Veteran audio brand Rotel has introduced the C8 and C8+ Custom Installation Amplifiers to its lineup of electronics for the integration industry.

The new Class AB amplifiers leverage Rotel’s 60 years of audio engineering heritage, the company says, and provide eight channels of high-performance multizone audio for dealers’ distribution needs.

Rotel states the amplifiers are powered by an oversized, in-house manufactured toroidal transformer driving an array of high-current dedicated output devices, to power “even the most demanding loudspeakers in critical listening zones.”

More specifically, the C8 Custom Installation Amplifier ($2,599) delivers 70 watts of power per channel into 4-ohm loads, while the C8+ Custom Installation Amplifier ($3,199) provides 150 watts per channel into 4-ohm loads, with all channels driven.

Zone outputs are bridgeable to create even more power output per channel, the company adds, and the auto-sensing, auto-switching PA Override feature ensures installation flexibility.

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Both units incorporate four analog source inputs available to all zone outputs via internal matrix switching, and integrators can customize with independent volume, balance, bass and treble settings.

The C8+ unit also includes two optical and two coaxial digital inputs supporting 24-bit/192kHz audio matrixed to the outputs, Rotel says.

Rotel C8 & C8+ Cater to Whole-House Integration

On the front panel of each amplifier is a graphic display with controls to facilitate user-friendly setup and operation including selection of the active matrixed input source and volume control of each zone in real-time.

Speaker terminals use detachable Phoenix connectors with secure screw-locking mechanisms for prewire installation. The Custom Installation Amps offer Ethernet, RS232 and 12V trigger connections for integration with popular control systems, Rotel adds.

For rack installation, Rotel says the products’ 2U space chassis does not require top or bottom clearance spacing for efficient rack-mounting with the included rack ears.

Rotel says the C8 and C8+ will be available in the U.S. in black finish through authorized dealers with shipments beginning in May 2022.