Video Quality, Musicality of audio section

Perhaps a little thin sounding

Compared to the Sony, this player has much better audio quality - it is more musical, sweeter, dynamic and tugs at you a little more. I will agree that it may be a little thin, but coming from the Sony I was happy that I purchased my Rotel.

As for video quality, the Sony has the edge but you'll need a 35" TV+ to examine the minor differences.

The H/K had great video quality but the sound was much too forward, even for me. Samsung makes a great entry level player - let's leave it at that because there's no comparison with these players.

As for the argument that it is the same as the JVC, many companies will buy another's transport and then do their modifications to make it their own player. This is the case with the Rotel. This player is definitely worthy of the Rotel brand.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-S7000, Panasonic DVD-A320, Harman/Kardon DVD5, Samsung 709

terrific piture,plenty of features. Very good sonics,easy to follow GUIs'.Always wanted a Rotel CD player,this 985 takes care of both needs,CD/DVD. Nice build quality.

Remote is sparse and not backlit. No coaxial out digital.

Wow,how in the world does Rotel do it. Great detail,nice color saturation,line detail well done. Sonics that are smooth and well fleshed out. My jazz from GRP plays nicely.For a 1 bit system,sonics are very good. I use a Harman Kardon AV-80mk2,with a Technics DTS/AC-3 processor,and my Kef C80s',and Polk surrounds,and my NAD 7400,and 2400 reciever/amplifier do the surrounds and drive my HSU subwoofer. While watching Lost in Space,the movie had all the punch and excitement I would expect. The dogfight at the beggining of the movie is well done. The colors,and line detail are awesome. A Pioneer Elite DV-09 is the only thing that I think is better. I was looking at the Sony DPS-7700 because I loved the 7000 and just couldn't swing the large dollars. The Rotel was only $699.00 and at that price along with all the video/audio performance,it is a steal. The switchable PAL/NTSC mode is a nice touch too.
At 10.4 pounds the 985 is on the heavier side of the DVD scale. But I like alittle heft in my gear anyway. When the 985 finishes its break in period, I am sure it will really boogie. There is an easiness in the mids that my NAD 502 just can't match. Sounds smoother than my Nakamichi Oms-5 too. Bass extention is very good. Alittle shy on slam,but well deliniated in any case. The highs are fairly smooth but I think it needs more time for break in before a final on that one. So far,very positive for this fine DVD player. Typically most shoppers will purchase a DVD unit in the $200.00-$400.00 range. That is the bread and butter area. If you can swing the extra dollars,the 985 will not dissapoint. You must have a separate processor for your DTS,and AC-3 though,or have them in your pre amp,or reciever. All connections I made,are with Monster Cable,and that includes the optical to the Technics processor. I still can't hear the difference between coaxial and optical,so I don't know what the fuss is all about. So for the A/V guy/gal who needs a great player for their movies and music,the 985 will serve you well.

So in summary,the 985 has great picture,fine sonics,and a GUI that is almost bonehead proof. Plenty of features to keep the picture tweaker happy. A "reccomended" for the audiophile short on green,but doesn't want to have to buy another CD player because of the bad sound some DVD players do on audio. See the website at www.Rotel.com for further details on the RDV-985. V.C.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DV-606d

good cd playback, menu system, picture

remote(not backlit),noCD-R playback,price,optical only output

update of previous review. although the player suits my needs at this time other than the cd-r playback and the awful remote(backlighting should be a standard on any player at this pricepoint) I would say don't buy this player unless it is heavily discounted. for the same money you can buy a mid-line dvd player from say pioneer or even jvc and an entry level cd player from arcam or rotel for the same money and be further ahead. I think I"ll bite the bullet on the depreciation and trade it in on a cd player and wait for a better offering from rotel or any of the fine manufacturers out there. gonna re rate this player down to a three due to high price, lousy remote, and limited digital output and lack of cdr playback

Similar Products Used:

none

Very easy and musical player. Very good on CD too!

Price compared to others with a build in decoder

In combination with my Rotel pre-amp and power-amp it performs absolutely great! I even don't have to buy a seperate CD-player because of the high standerd RDV-985 gives.

Similar Products Used:

Sony and Yamaha players. On DVD level equal but Rotel beats them with CD quality!

Picture quality, CD sound from analogue outputs

Only 1 digital out

I wanted a DVD player that would do the DVD stuff as well as replace my ageing Marantz CD 60. I auditioned the Sony, Denon and Rotel in my local HiFi shop. The Sony sounded over-bright, there was no depth to it with a nasty high end; the Denon was OK, if a little muddied, but the Rotel was smooth and clear in its sound reproduction.

