ROTEL RB-985 THX Amplifiers
ROTEL RB-985 THX Amplifiers
USER REVIEWS
[Jul 23, 2019]
bcolgan
Strength:
Never let's me down. Powers 3 front and 2 surrounds of a Kef THX Reference system, rated for 150-200W, in conjunction with a Denon AVR-X4000. I have an Avr-x2400h in other room with B&W M1 system, in a much smaller room. It's frequently at -10db for movies. The Rotel & Denon & Kef combo rarely gets above -20db! Weakness:
None I can think of, other than I don't have 2 of them in an Atmos setup 😀 Price Paid: 200
Purchased: Used
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[Feb 09, 2009]
Francois
Audio Enthusiast
Solid sound, Bought it new in 98, and still delivers as out of the box. Slient and tight, I even recently bought new Energy RC70 floorstanding speakers. I can't spend enough time just listening to music now, I would leave it open 15 hours a day if I could, just to hear it. Jump on it if you can find a used one. Its a keeper! |
[Jan 25, 2009]
lbrize
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Great Power, Looks Very Good, Sound is the best multi-channel amp I've heard.
Weakness:
Not the best for 2 channel, even among other Rotel gear. The little RB951 sounds so much sweeter and more natural for a stereo setup.
This amplifier has great power output. I've never ran out of power, at all.
Similar Products Used: Adcom, NAD, Rotel RB980BX |
[Apr 27, 2007]
peterh
AudioPhile
Strength:
Headroom, very good detail resolution, excellent stereo imaging. Headroom. Handles difficult speakers with ease. Headroom. Fast, detail-rich, and analytical yet still very musical. Remains amazingly cool. And did I say headroom? No? OK. Headroom.
Weakness:
maybe a bit more 'warm' and veiled than the NAD 2600 when played at really low (wife asleep) levels. But at this price point, that IS nitpicking. This is a gem at the price - if you want to get better than this, you're paying a huge premium. The RB985 has buckets of headroom, resolves detail as I have never heard in this price range, has a ditto soundstage, and remains calm and collected even when played very very loud.
Customer Service Not needed, but expected to be well above par. Similar Products Used: NAD2600, Reference Audio RA230 |
[Apr 27, 2007]
peter
AudioPhile
Strength:
Headroom, speed, detail resolution. Headroom. Clean and musical. And did I say headroom? No? OK. Headroom.
Weakness:
At loooow listening levels, it sounds a bit more 'veiled' than the NAD 2600 that preceded it, but that is nitpicking. Classic Rotel stuff. Buckets of headroom, excellent stereo imaging, believable surround capabilities Kind of Blue from Miles Davis on surround SACD actually sounds good, and the aplifier plays the movie Gladiator with ablomp.
Customer Service Not needed, but expected to be well above par. Similar Products Used: NAD2600
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[Nov 03, 2004]
S3
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
quiet, smooth, robust, and very fast. never gets hot!
Weakness:
may sound alittle thin with 3way speakers low efficency speakers. I've had this amp for almost 2yrs now, and let me tell you, this baby sounds awesome! Very smooth, robust, quiet, and fast, very fast. I have the B&W 603s3, lcr6s2, and 601s2 setup, sounds incredible, like a perfect match. Not only does it play 2ch well, this amp really shines in multichannel either music/movies doesn't matter. Example: The soundtrack to Michel Camilo's Live At The Bluenote on SACD sounds incredilble! just a trio but the dynamic scale is awesome. You can clearly hear everynote played by each musician and feel the impact Michel Camilo expresses. The Rotel RMB 985 not only delivers but delivers a fast robust sound without a sign of fatigue. Definitely a classic rotel amp. Similar Products Used: nad, H/K, denon, marantz, adcom, and B&K |
[Apr 13, 2003]
Music_Maestro
AudioPhile
Strength:
THIS AMP DRIVES MY NHT VT2'S EFFORTLESSLY... NICE CLEAN TIGHT POWERFUL SOUND.... BUILT TO LAST A LIFE TIME,IF IT IS NOT ABUSED!
Weakness:
NO VOLUME CONTROL.... NOT BRIDGEABLE....BINDING POST ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER MAN, I'VE HAD THIS AMP SINCE 1996. I'VE HAD SEVERAL PREAMPS, AND RECIEVERS FOR IT THOUGH..... I REFUSE TO GET RID OF IT..... THIS BAD BOY IS KICK ASS..... IT IN MY OPINION IS A CLASSIC.... I'M ABOUT TO BUY ANOTHER PREAMP.... AND I AM NOT LETTER THIS AMP GO..... I THOUGHT ABOUT IT ONCE AND CHANGED MY MIND.... Similar Products Used: THIS IS THE ONLY HOME THEATER AMP THAT I HAVE EVER OWNED (1996) OTHER THAN MY PRO AUDIO GEAR |
[Feb 15, 2000]
John
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Build quality and power on a budget.
Weakness:
A tad brite on *SOME* cds. I'll be honest. My original intent was to get either the ATI 1505 or the Outlaw 750. But, no matter how I worked it, I just couldn't fit them into my existing rack space- bummer. |
[Mar 11, 2000]
Vincent Chen
Audiophile
Strength:
great build for the price,great sound out of the box. Very reasonable price for the performance. About a $1000.00.
Weakness:
Didn't get on sooner. Incredible is how I can sum up the tremendous value the 985 gives the Home Theatre fan and the audiophile too. Dynamic,terrific signal to noise,decent to good imaging. Very engaging,non fatiguing sound. Inside are the usual suspects that make a Rotel. BHC slit foil capacitors,Vishay low tolerance resistors etc,and a beefy chassis. Heat sinks abound on this one. The whole front panel is a heat sink as the left and right sides under the cover. A 1.2 KVA torodial tranformer with 20 output devices rated at 15 amperes,and 130 watts. Complete with beefy binding posts and gold plated RCA connectors. No balanced XLR as in the other Rotel amps though. All the high end goodies without the high end price. I think anyone looking at the Parasound,ATI,or OUTLAW amp still needs to give the RB-985 mk2 a try. Cheaper than the Parasound,and OUTLAW too. Similar Products Used: Nad 2400,Mackie 1400i, |
[Nov 19, 2000]
Bill Braunig
Audiophile
Strength:
Smooth clean power. I have not found a DVD yet to tax this amp. It handles the most demanding action scenes.
Weakness:
On my honor, none at all. This amp is perfect! This is a follow up to my review of about 6 months ago. This amp is only getting better with time. Now that I have broken this baby in, I am sure it has more power than the rated 110 wpc. This amp has me upgrading everything!! I feel like I've started a journey that will never end. Everything sounds great with amp. The sound stage is amazing! Check out the helicopter scene in the "Matrix" the sound in unbelieveable! Beg, borrow or steal to get one of these babies, you will not be sorry! Similar Products Used: For this price point, nothing, and I mean nothing comes close. |