Rotel has taken the wraps off its initially higher-resolution community audio system: The Rotel S14 Integrated Streamer. The phrase “integrated” means this electronic participant has an built-in amplifier, so all you have to have to add are loudspeakers.
The S14 capabilities a 32-bit ESS Sabre digital-to-analog converter, and it supports several music-streaming products and services, which include Spotify. Most purchasers, however, will possible be Qobuz or Tidal customers—and the S14 supports the two MQA and MQA Studio for subscribers to the latter support.
You can also participate in superior-res new music information from a nearby server (through wired ethernet or twin-band Wi-Fi) a individual laptop (via its USB Style B port) a USB thumb generate (through a rear-mounted USB-A port, with guidance for AAC, WMA, and MP3 data files) or a smartphone or portable electronic audio participant (via Bluetooth, with assistance for each the aptX Hd and AAC codecs). Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast compatibility insert even a lot more overall flexibility. The Rotel S14 is also qualified Roon All set, which will be of curiosity to anybody employing that large-finish tunes software package.
A toroidal electrical power transformer and an ESS Sabre DAC or just two of the high-stop features in Rotel’s S14 Built-in Community Streamer.
Rotel
Rotel’s streamer is also outfitted with a coaxial electronic audio enter to support CD players, analog stereo inputs for old-college cassette decks or turntables with line-level outputs (or a turntable related to phono stage), and pre-amp outputs if you’d choose to hook up it to a diverse amplifier. There’s also an output for an optional subwoofer.
Rotel’s app for Android and iOS expands your selection of songs sources to web radio and podcasts. A comprehensive-shade show on the entrance panel exhibits album art, artist, as effectively as album and track titles for the recent range.
The Rotel S14 Built-in Community Streamer can accommodate just about any analog or digital resource. Connecting it to your network expands your options even additional.
Rotel
Unlike several network streaming products, which are designed as elements in a dwelling audio process, the Rotel S14 Integrated Network Streamer provides up to 150 Watts of Class AB energy at 4 ohms, so it can instantly electrical power a huge array of loudspeakers linked to its 5-way binding posts. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack on the entrance panel.
The S14 Built-in Network Streamer certainly seems to be promising on paper: A contemporary all-in-just one receiver with streaming at its heart and the versatility to assistance any audio source you could want to connect to it.
When its $2,500 price tag makes it much more high-priced than some of its level of competition, such as the $1,299 Cambridge Audio CXN (V2), customers ought to choose into account that Rotel’s item has an built-in Class AB amplifier with more than enough electricity to push anything but the most demanding loudspeakers.
We’ve questioned for a sample and hope to publish an in-depth evaluation in the coming weeks.
Up-to-date on December 5, 2022 to increase information about the Rotel S14 currently being certified Roon All set and to report that the front-panel headphone jack is 3.5mm.
