John Darko
New and improved. That’s the message coming from Rotel this week as it upgrades some of its more affordable components for “increased resolution, detail and refinement”. The A10MKII enjoys straight-up second-gen status whilst the A11MKII and CD11MKII supersede the Tribute models worked on by the late Ken Ishiwata. From the press release “The new products seek to enhance the performance of their predecessors while remaining faithful to Kenโs design philosophy and continue to proudly pay homage to Ishiwata Sanโs 40+ year legacy in the audio business.”
The A11MKII still kicks 50wpc into 8 Ohms and still offers a MM phono input on top of three line-level inputs. However, the MKII version extends access to the amplifier’s internal DAC – a Texas Instruments PCM5102A 32bit/384kHz – beyond Bluetooth to rear-panel TOSLINK and coaxial. This DAC improvement is just one of over 22 component upgrades that also promise better sonics from one of Rotel’s more popular integrated amplifiers.
The more affordable A10MKII integrated holds tight to 50wpc into 8 Ohms and the MM phono input but drops the internal DAC. The new and improved version sports over “67 component upgrades including in the power and amplifier gain stage bringing improved resolution and detail.”
The CD11MKII brings ten “critical component upgrades” to the table, focussing on the digital circuitry that surrounds the TI PCM5102A 32bit/384kHz DAC. The coaxial output on the back panel also allows the unit to be used as a CD transport. As a CD11 Tribute edition owner, I can attest first-hand to the smooth and robust nature of the tray mechanism.
All units ship with an IR remote control.
Pricing? The A10MKII will sell for โฌ599/US$599, the A11MKII for โฌ799/US$799 and the CD11MKII for โฌ599/US$599 when they go on sale in August.
Further information: Rotel
