Rotel RX-975 User Manual

Owner’s Manual

RX-975

AM/FM Stereo Receiver

RX-975 AM/FM Stereo Receiver

2

WARNING:

There are no user serviceable parts inside. Refer all
servicing to qualified service personnel.

WARNING:

To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not
expose the unit to moisture or water. Do not allow
foreign objects to get into the enclosure. If the unit
is exposed to moisture, or a foreign object gets into
the enclosure, immediately disconnect the power cord
from the wall. Take the unit to a qualified service
person for inspection and necessary repairs.

Read all the instructions before connecting or operating the
component. Keep this manual so you can refer to these safety
instructions.

Heed all warnings and safety information in these instruc­tions and on the product itself. Follow all operating instruc­tions.

Clean the enclosure only with a dry cloth or a vacuum cleaner.
You must allow 10 cm or 4 inches of unobstructed clearance

around the unit. Do not place the unit on a bed, sofa, rug, or
similar surface that could block the ventilation slots. If the
component is placed in a bookcase or cabinet, there must be
ventilation of the cabinet to allow proper cooling.

Keep the component away from radiators, heat registers, stoves,
or any other appliance that produces heat.

The unit must be connected to a power supply only of the type
and voltage specified on the rear panel of the unit.

Connect the component to the power outlet only with the sup­plied power supply cable or an exact equivalent. Do not modify
the supplied cable in any way. Do not attempt to defeat ground­ing and/or polarization provisions. Do not use extension cords.

Do not route the power cord where it will be crushed, pinched,
bent at severe angles, exposed to heat, or damaged in any
way. Pay particular attention to the power cord at the plug
and where it exits the back of the unit.

The power cord should be unplugged from the wall outlet if
the unit is to be left unused for a long period of time.

Immediately stop using the component and have it inspected
and/or serviced by a qualified service agency if:

• The power supply cord or plug has been damaged.

• Objects have fallen or liquid has been spilled into the unit.

• The unit has been exposed to rain.

• The unit shows signs of improper operation

• The unit has been dropped or damaged in any way
Place the unit on a fixed, level surface strong enough to sup-

port its weight. Do not place it on a moveable cart that could
tip over.

NOTE TO CATV SYSTEM INSTALLER:

Call the CATV system or antenna installer’s attention to Ar­ticle 820-40 of the NEC. This provides guidelines for proper
grounding and, in particular, specifies that the cable ground
shall be connected to the grounding system of the building,
as close to the pint of cable entry as practical. See installa­tion diagram.

NOTE:

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the
limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause interference to radio or TV commu­nications. There is no guarantee that interference will not occur
in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause in­terference to radio or television reception, which can deter­mined by turning the equipment off and on, try to correct
the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the unit and the televi­sion tuner.

• Connect the unit to an AC power outlet on a different elec­trical circuit.

• Consult your authorized Rotel retailer for assistance.

