Opinons Pro or Con on Rotel RCD-1072 CD Player

[Hershon2000]

I'm going to a high end store tommorow & probably going to buy the Rotel RCD-1072 CD player for which the salesman on the phone said he'd give me a deal & 7 days to return if I wasn't happy. He claimed that I would notice a night & day difference in sound quality with this player over my current Pioneer PD-59 CD olayer which I really like (and actually prefer over the more acclaimed PD-65). To anyone who has or who has heard the Rotel RCD-1072, can you tell me if you think I'll like the sound & notice a night & day improvement? Are there any vintage Rotel CD players that you think sound just as good? What about any other CD players in the $700 list price range or used ones that go under $1,000? I should add that I'm connecting the CD player direct to my Denon 3801 receiver & am not using a seperate DAC. What I really like about the PD-59 is it seems to make the recordings come alive, particularly the drums & bass & is warm but not overly bright (I found the PD-65 too bright for me). Thanks for your comments, pro or con.

 

[jefemeister]

I had a Rotel RCD-972 (?) a few years back and it was very pleasant. Nothing really super special though. For $700 you should look at the Eastsound E5 in my opinion. I love mine.

 

[jimholt]

I have the old Rotel 965 BX discrete which was a very good player for the money when i bought new. Beat a lot of other players more times the money. Tried against the new top Rotel model a few years back and i was hard pressed to hear the differance. The top range Rotel beat it only just. Since then i had a new clock and power supply installed and this gave it a smoother sound which would have beaten that top Rotel hands down. Now i have purchased the Esound as well as Jefemeister ,and well no competition the Esound is by far a better player. You could not realise the bass it can produce. Jim.

 

[zeluiz22]

I returned my 1072 and opted for the Music Hall cd 25.2. For me, the Rotel was too edgy and produced an overly analytical sound. The Mh is far more musical and warm for my taste. Not to mention that visually the Rotel has a mass produced look. My 2...

 

[Hershon2000]

I bought the Rotel RCD-1072 & the salesman who gave me a deal ($640 instead of $690) claimed that I'd notice a night & day difference in the sound quality between my Pioneer PD-59. He was right, I preferred my Pioneer PD-59 (Of which I also prefer the sound by optic connection instead of analog to my Denon 3801 receiver connected to my Orb Audio Mod 1 Speakers & Sub). In fairness, I had 7 days to return it to the store & I did & got my money back in full. Even with a break in period, the Rotel sounded similar to what you described- analytical, thin, harsh, sterile. It did offer much more detail & a bigger soundstage then the Pioneer but the sound was much too thin. Specifically, when I played a CD like John Mayall & the Bluebreakers "Cruscade" with Mick Taylor on guitar (I play mainly 60/70's rock & blues stuff), on the Pioneer it cooks & you feel the groove & Mick Taylor's guitar sizzles but on the Rotel it sounds like Mick Taylor is playing lead guitar through a 4" practice amp & there's no balls whatsoever. Based on this experience, for my budget, I'm not going to try any more solid state CD players but might try an Ah Njoe Tjoeb 4000 or Jolida tube CD player.