Предусилители — Rotel Michi P5

The Michi P5 is a stereo preamplifier sold under the Michi name by Rotel, combining line and phono inputs with a digital section built around dual AKM 32-bit DACs. Rotel states that development took more than three years, with attention to the power supply, circuit design and component selection. The original P5 was later followed by a P5 Series 2 version.

Key specs that matter

Analogue connections comprise two balanced XLR and four single-ended inputs, while there are two XLR outputs and three RCA outputs. Line input sensitivity is 160 mV on RCA and 250 mV on XLR, with input impedance of 47 kohm single-ended and 100 kohm balanced. Output impedance is 470 ohm single-ended and 100 ohm balanced. Line frequency response is 10 Hz to 100 kHz within plus or minus 0.3 dB, the line signal-to-noise ratio is 116 dB, and total harmonic distortion is below 0.002% between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. For the digital section Rotel gives 100 dB with IHF A weighting, with 20 Hz to 20 kHz response within 0.3 dB.

Engineering and use context

The AKM DACs are specified to 32-bit and 768 kHz and feed a Class A preamplifier circuit. Two custom toroidal transformers supply 17 independent voltage regulators, with low ESR smoothing capacitors. The phono input takes MM pickups and also low output MC pickups. Digital inputs cover coaxial and optical S/PDIF with LPCM up to 192 kHz and 24-bit, and a PC-USB port supporting USB Audio Class 1.0 up to 96 kHz and 24-bit and Class 2.0 up to 384 kHz. DSD up to 11.2 MHz, DoP and MQA are supported, the unit is certified Roon Tested, and Bluetooth covers aptX and AAC. A headphone jack is fitted, and RS232 and Ethernet ports allow automation and system integration. The chassis is 485 x 150 x 452 mm and weighs 22.9 kg. Consumption is 40 W, with standby at under 0.5 W in normal mode or under 2 W with network wakeup enabled. The US price was USD 3,999 with a five-year warranty and a black finish.

Pairing

Rotel launched the P5 alongside the Michi S5 stereo power amplifier, and the pair connect over balanced XLR. The two balanced outputs also allow a second power amplifier to be fed for bi-amping, while the three RCA outputs serve power amplifiers or other devices that only have unbalanced inputs. Two balanced inputs leave room for balanced sources, for example an external DAC or a balanced phono stage.

Alternatives

The Rotel RC-1590MKII is a stereo preamplifier with a Texas Instruments DAC and a moving magnet phono input.