Rotel previewed three new "best ever" models at CES. Although the passive display allowed for little more than photo and note taking, I learned that the brand new RC-1590 DAC/preamplifier ($1749), which ships in March, promises to be "the best stereo preamplifier Rotel has ever made." Features include a front USB port for iOS devices; rear USB for computers; a Bluetooth dongle; isolated transformers for both digital and analog boards; balanced input and outputs, albeit not a fully balanced design; digital, coax, and Toslink inputs; and the ability to set inputs to fixed and set maximum volume level.
The RB-1590 stereo amplifier ($2999) outputs 380Wpc into 8 ohms, and is their new flagship. Signal path is symmetrical for left and right channels, and inputs are single-ended and balanced. Also due in March, it was touted by B&W Group regional sales manager Marc Schnoll as "the best bang for the buck that our customer can possibly get."
I didn't spend much time with the RSP-1582 pre-pro ($3499), given that it's really not my area, and won't be out until May. Then again, even if I had spent time gathering info, I couldn't report on the sound. To be continued . . .
