Great Preamp
Joel from Valley Vlg, CA on 3/7/2025
I replaced my prior Rotel preamp (had it for about 20 years with no issues) with a Rotel 1590 MK II. The new preamp is stellar and it's more inputs and a good internal DAC. I am running Sonus Faber Concertino speakers. The 1590 really opened up the sound stage and lets the speakers true character shine. The amp is neutral and doesn't add color which is a good thing as the Sonus Fabers are a bit on the warm side. I would recommend this preamp for those interested in great sound without having to crush the wallet. Overall I am quite pleased. As a further note the folks at Crutchfield are among the best that I have dealt with - shout out to Lee and Manny on the sales team. Great customer support.
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1 of 1 found this helpful
Great all around!
Steven from New York, NY on 10/29/2024
A lovely and firm sound emanates from this elegant device. What a pleasure. The versatility is also a feature - I love being able to record piano takes in 44.1 format and to hear them back with such fidelity. A really BIG step up from my trusty old Rotel receiver.
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3 of 3 found this helpful
So-So
Steven from Indian Trail, NC on 10/14/2024
The dac is mediocre. I bought it for the analogue section. That part is perhaps a 4 out of 10. The output voltage is too weak for quality gear. I'm going to switch to balanced out to see if it helps. It's probably fine for a backup preamp. Very little dynamics at low volume listening. I'd love to see Crutchfield carry more Hi-Fi (vs mid-fi). Such a good company.
Pros: It's ok.
Cons: Output voltage too low, low volume listening has very little dynamics. Who ever put the bright blue ring around the on-off should find another way to make a living.
4 of 9 found this helpful
Great system
Daniel from Granada Hills, CA on 9/6/2024
I bought the Rotel RC-1590MKII to replace an Onkyo receiver. It sounds much better than the receiver. I have it running to an Emotiva amp, a pair of KEF Q950 speakers, a Sennheiser HDV headphone amp, and Sennheiser 800S headphones. The controls are easy to use, and setting up the Bluetooth to my phone was quite easy. The only thing I don't like is where the power cord attaches to the back of the unit. Not the most snug connection, though it holds. Wish it had XLR Lineout for the headphone amp, but that is rare to find.
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3 of 3 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Vernon from Lagrange, GA on 8/11/2024
The unit is a great performer and I recommend it.
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2 of 2 found this helpful
Excellent product
Stephen from Lady Lake, FL on 7/17/2024
This is a very good preamp. Sounds wonderful. Very clear and articulate. The remote is easy to use and yes a backlit remote would be even better. ;) Streaming music at 24/96 is very enjoyable and I was quite happy with the phono input. The only bad thing I can say is I have a thousand LPs and because the sound quality is there I'm going to have to invest in an ultrasonic record cleaner. :)
Pros: The level of quality and functionality at this price point places the Rotel at the top of the heap. I have a 4 way system with dual subs and a 3 way crossover. The main balanced output 2 made integrating the subs easy as the volume control affects both outputs simultaneously. I could have used the pre out with an rca to balanced but this matched up the connections perfectly. Thank you Rotel !
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3 of 3 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Tim from Morgantown, WV on 7/8/2024
This was an upgrade from my Cambridge CXA 81 Mk II which had been running into a Rotel RB 1582 mk II amp into Focal Chora 926 speakers. I love the Cambridge and it now rules my upstairs sound system. I wasn't sure the Rotel pre would be an upgrade, and at first I was disappointed. It showed greater definition in the midrange and tighter bass, but the upper midrange was harsh and overbearing. Soprano sax and anything by Wayne Shorter was uncomfortable to listen to. So I let it run at low volume for 48 hours, and now I love it. Smooth across the spectrum, tight bass, great definition across instruments and voices and nice soundstage. I hear things I never heard before and it retains its musicality. Very happy with it.
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7 of 7 found this helpful
Perfect
Larry from CHICAGO, IL on 6/26/2024
This replaces my beloved 1562 Rotel AV Receiver which just passed away. I decided to separate 2 ch from AV duties. It's paired with my Rotel RB 1582 Mkii driving B&W CM10 towers. I didn't think I'd see such an improvement in imaging and sound stage but I have. My CM10s have another gear it seems. I no longer need my Cambridge DAC Magic200 for my WiiM pro, my Pro-Ject Tube Box S2 phono stage or my Lehmann Rhinelander Headphone Amp. Their onboard counterparts in this Pre-Amp are superb. Setup was easy and the remote is excellent. There are plenty of connections. Buy with confidence.
Pros: Great imaging and soundstage. Very musical. Excellent DAC, Phono and Headphone stages. Tons of connection options. Easy to set up.
Cons: A backlit remote would be nice.
3 of 3 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Scott from Brookfield, WI on 5/26/2024
1 of 1 found this helpful
Huge leap from 1986 to 2024!