3

English

Figure 1: Controls and Connections

RX-975 AM/FM Stereo Receiver

Figure 2: RR-949 Remote Control

4

31

32

33

34

35

37

38

39

Figure 3: Antenna Connections

36

5

English

Figure 4: Input Connections

RX-975 AM/FM Stereo Receiver

Figure 5: Output Connections

6

7

Contents

English

Figure 1: Controls and Connections 3

Figure 2: RR-949 Remote Control 4

Figure 3: Antenna Connections 4

Figure 4: Input Connections 5

Figure 5: Output Connections 6

About Rotel ...........................................8

Getting Started ...................................... 8

Unpacking 8

Placement 8

Main Operating Controls ......................... 8

Power Switch and Standby Switch 8

Remote Sensor 9

Front Panel Display 9

Master Volume 9

Tone Controls 9

Balance Control 9

Headphones Jack 9

Speaker Button and Speaker LEDs 9

MEMORY Button 9

PRESET AUTO SCAN Button
[SHIFT] MUTE 11

TV/BAND Button 11

TUNE/PRESET Button
[SHIFT] TV/BAND 11

CH TUNING Buttons 11

INPUT SOURCE Buttons 12

NUMERIC Buttons 12

Rear Panel Connections ........................ 12

Phono Inputs and Phono Ground 12

CD Inputs 12

Tape Inputs and Outputs 12

VIDEO 1 Inputs/Outputs 12

VIDEO 2 – 5 Inputs 12

TV Monitor Output 12

Speaker Outputs 12

Preamp Inputs/Outputs 13

Antenna Connections ............................ 13

AM Loop Antenna 13

FM Wire Antenna 13

Input Source Buttons 9

Tuning Controls .................................... 10

BAND Button 10

TUNING Button 10

NUMERIC Buttons: Station Presets 10

FREQUENCY DIRECT Button 10

MONO Button 10

RR-949 Remote Control .......................11

AUDIO Button 11

Programming the RR-949 11

POWER Button 11

VOLUME Buttons 11

SHIFT Button 11

MUTE Button 11

AC Power Connections .......................... 14

AC Input 14

AC Convenience Outlet
[USA version only] 14

Remote External Sensor 14

Specifications .......................................15

Audio 15

Video 15

FM Tuner 15

AM Tuner 15

General 15

RX-975 AM/FM Stereo Receiver

8

About Rotel

A family whose passionate interest in mu­sic led them to manufacture high fidelity com­ponents of uncompromising quality founded
Rotel over 30 years ago. Through the years
that passion has remained undiminished and
the family goal of providing exceptional value
for audiophiles and music lovers regardless
of their budget, is shared by all Rotel em­ployees.

The engineers work as a close team, listen­ing to, and fine tuning each new product
until it reaches their exacting musical stan­dards. They are free to choose components
from around the world in order to make that
product the best they can. You are likely to
find capacitors from the United Kingdom and
Germany, semi conductors from Japan or
the United States, while toroidal power trans­formers are manufactured in Rotel’s own
factory.

Rotel’s reputation for excellence has been
earned through hundreds of good reviews
and awards from the most respected review­ers in the industry, who listen to music ev­ery day. Their comments keep the company
true to its goal - the pursuit of equipment that
is musical, reliable and affordable.

All of us at Rotel, thank you for buying this
product and hope it will bring you many hours
of enjoyment.

Getting Started

Thank you for purchasing the Rotel RX-975
AM/FM Stereo Receiver. The RX-975 is three
products in one:

1. A full-featured audio/video control cen­ter for analog audio and video source
components

2. A high-quality AM/FM tuner with 30
station presets, direct access tuning, and
auto-tuning.

3. A high power 2-channel amplifier.

Rotel’s Balanced Design Concept combines
advanced circuit board layout, comprehen­sive parts evaluation, and extensive listen­ing tests for superior sound and long term
reliability. We are confident that you will en­joy the high performance of your Rotel
RX-975 for years to come.

In addition, the RX-975 includes a univer­sal remote control that is factory programmed
operate the RX-975 and can be programmed
to operate up to seven other components of
your choice, providing the convenience of
whole-system control from a single remote.

Unpacking

Remove the unit carefully from its packing.
Look for the handheld remote control and
other accessories. Save the packing and box
as it will protect the RX-975 if you move or
need to return it for maintenance.

Placement

Make sure there is enough room behind the
RX-975 for easy hookup. Remember, you are
connecting many other components to this
unit and you’ll probably need more space
than you think.

Don’t stack other objects (components or
other items) on top of the RX-975. Don’t let
water fall into the RX-975 as this could dam­age delicate circuitry.

Main Operating Controls

We suggest you look over the RX-975’s front
and rear panels before you start connect­ing other components to it. The following ex­planations will help you get familiar with the
units connections, features, and controls, with
number references corresponding to the il­lustrations at the front of this manual.

Most functions are duplicated on the front
panel and on the remote control shipped with
your unit. A few may be available only on
one or the other. When two reference num­bers appear, one refers to the location of
the button on the front panel, the other to
the location of the button on the handheld
remote control.

NOTE

: Front panel controls and displays used

for tuning the AM/FM receiver are de­scribed in the next section of this manual.

POWER Switch and
STANDBY Switch

Place the RX-975 on a solid, dry, level sur­face away from direct sunlight, excessive
heat, high humidity, or strong vibrations.

The RX-975 can generate considerable heat
during normal operation. Do not block its
ventilation openings. Allow a minimum of
10 cm (4 inches) of unobstructed open space
around the unit. If installed in a cabinet, make
sure that there is adequate ventilation.

Make sure the RX-975 is close to the other
components in your audio/video system and,
if possible, place it on its own shelf. This will
make initial cable routing, hookup, and any
subsequent system changes easier. It also
minimizes potential interference or heat
buildup from other components.

