ROTEL 1592 MKII INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW

ROTEL 1592MKII AMP REVIEW BY ANDREW ROBINSON

ROTEL 1592 MKII INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW

I was just about to jump aboard the hifi separates is best train and then I heard the Rotel 1592MKII.

ROTEL 1592MKII SPECS

The Rotel 1592MKII is a Class A/B stereo integrated amplifier churning out an impressive 200 Watts per channel into eight Ohms and 350 Watts into four with incredibly low distortion delivered through two complete sets of five-way binding posts. The Rotel is a full-featured integrated amplifier with both analog and digital inputs as well as Bluetooth aptX and AAC support. There is a built-in phono preamp as well as dual subwoofer outs that are separate from the Rotel’s preamp outputs, which means you don’t have to decide between using a third party amp for more power or connecting a subwoofer here. Honestly, the Rotel has everything the modern audiophile needs save for maybe HDMI, which is a shame.

Design-wise the mark two version reviewed here doesn’t appear markedly different from the previous generation. Like NAD and even Emotiva, there isn’t a great deal of variation when it comes to the brand’s styling on a whole. Another thing that hasn’t changed is the 1592MKII –like other Rotel pieces we’ve reviewed –is solid and exudes confidence in that it feels like it's built for the long haul. I wish I could say the same for the remote, which looks like something that’s been kicking around since 1988. Functional yes, but to the standard of the 1592MKII itself, no way!

HOW WE TESTED THE ROTEL 1592 MKII AMP

We’ve paired this amp with just about every speaker we’ve welcomed to our new home. Stand out pairings include the Revel M16, Klipsch RP-600M II, KLH Model 3s and 5s, the Polk Audio R700 towers and the Wharfedale Elysian tower speakers. If I had to pick a favorite pairing it would be the R700s and Elysians. The Rotel had the requisite juice to get the most from both speaker’s woofers, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Other associated equipment included our SVS 3000 Micro subwoofer, my reference AudioTechnica LP-140XP turntable fitted with my Ortofon 2M Black LVB cartridge and Bluesound Node. The Rotel is Roon Tested, which is to say you can connect a Roon equipped device such as your laptop to the 1592MKII and take advantage of that platform, though I opted instead to stream almost exclusively through our Node using my TIDAL and Apple Music, enabling me to listen to both MQA and non-MQA encoded tracks.

Jumping into sound quality, the Rotel comes within striking distance of another great integrated amplifier (I mean stereo receiver) that we’ve had on this channel, the McIntosh MAC 7200. While I wouldn’t classify the two as possessing THE SAME performance, the thing they have most in common is a sense of confidence when playing back just about any source material at any volume when connected to, well, whatever speaker you want. But let’s break it down. 

On paper, the Rotel has somewhat similar power ratings to the Emotiva HC1 mono amps we just reviewed, only the Rotel is a Class A/B amplifier through and through whereas the Emotiva is a hybrid, mixing Class A/B with Class H. When pitted head-to-head the Rotel, despite being a little less powerful, didn’t sound it –especially with respect to its bass prowess. The Rotel exhibited the same levels of control over both the Polk and Wharfedale’s woofers. If anything, and depending on the recording, the Rotel seemed to possess just a hair more detail and texture down low when listening to the Elysians. Though, when I connected the Emotiva monos to the Rotel’s preamp outs the differences between the two amps diminished, so this added bit of low-end texture and detail may come down to the Rotel’s preamp section and NOT its amplifier. Either way, bass was impressive, though maybe not quite as well dampened or as authoritative as the McIntosh 7200, but close. If the McIntosh is a perfect 10 the Rotel represents a solid 9! What’s more the Rotel’s complete lack of color or character throughout the bass meant that instruments like kick-drums, double bass or bass guitars always felt plucky and immediate rather than plodding, which I always appreciate! Plus, should you need MORE bass, the Rotel has those dual subwoofer outputs.

ROTEL MIDRANGE PERFORMANCE

With regards to the midrange, the Rotel is effortlessly detailed and focused. Again, if you’re on the market for a warm or lush-sounding amplifier, one that injects a bit of old-school distortion to the mix, this is NOT going to be the integrated for you. Do not mistake that comment for lean or forward, but if you’re one who believes an amp, preamp or integrated should act or serve as a sort of tone control for your speakers, you should not consider the Rotel because it isn’t that kind of piece. Bright or forward sounding speakers will remain bright and/or forward. Laid back or warm speakers will still come off as laid back or warm, because the Rotel is the epitome of neutral with respect to its midrange performance. I felt as if I was getting a truer sense of my speakers’ character when playing back my favorite tracks through the Rotel than just about anything else I presently have in house, which is high praise –at least in my book. 

