Rotel's bijou integrated amp is small but mighty and it became my system's pint-sized powerhouse

Date:
Wed, 31 Dec 2025 13:30:00 +0000

Description:
Rotel has belatedly realised that small really might be beautiful after all and the DX-5 wants to be your miniature stereo hero

FULL STORY ======================================================================Rotel DX-5: Two-minute review

The Rotel DX-5 is a compact, beautifully constructed and very nicely designed stereo integrated amplifier with the emphasis firmly on digital sources of sound. It looks and feels good, its quite obviously built to last, and its specified to handle hi-res sources via its USB, coaxial and optical inputs as well as TV sound thanks to its HDMI ARC socket. A single line-level analog input deals with your properly legacy equipment (but not a turntable unless its pre-amplified).

Because its not a network device, it doesnt have a control app. It has a remote control, though, which looks and feels just as swish as the device its controlling but is more dependent on line-of-sight to the device its controlling than is the norm, and by quite a distance.

Sound quality is straightforwardly impressive. The DX-5 is an open, revealing and entertaining listen, one that has a real facility with dynamics and can express rhythms confidently. It retains and contextualise all the detail in a recording, has nicely even frequency response and is adept at unifying a recording even at the same time that it can pick it apart for your
inspection. It demands you spend some time considering system-matching, because its quite assertive at the top of the frequency range but other than that, its sound is no kind of chore to enjoy. Rotel DX-5 review: Price and release date (Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future) Released in April 2025 Priced $1,499 / 1,399 / AU$2,199

The Rotel DX-5 is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it sells for 1,399. In the United States the going rate is $1,499, while in Australia youll have to part with AU$2,199.

This is not hair-raising money for an integrated stereo amplifier from a renowned brand, but its quite stiff if you apply the physical stuff/asking price ratio (Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future) Rotel DX-5 review: Features ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M DAC Digital inputs outnumber analog inputs 25W per
channel into 8 ohms

Theres not a huge amount of space inside the Rotel DX-5, but it seems fair to say its been utilised to something approaching the maximum.

Under the lid, the most space-hungry element is the high-current toroidal transformer its wound in-house, and can churn out 25W of Class AB power per channel into an 8-ohm load (rising to 33 watts per channel into 4 ohms). The crucial business of digital-to-analog conversion is handled by the deeply fashionable ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M chipset it supports 32bit/384kHz PCM and DSD512 via the amplifiers USB-B input (some source devices will need a driver to be installed, but not all) and 24bit/192kHz PCM via its coaxial and
optical inputs. The DX-5 is certified Roon Tested, and Rotel suggests the machine is capable of a considerable 10Hz - 80kHz frequency response. Its
also claiming vanishingly low intermodulation distortion and signal-to-noise ratio numbers at the same time.

The three digital inputs Ive already mentioned line up alongside an HDMI ARC socket and a single line-level analogue input accessed via a pair of stereo RCA inputs. Outputs amount to a pair of speaker cable binding posts, a
pre-out for use with a subwoofer, and a fascia-mounted 6.3mm headphone
socket. Wireless connectivity is handled by Bluetooth, and here its
compatible with SBC, AAC and aptX HD codecs. A small, discreet Bluetooth aerial is integrated into the rear of the chassis.

The strong implication, then, is that yours is an overwhelmingly digital set-up and, whats more, a set-up in which your source devices dont have digital-to-analog conversion circuitry that can lay a glove on the DX-5s.
That may well be true, but nevertheless it might be nice to see a second analog input if only for flexibilitys sake. The omission of a phono stage for use with a turntable is more understandable, though, despite the record players sudden front-and-centre position in any modern stereo system keeping costs and physical dimensions down do rather make it a bit of a non-starter.

Features score: 4.5 / 5 (Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future) Rotel DX-5 review: Sound quality Open, detailed and properly defined presentation
Equally adept with rhythms and dynamics Requires some system-matching in
order to play nicely

It might be worth starting with the one area where the Rotel DX-5 is anything less than entirely easy to enjoy this way Ill be able to finish on a long
and enthusiastic high In the simplest terms, the DX-5 needs a greater degree of care taken with system-matching than many of its price-comparable rivals.

Sources of music or loudspeakers that count high-frequency excitability among their attributes will find this trait compounded by the DX-5 and if the
Rotel is part of an entire system that shares this kind of emphasis, you may end up with rather too much of a good thing. Even a tonally warm recording like Otis Reddings Thats What My Heart Needs enjoys plenty of shine at the
top of the frequency range, and unhelpfully trebly tunes like FKA twigs Cheap Hotel could conceivably become problematic in a properly unsympathetic
set-up. A moment or two spent ensuring youre not going to provoke the Rotel
is time well spent.

But with that out of the way, I think its safe to say the remaining news is good without qualification. From the deep and carefully shaped low
frequencies to the top end, the tonality of the DX-5 is consistent and even (provided youve paid attention to the previous paragraph), and quite
carefully neutral its able to describe the fundamental tone of a recording without meaningfully sticking its oar in.

And the same is true of frequency response, again from the very bottom to the very top of the frequency range: the bottom end is detailed and textured, and so well-controlled where onset attack is concerned that the Rotel expresses rhythms with real confidence. The midrange is similarly informative and similarly articulate, and theres a directness to the way the DX-5 delivers
the voices of the two vocalists Ive already mentioned that makes them sound positive and eloquent. The top end is similarly accomplished in this respect its just as packed with information as the rest of the frequency range, and receives just as much emphasis and drive.

