Rotel announced two new Michi Prestige separates this week. The P430 is a stereo preamplifier and the S430 is a stereo power amplifier, and both are 3,999 dollars, shipping from September 2026.
Nearly every writeup leads with 390 watts. Rotel's own spec sheet says 390 watts per channel too. But it says it in the row marked 4 ohms.
Michi Prestige S430 stereo power amplifier
Quick facts
- The S430's 390 watts is a 4 ohm figure. Into 8 ohms Rotel rates it at 250 watts FTC, or 230 watts continuous.
- The Michi X5 Series 2 in our database makes 390 watts into 8 ohms. Same number on the front of the box, one load apart.
- Rotel publishes three power figures for each Michi amplifier, and its FTC number is higher than its own continuous number every time.
- P430 plus S430 is 7,998 dollars. The Michi Prestige X430 integrated is 4,999 and makes 220 watts FTC into 8 ohms.
- Neither new model has been measured by anyone yet. Everything here is manufacturer spec.
Three numbers for one amplifier
This is the part worth slowing down for, because it is not a Michi problem. It is how the whole industry quotes power, and Rotel is more open about it than most.
Rotel gives each Michi amplifier three power ratings. An FTC figure into 8 ohms, a continuous figure into 8 ohms, and a maximum figure into 4 ohms. Here is the whole current Michi line, taken from Rotel's own product pages.
Look down the two 8 ohm columns. The FTC number is higher than the continuous number on all six, every time, by between 10 and 90 watts. And the number Rotel puts in its own marketing copy is not consistently either one. For the S430 the headline is the 4 ohm figure. For the S5 and the M8 it is the 8 ohm continuous figure.
Michi Prestige P430 stereo preamplifier
The 390 that is not the other 390
Put the new power amplifier next to the integrated amplifier we already list and the problem is obvious.
The S430 makes 390 watts into 4 ohms. The Michi X5 Series 2 makes 390 watts into 8 ohms, and 600 into 4. Read the headline only, and the 3,999 dollar power amp and the 9,499 dollar integrated look like the same amplifier. They are not close. The X5 has roughly half again as much power into the load most speakers present.
If you want to know what a given speaker actually asks for, our amp and speaker matcher works from sensitivity and impedance rather than the number on the box, which is the whole reason we built it.
What the pair costs against the integrated
The P430 and S430 together are 7,998 dollars. The Michi Prestige X430 integrated, from the same Prestige series, is 4,999 dollars.
Michi Prestige S430 Key Specs
- 250W into 8 ohms, 390W into 4 ohms (Class A/B)
- Power Amplifier
- Minimum Impedance: 4 ohms
- 0.03% THD
- Signal to Noise Ratio: 115dB
- Frequency Bandwidth: 10 Hz-100 kHzHz
- XLR Input
- Weight: 17.50 kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 148.0 x 431.8 x 405.0 mm
- Read the Review
So the separates cost 2,999 dollars more. On Rotel's FTC figures that buys you 30 more watts into 8 ohms, 250 against 220.
Michi Prestige X430 integrated amplifier
Nobody buys separates for 30 watts, and that is fine. You are paying for a separate power supply in each box, a preamplifier you can keep when you change the amplifier, and the option to move to a bigger Michi power amp later. That is a real reason. It is just not a power reason, and the 390 watt headline invites you to think it is.
It is worth looking at what the integrated already gives you, because the X430 is not a stripped down box. HDMI ARC, a phono input, mono subwoofer outputs, preamp outputs, balanced XLR in, two sets of speaker terminals and Bluetooth aptX HD are all on the back of it.
Michi Prestige X430 rear panel connections
The P430 does add things the integrated does not have: three coaxial and three optical digital inputs, PC-USB to DSD256, dual balanced XLR outputs for bi-amping, and digital outputs. If those matter to you, they matter. If they do not, you are 2,999 dollars into a decision that gets you 30 watts.