The RX-975 has two pushbuttons for pow­ering on and off. The POWER switch com­pletely shuts down all of the circuitry, simi­lar in effect to removing the power cord from
the AC outlet. The STANDBY switch deacti­vates the unit, but preserves power to some
circuits such as those that store memorized
circuits. When in STANDBY mode, a front
panel STANDBY LED indicator lights. The
STANDBY switch is duplicated on the
RX-975's remote.

9

English

In normal operation, use the STANDBY switch
to deactivate the unit when you are finished
listening and leave the POWER switch ON
at all times. This will preserve memory func­tions.

NOTE

: The STANDBY switch also controls

the rear panel AC outlets. When the RX-975
is in STANDBY mode, the AC outlet is also
off. When the RX-975 is fully functional, the
AC outlet is live.

Remote Sensor

This sensor receives infrared signals from the
handheld remote control. Make sure you do
not accidentally block this sensor with cables
or accessories.

Front Panel Display

The large fluorescent display in the upper
portion of the RX-975 provides status infor­mation used in operating the AM/FM re­ceiver (such as station frequency display,
band, preset memory, etc.).

MASTER VOLUME

The MASTER VOLUME control adjusts the
level of all output channels simultaneously.
Rotate the control clockwise to increase the
volume. Rotate counterclockwise to decrease
the volume. MASTER VOLUME buttons are
also available on the RX-975's handheld re­mote control.

BALANCE Control

Turn the BALANCE control clockwise to in­crease the output level of the right channel
speakers. Turn counterclockwise to increase
the output level of the left channel speakers.
The center detent position removes the control
from the circuit and provides equal output
from both left and right channels.

HEADPHONES Jack

This jack accepts a standard 1/4 inch ste­reo headphone plug. Use an adaptor if your
headphones have the smaller mini-plug.
Inserting a headphone plug will automati­cally disable all speaker outputs.

SPEAKER Button and
SPEAKER LEDs

The RX-975 provides output connections for
two pairs of speakers: A and B. The SPEAKER
BUTTON controls which pairs of speakers
outputs, if any, are active. A pair of SPEAKER
LED indicators located to the left of the DIS­PLAY shows the current speaker selection.
Press the SPEAKER button repeatedly to step
sequentially through the four available
speaker options:

•

Speakers A active (LED A only lit)

•

Speakers B active (LED B only lit)

•

Speakers A and B active (both LEDs lit)

•

All speakers off (no LEDs lit)

Input Source Buttons

Ten large front panel buttons directly select
an audio or video input source (such as a
CD player, the built-in tuner, a tape recorder,
video sources, etc.) for listening. Push any
of these buttons (or the duplicates on the
handheld remote) to select the desired source.
You will hear this source and, if you have
selected a video source, see its picture on
your TV monitor. The front panel display will
show the current source selection.

TAPE MONITOR Buttons: Two of the IN­PUT SOURCE buttons have a special func­tion. The TAPE 1 and TAPE 2 MONITOR
buttons activate the audio inputs of a tape
monitor loop consisting of a pair of outputs
and a matching set of inputs. Normally, this
tape monitor loop is used to play a tape deck
connected to these inputs or for real time
monitoring of a recording in progress on an
audio tape deck. Alternatively, the tape
monitor loop could be used to pass a sig­nal to a graphic equalizer and listen to the
processed signal by pressing the correspond­ing TAPE MONITOR button. An indicator ap­pears in the front panel display when TAPE
2 MONITOR is activated.

When you adjust the volume, a bar indica­tor in the display shows the volume setting.

TONE Controls

BASS and TREBLE controls increase and
decrease the audio signal’s low and high
frequency content respectively. Rotate clock­wise to increase output in the respective fre­quency range and counterclockwise to re­duce it. The center detent removes each
control from the audio path for maximum
signal integrity.

NOTE

: Inserting a headphone plug into the

headphone jack disables all speaker out­puts, regardless of the SPEAKER button set­ting.

MEMORY Button

The MEMORY button is used to confirm and
memorize tuner station presets. Its use is
described in detail in the Tuning Controls sec­tion of this manual.

RX-975 AM/FM Stereo Receiver

10

Tuning Controls

The RX-975 features a digital synthesized
AM/FM tuner with 30 station presets. Op­eration of the tuning functions involves the
use of a row of numeric buttons and five large
buttons below the MASTER VOLUME knob.

