Not long ago we tested the excellent S14 from Rotel. An interior-friendly integrated amplifier with network streaming that’s easy to use and sounds great.
It fulfils most people’s needs for high-quality audio from streaming services, but if you want even more power, the new RAS-5000 is the answer.
The unassuming Rotel amplifier may be sparsely equipped, but it plays better than the competition.
Here you get even more power and everything you need in one box. But it’s also quite large, about twice the height of an S14.
But it also offers some advantages. For example, the screen on the front is much larger and on the inside it has a 140 watt powerful classic AB output stage. No class D is to be found here. The amplifier delivers a whopping 220 watts into 4 ohms, so there’s no shortage of power in the RAS-5000.
It’s also well-equipped and really only lacks a turntable input.
Airplay 2 and Google Chromecast
But it has an HDMI input for TV audio, an Ethernet connector for wired networking, and both analogue and digital inputs for audio sources. There’s also a USB input for your PC and a subwoofer output for those who need it. The built-in digital converter from ESS supports up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM audio.
It streams wirelessly via Wi-Fi or wired from Qobuz, Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect (with MQA support), and it has Airplay 2, Google Chromecast and Roon support. For those who prefer, there’s also aptX HD Bluetooth.
Price
The RAS-5000 is controlled with the remote control or the Rotel app, which also provides access to internet radio.
The amplifier is available in black or silver grey and will be priced at €2999, making Yamaha’s dazzling R-N2000A one of the most relevant competitors to the RAS-5000.
The Yamaha receiver does everything, looks like a million and sounds phenomenal.