A14MKII.
Hi Nat, In your closing remarks you mentioned about reviewing the 1572 MKII soon! But that costs almost double to the 1552 MKII which is more within reach of larger audience. Can I please request you to review the 1552 MKII instead, considering the right balance of power and price?
Hello Suraj, we are reviewing the items that we have been supplied, so if we receive a 1552 MKII at a later date we will be sure to cover it, but as things stand there are no concrete plans to cover that particular system at this time.
Does it unfold MQA with just a phone to USB?
In theory, though we haven't had the chance to really test that for ourselves.
No one talks about the sibilance that Rotel a11 produces on thin, harsh, or trebly, recordings.
It's not something we encountered with any of our specific speaker pairings.
Try Journey’s Raised on Radio or Deep Purple’s House of Blue Light. On fat recordings, however, Rotel shines. So far the best amp we tried with the Dynaudios under 1K.
Спасибо, грамотно.
I have a pair of Magnepan .7i speakers powered by an older Marantz receiver which is somewhat underpowered. Wondering if you have an opinion whether the Rotel would be a good match for these speakers? Thanks.
It's really hard to say without hearing them paired up together first. Rotel's sound signature can be very different depending on the speakers.
@@living_entertainment I understand, thanks.
Witam co sądzisz o zetawieniu rotel a14mk2 z klipsch RP 8000 ma ten wzmacniacz dużo dołu..
chyba nie odpowie...
Awesome review, thank you! how do you feel about a14mkii vs cxa81 for the ls50 meta?
Thanks!
As for the comparison, I havent heard the CXA81 so I unfortunately can't really share an opinion.
@@living_entertainment no worries, thanks for the response!
Sounds great except passing on MQA to consumer. Seems sorta backwards to make the consumer pay to add MQA distortion to an otherwise neat looking piece of kit.
MQA is a completely optional feature that has been included to an incredibly high demand from consumers. The reality is, regardless of your own personal opinions on MQA, its what the large majority of our customers want now. The DAC having the ability to decode MQA has no impact on any of the other features of this amplifier.
@@living_entertainment apart from driving up the total cost
@@living_entertainment Maybe educate your customers.
Hi, great review. My wife bought me the a14 MK2 for my 40th (lucky me) and I’ve got them paired with B&W 683 S2s, which sound great. I’ve also just managed pick up a B&W PV1 sub which I wouldn’t mind trying with the 683s. Can I connect the sub to the A14’s as well?
Cheers
With that particular sub using the speaker terminals is definitely the way to go.
who is the best amplifier: Cambridge Ax81 or Rotel A14 MKII? Tank You
We are not a Cambridge dealer so we can not make a direct comparison.
Hi, thanks for ur helpful videos. How would you compare this amp (or A11 tribute) to Audiolab 6000 ? And same regarding the combo with their CD player? I have Elac UB52 speakers. Thanks
That is a very tough one. I haven't heard the Elac UB52 so its a little hard to comment in some respects. I think generally speaking in terms of features the AK14 MKII is king with its MQA support.
That said...
The Tribute pairing is awesome as is the Audiolab 6000 pairing. Honestly I have gone back and forth on this pairing a number of times, both sound incredible for their respective price points.
The Audiolab gives you tighter and faster bass, slightly more detail retrieval, a little deeper soundstage, and has a more neutral sound, it is also a little more generous with speaker pairings (so far), BUT again, for the price, the Tributes sound outstanding, with a very detailed and well composed soundstage. Honestly I would be able to happily live with either in my home.
@@living_entertainment Thanks so much. Now, between A11 and AK14 MKII, is it worth to pay double the price - if I don’t need the extra power - I have a small room 9x8?
@@AromaFrank If it is a small room and your not interested in hi-res (atleast as a feature of the amp itself) than theres no reason not to go for the A11 unless you have found the Elac to be harder to drive, in that case you would likely benefit from the A14s power.
Great review. Do you feel this amp can power less efficient speakers at the 4 Ohm levels (utilizing the 150 watt) could that contribute to the success of handling a greater spectrum of sound hardware? The old A14 did not market itself to that - that I can remember. I'm currently pairing with SVS Ultra Bookshelfs
We dont really have anything that inefficient here to test with it unfortunately so its impossible to really say.
I have a pair of 10 year old Klipsch Reference floor standers. I have been looking to upgrade what powers these speakers. Unfortunately, when I go in stores to audition the amps there isn’t much of a selection. Thanks for your review!! The other amp I was considering was the NAD C700. The A14 and C700 are within my sub $1500 budget. Any suggestions on these two amps or others to pair my Klipsch towers?? Thanks again!
We aren't a Klipsch dealer so we haven't spent any time pairing them up with these amps but they are certainly worth a try.
Thank you for your informative video. So... I'm a newbie and I was wondering how the DAC stuff works.
You say that if you plug in the Iphone, it's the Rotel Dac that will take over.
But then what if I want to plug in a superior Dac to the Rotel ?
Will the Rotel's DAC take over ? Or will the DAC I plug in take over ?
May be an external DAC need to be connected to a specific port on the Rotel to bypass the Rotel's DAC ? Any insight truly welcomed. Thank you.
Hello! To bypass the Rotel DAC and use the one in either your phone, or your external DAC, all you need to do is use an analogue RCA cable in one of the Rotel inputs.
If you use a digital cable like USB, Optical or Coax from your device to the Rotel, this will prompt the Rotel DAC to kick in.
Hope that helps.
@@living_entertainment Thank you so much for your reply. It's very helpful and greatly appreciated. So that's how it works. To bypass one or the other system's DAC. Going RCA for bypassing with external DAC and digital for internal DAC of the receiver. Again very helpful, thank you...
It has a very clean and soft sound. The extension of the treble is very good and the bass is strong enough.
Sound via BT is very good but the phono pre amp doesn't sound as good.
It is a well sounding amp!
We feel most people who are looking at amplifiers in this price bracket more than likely are using an external phono stage, but thank you for letting us know the phono preamp isn't of the same level as the digital components, we had not had the chance to try it.
@@living_entertainment yes I have a phono preamp and it sounds good.
@@musiconvinylisbetter.1449
Hi, would you recommend the Rotel for music genres like trance hip hop and pop? i don't listen to any classical, acoustic or orchestral music.
My speakers are Mission QX-5, they need a lot of current to really sing. they're 4 ohms so it will get 150 watts of power which i think would suffice. just need a heads up.. thanks!
@@Bhushan2837 I don't believe that an amp only is good for certain music. Why would it?
@@musiconvinylisbetter.1449 Okay.. but i do believe not all amps are created equal some do have a house sound or some color the sound.
When he says messing with the R&D what does that mean
R&D stands for 'Research & Development'. Nat is referring to all the time and effort that Rotel has spent fine-tuning the amplifier through their R&D process.