New Products

Rotel is promising high-performance audio at an affordable price with its new A8 integrated amp.

The stylish A8 ($450) mates a simple all-analog preamp with a Class AB amplifier and high-current toroidal transformer in a svelte chassis only 2.4 inches tall. Three analog RCA inputs are provided along with a phono input for turntables equipped with a moving-magnet cartridge, and the amp is rated to deliver 30 watts/channel into 8 ohms or 40 watts into 4 ohms (both < 0.03% distortion).

The large volume dial in the middle of the front panel is flanked by buttons for power, balance, bass, and treble on the left and buttons for each of its four inputs (Phono, Tuner, CD, and Aux) on the right. There’s also a minijack headphone input to the right of the volume control.

LEDs encircling the volume control light up sequentially as the volume increases and can be set to red, green, blue, or purple. The A8 includes a classic infrared (IR) remote with buttons for power, on/off, volume, and source selection.

To the left of the speaker binding posts on the sparse back panel is an auto-power-down switch to engage a mode that automatically turns the unit off when there is no input signal. The A8 is available in black or silver. For more information, visit rotel.com.