[Shak]

Hello fellows

Long time...

Well, Does anyone knows anything about this transport ?
Does it worth 500$-700$ ?

Thanks
Shak

 

[Shak]

If no one knows anything about the Rotel Transport,
Can anyone help me with any transport in this price range?
(<700$)

 

[The Quality Guru]

The California Audio Labs Delta Transport (can be paired w/ Sigma or Alpha DAC) can be bought on the used market for much less that what you would like to spend. It is a very good combination; the transport is excellent and highly regarded. On Audiogon, for example, the transport without the Sigma or Alpha DAC is on the used equipment market for around $350-$450. The original retail price of the Delta as new was around $895.

But as far as new transports go, I really can't help you out, because I know I could never afford one plus a DAC to pair it with, so I didn't bother researching any in the new market.

And I heard that CAL is no longer in business? That would make sense, because I haven't heard about much of their new stuff . . .

Regards, Luke

 

[wasifazim]

Cal's out of business, and they're not honouring any warranties or service commitments either. The Rotel RDD980 generally goes for $300 on Audiogon, so your price is a bit high. Don't think you'll find a new transport for under $700; in that price range, you'd be better off buying a CD player with a BNC or AES/EBU output like the Cambridge D300SE and adding an LClock XO or Audiocom Superclock to (significantly) reduce jitter levels, and maybe a digital output transformer, kind of like Dan Wright's Pioneer DVD player transport mods.

- Wasif.

 

[planar]

This transport was paried with a 9xx DAC from Rotel prior to RCD-950, 970 CDP generation. I dbout the price would justify the advance of digital technologies over these years. That means you better buying a mid-fi CDP with the digital circuit modified. Such as the clock module from Trichord Research

It is very hard to find a mid-fi priced transport. I think Audio Note CDT Zero is the only one currently available.

 

[Trawlerman]

I have an RDD980 Transport along with the RDP980 DAC.

I've used it for the past 5 years or so and have always been very happy with mine. Apart from shearing the cog on the drive tray it's never given me any problems.

Paired with the matching DAC the 980 transport is reasonably detailed and really well mannered. Perhaps not the best machine for a rock music fan?

It's of a minimalist design and is quite robust.




(the following text is from the Official Rotel Owners Manual)

FEATURES OF THE RDD980 DISC DRIVE.



This CD drive uses the Philips CDM-9 loader and a single-beam laser system with a highly advanced servo control. These are high performance designs and help us achieve our goal of making the RDD980 an excellent CD drive.

We have used the latest design and manufacturing techniques to ensure the lowest possible distortion and jitter in this CD drive mechanism. Careful listening test have shown that low jitter enhances the sound quality and the enjoyment of the music played through a CD drive unit. By separating the drive and DAC it is possible to optimize the design of both for maximum performance and sound quality. They are therefore free from interaction between the laser assembly's servo vontrol power requirements and the audio circuits need for a clean, stable, ripple free power supply.

The multiple power regulation stages, and dual power transformers, in the RDD980 ensure each critical stage has clean, stable power for operation. The printed circuit board layout (PCB), the PCD material, the star earth ground patterns and the exact part choices made during design and fine tuning (in the UK) ALL have been made for on reason only: to provide you with the finest possible Digital Compact Disc Drive mechanism at a reasonable price.



SPECIFICATIONS: RDD980 DIGITAL COMPACT DISC DRIVE



Speed Accuracy, Wow and Flutter Quartz crystal precision (,0.002%)
TOSLINK Output -17 dBm @ 660nm
Digital Output 0.5 Volt p-p. @ 75 ohms
Load Impedance 75 Ohms
Power Consumption 15 watts
Power Requirements (AC) 120 volts 50/60 Hz, or
220/230/240 volts 50/60 Hz

Weight 4.9 Kg / 10.8 Lbs
Dimensions 440 mm x 72 mm x 316 mm (WxHxD)
17-3/8" x 2-7/8" x 12-7/16" (WxHxD)






Sound As Ever