All this good stuff takes place on a large, well-defined and easy-to-understand soundstage even a fairly complex recording like Bath is Black by Marika Hackman is organised to the point that its simple to follow. Each individual element gets the necessary space in which to express itself but the DX-5 is also able to let these elements cohere into a unified whole. Theres a sense of togetherness thats not always available when an amplifier
is as capable of separation and focus as this one.

The dynamic variation in this recording, where attack, intensity and sheer volume are concerned, is identified and contextualised carefully, and the smaller harmonic variations are given the correct amount of weight too. The Rotel is very talented in this regard, and can put very worthwhile distance between quiet and loud despite what is, on paper at least, a less-than-promising amount of power on which it can call.

But its the facility with detail retrieval that Ive already referred to thats possibly the single most impressive thing about the way this amplifier goes about things. From the broad strokes to the most minor transients, it can locate and position any details in a recording in the most naturalistic and convincing manner which means youre never in any doubt as to whether or not youre getting the complete picture.

Sound quality: 4.5 / 5 (Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future) Rotel DX-5 review: Design 76 x 215 x 251mm (HxWxD) Anodised aluminium construction Black or silver finish

There may not be all that much of it (its a titchy 76 x 215 x 251mm, HxWxD), but what there is of the Rotel DX-5 is nicely designed and flawlessly built.

It uses a luxurious amount of anodised aluminium in its construction, and is
a visually and tactile treat no matter which of the black or silver finishes you choose. The industrial design is sophisticated, and nice little touches like the knurling of the volume control and the confidently embossed R on the ventilated top of the box dont do any harm either.

As the asking price demands, the DX-5 is built and finished to an extremely high standard. Nothing about the design or construction of this device suggests a single penny has been pinched, and it feels ready to last for the long haul.

Design score: 5 / 5 (Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future) Rotel DX-5 review: Usability and setup Full-colour TFT display Heavy, luxurious and unhelpful remote control A (very) few physical controls

This is not a wi-fi -enabled device, and so theres no control app. Getting what you want from the Rotel is done the old-fashioned way.

Theres a big, bright, crisp TFT display in the centre of the fascia it features an indication of volume level, confirmation of selected input, and some reasonably in-depth set-up menus too. It also has a source selection button embedded in its bottom left, opposite the 6.3mm headphone output. Theres an illuminated power button on the left of the fascia, and a big, tactile volume dial on the right.

The DX-5 can also be operated using a remote control handset thats a weird combination of sky-high perceived value and marginal usefulness. Its weighty aluminium construction, sensible button layout and nicely judged dimensions all fall into the first category, while its absolute insistence on being pointed precisely at the sensor on the fascia in order to operate falls strongly into the second. If theres a remote control thats more dependent on pin-point line-of-sight in order to be of any use, Ive yet to encounter it.

Usability and setup score: 3 / 5 Rotel DX-5 review: Value

If its the amount of stuff your money buys thats important, then the DX-5 obviously doesnt represent the same sort of value for money as an alternative that uses much more metal.

Its specification could be said to be slightly lacking, too, if you squint. But if you concentrate on the quality of componentry, the sophisticated
nature of its design, its bank-vault build quality and its lavishly detailed, wide-open sound, theres unarguable value on offer here. Best not to dwell on the remote control, though

Value score: 4 / 5 Should I buy the Rotel DX-5?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Stuffed to the gills, just one more analog input might have meant full marks

4.5/5

Design

Luxurious anodised aluminium a tactile treat!

5/5

Sound quality

Consistent, even, neutral, faithfully detailed (just get the system-matching right)

4.5/5

Value

If you want more physical product for your money, it's a tough sell. We all know that's not always the point though

4/5 Buy it if...

Your system is mostly digital
Physical and wireless digital inputs outnumber the analogue equivalent by quite a margin

You admire understated industrial design
Theres nothing shouty about the design here, and it makes the perceived value of the DX-5 all the greater

You enjoy entertaining, insightful sound
Not every amplifier combines forensic levels of detail retrieval with an overall attitude of uncomplicated musicality, but this one does Don't buy it if...

Youve more than a single analog source
There are numerous amplifiers that will suit your analog ways better than
this one

You dont have particularly steady hands
The remote control handset insists on being pointed precisely at the IR receiver on the amps fascia View Deal

Your system is already happy to fully attack high-frequency information Unsympathetic partners in the system, and/or unsympathetically recorded
music, can bring the Rotels treble reproduction to the fore View Deal Rotel DX-5 review: Also consider

If you like the Rotels dinky dimensions, will happily trade a USB input for a phono stage, and will forgo some tactility in exchange for a more aggressive price tag, the Regas excellent Brio mk7 ($1,095 / 799) could be just the ticket. Its a punchily exciting listen, but capable of deft insight at the same time. Or if you want to retain the size but hang the expense, then Cyrus (who could fairly lay claim to having the idea of full-on sound from a half-pint box in the first place) has just launched its $4,995 / 3,995 AMP 40
and its a bravura performer in every respect. How I tested the Rotel DX-5

I connected the Rotel DX-5 to a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 Signature loudspeakers using Chord Company Clearway X speaker cable. I used my Naim Uniti Star as a streamer and a CD player (attached to the sole analog input, of course) and plugged my Colibri-enhanced Apple MacBook Pro into the USB-B socket to get the highest-resolution content possible on board.

And then I listened to lots of music, of many genres and of many file-types and -sizes probably for longer than was absolutely necessary First reviewed: December 2025 Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee



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