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Thread: Old Rotel RA-560 Amp??

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    Default Old Rotel RA-560 Amp??

    Hi just wondering if anyone has any info on this amp? I bought it around 24 years ago and its still going strong. My wife uses it for Karaoke and has 2, 200w speakers hooked up to it, she only runs it at 1/2 the volume on the amp as that is loud enough she says but im worried shes going to blow the thing up lol. I cant find any where on the amp how much it can actually put out. It can take 2 sets of speakers A & B but shes only using one set, plus the microphones going through it. When i originally purchased it (21st Birthday) it was really expensive and i got the turntable, radio, tape deck and 2, 50 w speakers. If anyone has any info on it or can tell me how to test the output that would be great, as i would rather get another one for her than blow this one up!!!!!!!!

    cheers
    rob



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    If the amplifier sounds OK running it at half volume - as in not obviously distorting it should be fine.

    The various 'power ratings' seen on such equipment don't mean much, but be aware even a 25 Watt amplifier can blow up '200 Watt' speakers if it is overdriven into distortion.

    You can test the system with an oscilloscope on the amplifier outputs to determine the clipping point, then always keep the output level lower. You should/will hear the point at which amplifier distortion begins with your ears so the previous is not really necessary.

    An amplifier of such age is probably full of dust and fluff which should be blown out to allow the heatsinking to work properly. Take the lid off and blow the dust out carefully, gently, with compressed air if it is obviously dusty. It's not a good idea to brush the dust out and use a vacuum cleaner as such things as preset pots for DC offset and bias can be disturbed.

    The old ROTELs are reliable amplifiers and much better than any modern shit of comparable recent prices - manufacturers could not afford to make and sell a similar product these days due to the much higher raw material costs of copper, steel and aluminium. To illustrate this point just check the weight of an eqivalent modern unit compared to yours !

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    Thanks heaps for your reply bulbous. It is a good amp and i have cleaned it out a couple of times with compressed air over the years. I had been told that "that they dont make them like that anymore"!!! I have been along with the wife a couple of times and even at only 1/2 volume it sounds clear and not distorted so i suppose the amp can handle what she's doing with it for now but i think i will still look at getting another one so i can have mine kept at home safe and sound for hopefully another 24 years lol!!

    thanks again
    rob

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    I wish I still had mine

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    I still have my Yamaha CR2020 Amp/Receiver (150 watts RMS) which I bought in 1975 and has only had one repair in that time. As you said, they don't make them like that these days.
    The Eagle Flies High!


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    Over the past 10 years I have actively tracked down the "old school" (as the kids these days like to say) equipment that was made in the 1970s - 1980s.

    I've been a Technics fan for a long time - their gear is nicely made and it sounds "good". I wouldn't say it was "excellent" - but then it doesn't have the price tag of some of the esoteric, high-end gear such as Rotel, Naim and the like. With a lot of effort, begging and searching I've found the equipment that I want - and I won't part with it for any amount of money. It's hard to find this stuff in good condition!

    I don't need "connoisseur" sound - I just need good, clean sound and Technics does it with class.
    However, I do have a couple of Perreaux amps - a 2150B and a 3150B which are used to drive my speakers. Once again, we have 80s technology and build, which beats most of this modern crap hands down.

    I was commenting to a friend recently how the young people today have no concept of what "quality" sound is.
    They have grown up with mp3 and Ipods and really only known this level of sound.
    When they are sat down in front of a system such as I have, they are totally blown away.
    "Wow - how did you make it sound so good?" is a comment I often get.

    "Not bad for old school junk eh"

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    Hi, I have an RA 560 and the manual. The output is 60 watts rms per channel.
    These amps have very good internal protection and should cut out if too hot or overloaded. Speakers should be 8 ohms and 200w it fine.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bobdenver View Post
    ... I have been along with the wife a couple of times .... but i think i will still look at getting another one so i can have mine kept at home safe and sound for hopefully another 24 years lol!!

    thanks again
    rob
    I would not bring such a piece to karaoke parties...transport damage...spilt beverages...

    A speaker does not damage an amp if the impedance(ohm rating) matches.
    It is normally the other way around.
    Usually the tweeters eventually burn out if a HiFi system is (mis)used for PA or performance.
    Consider getting a real karaoke box. The speakers are better matched for vocals.

    Otherwise some 'new school' home cinema amps are not that bad either.
    I have seen Yamaha amps below $300 on sales that have very decent SNR and THD that would have been considered almost high-end 25 years ago.
    The biggest problem today is they break and the speakers (in an affordable price bracket) are awful.

    What you will not get today(for that price) is an amp with a usable pre-amp for phono, so keep that Rotel for quality time.
    Update: A deletion of features that work well and ain't broke but are deemed outdated in order to add things that are up to date and broken.
    Compatibility: A word soon to be deleted from our dictionaries as it is outdated.
    Humans: Entities that are not only outdated but broken... AI-self-learning-update-error...terminate...terminate...

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    I recently worked on one of Rotel’s new(ish) units under warranty - the RA02T(Protection would intermittently kick in – bias adj. On left channel was out) , still discrete outputs and the sound was really nice - just like the old ones.

    I wouldn’t recommend any of the new amps that have an output IC. There are a few exceptions but most of them you will cook the IC and they are $$$ to replace. Jump on eBay and find an old Yamaha, HK or Denon unit. Any of the old stuff really, as long as it has discrete output transistors they are pretty rugged like the Rotel you have now. Except for NAD of course, allot of them are crap!

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