Very good soud quality. Price.

Minor issue: The display will only show up to track 16 (it will play all tracks, of course). I have several CDs with more than 16 tracks.

I use the RCD951 along with a Nakamichi RE10 Reciever and e:XL25 energy speakers. In general I'm very pleased with this CD player. The ouput is very balanced in the spectrum, the soundstage is very good and it's easy to isolate specific instruments in an orchestra.

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Only dept. store junk that I'll never buy again.

- Build - Sound - Desing and simply to use - Price

No XLRs outputs but... is an "under 500$" CD player. You could no be serious about plugin expensive XLRs cables in this price range.

As many others before I am writing about the 961, not the 951, sorry. OK, finally I have a complete system. It is what many of you could describe as low - budget system but I love how it sounds. I have heard many REALLY expensive systems (Krell, Tannoy Dimension, Wilson Benech, Electrocompaniet... blah blah blah) and I can hear the difference but, for the money and, by the momment, I love this: B&W 601 S3 Rotel RA-931 MkII Int. Amp. Rotel RCD-961 QED 25th Ann. Bi-wire Cubitel 300HQ (high-end Spanish interconnect cable) (All items reviewed except the Cubitel Cables, very good for 74$ similar from Audioquest will cost twice or more) RCD 961 is: - Well built (SURE!!!) - Have many functions (prog, review, random, reapeat, scan, time...) - Nice and clear display - Fast transport with good open/close sound. - All the functions are also included in the remote. - HDCD capabilities. If you have a Rotel AMP as in my own case you can no fail buying this, if you are in low budget you can try buying the NAD C541i (search for the "i" of improved, is the revision of the original C541 which has many problems with CD-R and CD-RW). Sound: - Open - Wide soundstage - Well balanced frequency range - Simply worth the money GOOD JOB ROTEL!!

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Many and I NEVER write comparing with low stuff such: Sony (except ES series), Philips, Aiwa... We are talking about serious brands. You know what I mean.

Clarity; precision on most cd''s; soundstaging, quiet background.

Some very highs and lows can get a little distorted.

I am writing this review because I have used this review repeatedly in evaluating my purchases. So far, I''ve had good success in selecting excellent equipment. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed products, here. I bought my Rotel from a person who obviously took good care of it. After spending a good deal of time listening to cd''s on a Technics SL-PD9 changer (approx $110) and a Panasonic DVD-RA60 player (approx $200), it was like exciting to listen to the Rotel 951. Clarity is excellent; soundstage is fairly tight; highs and lows are good; there are a few cd''s where very highs or lows are not perfect. Female vocals are clear and precise. Lower end vocals on some cd''s can be a little less so. There is a background of quiet with nothing but clarity coming through. There are a few pieces in the extreme high or low ends that are less than optimal, but acceptable. I have recently changed the interconnects and things improved. Based on the reviews I''ve read here, I probably would have to pay alot more money for something better. I really like this player and will keep it. Some may consider this sacreligious but, I should say that if you can''t really spend the extra money for the Rotel, the Technics SL-PD9 is also a remarkably decent changer(the overall sound is not as great as the Rotel, but more than acceptable). I tried listening to music on the DVD-RA60 and had to turn it off after about an hour....not so the PD9 or the Rotel. I can listen for hours. If you are in the market for a very good mid-fi player, buy the Rotel. If you can''t afford it right now, buy the Technics changer. I''ve just bought a Cambridge Audio 500se. I''ll try to post a review when I''ve burned it in and listened to it enough to have an opinion.

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Panasonic DVD-RA60 player& Technics SL-PD9 changer

