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Rotel turntables

hah.

well i was going to add my two cents about my rp-850.

its a good table, fairly well built, and a heck of a lot sturdier than any of the entry level music hall, rega, etc.

its been my main listening table for the last year or so.
 
Joey1127 said:
Eeeeeeee,

All the Rotel RP-1000 and RP-1100A type stuff was made by the same mid-fi comapny that made the tables for Quadraflex and Marantz...so, not really good stuff. They did have some stuff in the 80's and 90's IIRC that was very good.

joey

I tried the RP-1100A and was less than impressed!
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My first actual turntable purchase was a brand-new Rotel RP-1000Q circa 1975.
The Q-model had end of record return but the mechanism was so sloppy that it caused the tone arm to hang up. The shop I bought it from fixed the problem by removing the return mechanism.
The tonearm was no great shakes. You'd want to run something like an M75 or M44 Shure on it, no V15s.
The belt drive was steady in terms of wow and flutter but there was a lot of rumble from the motor.
I had a Transcriptors Vestigal installed on it in 1976. The guy who put it on for me said it was the worst turntable he ever installed a Vestigal on.
I sold the deck in the mid-1980s, but I'd love to have it back now just for that Vestigal arm.
As you stated, they were generic decks made by some mid-fi company. I've seen the same deck badged as a Bose, and the same tonearm on many other turntables from that era.
 
Rotel went downscale in the 70s

Rotel made some real cheap (as in cheap to buy and cheap listening and cheap sound) back in the 1970s and early 1980s. Can't say I remember when they went back upscale but buying anything used made by them is tricky as they made some really lousy components. I seem to recall that even a lot of their ads made the copy read as if they were trying to capture the low end of the high-fi market. Although I don't doubt they ended up making a few components over the years. I can't remember exactly when they started trying to go upscale a little but it seems to the late 80s or early 90s when that happened. I had a friend who bought some of their components but he was happy because he had some home made horns and played back a good bit of rock music that sounded loud and very grungy sounding. As did his whole system. He listened to a lot of Lynyrd Skynyrd while I was a big fan of folks and acoustic music. So my memory may be colored by what he played but the equipment even looked cheap in those days.
 
The Rotel RP850 is a hidden gem that is very hard to find in most locales, but a quality piece of Japanese turntable precision. There's no bells and whistles with this obese offering, but you won't be disappointed.
 
princeoftides said:
Can't say I remember when they went back upscale but buying anything used made by them is tricky as they made some really lousy components.
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I've bought a decent amount of used Rotel gear and have been very happy with it (RC-970, RC-990, RCD-971, RB-1080). But from what I read, I think you want to stick with 9xx or newer lines. I read that after the 8xx series, they had a very limited 'michi' lineup that was a cost-no-object experiment, and a lot of the things they learned got incorporated into the 9xx lineup, making them a big step up on the 8xx stuff.
 
Rotel Fan

One of my first purchases of older audio gear was a Rotal RP700 DD. I still have it and still love the thing!
Probably only mid-fi but ultra reliable and easy to set up and the speed keeps pretty consistent!
I'm happy!!
 
BrocLuno said:
See, there are nice ROTELs out there. They can be some pretty underrated TT's.
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No longer underrated, due to the exposure they've had over the past few years here at AK. They are now believe it or not bordering on overrated based on the prices they go for now, roughly $250-400. A year ago you could grab them for $100... So strange how Ak affects TT prices.
 
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I am happy with easy set up and simplicity of my 850, I wouldn't change it for a Rega,
but I would change it for a 3000:yes:
 
Anyone have any info on the Rotel RP-900 turntables? Are these any good? Someone is selling one in decent condition with a Grado ZF3 cartridge. Worth a look?
 
Apparently there are TWO completely different models with this same number?! One is a Rega clone (nice). The other I can't tell much about but it looks decent. Anyone?
 
stuwee said:
Is it just me or does that arm on the RP-3000 look like a copy of SME's 3009 right down to the holes un the headshell? No wonder they like the sound !Craig
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The RP3000 tonearm was a copy of the SME with sufficient differences to avoid copywrite issues.
 
Rural Rat said:
I am after info regards Rotel turntables? Where were they made, how long ago, are they any good etc. Have seen models RP 840, 850 and 310 around recently but details a bit sketchy. What about replacement parts?

Anyone have experience with them?
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My first stand-alone TT was an RP3000 , in NZ they came without a cartridge , so I fitted a Pickering XV15-400E , which was an excellent match .
As far as other models were concerned :
RP 1000 was also sold as a Apan Music Maker BFU151 - these were decent , inexpensive suspended belt drive units.
The later RP830 & 850 models were , off the shelf , better performers , in terms of sound quality & were fitted with a good arm & an AT110E cartridge. They featured more heavily constructed plinths than the RP3000 & the Regas' & a heavy rubber mat. I sold a lot of these , in the early 80s.
 
Bringing this ancient thread back alive! Just purchased a Rotel-4400. In great condition. There has been a lot of convo about RP3000. Anybody about RP-4400? Thanks.
 
revox-b77 said:
womo we need pictures!
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s-l1600.jpg
s-l1600.jpg
 
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