Интегральные усилители — Rotel S14

The Rotel S14 is a streaming integrated amplifier that combines a Class AB power stage, an ESS 32-bit DAC and network playback inside a 430 x 93 x 345 mm case weighing 9.15 kg, with an 80 mm tall fascia. Rotel describes it as the brand's first integrated streamer component, and shipments in the United States began in December 2022 at a suggested price of USD 2,499.99 in black or silver. It is a certified Roon Ready device and supports MQA and MQA Studio. A front panel colour display shows album artwork and track information, and an aluminium remote control is supplied along with iOS and Android apps.

Key specs that matter

The amplifier delivers 80 W per channel continuous into 8 ohms and 150 W per channel maximum into 4 ohms. Total harmonic distortion is below 0.04% and intermodulation distortion below 0.03%, with a damping factor of 400. Line inputs measure 10 Hz to 100 kHz within 0.5 dB, digital inputs 10 Hz to 90 kHz within 2 dB. The S/N figure is 100 dB on line and 98 dB on digital inputs. The line input sensitivity is 200 mV at 47 kohm with an overload point of 4.5 V, and the digital input is rated at -20 dBfs and 75 ohms. Tone controls give up to 10 dB of adjustment at 100 Hz and 10 kHz. The unit consumes 280 W when running and below 0.5 W in standby, with 733 BTU/h of heat output.

Engineering and use context

Network access is available over dual-band Wi-Fi or a wired Ethernet connection. Playback options cover Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2, Google Cast and Roon. The S/PDIF inputs take LPCM up to 24-bit/192 kHz and the USB input handles up to 24-bit/384 kHz. A flash drive can be plugged in to play MP3, WMA and AAC files. Wireless phone playback runs over Bluetooth using aptX HD or AAC. High-current output transistors are powered from an oversized toroidal transformer. Physical inputs cover coaxial, optical, analogue and PC-USB, so a CD player, a TV with an optical output and a computer can be wired up together.

Pairing

The analogue input accepts a CD player or a turntable through an external phono preamplifier, because Rotel lists no phono input for this model. Roon users can add the S14 as a Roon Ready endpoint, and smartphone users can control it from the Rotel app. Speaker cables attach through five-way binding posts, while headphones plug into a socket on the fascia.

Alternatives

The Rotel RAS-5000 is the bigger Rotel streaming amplifier, delivering 140 W per channel into 8 ohms and adding HDMI ARC with eARC support.