Rotel A11 Tribute Integrated Amplifier Class AB aptX Bluetooth

Tuned by a Legend

The Rotel A11 Tribute is the amplifier that made a name for itself, upgraded. Rotel worked with the late audio engineering legend Ken Ishiwata to retune the award-winning A11, swapping in better components throughout the signal path for a richer, more expressive sound. It keeps the built-in phono stage for turntables and adds Bluetooth, 50 watts a channel and a preamp output.

Why You'll Love It

• Retuned for better sound: Ken Ishiwata and Rotel's engineers replaced capacitors and resistors throughout the signal path and added chassis damping, so the Tribute sounds richer and more refined than the standard A11, in the same price class.

• Turntable and Bluetooth, both built in: A moving magnet phono stage plugs a turntable straight in, and aptX/AAC Bluetooth lets you stream wirelessly from a phone, so it covers vinyl and casual streaming without extra boxes.

• Room to build a system: 50 watts per channel, a dedicated preamp output for a subwoofer or power amp, and A/B speaker outputs to run two pairs, give you room to grow beyond a simple stereo setup.

Under the Hood

• 50 watts of Class AB power: An oversized in-house toroidal transformer drives a clean 50 watts per channel with the composure to handle even demanding speaker loads.

• Upgraded signal path: Better capacitors and resistors in the amp, preamp and volume stages, plus chassis damping to cut vibration, are the heart of the Tribute upgrade.

• Everything you need to connect: A built-in MM phono stage, four RCA line inputs, Bluetooth, a preamp out, A/B speaker outputs and 12V triggers, controlled from a front display and remote.

CHT Insider Verdict

The A11 Tribute is the amp we point people to when the A10 isn't quite enough. The extra power, the Bluetooth, the preamp output and Ken Ishiwata's tuning make it a real step up, and it's still one of the best-value integrated amps at the price. It's an ideal heart for a proper stereo system with a turntable, and the pre-out means you can add a subwoofer down the track.

Pro Tip: Use the preamp output to add a powered subwoofer, and the A11 becomes a 2.1 system with proper low end, ideal if your speakers are compact. The A/B speaker outputs also let you run a second pair of speakers in another room.

Specifications