Grace, Power, and Poise: Rotel A14 MKII Integrated Amplifier Features In-House-Made Components, Built-In Phonostage, 32-Bit DAC, and Much Mor

The Rotel A14 MKII Integrated Amplifier is like a gold-medal-winning Olympic gymnast: unbelievably strong and swift, handling all challenges with grace, power, and poise. The flagship model in the 14 Series of Rotel products, A14 MKII delivers 80 watts of Class AB amplification into 8 ohms. This sleek, muscular amp can drive one or two pairs of loudspeakers, and is powered by Rotel's in-house-manufactured, oversized toroidal transformer and a set of four high-efficiency, slit-foil, bulk-storage capacitors. 

The amplifier's digital-to-analog circuit topology utilizes a Texas Instruments 32-bit/384kHz DAC with exhaustive tuning, helping enable A14 MKII to offer a rich, detailed, balanced presentation of music. Improvements to the power supply and amplifier gain stages further refine the audio, whether you are listening to an orchestra or a solo vocalist.

Weighing just under 20 pounds, the A14 MKII supports an array of sources, including analog, digital, PC-USB with MQA (and MQA Studio), high-quality wireless aptX, and AAC Bluetooth. Vinyl fans can take advantage of the moving-magnet (MM) phon stage. The intricately crafted tone controls provide treble and bass adjustments in 1-decibel steps up to +/- 10dB, allowing you to personalize your experience, while a bypass mode eliminates unwanted noise and distortion. The elegant front-panel graphic display includes a large volume indication and audio stream information.

With the Roon-Tested A14 MKII, control-system integration is available utilizing Ethernet, RS232, 12V-Trigger, and remote IR connections. Dual five-way speaker binding posts allow Zone 2 installations with relay-controlled selection of the A-B speaker outputs. Software updates are easy, thanks to the unit's Ethernet port.

"[The Rotel A14 MKII is] clearly one of the best and most capable integrated amplifiers below $2,000 on the market. The review sample is headed back to Japan, but I'll be ordering one for myself in the very near future. [It is] absolutely too good to not have in my home..."
—Ian White, Ecoustics

"[The A14 MKII] delivers huge performance, versatility, and high value. Properly matched, there's abundant sonic quality to anchor an upscale audio system with distinction. At its hallmarks of tonal balance and dynamic gradation, it's an upstart that can challenge higher-tier [components]..."
—Glen Wagenknecht, NOVO Magazine

Designed for Optimal Performance

All the design aspects of the Rotel A14 MKII have been optimized to retain the full dynamic range and subtle nuances of your music. This integrated amplifier has a highly regulated power supply incorporating a Rotel custom-designed toroidal power transformer. This low-impedance power supply has ample power reserves, which enables the amp to easily reproduce the most demanding audio signals. This type of design is more expensive to manufacture, but it is better for the music.

The printed circuit boards (PCB) are designed with Symmetrical Circuit Traces. This ensures that the precise timing of the music is maintained and faithfully recreated. The circuitry uses metal film resistors and polystyrene or polypropylene capacitors in important signal paths. All aspects of this design have been engineered to ensure the most faithful music reproduction.