Rotel RB-850 Power Amp Upgrade

Almost any Hi-Fi component can be upgraded to higher performance using our techniques and components. The two things go together – the know-how and the right component. Over the last 30 years, we have developed our knowledge of where the biggest problems lie and how to overcome them to unleash better performance from a given piece of equipment.


Back to the 80s! The Rotel RB-850 power amplifier appeared in the 1980s and offered excellent value for money with its dual mono 50W per channel specification. A June 1988 review of the RB-850 appeared in Hi-Fi News resulting in a rather glowing review by Paul Miller and we would have to agree. The RB-850 has the classic Rotel, clean and musical sound to it with lots of tight, deep bass.





The customer didn’t want to spend a huge amount on the upgrade, as it was deemed a fairly budget component, so we carefully picked parts and elements of the amp that would maximise getting the best out of it. The upgrade builds on the strengths of the amplifier. Everything you love about the sound remains – it just gets so much better.







16 significant component upgrades/changes are made across the power supply, analogue circuitry and output sockets. We also added a dedicated IEC socket. We use Russ's favoured audio grade Panasonic capacitors which give a smooth and detailed sound. The biggest change was the four, large reservoir caps.
The amplifier is completely disassembled and cleaned to gain access to key areas of upgrade. Post upgrade, the unit is then soak tested for 24 hours.



Above is the amplifier board prior to being upgraded.



Above is the amplifier upgraded. You can see the four, new reservoir capacitors fitted.
The power supply section is upgraded with Panasonic Audiograde Caps, Kimber TCX pure copper wire and a Silencer mains filter.







The 850 was a budget amp at the time, so corners were obviously cut. One of them was the poor quality binding posts. We upgraded these with our excellent, nickel plated posts which offer a far better interface between amp and cable.





In stock form the 850 has a captive mains lead… so this had to go.




If you don't have the exact model, but a similar variant, then we can also offer an upgrade for those players too! a very similar unit, then it's highly likely that the same or similar upgrades will apply. But we can't guarantee that until we have the unit here for inspection. Get in touch and let us know what you have.






Equipment upgrades are proving hugely popular. During peak times there may be a wait of several weeks before we can carry out the upgrade. So before we get your equipment here, it must be booked in so we can ensure a speedy turnaround of the upgrade. Once you have placed your order, we will contact you to arrange a suitable week and getting the equipment here.

In Person
For those of you who are local enough or if you fancy a trip to the lakes, you can drop off your equipment personally and then collect it when it’s complete or we can ship it back to you.

By Courier
We can arrange a courier collection of your equipment for an additional cost. We currently use UPS.
To make things easier, we can offer several collection options.

1. We can arrange a specific day for the courier to call and collect your equipment. Someone will need to be available all day at the collection address as we’re unable to arrange a time slot for collections.

2. Dropping off at a UPS Access Point. UPS use a network of local shops to deliver and collect parcels from and to. We can either post you a collection label or email you the label (you will need to print the label at home/work). Securely box up your equipment, affix the collection label to the outside of the box and take it to your preferred Access Point where you will be issued a receipt. UPS Access Points can be found here (link opens in a new window), simply enter your postcode to find your nearest one.

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Please note this is an upgrade modification, it does not include a Rotel RB-850 Power Amplifier.