BAND Button

The BAND button selects whether the tuner
is in AM or FM mode. Press the button to
toggle back and forth between AM and FM.
A corresponding indicator will light at the
left portion of the front panel display to
confirm your choice and the currently tuned
station frequency will be shown.

TUNING Button

This rocker switch (or pair of buttons labeled
CH UP/DOWN on the remote control) pro­vides two different tuning functions, depend­ing on the mode of operation.

In the normal FREQUENCY TUNING
mode, press a TUNING button and release

to manually jump to the next station frequency,
regardless of whether or not a station is
broadcasting on that frequency. For auto scan
tuning, press and hold the TUNING button
for approximately one second. An AUTO in­dicator will appear in the front panel dis­play and the tuner will begin automatically
scanning up or down through the frequen­cies until the next available station is detected.
If this is not the desired station, repeat the
automatic tuning procedure to find the next
station. Weak stations will be skipped dur­ing auto tuning.

In the PRESET TUNING mode, press a
TUNING button and release to jump to the
next memorized station preset. Switch be­tween FREQUENCY and PRESET tuning
modes by pressing the SHIFT button and then
the BAND/TV button on the remote control.
A PRESET indicator appears in the display
when PRESET TUNING is activated.

NOTE

: Several indicators in the front panel

display assist tuning. A large display shows
the tuned frequency and increases or de­creases during tuning. A TUNED indicator
lights when a sufficiently strong signal is
received. A ST indicator lights when a ste­reo FM signal is received.

NUMERIC Buttons: Station
Presets

The RX-975 can store up to 30 station pre­sets for recall at any time using the NUMERIC
buttons. To memorize a station:

1. Tune to the desired station, AM or FM.

2. Press the MEMORY button on the front
panel. A MEMORY indicator will flash
for five seconds in the front panel display.

3. While the MEMORY indicator is flashing,
press the number of the preset where you
wish to store the station frequency. For
example, to memorize the station as
preset 3, press the 3 button. To memo­rize preset 15, press the 1 button followed
by the 5 button.

4. A previously stored frequency is erased
from memory when a new frequency is
memorized for the same preset number.

To tune to a previously memorized
station, just press the preset number
on the NUMERIC buttons. For example,

to tune to preset 3, press the 3 button. To
tune to preset 15, press the 1 button and
then press the 5 button.

NOTE

: If the TUNER is not already the se-

lected INPUT SOURCE, selecting a station
preset will automatically switch to the
TUNER input and tune the memorized sta­tion.

The NUMERIC buttons can also be used for
direct access tuning (see below).

FREQUENCY DIRECT Button

If you know the frequency of the desired
station, you may tune it directly using the
FREQUENCY DIRECT button and the NU­MERIC buttons.

1. Press the FREQUENCY DIRECT button to
change the NUMERIC buttons from sta­tion preset to Direct Access mode. The
station frequency in the front panel dis­play will change to a series of four bars,
representing the digits of a station fre­quency, with the first bar flashing.

2. Enter the first digit of the station frequency
using the NUMERIC buttons. The digit will
appear in the frequency display and the
second bar will flash. Enter the remain­ing digits of the frequency. When all of
the digits have been entered, the tuner
will automatically tune to the displayed
station frequency.

NOTE

: On the USA version only, pressing

1 in the FM mode will enter 10 as the
digit in the frequency display. On the Eu­ropean version, it is necessary to press 1
and then 0 to enter 10. For US FM sta­tions, press only one digit following the
decimal point as shown in the first ex­ample below. For European FM stations,
press two digits following the decimal
point as show in the second example.

EXAMPLES:

(USA FM) 87.50MHz Press 8>7>5
(Europe FM) 87.50MHz Press 8>7>5>0
(all AM) 1610kHz Press 1>6>1>0

MONO Button

The MONO button changes the FM mode
from stereo reception to mono reception. In
stereo mode, a stereo signal will be heard
if the station is broadcasting a stereo sig­nal and there is sufficient signal strength. A
stereo indicator will light in the front panel
display. In mono mode, a mono signal will
be heard even if the station is broadcasting
a stereo signal.

NOTE

: Switching to mono mode can be a

useful way to improve the reception of weak
or distant FM signals. Less signal strength
is required for clean mono reception than
for stereo reception.

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English

RR-949 Remote Control

The RX-975 includes a handheld remote
control that does far more than operate the
RX-975. The RR-949 is a full-function program­mable remote control that can operate up
to 8 audio/video components.

