NAD or Rotel Not Sure Which One

[Jack in Wilmington]

Well I decided it was time to upgrade my CD player. I've been reading up and felt that a NAD C542 was my best choice. My local dealer sells NAD so I went up there today. My salesguy says he's had a couple C542's come back with problems and suggests the C525BEE. I ask about the Rotel and they no longer carry that brand. I go down to the other dealer who carry Rotel and really like the RCD 1072. Now I can't decide. Can I get some thoughts from owners of these players. Thanks

[jrhymeammo]

I go down to the other dealer who carry Rotel and really like the RCD 1072.

Did you like the appearance of the CDP or the sound you heard in a completely different setup?

If I'm not comparing CD players side by side, it's really hard fotr me to say anything about it. As you know, CDP do make big difference in sound, but I'm just wondering if you are comparing 2 different complete setup, instead of CDPs. But none of that matters unless it's being played in your system.

There are alot of happy NAD owners on this site, along with Rotel owners. Rotel should be a solid performer with HDCD capblty. I'm not exactly sure of your budget, but have you considered Marantz SA-8001?
I got mine for around $700 new. I can post a link if you like.

Everyone talks about auditioning gears first..... but to me auditioning CDP is over-rated unless you can take a floor model home and have a listen.

But sometimes you just gotta go with what you feel. As long as you have a big smile when opening a box, it's gonna sound incredible.

Good Luck,

JRA

[Jack in Wilmington]

Did you like the appearance of the CDP or the sound you heard in a completely different setup?

If I'm not comparing CD players side by side, it's really hard fotr me to say anything about it. As you know, CDP do make big difference in sound, but I'm just wondering if you are comparing 2 different complete setup, instead of CDPs. But none of that matters unless it's being played in your system.

There are alot of happy NAD owners on this site, along with Rotel owners. Rotel should be a solid performer with HDCD capblty. I'm not exactly sure of your budget, but have you considered Marantz SA-8001?
I got mine for around $700 new. I can post a link if you like.

Everyone talks about auditioning gears first..... but to me auditioning CDP is over-rated unless you can take a floor model home and have a listen.


Good Luck,

JRA


The Rotel is a very nice looking unit and I do favor it over the NAD's in that area. It was running on a full Rotel setup and that didn't hurt it's curb appeal. The C542 was running on Anthem gear. My budget was $500, but we know how that goes once you start shopping and something catches your eye or ear in this case.

[bobsticks]

Never heard te NAD unit so I won't comment.

I had some fun a few months back with the Rotel unit and a variety of amps feeding some Dynaudios. Of course in an all Rotel system it gave up a spot-on presentation of the Rotel house sound--analytical and favoring a punchy top end. Surprisingly, into a Mac tube amp it retained a lot of its original characteristics though the overall picture "darkened" a bit.

My impression of the Rotel was that it was a great contender at this price point. Build quality-wise it makes the Rega units seem like Fisher Price toys and the onboard DACs are solid. To substantially better it we had to throw in a Cary 303 into the mix. Of course that's a much different presentation and is accompanied by an equally substantial price increase.

Naturally, the most advisable course of action would be to audition it in your home for system synergy. That said, IMHO it's solid gear.

[Rob B in CT]

I've owned the Rotel 1072 for nearly two years and am very happy with it. As it was replacing a Cambridge Audio player that I was fairly pleased by, I auditioned it in comparison to the Cambridge Audio C540 and C640 players. I didn't audition the NAD as my dealer has an ongoing sale on NAD refurbished products of which he said there's rarely a shortage. (This may be an unfair characterization, and I note that the NAD C542 is among the few NAD models for which my dealer doesn't offer a refurbished option.)

After reading positive reviews about the Cambridge Audio C540, I was surprised by how clearly superior the C640 was to it, and I eliminated the C540 almost immediately. I spent about an hour comparing the C640 to the Rotel 1072 and settled on the 1072. I preferred the 1072 on 80+% of the selections I played. My only hesitiation was that the 1072 sounded so much fuller on virtually every recording that I was concerned that it was coloring the sound. It also seemed counter-intuitive that an 18 bit player (1072) would sound better than a 24 bit player (640C).

Two years later, I have no regrets about my choice of the Rotel 1072. I listen pimarily to jazz and classical with about 25% listening time devoted to pop/folk/country. The 1072 handles all of it well. My only minor disappointment with the 1072 is that its Random mode isn't very random. After playing a disc in Random mode, I can pretty much guarantee that the same track for that disc will be played first the next time I use Random. Minor complaint.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Thanks Rob for the nice evaluation of the Rotel and Cambridge units. I'm pleased that you preferred the Rotel, even more so since I went ahead and bought one on Sat. Funny how things work out. I went to audition speakers and the pair of Dynaudios that were in the one sound room were being driven by a Rotel setup sourced by a 1072.

