Rotel RA-01

[Samuel Bebbington]

I am looking for a new amp to pair with Kef Q300s.

Thinking of getting a second hand Rotel RA-01 from ebay.

Any thoughts?

 

[Frank Harvey]

The two will work great together great. The Q300's have a nice warm bass, and like an amplifier that can give them a bit of current to produce the excellent dynamics they're capable of, and that's exactly what the Rotel will do. If you like something softer, try an Arcam, something like an Alpha 7 or 8 - these will give you a very warm, soft sound. Your choice!

 

[Samuel Bebbington]

Great thanks for the advice, I think the Rotel RA-01 is quite old, will this effect it's sound quality?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Samuel Bebbington

I know the Rotel's RA-01 well as i have sold plenty of these. If the amp doesn't sound fresh and is lacking 'bite' then this may hold the amplifiers overall performance back as it may need re capping.

Anyway another used/discontinued amplifier to also seriously consider is the NAD C325BEE. The C325BEE is a generation on from the RA-01 and as impressive as the RA-01 is the C325BEE's greater quality of power will energize the Q300's more effectively at most comparable levels by offering greater control, drive and grip which will ultimately lead to better overall performance.

Btw, what source component/s and cabling do you use?

What do you and anyone else who is also likely to use the system generally listen to?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Frank Harvey]

Great thanks for the advice, I think the Rotel RA-01 is quite old, will this effect it's sound quality?

No, it's not old enough to have degraded in it's performance for quite a while yet! Over the years, the Rotel amplifiers haven't changed that much - they have always been very very simple designs, majoring on keeping the component count to a minimum, signal paths for left and right channel equal, and a high quality, high current transformer. Over the years, I've found that with sub £500 amplifiers, there's very few that can drive the likes of the B&W 600 series properly - most amps either can't control the bass well enough, or they lack the current to give the speaker adequate punch. For me, the Rotel amplifiers have always given a taster of high end amplification.

If you'd like something a little more recent, try the RA04.

 

[Samuel Bebbington]

Thanks everyone, think I am sold on the RA-01, 2, 3 and 4. If anyone has any of these for sale I would be very interested?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Samuel Bebbington

Your welcome.

Your best bet will be ebay as these models pop up from time to time on there.

Btw, i'll suggest that you consider either the RA-01 or RA-02 as their relatively smooth presentation will be better suited to the Q300's. The subsequent models such as the RA-03 and RA-04 have a sharper and more upfront presentation which you may find too much of a good thing with the Q300's.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Samuel Bebbington]

Decision made thanks Rick.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Decision made thanks Rick.

Hi Samuel Bebbington

Your welcome

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Frank Harvey]

You needn't worry Sam. Take it from a dealer who stocks them, hears them regularly, and has used them at home

The Q300's are quite smooth, and it'll only be the sharpest sounding of amps that will tip them towards brightness. I used a full 5.1 set up at home using Q300's, and found that I needed to add 1dB of treble as I felt they were just a tad too smooth in my room - and that was with a Pioneer SCLX83, which many (incorrectly) class as bright! If we were talking about the Q100 or Q500, I would use caution, but the Q300 won't be a barrier to whatever amplifier you wish to go for