Video: Rotel A8 & Encel Gelati Review
Client Name
Living Entertainment
Date
April 2025
Category
Video
Lately, I’ve been talking to a lot of younger people, and some older ones as well, who are getting back into vinyl, CDs, and DVDs. Physical media is experiencing a bit of a resurgence. There’s definitely some pushback against the digital streaming realm. And I think a large part of that comes down to a sense of ownership. Songs disappear off Spotify. Movies vanish from Netflix. But a disc, whether it’s vinyl, a CD, or a DVD, I’ve got that forever. And more and more people are starting to appreciate that.
That’s led me on a bit of a journey. I want to have money left over to buy those records and CDs, but I also want a good-sounding system. What’s the best-sounding setup I can put together without breaking the bank? And not only that, I need something that fits well into my lounge room. It needs to blend with the aesthetics here. I don’t want something that stands out in a negative way.
And I think I might have found just the combo.
Now, I’m going to leave the turntable and CD player out of this equation. I already have a turntable at home, the Debut Carbon Evo, and a CD transport. So for those getting into this for the first time, we’ll focus purely on amplifier and speaker pairings.
Amplifier: Rotel A8
For my amplifier of choice, I’ve settled on the Rotel A8.
For many years, Rotel’s go-to entry-level integrated amplifier was the A10, an incredibly popular starter amp. But now, Rotel has released something that aims to sound just as good, and at an even lower price: the A8.
This is a very solid, well-built amp, especially at its $649 AUD RRP. It doesn’t feel like a budget piece of gear at all. I also love that it comes in both black and silver. I have the silver unit, and importantly, it’s not a fingerprint magnet. That might sound like a small thing, but if you’ve handled a lot of amps, you’ll know how common and annoying that can be.
What I really appreciate is the simplicity. This is a fully analog amplifier with just four inputs, none of them digital. There’s no Bluetooth, no streaming capabilities, just clean, simple analog.
It includes:
A phono input with a built-in moving magnet phono stage (which I used for testing),
A CD input,
A tuner input (for the radio fans), and
An auxiliary input (which most people will probably use to connect a phone via a headphone jack or dongle DAC for Spotify, YouTube Music, Tidal, etc.).
For those who like to tweak their sound, there are tone controls on the front, bass, treble, and balance. I kept them all at neutral during my testing. I did play around with them a bit, but found I didn’t really need to adjust anything in my listening space.
One of my favourite user-experience details, especially at this price point, is the ring of LEDs around the volume knob. The knob itself has a good feel to it—nice and stiff with a bit of resistance. The LEDs light up as you turn the volume, and they actually brighten the further you go, like increments within increments. So even though there’s no display, you can glance at it from across the room and instantly know what volume level it’s at. I found my sweet spot, at least with these speakers, was around the 10 o’clock position. That said, your mileage will vary depending on your room and speakers.
Overall, there’s clearly been a lot of thought put into the user experience of this amp. That’s great to see in an entry-level product.
Now, with 40 watts into 4 ohms and 30 watts into 8 ohms, you might think speaker pairing could be a bit hit-and-miss, and you’d be right. But again, it’s not just about wattage, it’s about the quality of those watts.
Speakers: Encel Gelati
For those unfamiliar, Encel is a hi-fi company based in Melbourne, Australia, with roots dating back to 1958.
One of their most exciting offerings, in my opinion, is the Gelati bookshelf speaker. The white model I’ve been featuring in this video may look unassuming, but here’s the cool part, they’re customizable.
You can choose from different cabinet finishes and grille colours. My personal favourite? Caramel walnut cabinets with pistachio green grilles. It reminds me of pistachio ice cream in a waffle cone. Anything that makes me think of that, I’m going to enjoy looking at!
This level of visual customization ties back into that lifestyle element I mentioned earlier. These are speakers you can tailor to your room before you even bring them home.
Specs-wise, the Gelati are:
Two-way bookshelf speakers
Rear-firing bass reflex port
5-inch Kevlar cone bass driver
1-inch dome tweeter
Frequency response: 50 Hz – 20 kHz
Sensitivity: 86 dB
Recommended power: 25–100 watts
That minimum power requirement of 25W makes them a great match for the Rotel A8.
Sound Quality
Mid-Range
Let’s start where this combo shines brightest: the mid-range.
It’s lush, smooth, and just slightly creamy. It’s not the most detailed mid-range ever (which you wouldn’t expect at this price), but it’s extremely listenable.
Guitars, for example, sound great, particularly on Darkside’s “Paper Trails” from their Psychic album. But the real standout moment for me came with Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime” (from the remastered Stop Making Sense). David Byrne’s vocals came through with natural timbre and clear separation from the backing vocals, even though they occupy a similar tonal range. There was no muddiness or bleeding in the mix.
If I had one critique here, it’s that the decay is on the fast side. I love speakers with a long, luxurious decay, and this pairing rolls off a little too quickly for my taste. That said, most listeners won’t notice, and it’s not something you typically get at this price anyway.
If you listen to a lot of acoustic music or male vocalists, you’ll really enjoy what this system delivers in the mids.
Bass
Next up: bass.
This setup isn’t going to blow your socks off in the low end. It’s a modest amp paired with small bookshelf speakers. But for what it is? I was genuinely impressed.
Back to “Paper Trails”, when the bass hits, you feel it. It’s not a gut punch, but there’s definite presence and even a bit of air movement in the room. It’s got a nice bit of texture, though the control could be tighter and the roll-off is a bit quick, again, much like the mids.
If you’re listening casually, it’s perfect. The bass doesn’t overwhelm or distract, and you don’t need to fiddle with settings. If you do want more low-end, you can dial it up with the bass control on the front of the A8, but be aware it gets a little flabby around the edges if pushed too far. I’d recommend leaving it neutral, but your room and preferences may vary.
Treble & Imaging
Now here’s where I was genuinely surprised, the treble and the imaging.
Listening to Mitski’s “Working for the Knife” off Laurel Hell, the imaging was fantastic. Not only was the stereo separation solid, but the system even produced a sense of height, something that’s rare in budget systems.
Layer after layer of guitars, synths, and vocals stacked onto each other as the track built, and the system never lost composure. Instruments stayed distinct, with a bold and full soundstage. While it doesn’t offer massive space between every instrument, you can easily identify where everything sits, you don’t even need to close your eyes. That’s an impressive achievement at this price.
And honestly, I’d gladly trade a bit of bass extension for this level of detail and imaging.
Texture
Finally, let’s talk about texture, which is a huge deal for me.
A great example is Icehouse’s “Sunrise” from Man of Colours. Iva Davies’ voice comes through with fantastic detail, you can really hear the nuances in his vocal performance. Even the synths carry a subtle, natural grain that gives them life.
For me, texture is what makes music tactile, what makes it feel alive. And this pairing really delivers on that front.
Final Thoughts
So, what does this all add up to?
This isn’t just a “nice-sounding” entry-level system. It’s a system that gives you a taste of high-end audio, detail, imaging, and texture that invite you to actually think about the music you're hearing. But it’s still versatile enough for casual background listening too.
Most beginner setups focus on warmth and smoothness, something easy and safe. This isn’t that. This is engaging. It rewards attention, but it doesn’t demand it.
And when you add the customization options of the Encel Gelati and the thoughtful user experience of the Rotel A8, like that LED volume ring, you’ve got something special.
Honestly, for the price, I don’t know that I could put together a more balanced, better-looking, or better-sounding system to start your hi-fi journey with.