[Rob B in CT]

I hope that you're happy with the 1072, Jack. If I recall, it didn't require a lot of break-in time to sound good. You and others noted that the 1072 pairs well with the Rotel 1062 integrated. I agree, but when shopping for a new integrated about 10 months ago, I auditioned the 1062 versus the Jolida line of integrateds. Both the Rotel and Jolidas sounded good, but I opted for the Jolida 1501 RC hybrid amp, believing it provided a more realistic and powerful presentation than the 1062. The preamplifier includes tubes, while the 100 watt amplifer section is solid state. The Jolida's more expensive than the Rotel, particularly as the Rotel is equipped with an on-board phono section. (I added a Cambridge Audio 640P phono pre-amp to the purchase.) The Jolida pairs very well with the 1072. Again, no regrets.

[Jack in Wilmington]

I hope that you're happy with the 1072, Jack. If I recall, it didn't require a lot of break-in time to sound good. You and others noted that the 1072 pairs well with the Rotel 1062 integrated. I agree, but when shopping for a new integrated about 10 months ago, I auditioned the 1062 versus the Jolida line of integrateds. Both the Rotel and Jolidas sounded good, but I opted for the Jolida 1501 RC hybrid amp, believing it provided a more realistic and powerful presentation than the 1062. The preamplifier includes tubes, while the 100 watt amplifer section is solid state. The Jolida's more expensive than the Rotel, particularly as the Rotel is equipped with an on-board phono section. (I added a Cambridge Audio 640P phono pre-amp to the purchase.) The Jolida pairs very well with the 1072. Again, no regrets.

Hey Rob, any suggestions on a good interconnect for the 1072? I've been looking at a Straightwire "Maestro", Tributaries , and Audioquest "King Cobra"
Wanted an IXOS XHA706, but it's been discontinued

[Rob B in CT]

Jack: I haven't really experimented with interconnects. I bought a pair of Transparent interconnects about eight years ago, and they've served me well. I think I paid about $75 for them which is the low end of the Transparent line. Good luck on your search!

[PDN]

Jack in Wilmington:

I have a 1-1/2 year old Rotel RCD 1072 CDP and a 7 year old NAD C541 CDP both connected to the same Marantz SR Receiver. While I realize the 541 is not a 542, I would say it's fairly representative of a 542. I was going to use the NAD in a smaller system in another room but then decided to use both in the same larger system. I find using both makes listening more fun and challenging. Why use just one CDP? I use the NAD when the CD being played produces less bass extension and needs just a bit more raw bass. These are generally older recorded CD's but not all. I use the Rotel on the other hand with higher quality recorded CD's with plenty of bass extension already. These are generally later recorded CD's. The Rotel produces tighter cleaner bass than the NAD but when comparing both, the Rotel is definetly superior in music detail, information, and clarity. You hear more information with the Rotel than the NAD. But I love both and it's gratifying to switch around. After all, this what this hobby is all about. Could you swing having both?

I can't comment on how a new NAD C542 would compare but keep in mind there is about a $200.00 sell price difference.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Jack in Wilmington:

I have a 1-1/2 year old Rotel RCD 1072 CDP and a 7 year old NAD C541 CDP both connected to the same Marantz SR Receiver. While I realize the 541 is not a 542, I would say it's fairly representative of a 542. I was going to use the NAD in a smaller system in another room but then decided to use both in the same larger system. I find using both makes listening more fun and challenging. Why use just one CDP? I use the NAD when the CD being played produces less bass extension and needs just a bit more raw bass. These are generally older recorded CD's but not all. I use the Rotel on the other hand with higher quality recorded CD's with plenty of bass extension already. These are generally later recorded CD's. The Rotel produces tighter cleaner bass than the NAD but when comparing both, the Rotel is definetly superior in music detail, information, and clarity. You hear more information with the Rotel than the NAD. But I love both and it's gratifying to switch around. After all, this what this hobby is all about. Could you swing having both?

I can't comment on how a new NAD C542 would compare but keep in mind there is about a $200.00 sell price difference.

Well I've had my Rotel about 2 weeks now and I agree with you 100%. It does produce much tighter, cleaner bass then my old Sony. I hooked it up with a pair of XLO HTP-1 interconnects. I went in yesterday to my NAD dealer and the NAD rep. was there doing a demo on a new preamp and DVD that just came out. I told my salesguy that I bought the Rotel and he said "I don't blame you, I would have too." They stopped carrying Rotel about a year and a half ago.