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Rotel RCD-1070 in the house.

Rob41

Rob41

Don't stop believin'
My 90's Sony 5 disc carousel has been acting up a little lately so I was on the hunt for a replacement. I found a Rotel RCD-1070 that had been on CL a couple weeks and was still available so I was able to get it. Turns out, it's in 10/10 condition and like new.

I just now got to spend a little time with it in my system and this is what I found. I already knew I wouldn't have any tagging showing artist and song info but I'm okay with that. I'm a bit disappointed that it won't play MP3's or other self recorded media like the older Sony did. I will be looking to get a new cd player in the future for that reason.

My listening impressions mirror many of the reviews in that the bottom end and midrange is clear yet warm however, the top end is a bit bright. It is exceedingly clear and revealing but still a tad on the bright side. I got my forst cd player in 1984 which was a Sony CDP 501ES and have used exclusively Sony players since then so they have all had a like sound signature to me. This was the first time I observed clear differences in warmth, clarity and presence between cd players.

I plays HDCD's and I don't think I have any but will look into trying a couple of them to see if I hear any difference between them and the standard cd's.

In all, I'm pleased with the Rotel RCD-1070 and will continue to use it for my prerecorded cd's, but feel I need to get a more modern variant allowing playback of self recorded media and perhaps a USB port for additional media.

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I have a 1072 and love it. Working fine for years. You can notice the difference between regular and HDCD discs. There are many disks that will light up the HDCD light but do not say they are on the disk. My guess is they just didn't want to spend the extra money to have it labeled as such.

Just about every King Crimson disk is HDCD.

Enjoy the player!
 
I got an RCD 1070 new in 2002 and it was the single piece that got me going on this crazy path for clearer and clearer sound. Just adding it as a source in my old Yamaha/AR system showed me all the musical goodness that had been hiding from all those cheap CD players from the 80's and 90's I had been running.

It's a little puzzling to me that it won't play CDRs for you. (If I understand you correctly) mine would play any CD I put in it; whether retail or burned. As for the HDCD, some hear a difference, I never really did unless it's simply a matter of making a second-rate recording sound a notch better.
 
Good to hear. I notice King Crimson and the Greatful Dead were some big time adopters of the technology.

I think I'll need to go the route of two CD players so I can play all the media I want. I've got some flac files made from masters that I'd like to listen to and have the ability to hook up hard drives or thumb drives. But I do like the RCD-1070 for prerecorded media.
 
Brett a said:
I got an RCD 1070 new in 2002 and it was the single piece that got me going on this crazy path for clearer and clearer sound. Just adding it as a source in my old Yamaha/AR system showed me all the musical goodness that had been hiding from all those cheap CD players from the 80's and 90's I had been running.

It's a little puzzling to me that it won't play CDRs for you. (If I understand you correctly) mine would play any CD I put in it; whether retail or burned. As for the HDCD, some hear a difference, I never really did unless it's simply a matter of making a second-rate recording sound a notch better.
Click to expand...

I'll have to try my media again. I have a small issue when I press play on the remote I usually have to do it a second time before it begins to play. IIt did this a couple time with my self recorded stuff so I figured it was a no go.

I read somewhere that the ribbon cable going to the laser pick-up on these sometimes needs to be replaced or simply removed and reinstalled. Maybe that's what the issue is.

EDIT: You're right, I tried it again and it plays the music I recorded just fine. Perhaps the unit was just too cold after the drive back home.
 
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Glad it's working for the CDs. One thing you might like to know about these is that the door has a "load belt". (Its a belt drive door). When these get old they can get stretched out and lose traction, necessitating you tap on the door to get it to make its final snuggling in. Rotel sells the belts. I uploaded the installation instructions here in the AK manual database. Maybe it will never come up for you, but thought I'd mention it. Enjoy! (The silver is nice. Mine was black)
 
Thanks for the tip Brett. I think it might be a good idea if I got one now if the need should arise anytime soon.

Even though I've been happy with the Sony unit's I've had, this is definitely a step up in the chain.
 
Cool style! Is it heavy?

I recently bought a Tascam CD-401mkII. It's cool, but the transport is sticking.

The Tascam is the highest end CDP I've owned to date. I haven't had the time to clean and grease the transport.

I bought M-kote EM-30L to grease it. It's supposed to be the right stuff.

The seller said it needed a belt, but the belt doesn't slip. I'm going to order a belt any way. It plays great once the disc is in.
 
I've had one for the past 5 years or so and have had no complaints except that it occasionally starts on track 10 instead of track 1. Somewhere (not AK) I saw someone else mention this very same problem but no solution was offered and since it's not the greatest problem facing me I just keep an eye on it. It only happens on the odd time I forget to monitor it. Murphy strikes again.
 
It's pretty heavy. I know it's heavier than the Sony 5 cd changer it replaced. Good luck with your Tascam. They are very mainstream so I'm sure it will be easy to get any parts you could ever need for them.

thilaseen, I've read where the vast majority of issues with these is often traced to the ribbon cable that attaches to the laser pick up. Sometimes just reseating it cures the issues should it get worse.
 
I always thought that Rotel was a handsome player. Had the pre-pro and power amp but sold them to a friend, who really likes them. They look very nice, too.
 
I recently got a nice Rotel RA-1412 integrated amp I use as a preamp since I use multiple amps, that I really like as well. It's a different vintage than the newer CD player but still a nice piece.
 
Nice, I have the same thing only mine is black and I don't have the remote..

Mine has the annoying habit of when I push play it wants to play track 10.. Occasionally it will go to track one. Maybe that's why I got it at Value Village for $10. But I don't care I still use it every day. Enjoy
 
Rob41 said:
Good luck with your Tascam. They are very mainstream so I'm sure it will be easy to get any parts you could ever need for them.
Click to expand...

The pick up laser is unobtanium, as they say. It's suppose to have very low mileage, and it looks it. My fingers are crossed.
 
Oh no, I didn't think any of their parts would be unobtanium. I always see a lot of Teac and Tascam players. That Mk II looks like a nice unit and even has balanced connections.
 
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