Rotel RB-870BX opinions?
- Thread starter bolly
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Trawlerman
Well-Known Member
I can't vouch for the 870's but I do have 4 x RB970s here.
They are a 60w Stereo Power amplifier that can be bridged into mono and run approximately 180watts in that configuration.
I've had mine since 1996 and they have seen almost constant use throughout the whole of that time.
They are a real workhorse and have enough power to drive almost any speaker you care to throw at them. They sound really nice in Stereo mode with just a little graininess when bridged into Mono.
If the price is right, they will be a nice investment.
Over the years i've had a lot of ROTEL equipment and have been very happy with all of it. This is a very under-rated brand.
They are a 60w Stereo Power amplifier that can be bridged into mono and run approximately 180watts in that configuration.
I've had mine since 1996 and they have seen almost constant use throughout the whole of that time.
They are a real workhorse and have enough power to drive almost any speaker you care to throw at them. They sound really nice in Stereo mode with just a little graininess when bridged into Mono.
If the price is right, they will be a nice investment.
Over the years i've had a lot of ROTEL equipment and have been very happy with all of it. This is a very under-rated brand.
bill irvin
Well-Known Member
I have the rb 980 bx 120 watts per channel and I like the sound of mine. I have never ran it in the bridged mode.The amps look pretty plain without meters but have a great sound and plenty of power.
JarredCrowe
AK's drunk troublemaker
Well what would you like to know? I've had a rotel amp in my main setup for about two years now. First an rb985 now an rb981. In my experience they've been reliable, good sounding amps. If the 870 is anything like them I'd expect it to sound very similar.
MudSlideSlim
Well-Known Member
In my youth I used to look under the hood a lot. Both brands varied in quality of the components and structures . The Adcom 5xx amps had no speaker protection and yes I've lost tweeters because of this. The 535 & 545 seem to hold up better and to my ears sounded better than the 555 & 565. Adcom preamps 555, 555II, 565 had unsealed pots and their quality varies from average to below average. Even within models Adcom's varied, I opened a 545 once; it looked excellent inside, another looked good to OK.
Rotel is another story. I have read that they were the subcontractors for GFP-555/565 preamps and GFA-535/545/555 but of course they were given the specs as to the quality of the products being made. Some of the earlier Rotel preamps used excellent parts as I recall I'm thinking of maybe the 870 or 970. But as they years past their quality began to slide too. It escapes me if Rotel amps had speaker protection but they had a nice solid feel and great sound at least in the 8xx and 9xx model years.
Back then I really preferred Rotel to Adcom but one could find lots of used Adcom units for a decent price, for a couple hundred bucks one could get a GFP 555 and GFA 535. For all their faults they were manna from heaven. People tended to keep their Rotel units.
Rotel is another story. I have read that they were the subcontractors for GFP-555/565 preamps and GFA-535/545/555 but of course they were given the specs as to the quality of the products being made. Some of the earlier Rotel preamps used excellent parts as I recall I'm thinking of maybe the 870 or 970. But as they years past their quality began to slide too. It escapes me if Rotel amps had speaker protection but they had a nice solid feel and great sound at least in the 8xx and 9xx model years.
Back then I really preferred Rotel to Adcom but one could find lots of used Adcom units for a decent price, for a couple hundred bucks one could get a GFP 555 and GFA 535. For all their faults they were manna from heaven. People tended to keep their Rotel units.
Rotellurv
New Member
I bought two RB 870BX about 5 years ago (£300 for the pair). They're controlled by an RSP 960AX surround sound processor which had been sitting around in my attic for many years and they drive a pair of Mordaunt Short 908i. I've never had the amps checked. I keep them covered when not in use to keep out dust. They get used a lot often at high levels and for very extended periods. They seem extremely robust; I've accidentally pulled a cable whilst they were on and put a very nasty audio spike through the system with no ill effects (more than can be said for TAG McLaren/Audiolab).
Slightly tricky to set up as a dual mono arrangement but as you can imagine, they produce a big warm well controlled sound. Can't vouch for them in comparison with similar modern equipment but considering their age (and that of the processor and speakers) there's a lot of cool bang for buck. What would you have to spend to replace this set up with equivalent new gear?
Slightly tricky to set up as a dual mono arrangement but as you can imagine, they produce a big warm well controlled sound. Can't vouch for them in comparison with similar modern equipment but considering their age (and that of the processor and speakers) there's a lot of cool bang for buck. What would you have to spend to replace this set up with equivalent new gear?
Last edited:
RCA Plugger
Active Member
Well I bid on one in an auction with an automatic bid, but someone pretty soon outbid that, I had a few beers so I went over that. Now I will have to wait whether someone will outbid me again or I'll have to pay for it.... 3 days to go edit: problem solved
Last edited: