Rotel RA-1570 Integrated Amplifier Preview

The Rotel RA-1570 integrated amplifier is a complete "rewrite" of the company's RA-1520 integrated amp. This is no small model bump, but a total makeover—extreme style. Let's start with the input section of the RA-1570. It's substantially more flexible than what you find in most integrated amplifiers—there's even a rare (for these types of products) front panel USB input. That means Rotel is ready to go with iPods, iPhones, and iPads—not to mention all of the available Android devices. A rear panel asynchronous USB input will support streaming files up to 24/bit/192kHz in resolution. There are also two coaxial (RCA) and optical (TOSlink) digital inputs so you can stream any LPCM music sources. And, since they are designed to handle popular streaming devices with up to 24-bit word lengths sampled at 192kHz, you can use the Rotel RA-1570 as a high-end DAC for your entire hi-fi system.

On the analogue side, balanced XLR connections and RCA inputs are provided so that you can integrate the Rotel with a fully balanced system or single-ended audio devices. At the top of the food chain is a Wolfson WM8740 stereo D/A converter (DAC) which has selectable digital filters Rotel claims allows it to better handles critical conversion from digital data to continuous analog waveforms.

The Rotel RA-1570

The Rotel RA-1520

This is a Class AB amp that uses discrete devices to put out 120 watts per channel into 8 ohms, both channels driven simultaneously. All of this power is made available by the use of a high capacity power supply based on a Rotel custom designed and in-house manufactured toroidal transformer. Rotel went with their toroidal design in order to provide an abundance of voltage and current for all operating stages, as well as to prevent stray radiation patterns from corrupting audio signals as they pass through adjacent circuit stages.

Other features include separate pre-out/main-in connectors, a highly visible VFD (vacuum florescent display) for set-up and a precisely calibrated electronic volume control. This is an integrated amp that is likely to sound as good as it looks. If Rotel's track record is anything to go by—that should be exactly the case. If you want to pick up the RA-1570 you'll need to wait until next month (May 2013) at which time you can have it for around $1599.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.