The remote’s infrared output was powerful enough that I could control the A12 by bouncing the signal off my room’s front wall - a feat that only a few remotes I’ve used have been capable of. Other buttons let you Bypass or adjust the Bass and Treble, and there is a Balance control. The slim remote control is loaded with buttons, but the main ones you’ll use - to adjust volume and switch inputs - are easy to find and press. Also included are preamp outputs, and a USB Type-A port that can be configured to power an external device even when the A12 is turned off. There are two 12V trigger outputs, and an RS-232 port for connecting to a home control system a Rotel Link input and output are provided to control another attached Rotel component, such as a tuner or CD player, using the A12’s remote control. On the rear panel are the input connections: USB and phono inputs, four sets of RCA analog stereo, and two each coaxial and optical digital. Beginning at the left edge of the front panel are the Power button, that USB port for playing from and charging an iOS device, a mini-jack headphone output, and buttons for selecting Speakers A or B. Directly below the display is a row of nine input buttons: Phono, Tuner, CD, USB, Opt, Coax, Aux, PC-USB, and BT (for Bluetooth). A large knob on the right adjusts the volume level in 1dB increments, the level indicated on the central LCD display along with the active source and the sample rate (for digital inputs). The power supplies of both models feature custom-built toroidal transformers that the company says are manufactured “to high tolerances using raw materials selected from proven, trusted suppliers.” According to Rotel, the A12’s robust power supply permits it to drive speaker loads as low as 4 ohms.Īvailable in silver or black, the A12 has a compact, low-profile aluminum case that measures 17"W x 3.6"H b 13.5"D and weighs 17.6 pounds, and an attractive front panel of brushed aluminum. If that’s not enough power, the next model up, the A14 ($1299), puts out 80Wpc, and has an AKM 32/768 DAC chip that supports playback of DSD datastreams. The A12 - the lowest-priced integrated that Rotel makes - is powered by a class-AB amplifier that outputs 60Wpc continuous, both channels driven, into 8 ohms. Turntables, too, get the A12’s love, courtesy an input for a moving-magnet phono cartridge. The A12’s Wolfson DAC chip supports playback of files of resolutions up to 24-bit/192kHz, and there’s a built-in aptX Bluetooth receiver, for wireless streaming from a phone or tablet. Which is why, on its rear panel, the A12 has a USB Type-B port for connection to a computer, and, on the front, a USB Type-A port for plugging in an iPhone, iPod, or iPad. And although Rotel’s designs tend to be more traditional than cutting-edge, the A12 includes a number of features to appeal to listeners whose main source component for music is as likely to be a laptop computer or phone as a CD player or turntable. Rotel’s new A12 stereo integrated amplifier ($899 USD) continues the company’s tradition of offering well-made, good-sounding components at affordable prices. Later, when I began browsing specialty audio shops, it was components from Rotel and NAD that caught my attention, mostly because they looked cool - and I could afford them. Like many, I bought my first hi-fi as a teen, at a store that, along with audio gear, sold major appliances: dishwashers, air conditioners, washing machines. When I consider upgrade options for newbie audiophiles, a name that instantly comes to mind is Rotel.
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