A fantastic player! I've been switching between a Cambridge 840c and rcd971 at my home for a some time now. The 840c is a fantastic player and I thought it would outclass the Rotel, but it didn't happen. The resolution is just slightly higher than the rotel, and thats about it. The Rotel diggs deeper in the bass and reproduces instruments and voices very well. Even after 9 year of playing the Rotel is still a winner and a bargain to be found second hand.

Imaging and depth of instruments and vocals, low-mids. Quality components used.

Undetachable power cord which is intentionally modded to fit in AFA Zeus

After breaking-in soundstage really opens up. Vocals centered with very good low bass definition. Highs are real with cymbals but not sharp nor fatiguing. Smooth overall presentation and check it out with HDCD-encoded discs playback....Really beat out players 2-3 times the price. If you want music, this is music conveyed in your home right in front of your seat

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RCD-991AE

Everything about this player was strong. Killer build quality great hdcd decoder and very VERY transparent and open

Not a detachable power cord But Im planning on fixing that.

I saw this hdcd player on audiogon for $300 and figured what the heck I'll give it a try. Ive been using a sony 777ES sacd player and was pleased with it until I heard this Rotel. Not only is the rotel cleaner and much more spacious and transparent But I listened to my Harry connick cd in both sacd and the normal cd at the same time and the Rotel put the sony to shame. I am so impressed with this player that I told my brother it would kick the @*#@ out of his Cary hdcd player. Ok so it didnt beat it but it was so close I cant see paying the extra $1500 or more for the Cary.It was also about even with my Adcom gcd0750 (which Im selling)

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sony 777ES sacd player. Parasound cdc-1000 adcom gcd-750

- HDCD - Build quality - Nice transport..smooth tray, forgiving - Relatively easy to modify output circuitry

- Can't power it off with the remote - Detachable power cord might be nice

I've been using this player for quite some time now using the analog outs. Sounds pretty flat. I've heard a couple of CD players that embellish the sound significantly... The RCD-971 doesn't do that. It gives you a pretty flat..some would say very blah sound. Which is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted something that didn't change the audio much and just let me hear the intricacy of the original audio program. The Rotel does that. The RCD-971 doesn't sound warm or bright or any of those other nonsense adjectives people use to describe audio equipment... It just doesn't sound like much of anything at all. Flat response. Transparent. If you want something that's warm or WHATEVER adjective you're looking for, try something with tubes where you can tweak the sound by changing the tubes out...

Similar Products Used:

- Ah! Tjoeb 99 - Jolida JD-100 - Rotel RCD-991

Vital, brilliant imaging for the price and way above!

Needs an upgraded power cord

I just took delivery of Rotel's top of the line CD Player, not mentioning the exact model but it ends with a 70! This is an update to my previous report; When compared the the new comparable model the 971 sounds more vital and simply snaps the music, especially vocals, into focus in a way that the smooth '70 model just doesn't seem to manage! Please note that with my 971 I have updated it by adding an IEC inlet (see previous) using a home made Belden 83802 power cord. Not for "background" listenning! but If you want civilized go get a Bose wave CD player!

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Arcam CD67SE, Rotel XX70, AMC CD8b, Pioneer stable platter many years ago...and others

You would have to spend a lot more money to get slightly better sound.

could use more bass resolution

First of all, I just want to say that digital playback has always sounded bright and aggressive to my ears, no matter what the players cost or alleged comparison to a good analog front end. However, based on the price/performance scale, this player is tough to beat. like any decent front end, the ancillary electronics, cables and speakers should be carefully matched for optimum performance. During my period of ownership, I've had the pleasure of listening to products from Arcam, rega, Sony, and Denon, all within my own system at home. Every once in a while, a product will show up that beats everything even close to its price range, and even many selling for 2 - 3 times as much. This player qualifies as one of those rare sonic finds. After a reasonable burn in period, the detail and resolution come through without sounding shrill or harsh ( unless the recording itself is flawed). Soudstaging and imaging are right up there, but not up to the best players i have heard ( sim audio). Bass, although somewhat lacking when compared to the best, is excellent and it boogies right along with the rest of the music. Most of what this product offers can be heard in much more expensive gear, but how much more does one want to spend to achieve that last level of detail, or that ultra pin-point imaging, or that fist through the wall bass that we all crave? the laws of diminishing returns set in for me rather quickly, especially when dealing with such a great player at such a modest price point. Jazz, R & R, and classical all seem to shine with this player, and like the slightly laid back presentation that seems to meld with my liking for reproduced sound. Very cable dependent and must be matched with decent components to get the best out of this baby. Rotel Rcd 971 thorens td 160 / shure v15 1v cyrus 111i with PXR power supply dynalab FM tuner Dynaudio audience 70 speakers Kimber cable and tara lab interconnects.