Price for what you get HDCD Built like a tank Beautiful detail and soundstage

Remote (?), I don''t listen to the remote

This is a great player! I needed to replace a faithful but in critical condition 11 year old Nakamaichi player. I had been using my DVD player for CDs until a salesman showed me the difference. So I searched for a few months until I narrowed the field down to the NAD C521, Cambridge Audio D300SE, and the Rotel RCD-951. IMHO the NAD sounds a little "softer" and didn''t have the attack and soundstage of the Rotel. To get HDCD you have to go up to the C541. The Cambridge was the closest out of anything out there but it was too unforgiving on all except perfectly flawless recordings; otherwise it came off as somewhat bright and "digitally". May I suggest that when you go to preview any CD player bring not only some of your best CDs but also bring one that you know has a slightly sibilant recording and see how the player does. (I used Amanda Marshall''s debut CD) Once I got the Rotel the Rotel home, hooked it to my NAD 760, allowed it burn-in time, then finally I listened to it. Absolute bliss. If you''re thinking of upgrading your system, start with the components first. The difference using the same speakers and replacing the old Nakamichi was amazing. My system has been reborn. I''ll wait for the DVD-A vs. SACD dust to settle. (The Cambridge doesn''t come with HDCD.) I had listened to John Fogerty''s Centerfield years ago to the point that I almost wore the grooves out of the vinyl. I found out that the CD is in HDCD so I bought it. HDCD still does not have the same warm sound as vinyl but it is wonderfully close. I listened to Dire Straits, John Lee Hooker, Pink Floyd,...as the night flew by. I can now hear details and notes of quiet instruments that I had not heard before. I was floored. The new 961 is the updated 951. I listened to them both on the same system in the store and was unable to hear a major difference. Furthermore this model is where the point of diminishing returns begins. The 991 is a better player, but not 3Xs better, as is the price. I am completely happy with this product.

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Nakamichi Panasonic

Effortless airy vocals. Deep clear bass. Incredible soundstaging.

Remote has no volume control and looks incredibly cheap.

I feel I owe it to Rotel to sit here and write a review! It''s fantastic! Having ''upgraded'' my 8yr old kenwood CD to a Marantz CD600OSE LE I was a little disappointed even after letting it burn in 24/7 for over two weeks. I took the marantz back and got this 951 used for £199 (GBP). As soon as I played the first track I could tell it was special. In fact, EVEN my wife could tell the difference! We both sat up ''til 2am listening to this track and the next. The soundstaging is so 3D its spooky. It feels like I can tell where each instrument is playing in my room, front-to-back as well as side-to-side. Vocals sound so airy and effortless. Bass is deeper and more controlled than before. You can hear picks scraping on strings that just weren''t there before. On tracks like ''Just'' by Radiohead, guitar licks and solos RIP through the air to get to you where before they just ''got there''. This is the biggest performance upgrade I''ve enjoyed whilst building my system over the last 10 years. I can''t imagine changing this CD player until I win the lottery. I love it!

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Kenwood CD5040, Marantz CD6000 OSE/LE

great sound; great value fro the dollar compared to other cd players; well built product.

none that i can think of.

where do i start? lets see..

the sound is great. You can feel the music and it fills the room; dynamics is just great, and it si wonderfully transparent; the price is great comparing to other cd players i tested. Please understand, adcom, denon, arcam also great cd players, but the price is kind of steep for my budget.
so i bought the rcd-951. You cannot not get better than this. If u plan to purchase a cd player, check out this one also ....u just might take it home with u. My first choice was the denon dcd1650ar, but for $ 1600.00 a little expensive. after careful testing and value i went with rotel..

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marantz, adcom, denon, rega, anthem, arcam, nad, technics,

None I can find.

Had the Nad C540. It sounded pretty good, until I tried to play some Cdr Disk I had created on my pc. It skipped pretty frequently on many of the cdr disks. So I promptly returned it. Just got the Rotel this week and wow what a difference. No skipping, every Cdr and regular cd I have sound great. Very clean and musical sound compared to my 7 year old sony cd player. I never thought a cd player could make such a difference, but it definetly does. This player is giving my old cd's new life, I am hearing new things I have never heard on most of my disks. It even comes with a free mail in coupon from Reference Recordings for a HDCD sampler disk.

I'm no expert but I do love this player. 5 stars all the way around! Can't wait to try HDCD.

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Nad C540

Overall Sound / HDCD / Warm sound

Features / looks

This thing sounds like a million bucks! I love the warm sound and the detail this baby can present. It changed my entire system. I have not heard any CD's with the HDCD yet. I want to find a good recording that has that though. I own a Carver TFM-15 amp/ CT-3 preamp/ Tannoy M-2 speakers on Plateau 25" stands with sand in them/ Audio Quest type 4 speaker wires. When I go back and listen to CD's I know very well, I can now hear things I have never heard before such as hands sliding on quitar strings , etc.