A separate manual, included with the remote,
gives detailed information on programming
and using the RR-949 to replace all of the
remote controls in your system. This section
is intended to provide only that information
which pertains to the use of the RR-949 to
operate the RX-975.

NOTE

: Many functions duplicate the RX-975

front panel controls and are listed here only
for your reference. Please refer to the pre­vious Front Panel Controls section of this
manual if you need additional information.

AUDIO Button

To operate the RX-975 with the remote, make
sure that the AUDIO mode is active by press­ing the AUD button on the remote before you
start. If it is active, pressing command keys
on the RR-949 will cause the AUDIO button
to flash red. Once the AUDIO mode is ac­tive, it will stay active unless you press one
of the other DEVICE buttons to control a dif­ferent component.

Programming the RR-949

The RR-949 is preprogrammed from the
factory to operate the RX-975. Should the
AUDIO command set on your RR-949 not
operate the RX-975, it’s possible that the
programming has been inadvertently
changed. To program the remote to

operate the RX-975, set the AUDIO
Code = 001:

1. Press the AUDIO button at the top of the
remote while simultaneously pressing the
MUTE button and hold both for at least
one second. The AUDIO button will light
in red for 20 seconds, indicating that you
have entered the program mode. The next
step must be done within this 20 second
period, or the RR-949 will revert to its
standard operating mode.

2. Use the NUMERIC buttons to enter the
3-digit code (001) for the RX-975 – press
0, then 0, then 1. The AUDIO button will
flash each time you enter a digit.

3. Store the code number by pressing the
corresponding AUDIO button again. The
button will blink twice to confirm the stor­age of the code in memory.

POWER Button

Duplicates the function of the STANDBY
switch on the front panel. Press to activate
the RX-975. Press again to deactivate. The
main POWER button on the front panel must
be in the ON position for the remote standby
function to operate.

VOLUME Buttons

A pair of buttons which duplicate the func­tion of the front panel volume control. Press
VOLUME UP to increase the volume and press
VOLUME DOWN to decrease the volume.

SHIFT Button

Used to access secondary functions on sev­eral RR-949 buttons. Press the SHIFT button
and then the desired button.

MUTE Button

Push this button once to turn the sound off.
A mute indication will appear in the front
panel display. Press the MUTE button again
to restore previous volume levels.

PRESET AUTO SCAN Button
[SHIFT] MUTE

This shift function activates a PRESET SCAN­NING feature. Press the SHIFT button and
then the MUTE button to scan through all
memorized station presets, playing each for
five seconds before moving to the next. To
stop the station scanning on the desired sta­tion preset, press the MUTE button again.

TV/BAND Button

Duplicates the AM/FM button on the front
panel. Toggles between AM and FM modes.

TUNE/PRESET Button
[SHIFT] TV/BAND

The TUNE/PRESET button toggles between
FREQUENCY TUNING mode (the CH TUN­ING buttons advance to the next station fre­quency) and PRESET TUNING mode (the CH
TUNING Buttons advance to the next memo­rized station preset). To change modes, press
the SHIFT button and then the TV/BAND but­ton. A PRESET indicator in the front panel
DISPLAY will light when the PRESET mode
is active.

CH TUNING Buttons

A pair of buttons, labeled CH UP/DOWN,
which duplicates the functions of the front
panel TUNING button.

In the normal FREQUENCY TUNING
mode, press a CH button and release to

manually jump to the next station frequency,
regardless of whether or not a station is
broadcasting on that frequency. For auto scan
tuning, press and hold the CH button for ap­proximately one second. An AUTO indica­tor will appear in the front panel display and
the tuner will begin automatically scanning
up or down through the frequencies until the
next available station is detected. If this is
not the desired station, repeat the automatic
tuning procedure to find the next station.
Weak stations will be skipped during auto
tuning.

In the PRESET TUNING mode, press a
CH button and release to jump to the next
memorized station preset. Switch between
FREQUENCY and PRESET tuning modes by
pressing the SHIFT button and then the
BAND/TV button on the remote control. A
PRESET indicator appears in the display when
PRESET TUNING is activated.

RX-975 AM/FM Stereo Receiver

12

INPUT SOURCE Buttons

Two rows of buttons duplicate the function
of the ten INPUT SOURCE buttons on the front
panel. Select an input source by pressing
the appropriate button. The AUX 1 and AUX
2 buttons correspond to the front panel
VIDEO 4 and VIDEO 5 buttons.