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see above

Neutral Balanced Fast HDCD Great looks (IMO) and build

No glaring weaknesses, maybe the power cord?

Firstly I don't know what year this thing is...But for $300 who cares! This is exactly the CDPlayer I've been looking for: Ruthlessly revealing Neutral Balanced open sound What more could you ask for? I just popped in a HDCD (Dixie Chicks) WOW sounds 100% more refined IMO I am using this with similarly neutral equipment a Creek 4330R soon to be replaced with an Audiolab 8000LX (nothing wrong with the Creek but I need a headphone socket) And a pair of (temporary solution) modded Blueroom Mimipods I intend to replace the stock power cord with a hardwired Belden 83802 which should open things up even more. The tray works just fine on mine, nice and snappy! I have been looking for a one box solution, so that I could sell the $350+ MSB DAC and still be happy, This is it!

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Pioneer ? Stable platter (6 yrs ago) Arcam 7SE Marantz 67SE

Real reproduction with little colour. Great soundstage(better with time)

I have many..the player has none. ok...the remote is a bit fiddly Big deal....I'll get over it.

First off,lets remember what a CD player is supposed to do....reproduce it's sorce,the cd,as accurately as possible.We are at the hands of thousands of engineers,each has a different touch,philosfy,whatever.Next consider the millions of variables at play here as far as what the player is attached to.Way too many variables for anyone to think this could possible be even ground.Lastly,consider that some folks have a whole lot more money (and time) to devote to their sound system than others. To be frank,I find it odd that those with big bucks seem to have better hearing than those of us that may not have mega beens...Hmmmm.As far as the reviews you read here,well,once you get past the prima donnas (who seem to be able to hear a sparrow fart at 300 metres) you will generaly get good advice here. That said,this player is as good as all the better reviews have said it is.It does exactly what it is suppossed to do,with very little of it's self added. It does it so well in fact,that you may find yourself disappointed by some of the stuff you hear out of it.But every so often when listening(not just "having tunes on") that you will hear music that litterally blows you away...(or maybe just makes you smile)which is what happened to me tonight.There is this one passage in Mahlers 5th,a small part of the Adagio,that everything just came together. Now...this should happen alot,and it does often enough...but do not expect a home run every time you step up...too many variables.There are alot of other players out there that will do what this one does,most of them cost double the price of the 971.Anyone who is disappointed with this unit should try and find out what other reason there could be for this besides the player...It is close to flawless. Those reviewers who think the drawer is a tad flimsy should not sit on it,and maybe should keep the 3 yearold at a safe distance. Those saying bass is weak,highs too harsh, should look to another reason...it ain't this player. Buy it,burn it in for 50 hours or so,be happy.If $600 is a stretch for ya,wait a bit and save yer sheckles.If you feel the need to spend more,go right ahead....you probably won't be able to hear a difference,and i'm sure you will impress yourself.

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NAD,Nak,Denon,Cambridge,others too unremarkable to recall. My setup is> Rotel rcd 971 Cambridge A500 Angstrom omega 4s Audioquest(and several other miles of wire)U never know who's gonna drop by;

I found the previous review interesting. Someone buys a piece of equipment over the internet for too low a price (a price for a used unit), has problems and blames the manufacturer. And attempts to validate his opinion by suggesting that his taste in pc audio mixing cards is good is amazing. That just makes me laugh. Listen people, when you buy over the internet you take your chances. I'm a customer of a some good high end dealers, and they stand behind the equipment that they sell. What other equipment is in his signal path? Could that be part of the problem of performance? My guess is very likely. Your system is only as good as the weakest link. If you deal with an authorized dealer, there would be no repairs to hassle with. They would just switch it out and give you a brand new one that operates perfectly, and return the defective one. This is a superb cd player, and I have tried and found nothing close for the money. The HDCD chips are a bonus, and they add depth and detail to HDCD encoded cd's.

Sounds good, not great, when it works.

Completely unreliable.

Total dog as far as reliability goes. Have had two major failures in last six months necessitating warranty service and having the machine out of action for a month awaiting parts. And most of that six months, the CD player was in the box and not in use. So it worked for about two weeks before flaking again. Both flakes involved the drive mechanism refusing to eject. One was physical, the other was the "brain." When it works, the player sounds good, not great. They really should update the converters. I'm very disappointed and will not buy Rotel products again.

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Nakamichi players, Alpine car CD. Have heard many mid-fi and hi-fi players at shops. I also know what quality digital should sound like because I have a high-end project studio built around a Lynx Two