Are Rotel amps and preamps any good?

Initforthemusic, what did you find negative about Rotel preamps? I've read for years to avoid their Pre's. But I have never found out a reason why.

Is it sonics? Poor reliability?

I've generally found Rotel pre's to lack transparency and musical involvement.

I have a Rotel 971 pre, matched with Hafler 9180 and Thiel CS2's. No complaints. I am sure there are superior pre's out there but likely cost more than the $400 I paid many years ago.

I do a lot of research "drilling down" to find what I believe to the best ratio of value to performance. I hear plenty of transparency and musical involvement.