Robert Alan from ALABASTER, AL on 4/22/2024
It was finally time for me to replace my Yamaha C80 preamp from 1986. This preamp blows me away as its soundstage is amazing. I'm hearing details in songs I'd never heard before. I love using its Bluetooth feature to listen to my playlists. I listen to it in bypass sound mode and it reproduces the full frequency range evenly from the lowest lows to the highest highs and everything in between. I've listened to every genre of music and I'm extremely pleased. Setup: 2 - Rotel RB980 Amps both bridged each driving a JBL L100T speaker along with Rotel RB990 Amp bridged via Audio Control's Ricther Scale crossover/EQ driving JBL B460 18" Subwoofer.
Pros: Amazing soundstage with a very full spectrum of sound. Easy setup and highly flexible with multiple preouts and a ton of different types of inputs. Ability to stream music via Bluetooth Easy to use
Cons: Remote is nice but wish it was backlit so I could see what I'm doing when listening in a low/no light setting. Power cord needs to be much longer. Thanks Rotel for supplying the decal to cover that extremely bright blue light surrounding its Power button.
2 of 2 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
christopher from Ottumwa on 3/16/2024
Was hesitant with this unit. And dam analog and digital. Performed like I haven't heard yet. I own a lot of other brands new and old.. I would put this unit a long with high priced units..
Pros: Great
Cons: None
5 of 8 found this helpful
Great Preamp!
Alexander from San Francisco, CA on 2/14/2024
The setup was pretty simple and had my music playing in no time. The unit feels solid and well built. It works great with my Rotel RCD-1572 MKII and T11. The sound was very clear. The volume dial is very smooth.
Pros: There is a good amount of inputs for both analog and digital
Cons: It doesn't decode Dolby Digital audio from OTA broadcasts.
1 of 2 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Jeff from Byron Center, MI on 2/4/2024
Excellent pre amp with lots of connections for a wide variety of components
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1 of 1 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Jason from Taylor, MI on 10/30/2023
Haven't had this very long, but super-impressed so far. Going from this into an Anthem 225 amp driving ML XT F100 speakers. Sound is so clear. Big Soundstage. Great tone on bass. Accurate, but not harsh in my opinion. Very dynamic.
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4 of 4 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Lewis from North Hollywood, CA on 8/14/2023
Really enjoy a beautiful clean sound, just set them up, easy peezy, we're in for long haul, love it.
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2 of 2 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Wesley from Encinitas, CA on 4/13/2023
This unit replaced a extremely good, but 40 year old preamp, an Electro Research EK-1. The upgrade to modern technology is very satisfying, remote control, USB and BlueTooth connections now. I'm very impressed with the audio quality after three days of listening and love the convenience of the remote.
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7 of 7 found this helpful
A serious upgrade in sound quality!!
Kim from Keller, TX on 4/6/2023
Was startled to hear the sound quality improvement from my Adcom GFP915.. Incredibly well built! Highs were smoother, lows were lower...!!
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3 of 3 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Edgardo from Rosenberg, TX on 2/9/2023
Great sound. Can't get wrong with this preamp.
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3 of 3 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Albert from Independence, KY on 1/23/2023
The Rotel RC-1590 brings extra energy to music playback. No matter the source I select. My albums made me listen more intently. My DVDs, the same. The DAC? Outstanding. This preamp provides something special. The soundstage is expansive and deep no matter the source. Instruments and vocals are accurately placed within that three-dimensional space, with plenty of air between them.
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7 of 8 found this helpful
Second Time is a Charm
Thomas from Palmdale, CA on 7/5/2022
Received first unit but RCA output to vintage amplifier didn't work. Received second unit works great. Customer service was great with quick turn around.
Pros: Nice build quality
Cons: Hard to see buttons on face even in light room but you remember where they are
2 of 3 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Michael from Marion, VA on 3/16/2022
Excellent clean sound. USB port on front allows easy access for digital music sources like iPad.
Pros: Reasonably priced
Cons: None
3 of 3 found this helpful
My mkii
Eric from Coatesville, PA on 3/15/2022
I really like the mkii. I'm using 2 mono amps powering Magnepan 1.7i's. Great number of analog/digital inputs. Nice sounding DAC, though it seems a tad bright. The more I use it the better it sounds. Nice hefty remote. I have not used turntable yet. I wish it had controls for subwoofer, and front panel button to turn off speakers for headphone usage. I'd also like an additional usb input. My sonic transport I5 streamer is currently connected. Would like another for computer. I'd definetly buy it again.
Pros: Good number of analog/digital inputs. Nice dac. Two subwoofer outputs
Cons: No subwoofer control. No front panel button to turn off speakers so you can listen to headphones.
5 of 5 found this helpful
Great upgrade - THANKS, Crutchfield - you made this so easy!
