Integrated Amplifiers

Strictly speaking, Rotel founder Tomiko 'Tac' Tachikawa entered the hi-fi business long before he started the brand in 1961. In the four years prior, his factory adapted TVs and manufactured audio products on an OEM basis for third parties. These origins probably explain why Rotel quickly grew from humble beginnings into a mainstay of the Japanese hi-fi scene. A global reach then followed quickly, with a milestone moment in the late 1970s when the brand began to focus on no-frills audio components that prioritised performance, instead of joining the 'feature wars' that were raging at the time. Transformers were identified as being key to sound quality, Rotel winding its own, while it refined its 'Balanced Design' concept around the principles of parts selection, circuit design and 'critical evaluation'. Engineering work in Japan and manufacturing in China was aided by a UK-based research lab.

In 1985 Rotel launched its first CD player, the RCD-850 utilising 16-bit Burr-Brown PCM54HP DACs, and it was around this time it allied itself with Bowers & Wilkins in the US and many European markets for distribution. Unusually for a company of its stature, Rotel still remains a family business, currently headed by Peter Kao, a nephew once removed of founder Tomiko Tachikawa.