NUMERIC Buttons

Ten numeric buttons, labeled 0 through 9,
duplicate the function of the NUMERIC but­tons on the front panel. Selects memorized
station presets.

Rear Panel Connections

The RX-975 provides rear panel connections
for five video sources, three audio sources,
and a phono input for use with a turntable.
These connections include standard RCA
audio inputs and outputs plus composite video
inputs and outputs.

The RX-975 includes two pairs of speaker
connections for the built-in power amplifier
as well as RCA preamp outputs for use with
external amplifiers. In addition, a compos­ite video output connects the unit to your TV
monitor.

NOTE

: DO NOT plug any system compo-

nent into an AC source until system hookup
is complete and you are confident that all
component-to-component connections have
been properly made.

All video cables should have a 75
ohm impedance rating. Although con-

ventional audio interconnects will pass a
video signal, their construction and limited
bandwidth impose a performance penalty
because, in part, they do not adhere to the
75 ohm standard.

When making signal connections, make sure
that you always preserve proper channel con­sistency, i.e. connect LEFT channels to LEFT
channel jacks and RIGHT channels to RIGHT
channel jacks. All RCA-type connections on
the RX-975 follow these standard color codes:

Left audio: RCA jack with white inset
Right audio: RCA jack with red inset
Video: RCA jack with yellow inset

Connect your audio-only source components
to these RCA inputs and outputs:

Phono Inputs and Phono
Ground

Connect the left and right output cables of
a turntable to this pair of RCA inputs. Con­nect the ground wire from your turntable to
the phono ground lug, labeled GND.

CD Inputs

Connect the left and right analog outputs from
a CD player to the RCA input jacks labeled
CD.

Tape Inputs and Outputs

The RX-975 provides two sets of audio tape
connections labeled TAPE 1 and TAPE 2. Each
has a pair of inputs and a pair of record
outputs that allow recording on either tape
deck.

Connect the left and right analog outputs from
an audio tape deck to the TAPE 1 IN input
jacks. Connect the TAPE 1 OUT output jacks
to the INPUTS on the audio tape deck.

Connect a second tape deck to the TAPE 2
connections – the outputs of the tape deck
to the IN jacks on the RX-975 and the OUT
jacks on the RX-975 to the inputs on the tape
deck.

VIDEO 1 Inputs/Outputs

There are groups of connections for up to
five video source components. Each group
includes a pair of RCA analog audio inputs
and a composite video input. One group,
VIDEO 1, also includes a set of record out­puts for sending audio and video signals to
a VCR.

Connect your VCR to the VIDEO 1 group
of inputs and outputs. This set of connections
allows recording.

Connect the analog audio outputs of the
VCR to the VIDEO 1 PLAY left and right RCA
audio jacks. Connect the VIDEO 1 REC left
and right RCA audio output jacks to the audio
inputs on the VCR.

Connect the RCA composite video output
of the VCR to the RCA composite video input
labeled VIDEO 1 PLAY.

Hookup the VIDEO 1 REC video output to
the RCA composite video recording input on
your VCR.

VIDEO 2 – 5 Inputs

These four sets of audio/video inputs allow
connection of four additional video compo­nents such as a play-only VCR, DVD player,
LaserDisc player, or DSS satellite receiver.

Connect the RCA analog audio outputs of
the first video component to the left and right
RCA analog audio inputs labeled VIDEO 2.
Then, connect the RCA composite video
output of the video source to the correspond­ing RCA composite connection labeled
VIDEO 2.

Repeat for additional components, using
VIDEO 3, VIDEO 4, and AUX/VIDEO 5.

NOTE

: Any of the video source inputs may

also be used for an audio-only source. Sim­ply omit the video connection.

TV Monitor Output

The video output of the RX-975 sends the
video signal to your TV monitor. Connect the
TV MONITOR output to an RCA composite
video input on your television monitor. What­ever input source is selected on the RX-975
will appear on screen.

Speaker Outputs

The RX-975 has a built-in stereo amplifier
for driving left and right speakers. There are
two pairs of connections on the back panel
which allow you to connect two pairs of
speakers (A and B) and select them with a
front-panel button.

