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ROTEL RCD-971 CD Player

The purpose of a CD player is to reproduce the CD as accurately as possible and I have been more than happy with the performance of my ROTEL RCD-971. In addition, the soundstage only seems to get better with time. In fact, after I got about 50 hours of play on my ROTEL, it really opened up and showed me what it had to offer. The vocals are centered and it produces excellent low bass definition, something I haven’t normally encountered with CD players within the same price range. Even those that cost twice as much haven’t measured up to the ROTEL RCD-971.

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I used to have a Sony 777ES sacd player, and I thought it was great until I hooked up my ROTEL. It produces a much cleaner sound and it is also more spacious and transparent, which allows me to hear the intricacy of the original audio rather than a bunch of embellished sound. So, I decided to put it to the test against a Cary HDCD player. The sound wasn’t quite as good, but the ROTEL costs ¼ the price and the sound difference is hardly noticeable. The ROTEL was also about even with the Adcom gcd0750 when it comes to sound. In fact, the only problem I have really found with this player is the fact that the power cord is not detachable, which can be a pain when setting it up.

To get the best sound from this CD player, you need to make sure the ancillary electronics, speakers, and cables are carefully matched. No matter what type of music I have played jazz, classical, or rock it all sounds great. My ROTEL also works beautifully with HDCD encoded discs, which is great since most new CDs coming out take advantage of this technology. If you aren’t familiar with HDCD, which means High Definition Compatible Digital, these are CDs that go through a special encode/decode process. This helps maintain the original richness of the sound, which the ROTEL picks up on wonderfully. The ROTEL has a small indicator light that comes on when it locks onto the HDCD encoding on your CD so you know it is working.

I have been very pleased with my ROTEL. The sound and it’s compact, sleek design have made it the perfect addition to my home theater.

Here are the specs: