Specs
| Dimensions(inches) | 17 x 2 ⅞ x 13 ⅝ |
| Front Panel Height(inches) | 2 ⅜ |
| Weight(lbs) | 15 |
| Finishes | Black, Silver |
| Power Requirements | 120V, 60Hz |
| Power Consumption | 150 Watts |
| Standby Power Consumption | <0.5 Watts |
Review
The Rotel A11 MKII is a Class AB amplifier that generates 50 watts of power at 8 ohms and 62 watts at 4 ohms. This is more than enough power for most of us, myself included. It doesn’t have an LCD like some previous Rotel amplifiers and goes for a more old-fashioned look and design. In place of the screen, Rotel has added a sleek-looking volume knob. It has frequency responses of 10-100000 Hz with line inputs and 20-20000 Hz with phono inputs.
Despite its price of $849, the Rotel A11 MKII is all you need for a good two-channel system. Just connect some speakers and you’re good to go. The amplifier has a headphone jack, tone controls, and seven input selection buttons. It has 4 unbalanced stereo RCA inputs, with a dedicated phono input for turntables with moving magnets. The only two things that bother me are that Rotel didn’t add HDMI and the subwoofer out port to this amplifier.
For digital inputs, you get one optical and one coaxial input. It also has dual 3.5mm 12-volt trigger outputs and built-in Bluetooth with AAC and aptX HD. For the digital inputs, the A11 MKII has a built-in DAC from Texas Instruments. The Rotel A11 MKII also comes with a remote that does get the job done but I rarely used it. Other remotes can work with the MKII, but my Sony TV remote stopped working with it after two weeks and I had to switch back to the amplifier’s remote.
This amplifier worked well with about 90% of the speakers I tested it with, and only failed to work with speakers that required more power or went below 4 ohms, like the Bowers and Wilkins 801 D4 Signatures that I recently reviewed.
Being a Class AB amplifier, the Rotel A11 MKII still manages to get as detailed as a Class D amplifier, all while giving a more balanced response with both digital and analog inputs. The sound also stayed consistent throughout regardless of the inputs I used. The power delivery was always clean and controlled at low and high volumes.
What’s in the box
- Stereo integrated amplifier
- 58″ AC power cord
- Remote control (RR-AX1402)
- 2 “AAA” batteries
- Quick Installation Guide
- Owner’s Manual on USB thumbdrive
- Safety Instructions
Verdict
The Rotel A11 MKII is a solid amplifier that does its job well no matter what speakers you use with it, it stays consistent and delivers sound well at all volumes. It is a great amplifier to get and it will keep you satisfied for a long time unless some new technology comes around that has groundbreaking updates. The built-in DAC is decent and most people won’t require an external DAC with the MKII. HDMI would have been nice, and, when idle, there was a faint sound coming from my speakers, but that is all I have to complain about.