ROTEL TREBLE MIDRANGE PERFORMANCE

Now, with respect to the treble, here’s where I feel as if I may differ from some folks because I have a sinking suspicion that many would say the Rotel is forward or maybe even bright. Like I said a moment ago, if you already have bright or forward-leaning leaning speakers –for example Sonus Faber, Focal or some older Klipsch speakers –the Rotel MAY seem like it’s also bright. I assure you, it’s not –or it’s at least not ADDING brightness to your speakers. What the Rotel is, is detailed to the nines. Be it the amp’s Class A/B design or its excellent preamp section, the 1592 MKII’s high frequency performance comes across as more resolving and nuanced. If you get the Rotel and pair it with speakers like Sonus Faber or Focal and come away thinking you’re hearing more treble information, while you may not be wrong, it’s more likely that whatever the Rotel replaced is simply more veiled in its ability to resolve and separate finer details. Still, I wouldn’t classify the Rotel as bright –if anything it's a musical magnifying glass with respect to detail!

ROTEL SOUNDSTAGE

Which is a great segway to the Rotel’s soundstage. My god is this integrated good when it comes to soundstage! Because the 1592MKII excels in unlocking the detail within most recordings, its recreation of physical space provides a soundstage that is incredibly well-appointed. Boundaries seem of little concern to the Rotel. Now if your speaker has poor dispersion to begin with, the Rotel isn’t going to suddenly transform them into something they’re not. But with capable speakers, the Rotel will deliver the goods! Dynamically, the Rotel is excellent, whatsmore, along with possessing the requisite power to handle orchestral swings and loud explosions, it does so with such control that things don’t get sloppy (or worse distort) when the tough gets going.

Other things worth noting, the built-in phono preamp is pretty terrific, definitely on par with or up to the standard that is the Ortofon 2M Black LVB, so those of you looking for a quality all-in-one solution for your vinyl rig should take note. The built-in DAC is also really good, though admittedly you’re going to enjoy the highest quality bit rates and whatnot through its USB inputs rather than its coax and optical ones, which is pretty common. That said, I wouldn’t shy away from any of its digital connections –in fact, there wasn’t much, if any, difference in overall sound quality between any of its digital ports in everyday listening scenarios. 

AMP COMPARISONS

Compared to the Marantz Model 40n, which you know I love, the Rotel is the better amplifier sonically, in my opinion, exhibiting greater control over the speaker’s drivers, which is immediately apparent when listening to bass-heavy tracks regardless of their genres. Also, the Rotel allows for more high-frequency finesse, dare I say presence. The soundstage definition and separation is clearer with the Rotel compared to the Marantz. BUT, and this is a big but for me, the Marantz has all of the same functionality as the Rotel and then some - yep, here comes HDMI to save the day - PLUS the Marantz has built-in music streaming whereas the Rotel relies solely on Bluetooth. SO, if sound quality is ALL that matters to you and to hell with features, the Rotel is arguably the better amp. But you know me and my need for modern conveniences. I’m actually leaning towards Rotel because I can use our Bluesound Node for HDMI connectivity but I’d prefer less clutter and boxes…yeah, hard call.

Compared to “old reliable”, our Musical Fidelity M5si, well, I have finally found an integrated that has gotten me to contemplate letting go of our M5si. The Musical Fidelity has stood the test of time, being a staple in our collection for over two years, but I’m not going to sugar coat it, the Rotel is simply better. It’s better sonically, possessing far greater control and with it a sense of appreciable detail regardless of the music or speaker pairing; not to mention, the Rotel offers way more features. Now I understand the Rotel is roughly $1,000 more than the Musical Fidelity, which matters, but head-to-head, my money would go to the Rotel without any hesitation. 

But if three grand is simply too much money –and I get it – at one third the price, the Audiolab 6000A Play continues to impress me. While it lacked the raw power to fully match the low-end grip of the Rotel when connected to the power-hungry Wharfedale Elysian towers, it wasn’t exactly embarrassed. Actually, I was so impressed by the Audiolab in this head-to-head that I tried a little experiment.

Running the Audiolab as a strict preamp, with a pair of Emotiva XPA-HC1 mono amps connected, this pairing matched the Rotel in the bass department while giving up little in terms of detail. I still think the Rotel is the better overall option, but it was close –at least to me. Now, you can save even more money by ditching the HC1s in favor of say Emotiva’s own XPA-2 Gen 3, which would still give you more power than the Rotel while not really forcing you to sacrifice too much convenience, because the Audiolab and Rotel are SIMILAR with respect to their options list. 

SHOULD YOU BUY THE ROTEL 1592MKII?

Wrapping up: should you buy the Rotel 1592MKII? The Rotel 1592 MKII, like many Rotel products before it, impresses. We review a lot of integrated amplifiers on this channel, and it has taken this Rotel to get me to even contemplate making a change. While there are other great options on the market, the 1592 MKII has captured my attention in ways few others this side of five grand have. Honestly, I would need to step up to the McIntosh MAC7200 or the Musical Fidelity M8xi to outright best the Rotel, which for me is a non-starter - those are both out of reach for me and my budget. So while you can do better, back on planet Earth (or maybe low Earth orbit), the rest of us have options like the 1592 MKII. Highly recommended.

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