Rotel Michi P5 & S5 Review

In the 1990s, Rotel specializing in high-value minimalist electronics introduced the Michi line. In Japanese “Michi” means “road” or “path” and the meaning of this name was precise to be able to outline a path to be proposed to offer high-level audio components without necessarily having to be very expensive. Their characteristic was also the design all products were finished in gunmetal grey with red lacquered wooden side panels.

The Michi line had vanished until the beginning of 2020 when the Michi brand was relaunched after a meticulous design and choice of components lasting over 3 years to guarantee the highest standards and above all to be able to proudly use the Michi logo. The positioning on the market is very high, clearly above the Rotel RC / RB TOP series.

Unlike the original, the products are all finished with a thin matte black coating and a front glass panel, which give the products a lot of elegance.

The Michi P5 – preamp includes a moving coil/moving magnet phono state, 2 AKM-based DAC chips capable of 32bit / 768kHz and MQA support, Bluetooth with aptX and AAC support, headphone jack, balanced inputs and outputs and unbalanced and fully balanced circuits. It features a built-in DAC, a phono preamp, there are bass and treble controls.

The P5 offers a complete assortment of analogue and digital inputs: selectable sources include analogue inputs (CD, Phono, Tuner, Aux 1 and 2 and XLR 1 and 2) and digital inputs (S / PDIF in coaxial (RCA) and optical versions (TosLink), as well as Ethernet, USB and Bluetooth). There is also an RS-232 port for the integration of home automation systems.

The 4 main outputs are 2 unbalanced (RCA) and balanced (XLR) pairs, there is also a mono subwoofer output and an unbalanced line output (RCA) that bypasses the volume control (this output cannot be used in case of use of MQA).

It is an excellent preamplifier with attention to every detail and the sound tuning was also carried out in collaboration with a Rotel design and engineering team with the support of Bowers & Wilkins. Every single component was chosen after long listening sessions and in some cases, such as toroidal transformers, they were commissioned ad-hoc to obtain better quality.

Rotel Michi P5 Specifications:

• Total harmonic distortion: <0.002%
• Frequency Response: 10Hz-100kHz (+/- 0.3dB)
• S / R ratio (A-weighted): 116dB
• XLR / RCA line input sensitivity: 160mV / 250mV
• MM / MC phono sensitivity: 2.5mV / 250microV
• RCA / XLR input impedance: 47kohm / 100kohm
• RCA / XLR input overload: 12V
• RCA / XLR output level: 1V / 2V
• Separation: <85dB
• Dimensions: 485x150x452mm
• Power supply: 230CA / 50Hz
• Full power / stby absorption: 40 / 0.5W
• BTU: 87 BTU / h
• Weight: 22.9kg

The S5 power amp, as in the best Rotel tradition, is class AB and delivers 500 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and 800 into 4 Ohms.

It is equipped with an exceptional heat dissipation system, formed by a tunnel chimney with fans that allows you to go to temperatures in a few minutes and be able to stay there even for powers delivered very close to the rated data. This system makes it particularly silent.

There are 32 power transistors and the double toroidal transformers have a capacity of 2200VA and are coupled to a 188000uF BHC capacitor bank to guarantee the liveliness of supply that distinguishes it.

The S5 is equipped with XLR and RCA inputs and the speaker terminals are plated with rhodium.

Rotel MICHI S5 Specifications:

• Stereo power amp. 2 × 500 W RMS into 8 ohms and 2 × 800 W into 4 ohms.
• Class A / B circuit design. Completely Dual mono construction.
• High current final stages, employing 32 transistors (16 per channel).
• Dual 2,200 VA custom toroidal transformers.
• Selected components. 4 x 188.000uF Slit-Foil BHC capacitors.
• Front colour OLED display, peak power and spectrum analyzer.
• Balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA input.
• Double output terminals for each channel.
• RS-232. 12V trigger.
• Remote control supplied. Weight: 59.9Kg.

Design, Usability and Sound

The design of the historic Michi brand was very particular and distinctive of the Japanese style: very elegant lines and embellished with red side panels.

The design of the current Michi P5 is also in this case very elegant, clean and efficient, reflecting the current standards of elegance and is therefore very minimalist. The symmetry of the knobs, the glass front panel and the elegant anodized aluminium case and the curved corners make it a product that is well suited to any style of furniture. The P5 is equipped with 4 aluminium feet specially designed and made of an anti-vibration material.

All setting settings are made via remote control and among the possible customizations, there is the possibility to rename the inputs to make them more identifiable and decide whether or not each input is subjected to tone and volume control or should be fixed at a level.

The Michi is equipped on the front panel with a high-resolution OLED display: in the P5 for adjusting the functions and Volume and in the S5 as a VU-meter or acoustic spectrum analyzer. This display mode is very interesting.

The appearance, colour and lines do not let us imagine that we are dealing with two components of almost 23 kg the P5 and 60 kg the S5, so we recommend that you pay attention to the place where you want to place them.

From the point of view of listening, the pairing P5 S5 immediately confirmed its potential through a spatial rendering of sound that allows us to distinguish the precise positioning within the acoustic scene. Each musical genre has confirmed this clear and solid line.

In the analogue format, we appreciated the spaciousness both in terms of depth and width of the soundstage, the never-sibilant treble and the depth and precise attack of the bass.

The DAC of the P5 can support the MQA format that we have enjoyed through Tidal. Also in this case the perceived sounds were very clear and defined. Also, we could hear sounds never heard before – like cymbals in the background or a second accompanying voice.

We were pleasantly surprised by this improvement where every tool appears distinguishable and at the same time “intimate”. You can enjoy more “full” plays now and then almost “otherworldly”.

The supplied remote control can be said to be among the best; essential, no-frills, in metal and perfectly finished. A complement in line with the design of a product of this level.

CONCLUSIONS

The Michi P5 and S5 did not disappoint us! We approached this review with a little fear, but the renowned MICHI brand has proven what it’s made of. Competence, professionalism and performance are the words to remember when thinking about these hi-fi products.

The P5 performed well on all fronts (analogue / digital) and the MQA has practically entranced us with the wealth of details never heard in the upper part. Very open, sculpted scene and details on all instruments.

The combination with the S5 ending allowed us to enjoy delicious music, deep, spatial and with great clarity. He left us the curiosity to be able to appreciate these characteristics on all the songs dear to us.

A point of reference in the world of High-End.

Recommended in this price range… but pay attention to the weight!