Rockville RPA16 Review (Pro Amplifier)

[MaxBuck]

Fan in any home hifi device is no no for me.

I agree, but this isn't a hifi device. Not intended to be.

This looks like a terrific and cost-effective product for the correct application. It'd be great for driving passive patio speakers by poolside, or in a commercial setting.

 

[digicidal]

While I would normally agree with the "shop amp" and "poolside amp" potential use cases... fan-forced cooling isn't a preferred design choice in either. Although, considering the price - if you need (?) the power, you can probably replace this every 2 years and still save money.

 

[mhardy6647]

I think the intended market is in the company name "Rockville".

They had an acrimonious split with Rollburg some years back...

 

[blahgod]

I've had this amp for about 18 months powering 2x sealed um18s. When purchased it was only $300, which seemed worth trying at the price.

While no doubt underpowered for the max output on the drivers the amp can rattle my walls to the point of being annoying. So I haven't felt the need to upgrade.

I am not certain I have ever heard the fan running. Even when watching something like the new Godzilla with nonstop rumbling it doesn't appear to be constant enough to heat up enough to run the fan hard enough to notice @ 13 feet from my listening position.

It does run if I blast ghetto music with tons of synthetic bass but the room is always far too loud to hear the fans.


Could anyone comment on how much quality I am potentially losing with the issues pointed out in Amrims measurements? My in-room response at my listening position is fairly linear. What would this issue produce in a subwoofer sound?

Thanks for any info.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

I've had this amp for about 18 months powering 2x sealed um18s. When purchased it was only $300, which seemed worth trying at the price.

While no doubt underpowered for the max output on the drivers the amp can rattle my walls to the point of being annoying. So I haven't felt the need to upgrade.

I am not certain I have ever heard the fan running. Even when watching something like the new Godzilla with nonstop rumbling it doesn't appear to be constant enough to heat up enough to run the fan hard enough to notice @ 13 feet from my listening position.

It does run if I blast ghetto music with tons of synthetic bass but the room is always far too loud to hear the fans.


Could anyone comment on how much quality I am potentially losing with the issues pointed out in Amrims measurements? My in-room response at my listening position is fairly linear. What would this issue produce in a subwoofer sound?

Thanks for any info.

You're likely not loosing much if you're using this amp to power subwoofers. It has flat low frequency response which is important <20Hz. The only potential issue is asking the amp to supply very high power on a continuous basis since it is deficient in heatsinking, and the fan cannot dissipate all the waste heat. But if you're not having problems in that area, you should be ok. I wouldn't say that this amplifier will have enough long term reliability to pass down to your grandchildren, so it's likely to end up as more crud in the landfill, which is not great.

 

[mhardy6647]

responsible post: I wonder what the lifespan of these amplifiers is like?

irresponsible post: At least they didn't "leverage" the venerable Rockwell name...

 

[ebslo]

responsible post: I wonder what the lifespan of these amplifiers is like?

irresponsible post: At least they didn't "leverage" the venerable Rockwell name...

It made me think more of this:

 

[Tom C]

I like the running panther. Reminds me of Rocky in training. Seems like it should be for a champ of an amp. Or one that’s fighting for champ status.

 

[mhardy6647]

I like the running panther. Reminds me of Rocky in training. Seems like it should be for a champ of an amp. Or one that’s fighting for champ status.

Shouldn't there be some little pink ceramic steps, then?

(sorry... sorry! )

 

[milosz]

Is it really a good idea - is it fair? - to put these sound-reinforcement amps into the same chart as amplifiers designed for the transparency buyers want in home hi-fi, like the Benchmark? Shouldn't there be a separate category for sound reinforcement amps? Comparing an amp like this to amps like the Benchmark is an apples-to-oranges comparison- like comparing a Ford Transit to a Porsche 911. The transit is fine for its intended commercial purpose, but if you compare 0-to-60 times and skidpad handling g-force, the Transit looks like a piece of junk. And the test of the Porsche measures performance but not cargo capacity, at which the Transit excels....

 

[mhardy6647]

The transit is fine for its intended commercial purpose, but if you compare 0-to-60 times and skidpad handling g-force, the Transit looks like a piece of junk. And the test of the Porsche measures performance but not cargo capacity, at which the Transit excels....

So - to complete the analogy, 'cause I ain't getting it, frankly - in what parameters do the sound reinforcement amps "look... like a piece of junk" compared to the "audiophile" amplifiers? EDIT: or vice versa?

On paper, the only thing that possibly comes to mind for me is the use of active cooling in a "pro" amp, which could be an issue in terms of in-room dynamic range, as the fan won't be arbitrarily quiet.

Otherwise, we're in the realm of jaw dropping PRaT and whatnot for the Porsche, I mean, audiophile amp, aren't we?

 

[Justin Ayers]

Headless panther because it lies about the 10,000 watts.

I don't really see any grey area, given that fact. Any product that is based on lies, especially huge lies, deserves absolute scorn.

 

[threni]

AS R.E.M. once sang, "Don't go back to Rockville"!