NOTE

: The combined speaker impedance

must be a minimum of 4 ohms. If you are
driving just one pair of speakers (A or B
connections), use speakers with a nominal
impedance of 4 ohms or higher. If you are
driving two pairs of speakers (A and B) si­multaneously, use speakers rated at 8 ohms
or higher.

13

English

The back panel speaker connections con­sist of two groups of binding posts which
accept bare wire or banana type plug con­nectors (except in the European Community
countries where their use is not permitted).
One group is used for the A speakers; the
other for the B speakers. Each group has a
positive (+) and negative (–) connection for
the right speaker and a positive (+) and
negative (–) connection for the left speaker

Each pair of connectors is color-coded for
polarity: red for the positive connection and
black for the negative connection. All speak­ers and all speaker wire is also marked for
polarity. It is essential for proper performance
to maintain this polarity at all speaker con­nections. Always connect the positive terminal
of each speaker to the corresponding red
speaker terminal on the RX-975 and the
negative speaker terminal to the correspond­ing black connector on the RX-975.

Route the wires from the RX-975 to the speak­ers. Give yourself enough slack so you can
move the components to allow access to the
speaker connectors. If you are using banana
plugs, connect them to the wires and then
plug into the backs of the binding posts. The
collars of the binding posts should be screwed
in all the way (clockwise). If you are attaching
bare wires directly to the binding posts,
separate the wire conductors and strip back
the insulation from the end of each conduc­tor. Be careful not to cut into the wire strands.
Unscrew the binding post collars. Insert the
wire into the hole in the shaft. Turn the col­lars clockwise to clamp the wire in place.

NOTE

: Be sure there are no loose wire

strands that could touch adjacent wires or
connectors.

Preamp Inputs/Outputs

The RX-975 provides a pair of variable-level
RCA preamp audio outputs and a pair of
RCA amplifier inputs that allow you to use
external amplifiers in place of, or in addi­tion to, the built-in amplifiers.

NOTE

: The preamp outputs are connected

to power amplifier inputs with metal jump­ers in a standard PRE OUT/MAIN IN con­figuration. To disable the built-in power
amplifiers and use external amplifiers, it will
be necessary to remove these jumpers. Save
them for future use.

To hook up the RCA audio outputs

to an external amplifier, connect a standard
audio cable from each output to the input
of the amplifier channel that will power the
corresponding speaker.

Antenna Connections

The RX-975 requires two antennas to receive
radio signals, one for AM and one for FM.
Most users will get acceptable reception using
the indoor antennas which are supplied with
the RX-975. Instructions for hooking up these
antennas follow.

NOTE

: If you are located a long distance

from the radio transmitters, you may use
an outdoor antenna to improve reception.
Outdoor antenna systems can be danger­ous if they are not properly grounded and
should be installed by a professional con­tractor familiar with the electrical code re­quirements in your local area.

AM Loop Antenna

The RX-975 includes a loop antenna to re­ceive AM radio signals. Remove this antenna
from the box and locate it near the RX-975.

Connect the 300 ohm twin-conductor wire
from the loop antenna to the pair of screw
terminals labeled AM LOOP, attaching one
wire to each terminal. It does not matter which
wire attaches to which terminal, but make
sure that the connections are solid and that
the two wires do not touch.

You may need to rotate or otherwise reori­ent the antenna to find the best position.

FM Wire Antenna

The RX-975 includes a wire antenna to re­ceive FM signals. In many countries (including
the USA), this antenna is a T-shaped twin­conductor 300 ohm antenna. Remove this
antenna from the box and connect its two
conductors to the two screw terminals on the
supplied 300 ohm to 75 ohm adaptor. Con­nect the coax plug on the converter to the
FM 75 ohm antenna connector on the
RX-975.

For best reception, unfold the T-shaped wire
antenna. There are eyelets at both ends of
the T, which allow tacking the antenna to a
wall, if desired. Experiment with position­ing for best reception.

In some countries, the RX-975 may be sup­plied with a single wire FM antenna termi­nated by a 75 ohm coax connector. If your
unit is supplied with this antenna, connect
it directly to the FM 75 ohm antenna con­nector.

NOTE

: To use an outdoor antenna, connect

its 75 ohm coax lead wire (or 300 ohm
twin-conductor wire and 300 ohm to 75
ohm adaptor) to the FM 75 ohm connector
in place of the indoor wire antenna, only
after a professional contractor has installed
the antenna system in accordance with lo­cal electrical codes.