I now have the RDV-985 at home, hooked up to my WEGA Widescreen, Denon AVR3000, B&W CDM2SEs, CSE and Mordaunt Short CS-1 surrounds. REL subwoofer to be added soon.

I am still at the stage of being amazed by the sound and picture of the player on movies, especially on scenes where detail, rather than home theatre wallop, are needed. I've seen reviews of The Matrix complaining that the dialogue is too quiet, no such problems for me, it's all there. Wallop is also present when required (and more so when the Sub arrives!)

Overall, a great machine which meets my needs.

Prices were similar taking into account the Rotel is region free out of the box (an important consideration for those of us based in the UK - we can get DVDs at about the same time as movies are released in movie theatres over here). Also there is a wider selection of Region 1 discs and they're about 30% cheaper than UK versions.

Similar Products Used:

Denon DVD 2500, Sony 725

Very good picture and DVD audio performance. Very user-friendly. I like the shuttle mechanism on the unit. GUI is easy to use. Good warranty. Low price.

Not crazy about the build-- too light, too much plastic. Need external processors for just about everything. CD audio is not on par with simillarly priced CD players.

A solid product with useful features. It's kind of bare-bones, but the performance is good. Sound from CD's is acceptable, and I'm sure for most it will be fine. To me, it's not dynamic enough and sounds sort of electronic. It just doesn't get accoustic timbre right. More input/output ooptions would have been appreciated. The picture however, is really fantastic. Easily on par with the Pioneer DV 09. Obviously, Rotel put all of the money into the picture quality and skimped on build quality and CD audio. DVD audio soundtracks sound much better than CD's do. As a movie player, reccomended. As a CD player, not really.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 7700, Sony 330, Rega Planet, Cal CL20, Denon DVD 3000, Pioneer DV09

VG picture & CD sound. Good remote.

None

Excellent machine! No glitches whatsoever. Does everything well, including sounding like a highend player on CDs - smooth, detailed, neutral, good soundstage and low level information typical of 24/96 players. Smart, user-friendly remote. Even though Rotel's first DVD, the company has obviously done its homework. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz DV18; Pioneer DV525

Just about everything. Looks good, great pictures, fine sound and good remote.

Nothing really...maybe a shade bulky in build.

Rotel seem to have a knack of getting things right. I was very wary at first, knowing the RDV-985 lacked a coaxial digital ouput and needed a seperate amp. However, I was going to get a complete AV system anyway and tried ot all the above mentioned machines at the local specialist. The Rotel came out in front by about a mile and a half and 2 months and 17 movies later I feel this is the best electronic investment that I ever made. Great CD music too, although I have a seperate CD player.

-Arun

Similar Products Used:

NAD T550, Sony DVP725, Pioneer 717, Denon DV2500

Ease of setup, build quality, features, simple & clean look

single optical output, tiny buttons on remote, CD sound quality is a bit tinny through optical output

This is my first DVD player, which was purchased as part of a major upgrade of my home theater system. I have watched a number of movies so far, with not a single flaw in picture or sound quality! Picture is very detailed and vibrantly colored, through the S-Video hookup. Should be even better with component video cables, coming shortly. Digital sound effects are awesome, even without a subwoofer. My neighbors are going to hate me when I get one! My Harman/Kardon FL8450 CD player sounds better than the Rotel DVD player, when comparing CD music sound quality. But overall, I am more than pleased with this machine. I highly recommend it to anyone making their first foray into the lower tier of the high-end audio/video and home theater market!

Current system:
Rotel RB-985mkII 5 channel amp
Rotel RTC 965 preamp/digital processor
Rotel RDV-985 DVD player
JVC HRVP-616U VCR
Harman/Kardon FL 8450 CD player
Toshiba CZ36V-51 36" TV
B&W CDM 7SE fronts
B&W CDM CSE Center channel
B&W V-201 rears (oldies, but goodies!)

Similar Products Used:

None

It nice picture, good sound

no 24/96 digital output

After using it for a few months, I came to the conclusion that it is a quality product, but has some minor bugs in firmware (like wehn showing light gray bands above a letterboxed movie insted of black, after a few stop, review, strobe etc...)
But this is really not a problem at all. The picture sharp, perhaps a little desaturated, but I am picky. The only real thing I don't like about it is that the digital output doesnt give the 24/96. Only by using stereo audio out of the unit. How it plays Audio CDs? I also own rotel 971, and I 'think' there is some difference, 971 better, but perhaps some audiophile would know if this is true. What is really amaizing is that this unit plays all regions right out of the box. No problems with this :)Five stars!