Rotel RCD-955AX laser sources- anyone point me in the right direction?

Although only window shopping, some foolishly good deals on a few CD players have fallen through on me- a Rega Planet for $225, a Cambridge Audio Azur 640c for $225, and a few other to0-good-to-pass-up deals.

I was second or third in line, and since these were too-good-to-pass-up deals, first & second in-liners... well, didn't pass 'em up.

For the better- I didn't want to dish out that type of cash anyhoo.

But a deal on a Rotel has popped up- possibly. Cheapo.

However, before I buy another CDP, I want to make sure a laser is available.


So, anyone here have a source for a Rotel laser?

i'm pretty sure the 955 uses the philips cdm4 right?my 965 does...

the cdm4 is getting pretty hard to find new these days,tho there are lots of "donor" players to be found.pretty much any older philips or magnavox player has one and those players often go quite cheap in the thrifts..you can tell if it's a cdm4 machine by just opening the drawer and seeing if it's got the curved cutout for the swingarm...if it does chances are it's a cdm4...finding one new,while maybe not impossible,is gonna be a bit more of a challange and the cost will be accordingly higher,they are no longer made AFAIK..they are generally quite common and reliable tho so finding a good working donor or three is pretty feasable if you keep your eyes open for em

Rod,

From all I've read, the Rotels use various laser assemblies, including Sony.

But, for this model, it seems the Philips CDM 4-19 is the one.

And, like some of the other fabulous vintage lasers of the past, it is not readily available.

it really depends on what you want to do and what you want to spend..

i picked up my rotel 965BX at a thrift for a grand total of 10 bucks[score!]it works perfectly and has never so much as skipped in the year or so i used it everyday[replaced by a new rotel 1072 now ].i recently passed on another 965 for the same price,and that was hard!but i really didn't need another copy of a player i already had and wasn't using..

after i picked up the rotel i also picked up a cheap magnovox,it's cheap plastic junk but does have a good working cdm4/19 as a spare for the rotel just in case..i even have a philips cdrom drive/cdplayer[white with extra "stuff" inside and a serial port]that sports a cdm4/55,i don't know if that drive is compatible in any way with the /19 tho it appears to be..and it also works excellent..for the three players my total outlay was likely a bit less than 30 bucks..if i had needed to do surgery on the rotel at some point,i would have been OK with taking the chance

i've never heard the multibit 955,but the bitstream 965 really is an excellent player,it's heavy,built well and sounds really good..there's a reason these were as well regarded as they were and still are

A 90's Rotel CDP at a great price? - grab it and run!!! worry about the spare laser later.....The 900 series of Rotels have proven very reliable. Never had had problem with the 930, 940 and 945 I've got.

I bought my Rotel 965BX Limited Edition new in 1993 and it is still working flawlessly, looking brand new. No other player I've compared it to has had me convinced to change player (well, an Accuphase I listened to sounded a lot better, but that cost a fortune). My very first CD player (in 1988) was a Technics, which sounded very tiring and made me abandon CD and buy a Linn turntable. After having bought the Rotel, though, I have mainly listened to CD's. I also have an Arcam CD player and a Mission CD player, and both share some of the characteristics of the Rotel, soundwise. I think these three all have Philips/Magnavox transports and electronics.

Deli, try B&D. I don't see that Phillips listed in my catalog but they do carry Phillips and may be able to get it for you. They have the Sony's just about covered.B&D