Here is the new power amplifier against the two Michi integrateds this decision sits between.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |  |
| Model | Michi Prestige S430 | Michi Prestige X430 | Michi X5 Series 2 |
| Type | Power Amplifier | Integrated Amplifier | Integrated Amplifier |
| Amplifier Class | Class A/B | Class A/B | Class A/B |
| Power into 8 ohms | 250 watts | 220 watts | 390 watts |
| Power into 4 ohms | 390 watts | 340 watts | 600 watts |
| Minimum Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
| THD | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.009% |
| Signal to Noise Ratio | 115 | 80 | 102 |
| Frequency Bandwidth | 10 Hz-100 kHz | 20 Hz-20 kHz | 10 Hz-100 kHz |
| Damping Factor | 350 | - | 350 |
| Built-in DAC | | | |
| DAC | - | - | ESS SABRE, 8-channel |
| Max Bit Depth | - | 32 | 32 |
| Max Sample Rate | - | 384 | 384 |
| Analog Inputs | - | - | 5 |
| Phono Input | | | |
| Phono Type | - | - | MM and MC |
| Optical Digital Inputs | - | 3 | Yes |
| Coaxial Digital Inputs | - | 3 | Yes |
| USB Input | - | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI Input | - | 1 | No |
| XLR Input | Yes | 1 | Yes |
| Preamp Outputs | - | Yes | Stereo RCA pre out |
| Subwoofer Output | - | Dual | - |
| Headphone Output | No | 3.5mm | - |
| Bluetooth | No | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | - | - | No |
| AirPlay 2 | - | | - |
| Chromecast built-in | - | | - |
| Roon | - | Tested | Tested |
| BluOS | - | | - |
| HEOS | - | | - |
| Room Correction | - | No | - |
| Tone Controls | - | - | Yes, +/-10dB at 100Hz and 10kHz |
| Handheld Remote | | - | |
| Height | 148.0mm | 149.2mm | 195.0mm |
| Width | 431.8mm | 431.8mm | 485.0mm |
| Depth | 405.0mm | 444.5mm | 452.0mm |
| Weight | 17.50kg | 16.92kg | 43.80kg |
| MSRP | 3999 USD | 4999 USD | 9499 USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo |
How much it really gains into 4 ohms
An amplifier that doubles its power when the load halves is showing you it has current to spare. Going from 230 watts into 8 ohms to 390 into 4, the S430 gains 1.7 times, not 2.
That is normal, and it is worth saying so rather than treating it as a mark against the amp. We hold 202 amplifiers that publish both an 8 ohm and a 4 ohm rating. Only 65 of them come close to doubling. The S430 sits in the large middle group, in decent company.
Rotel also specifies the S430 for a 4 ohm minimum speaker impedance, quotes a damping factor of 350 at 1kHz into 8 ohms, and publishes gain figures of 26.5dB unbalanced and 20.5dB balanced. That last one is rarer than it should be. Gain is what actually sets how loud an amplifier plays at a given volume setting, and most makers never print it.
A power rating is only a number until you know which load it was measured into. Rotel prints all three figures on its own site, which is more than most makers do. The problem is that only one of the three reaches the headline, and it is not the same one on every model.
The honest parts
Three things you should know before this goes on a shortlist.
The 3,999 dollar price for each unit comes from press coverage. Rotel's own product pages carry full specifications and no prices at all, so treat the figure as reported rather than confirmed until a dealer lists it.
Neither the P430 nor the S430 has been measured independently. Every number in this article is a manufacturer specification, including the ones that make Rotel look good.
The S430 is now listed, so you can put it against anything else we hold. The P430 is not, and will not be: we list integrated amplifiers, power amplifiers and stereo receivers, and a preamplifier has no power rating to compare.
Questions answered
How many watts does the Michi S430 actually make into 8 ohms?
250 watts per channel by the FTC method, or 230 watts continuous, on Rotel's own figures. The 390 watts in the headlines is the maximum into 4 ohms. All three numbers are printed on Rotel's S430 product page.
What do the P430 and S430 cost?
3,999 dollars each, so 7,998 dollars for the pair, available from September 2026. That price comes from press coverage. Rotel's own pages list full specifications and no prices.
Is the pair better value than the Michi Prestige X430 integrated?
Not on power. The X430 is 4,999 dollars and makes 220 watts FTC into 8 ohms, so the separates cost 2,999 dollars more for 30 more watts. The reasons to prefer separates are a separate power supply per box, a preamp you keep when you change amplifiers, and the P430's extra digital inputs and bi-amp outputs.
Why does the FTC figure come out higher than the continuous figure?
They are two different test conditions, not two attempts at the same one. Rotel publishes both for every Michi model, and the FTC number is the higher of the two in all six cases. If you are comparing a Michi against another brand, make sure you are holding the same kind of figure in each hand.
Are the P430 and S430 in your comparison database?
The Prestige S430 is. The P430 is not, because we do not list preamplifiers: without a power rating there is nothing for our comparison pages to line up. The rest of the Michi range is here, including the Prestige X430, X5 Series 2, S5 and M8. You can see them together on the Michi brand page.
If you already own the X430, is 2,999 dollars for a separate preamp and power amp worth it to you, or would you skip straight to the X5?