ROTEL MICHI P5 STEREO PREAMPLIFIER
When Rotel shipped the Michi S5 stereo amplifier to me for review,1 they sent along a sample of its companion stereo preamplifier, the P5 ($4299.99), so that I could experience a complete Michi pairing. After a brief listen to that Michi combo, I decided to pair the S5 with my familiar reference for that review, the two-piece D’Agostino Momentum HD preamplifier ($42,500) and write a separate follow-up to Ken Micallef’s November 2020 review of the P5.
Whereas Ken’s review was heavy on vinyl,2 this follow-up relies exclusively on digital sources. That’s not because I consider one source superior to the other; rather, because I lack sufficient space for a vinyl rig and records, my system only plays files, Tidal and Qobuz streams, and occasionally silver discs. This works quite well with the P5, which comes with a built-in DAC that, through its USB input, decodes PCM up to 32/784, DSD up to DSD128, and MQA.
