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Model: | RX-602 |
Category: | Receiver |
Suggested Retail Price: | $50-150 used |
Description: | 50 watts-per-channel of m.o.s.f.e.t. warmth coupled with audiophile/dx quality f.m. section |
Manufacturer URL: | Rotel |
Review by FRG7SWL (A) on May 19, 2004 at 10:13:01 IP Address: 198.81.26.75 | Add Your Review for the RX-602 |
It's oblong shape is your first clue that Rotel's RX-602 isn't just any auld vintage receiver. Upon power-up, out pours this refined yet relaxed tonality. After about a half-hour warm up, an expansive soundstage joins that magical mix. Classical music, such as provided by Capitol Public Radio's KXPR, sounds down right captivating to the uninitiated ear. Which apparently is this little beauty's sonic niche, along with classic-n-contemporary jazz. Hall and/or studio parameters are replicated quite effortlessly. Even from a pair of ESS Model 10s, whose soundstaging abilities are minimal at best. Through utility Advents, Utah Cadences, & Celestion Vintage 30s, though, performances are holographic! Rock-n-pop, however, can be somewhat disconcerting initially, when your ears aint used to sonic subtlties seemingly extending beyond those speaker frames. Once they are, however, you'll tend to wonder why the soundstage collapsed when listening to other amps, no matter how pristine the sonic presentation. Thus, you'll be glad Rotel's engineers included two phono preamps & two aux inputs, to complement an outstanding audiophile/dx quality f.m. section. For added flexibility, you can separate the amp & preamp sections for a myriad of outboard combinations. Only mod performed on this pup was replacing those thin stock m.o.s.f.e.t. to ampboard wires. Used Rotel units are rarities on the used market. If the RX-602's beguiling sonority is any indication, parting would be a bitter, not sweet, sorrow.
Product Weakness: | Oblong size prohibits standard rack mounting |
Product Strengths: | Relaxed yet refined 50 watts-per-channel of m.o.s.f.e.t. warmth coupled with expansive soundstage, offering an inexpensive replication of high-end tube performance; two phono preamps, two aux inputs, audiophile/dx quality f.m. section, hi-fi a.m. reception of local stations; amp-preamp sections can be separated for added flexibility; excells with classical & classic-n-modern jazz |
Associated Equipment for this Review: | |
Amplifier: | Marantz MR-235, Sherwood 7100A, Sony STR-6800SD |
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | none |
Sources (CDP/Turntable): | Pioneer CLD-980 |
Speakers: | ESS Model 10s, Pioneer CS-33s |
Cables/Interconnects: | Radio Shack Monster Cables |
Music Used (Genre/Selections): | Blues, Classical, Funk, Jazz, Pop, Reggae, Rock R-N-B, Soul |
Room Size (LxWxH): | 10 x 10 x 10 |
Time Period/Length of Audition: | six months plus |
Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
Follow Ups:
I still have (in storage) a 202, which we sude in the bedroom until this yr driving Audiosphere 2's, and used an 802 from new in my main systemfor many years.Then I had a used 1602, Rotel's super rcvr, it WAS better still.
But, a Luxman R1030 was much better on vinyl than either. So I bought a LUX L-3 inetgrated whose phono stage was even better. Good enough to hear the diff between a basic version of Leach's shunt feed-back haed amps and a super vesrion with mil-spec teflon PCB, huge caps and hand selected super low noise mil-spec transistors silver solder and silver traces. A miltary RF techie built the latter for me.
later I got seduced into vintage rebuilt valve gear.
Timbo in Oz
The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger
Peace
... which I use to drive a pair of JBL ProPerformer speakers mounted under the eaves, over my deck. I have noticed that the tuner seems to "drift" quite a bit, however, so I mostly use it with a Panasonic portable CD player as the source.The sound is remarkably good, all things considered!
"Music is the brandy of the damned." -- George Bernard Shaw
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