NOTE

: To use an outdoor antenna, connect

its 300 ohm twin-conductor wire to the AM
terminals in place of the loop antenna, only
after a professional contractor has installed
the antenna system in accordance with lo­cal electrical codes.

RX-975 AM/FM Stereo Receiver

AC Power Connections

AC Input

Your RX-975 is configured at the factory for
the proper AC line voltage in the country
where you purchased it (120 volts AC, 60Hz
in the US or 230 volts AC, 50Hz in the
European community). The AC line configu­ration is noted on a decal on the back of
your unit.

Plug the supplied cord into the AC INPUT
receptacle on the back of the unit.

AC Convenience Outlet
[USA version only]

Two AC outlets let you plug a power cord
from a source component or other accessory
into the back of the RX-975 so that it will
be turned on and off automatically. The outlet
is powered whenever the RX-975 is fully
active and off when it is in STANDBY mode.

14

Remote External Sensor

This 3.5 mm mini-jack receives command
codes from industry-standard infrared receiv­ers (Xantech, etc.) via hard-wired connec­tions. This feature could prove useful when
the unit is installed in a cabinet and the front­panel sensor is blocked. Consult your au­thorized Rotel dealer for information on these
external repeaters and the proper wiring of
a jack to fit the mini-jack receptacle.

15

English

Specifications

All specifications are accurate at the time of
printing.

Rotel reserves the right to make improvements
without notice.

Rotel and the Rotel HiFi logo are registered
trademarks of The Rotel Co, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.

Audio

Continuous Amplifier Power: 100 watts/channel

(20–20k Hz, <0.05% THD, 8 ohms)

Total Harmonic Distortion: <0.05% at rated power
Intermodulation Distortion (60 Hz: 7 kHz): <0.05% at rated power
Frequency Response: Line Level: 10 Hz - 70 kHz, ±3 dB

Phono: 20 Hz - 20 kHz, ±1.5 dB

Signal to Noise Ratio (IHF “A” weighted): 92 dB
Input Overload: Line Inputs:5 V

Phono Inputs: > 120 mV

Preamplifier Output Voltage: 1.1 V
Input Sensitivity/Impedance: Line Level: 200 mV/47 kohms

Phono: 3.1 mV/47 kohms

Tone Controls (Bass/Treble): ±8 dB at 100 Hz/10 kHz

Video

Frequency Response: 3 Hz-10 MHz, ± 3 dB
Signal to Noise Ratio: 45 dB
Input Impedance: 75 ohms
Output Impedance: 75 ohms
Output Level: 1 volt

FM Tuner

Usable Sensitivity: 14.2 dBf
50dB Quieting Sensitivity: 20.2 dBf (mono)

45.3 dBf (stereo)

Signal to Noise Ratio (at 65 dBf): 70 dBf (mono)

65 dBf (stereo)

Harmonic Distortion (at 65 dBf): 0.3% (mono)

0.5% (stereo)

Frequency Response: 30 Hz-14 kHz, ± 1.5 dB
Capture Ratio: 2.0 dB
Alternate Channel Selectivity: 47 dB (± 400 kHz)
Spurious Response Ratio: 80 dB
Image Response Ratio: 65 dB
IF Response Ratio: 80 dB
AM Suppression Ratio: 52 dB
Stereo Separation (100Hz/1 kHz/10 kHz): 40 dB/45 dB/35 dB
Output level: 550 mV
Antenna Input: 75 ohms unbalanced

AM Tuner

Sensitivity: 500 µV/m
Selectivity: 25 dB
Image Response Ratio: 35 dB
Signal to Noise Ratio: 40 dB
Output level: 160 mV
Antenna Input: Loop Antenna

General

Power Consumption: 350 watts
Power Requirements (AC): 120 volts, 60 Hz (USA version)

Weight: 11.5 Kg/25.4 lb.
Dimensions (W x H x D): 450 x 158 x 400 mm

230 volts, 50 Hz (European version)

3/4" x 61/4" x 153/4"

17

The Rotel Co. Ltd.

10-10 Shinsen-Cho

Shibuya-Ku

Tokyo 150-0045

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

North Reading, MA 01864-2699

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Worthing, West Sussex BN11 2RX

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Japan

Rotel of America

54 Concord Street

USA

Rotel Europe

Meadow Road

England

Rotel Deutschland

Kleine Heide 12

D-33790 Halle/Westf.

Germany

082 OMRX-975ENG 042499