Rotel has re-introduced its Michi brand with three new products: the P5 Control Amplifier, S5 Stereo Amplifier and M8 Monoblock Amplifier.
Available from today, the new Michi suite takes its name from the high-end products released in the mid-90s, and sees the family-owned company re-enter that end of the market. There are three new units, each of which has been designed from the ground up over the past three years, packed with bespoke and in-house manufactured components.
Aesthetically, the new components are a departure from their 90s namesakes, retaining the minimalist design but adopting a chic black look as opposed to the cherry wooden-sided silver boxes that made Michi its name. Amply-sized screens display playback information, and there is a range of settings for you decide what it is you want to see – or nothing at all.
The P5 Control Amplifier is a Class A pre-amp blending multiple analogue and digital sources, features a moving magnet and moving coil phono stage and facilitates wireless streaming via aptX Bluetooth. Inside are dual AKM 32-bit DACs, and the circuits are supported by an array of 17 independent voltage regulators driven from a pair of custom-designed toroidal transformers. MQA support is due to arrive shortly for hi-res streaming, too.
Your pairing options are the S5 Stereo Amplifier or a couple of M8 Monoblock Amplifiers. Both are Class AB designs delivering a consistent 500W and 1080W respectively into 8 ohms, rising to 800W and 1800W into 4 ohms.
The also both include twin-matched, over-sized 2200 VoltAmp, in-house manufactured toroidal transformers that promise exceptional bass in terms of both scale and, perhaps more importantly, control. A large array of 32 high-current output devices drive the amps’ output stages, reducing the load on individual components, and are supported from 188000uF of patented bulk storage capacitors.
“Michi is taking Rotel’s values of excellent performance and value into the high-end segment with models that offer new levels of engineering, build and design while setting new reference standards for audio performance,” says managing director Peter Kao. “We have used all of our 55 years of design and manufacturing experience to create our best ever products.”
Indeed, Rotel has built a whole new area within its factory, exclusively for the building of these Michi amplifiers.
You can get your hands on them straight away, with the P5 Control Amplifier costing £3299, the S5 Stereo Amplifier setting you back £5399, and each M8 Monoblock Amplifier also coming in at £5399 – so £10,798 for the pair.
We’ve heard them already and first impressions are extremely positive, but we will deliver our official verdicts once we have them in our own test facilities.
