Landscaping Company Missoula Amazing!!!

I really like it!!!

I like this amp so much that I have had 4. I still have a couple in use, though I prefer to not employ them as mono-blocks. The sound seems less good and the s n r is worse. I've used with s-s, passive and tube pre-amps and there's not much that does not match well. It's a rounded sound, not harsh; the details it delivers are beyond reproach. With the right speaker, bass is full. The rb980 is well made, seems to be very reliable and overall, my tech mate rates it as well as Quad's 405 power amp. Even now you can buy one used for a reasonable price.

Not so nuanced as a quality Class A power amp.

I one of these (later, two) in my system, driving Kef Reference 4 speakers. I liked these amps a lot, very musical and detailed, but I determined I needed more bass response (slam), and perhaps more power. So I bought another to run them both in mono bridge mode, but the result wasn't satisfactory. I solved this issue with the Rotel RB990. Highly recommended amp!

Lack of bass slam. Nice detail, but it needed more mass and 'body'.

lotsa beef, whopping under PowerCube stress testing, just whopping

none that I can determine

I bought one of these amps used around 2008 and had for three years, or so. The amp was solid and very quiet. Great bass response, imaging and sound stage. It was also well made and robust in construction. I was amazed that it was still made in Japan at this point in the mid 1990's. When the Rotel preamp/tuner I was using with it failed, I replaced it with a used NAD preamp and the amplifier's sound improved dramatically. Much more controlled and the hint of brightness was smoothed out. It appears that the Rotel amps made in this period were very good, the pre-amps (Taiwan built), not so much.

I'm going to give 5 stars to this already old guys only on one condition, and is based on my own experience with several hook ups to drive my speakers. I have an Adcom SLC 505 passive pre (I said I never go back to active but that not the point). First I audition this amps in "mono bridged mode"; my speaker are quite efficient and the amps in this mode turned irritating, annoying. molesting you name it, I've could not resist a minute listening to this amps on this mode; the only benefit of this connection is loud levels of sound. My Adcom passive was at 9 o'clock volume postion in this configuration. The second try was to connect an amp to each speaker bi-wired (Parallel mode?) using one channel of each amp; obviously the power drop from 360 to 120W, I had to increase the passive from 9 o'clock to 11 o'clock, but the Adcom still have enough juice to drive the system; everything changed and then I've understood why some audio and music lovers say that "The Lesser The Power The More Delicate The Sound" An overall change occured to my Rotels 980BX power amps; delicate, more controlled sound in all the frequency range, Bass still powerfull, but musical, fast and precise, sweet mids and non agressive relaxed, smooth highs. Soundstage opened noticeably. I enjoy 'em for hours without fatigue.

But the best connection I've ever made with this amps is biamping the speakers with them; that was my next and last audition; what was already awesome became even better. A stereo 120W/CH amp to drive each speaker and I've started to enjoy the best sound you can hear from 2 non expensive amps from Rotel. Sounds quite good with one single stereo amp Bi-wired.

Of course, this depends, obviously, on each listener's taste, for me, biamping is the best option, but if you want to complaint with your neighbors and love it loud "bridge 'em". Again, this review is based on my experience in the connections I've mentioned above.

Adcom SLC-505 Passive Preamplifier
PSB Image T6 3 Way Speakers
Adcom GDA 600 Outboard DAC
Pioneer Elite DV-37 DVD Player (Used as a CD player)
Rotel RCD-950 Dedicated CD Plyer
All Audioquest Cabling
2 Rotel RB 980BX Power Amplifiers

I bought this old amp on Ebay based on these Audio reviews. It replaced a dead Denon POA 2800. The reviews were spot on. This amp is dead quiet and very easy to listen to all day long. Very clear sound, good sound stage, crisp bass, great mids, and smooth highs.. At the going used prices for this amp it is one incredible value. I supply this amp through a Yamaha CX-2 pre and it drives Overture 1 bookshelf speakers. High end sound on the cheap.

build like a tank
good damping factor (good control of the difficault Matrix 803II)

nothing for the money

The RB 980 was an upgrade of a NAD tuner/amp because of a pair new (used) B&W 803 Matrix S2 in 2002. The Rotel had far more control over the sound (especially the bass) and the sound stage was very good. A year later I sold the NAD receiver and the RB980 was controlled by a Rotel RC 980. Good combination for the money (€160).
In 2004 I completed the set with an as good as nes Rotel CD player RCD 991 (€450).
I upgraded the standard interlinks with self constructed interlinks (good quality microphone cable with golden connectors about €6 per pair, a bargain for the quality)
I am fully satisfied with the sound. I know that an improvement will cost much more money.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood amp (KA 601)
NAD receiver (monitor series)

Compact size, moderate weight, toroidal transformer and formidable-looking caps, unobtrusive, clean, clear, accurate, with stop-on-a-dime bass management, just all I could have hoped for and more.

None. Absolutely none.

I just recently picked this off during a buying spree on eBay, and could have had it for even less if I'd played my cards right, but it doesn't matter, because it's a great deal and would be even if it were bought today at the MSRP, as far as I'm concerned. I've been looking for an amp of equal power and quality to replace my Yamaha M-40, which is getting up in years and was too darn big to fit in the rack with the Vantas Dolby 5.1 processor/pre-amp I had added recently (another great deal, but another story, told elsewhere on this site). So I found this unit, examined and tested it, found it not wanting in the essentials, and now have put it through the workout and it is definitely in a league with much pricier (new) equipment. It's a little more detailed than the Yam, and also just a tad warmer. With the B&W DM 600 S3's and Boston PV600 powere sub this amp will never have to work up a sweat. The power knob rarely goes beyond 5:35, and that's loud! It's physically smaller and a little lighter than the Yam, built to British standards, extremely clear, clean, and pretty neutral. Just to my liking. It's served via an AudioSource Preamp/Tuner-2, and before you start laughing read my review on that item elsewhere. While Audiosource has put out one dud preamp (the Preamp One/A), this one is far, far superior, and I would rate it right up there with the Rotel 972 preamp that would have been a great companion to this amp. All in all it was a great way to chuck $329, and I'm keeping it til it passes away, which, from the looks of the build and quality components inside, could be a long, long time. I'm happy as a cherrystone clam.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha M-40, Sony GX67ES, Vantas DPA-S50, AudioSource Preamp/Tuner-2

Balanced Concept design and power reserves.

None at this price point.

I must say that I was very impressed by this amp. I have a Marantz THX Ultra certified 5-channel amp (175 W x 5) for my HT set-up and this Rotel can keep up with it. I got the amp and pre-amp for a steal and I am using it to drive a pair of NHT ST-4 towers (which sound absolutely fantastic by themselves) using canare starquad cables in a bi-wire configuration. Power is not an issue with this amp as the power supply is huge. Everything is crystal clear and very non-fatiguing while still bordering on the bright side of warm.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz MM9000 amp, NAD 3140 Integrated amp, Denon PMA-980R Intergrated amp, Denon 1803 Receiver, Yamaha 1150 Receiver, numerous mass-market crap before I was introduced to mid-fi bliss.