I highly recommend this. I think I paid around $500 for it. Its a keeper.

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Rotel RCD970 / Revox..original first issue!

Rotel RCD-951
Non-differential, affordable version of RCD-971 still offers HDCD
but turned out to have a feet of gold as well.

Manufacturer: Rotel
Telephone: 01908 317707
Price: 300 (Sterling)
Reviewed in issue: 202

Welcome to the RCD-951, a simplified version of the RCD-971 which earned
itself a big fat Best Buy back in issue 184. Beneath the RCD-971's skin
beat
the twin hearts of two Burr-Brown PCM63Ps locked in eternal embrace in
noise-cancelling dual differential mode. In the RCD-951's case, one of the
DACs has gone west, and the remaining one has a slightly lower spec. The
power supply has also been simplified, with the toroidal transformer of the
971 going out the front door while a frame type EI transformer creeps in
through the back. Unchanged is the Pacific Microsonics PMD100 digital
filter, which means that the RCD-951 is fully HDCD compatible.

Also unchanged in the transition is the player's build and styling, which
are solid and stolid, respectively. The RCD-951 breaks no new ground, but
it
really didn't need to. In common with its predecessors, it is a little
heavier and more solidly engineered than most, and the mechanism is smooth
and well oiled, but not quite silent. Front panel controls include
track-skip and cueing at opposite ends of the fascia. With most players,
these controls are the best of friends, and this is a curious decision, but
the controls are otherwise well grouped, with the play and navigation
controls on the right and programming, random play, repeat and display mode
keys on the left.

The only really disappointing feature is the remote control - buttons are
cramped and it's ergonomically a mess, an unfortunate oversight given the
improvement in the handsets supplied with a number of the Rotel's rivals.
It
does add usefully to the Rotel's functionality though, not least thanks to
the direct access track keypad.

Sound Quality

Sonic nirvana at a bargain! It was clear both to the panel and to the
author in
the hands on testing that the RCD-951 is in the same league as its senior
brother.
The RCD-951 is a polished and refined performer, is very musical and
ghostly transparent,
with subtle timing and a mid/treble that sounded crystal clear. There was a
strong
measure of consistency in the comments made with different musical tracks,
and in
different presentations to the panel, and this of course tends to underline
and reinforce their praise. Moreover, the panel had ease in engaging with
the music from this player, not just because it sounded particularly
smooth, but
because the music is full of articulation and coherence necessary that made
a
strong aural case for itself.

None of the musical excerpts used for the panel tests involved HDCD
recordings because this would have presented a less than level playing
field
for those players without decoders. In fact, the RCD-951 is the only player
of the 12 so equipped, and with good recent HDCD recordings the RCD-951
outshoned
everyone in the field. With non-HDCD recordings, the player sounded rather
better focused just as it did in the panel sessions, and it stood out to be
the best performer.

Conclusion

Our advice to potential buyers of the RCD-951 is: GO FOR IT, save the extra
money (supposedly for the muchly hyped RCD-971) and buy more music instead,
particularly HDCDs. Unless they look closely, visitors won't realise it's
the 951 they're listening to, and they will never hear the difference! We
feel
that at this price, Rotel will have a hard time explaining the existence of
the 971.

With HDCD compatibility, this is an astronomical bargain!

Alvin Silvertrim

well built( LIKE A TANK ), ease of operation, no-nonse functions, hdcd!!!!!!!!

hard to read remote

first off, if you haven't heard hdcd yet, i suggest you do now. you will be amazed at how much definition comes out of your speakers. as cd player technology goes it, has pretty much gone as far as it can go. the only way to increase prefomence over a $500.00 cd player is to spend thousands of dollars. personaly i don't have that kind of money to spend on an cd player. rotel has a rock solid reputation in the audio world. you really can't go wrong with rotel.
as for the 951, top end to bottom end this unit does it all with amazing sound. bass is punchy but, not boomy or, clouded. treble is bright and articulated not, brash or scratchy. mid-range is so smooth it blends evrything to such a sweet, rich sound. if you are looking for a new player i strongly recomend that you give this player consideration. as for the price, i don't understand the $500.00 price tag in the other reviews. i paid less than $400.00 for mine. i guess the key is to shop around before you buy.

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