Victor from Schenectady, NY on 3/14/2022
Traded up from my old Rotel RC-990 BX for this Rotel RC-1590 MKII preamplifier. I prepared myself for a few minor improvements to the sound, along with a plethora of new plug-in options. WRONG! Was I surprised. After a few minor tweaks, everything seemed to come together. I was about to upgrade my pair of subs, wanting that extra bit of bass that makes the room shimmer and float with waves of low-end reverberation. I won't need that now. I listened to some old favorites - Bill Evans' Waltz for Debby - in remastered 180 gm vinyl. The sound-stage was astonishing. I could see Scott LaFaro's bass to the left of my speakers, slightly behind Bill's piano over to the right. I listened to Liberty Ellman's Ophiucious Butterfly on CD. Again the sound-stage was wide, open, and deep. The tuba sounded like it was in the room - almost on my lap. I wasn't prepared for this much of an improvement. Now I'm wondering if Crutchfield has an upgrade for my power amp. Just thinking...
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5 of 6 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Kathleen from Ludlow Falls, OH on 3/7/2022
Well worth the money. This pre amp does about everything.
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5 of 5 found this helpful
DAC and network not fully baked
Ali from Los Angeles, CA on 2/5/2022
The build quality of this preamplifier is excellent and volume knob and buttons feel good. It took me a while to unlock the higher sampling rate as this product only comes with a quick start guide and not a full manual. At this price, I expected a detailed printed manual. Even at the higher bit rate, the sound quality wasn't better than my $200 desktop DAC with balanced outputs. Both units were connected to a 250WPC amplifier and Klipsch Forte speakers. There is no built in application to access files on a NAS or online music service. It supposed to be compatible with Roon, but I'm not paying $700 extra to stream music to this device. The DAC and networking are afterthoughts; no effort was put into integrating them properly. They just took their existing preamplifier and slapped on the DAC and networking to add them to their features list. There is a front USB port, but it can only be used with apple devices. Great decision to prevent the majority of people to use the front USB ports with Android. There is a physical power button with a bright blue light that selects between off and standby/on modes. When the switch is off, so is the light, but the unit cannot be powered on with the remote. The remote only works when the button is in standby/on mode, however, in this mode the blue light stays on constantly. Rotel had been around for a long time, but they need to get some fresh blood to stay competitive instead of resting on their laurels.
Pros: - Excellent build quality - Warranty
Cons: - No application to access local music library or online music other than Roon, which costs $700 - Bright blue standby can't be turned off - Front USB only for apple - This price and no printed manual
11 of 20 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Samuel from Ooltewah, TN on 1/31/2022
3 of 4 found this helpful
It just works...
Thomas from Bethlehem, PA on 11/24/2021
What can I say, this unit just works. It sounds incredible, its built incredibly well, looks really sleek and has oodles upon oodles of inputs. I'm still breaking it in along with my amplifier and speakers, but so far so good! The only con I can think of (not worth taking away a star) is the network hardware is a little wonky. I cannot connect via DHCP for some reason and connecting via static IP only lasts for about a minute before it drops. I'll reach out to Rotel about this. Also, a major thanks to Andrew from Crutchfield tech support that assisted me with significantly reducing (not 100% eliminate) a ground loop/buzzing issue with the unit!
Pros: Sound quality, aesthetics, number of inputs.
Cons: Network hardware a little wonky.
3 of 3 found this helpful
Don't hesitate
Crutchfield customer from Ottumwa, IA on 11/23/2021
Not sure why I waited so long to upgrade from my older parasound preamplifier. Love this peace of art..
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8 of 11 found this helpful
If You Still Like 2 Ch Sound.
Crutchfield customer from Houston, TX on 10/31/2021
Very serviceable and good processor for those of us who still like 2 channel sound. I'm deducting a star due to the lack of HDMI inputs and outputs and am/fm tuner.
Pros: Easy to use and very good sound.
Cons: No am/fm tuner and hdmi inputs and outputs.
5 of 23 found this helpful
Etobicoke
Victor from Etobicoke on 10/12/2021
The RC-1590MKII and RB-1582MKII are capable of Sub Bass without Subs connected to the right speakers. I have both units and I use them for movies and music and I find the pair excellent for both formats. Music is detailed and Movies are very realistic. Infact Movies do sound like they're in Surround Sound even though in Stereo. The Bass is Deep too with explosions and with uncompressed Dance Music. My only complaint is the lack of the old school "Loudness Button" for nighttime listening.
Pros: Excellent without subs
Cons: No HDMI inputs
22 of 34 found this helpful
Rotel RC-1590 MKII
Crutchfield customer from Kennesaw, GA on 8/30/2021
Love this Preamp paired with my Rotel 1590 amplifier killer combo
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7 of 22 found this helpful
