Предусилители — Rotel Michi P5 Series 2

The Michi P5 Series 2 is a stereo preamplifier from Rotel's Michi range that combines analogue line stages, moving magnet and moving coil phono stages, a digital converter section and Bluetooth reception in one chassis. It is meant to feed a separate power amplifier or two mono amplifiers, and it offers XLR as well as RCA output pairs.

Key specs that matter

The digital section uses two ESS SABRE ES9028PRO chips, each an 8-channel device, configured in mono mode so every channel has its own converter. There are three coaxial and three optical inputs, which take LPCM up to 24 bit and 192 kHz, and the PC-USB input runs in Class 1 up to 24 bit and 96 kHz or in Class 2 up to 32 bit and 384 kHz, with DSD and DoP support, and the converter platform reaches Quad DSD at 11.2 MHz. The unit also decodes MQA and MQA Studio, carries a network port and is Roon Tested. Bluetooth reception covers aptX HD and AAC. Line inputs present 47 kilohm on RCA and 100 kilohm on XLR, the MM phono input 47 kilohm and the MC input 100 ohm, and the digital inputs 75 ohm. Rated output reaches 2 V balanced and 1 V unbalanced, from source impedances of 100 ohm and 470 ohm. Rotel quotes THD and IMD alike at under 0.002% from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.

Engineering and use context

Signal to noise ratio is 116 dB for line inputs, 100 dB for digital and 80 dB for phono. The line path measures flat within 0.3 dB from 10 Hz to 100 kHz, while digital and phono paths hold the same tolerance over 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Channel separation exceeds 85 dB on line inputs and 55 dB on phono. Tone adjustment offers as much as 10 dB of cut or boost at 100 Hz and 10 kHz. Power draw is 40 W in use and under 0.5 W in standby on the 120 V, 60 Hz version. The chassis is 485 x 150 x 452 mm and weighs 22.9 kg, and no speaker outputs are fitted.

Pairing

The balanced outputs suit Michi and Rotel amplifiers equipped for XLR, and the single-ended outputs cover amplifiers that only accept single-ended signal. Both MM and MC record decks connect without an external phono box, and a computer, network streamer, CD transport or television connects to the digital section, so a separate DAC is not required in most systems.

Alternatives

Rotel's RC-1590 MkII is a stereo preamplifier with an MM phono stage, a Texas Instruments DAC and a dedicated subwoofer output.