Thanks Art. I did not get the Kimber Kables though. I intend to do so after I get the Dared's that Stu so graciously has sent out to me. I can then compare the Dared's, Kimber's and the Mogami's (which I am currently using).
This player is everything I was told it would be. As I drove home from the dealer I thought my expectations were perhaps a bit beefed up from all I've read here and I may be a bit disappointed. Nope. It's all it's cracked up to be.
To me, it sounds very clean. The thing that stands out the most is the quiet spots...they're VERY quiet. The next note JUMPS out at you.
Now I gotta go thru the cd collection and re-hear all those albums for the first time! I'm really diggin' this.
Nuck, after playing around with this new cdp last night, I have backed off the 1080 a little bit. I ran all red book stuff and was quite pleased. Rush-Moving Pictures really really really jumped. Diana Krall, Blue Oyster Cult, Michael Feinstein, Pink Floyd, Michael Crawford.....I was all over the map- All good. I found I needed less volume knob to "get there".
What do I gain by jumping up to the 1080? Maybe I should just try to arrange a test drive, huh.
In fact, Stryvn, the 1080 is way ahead of the 1070 in only one really important aspect. It offers balanced connections. The RC1070 does not offer balanced operation.
So beyond the power, the 1080 won't blow your socks off like maybe you had hoped.
From what I've read the 1080 brings a bit deeper bass. I'm pleased with what I'm getting now. I don't need Andre bass and the Studio 60's get plenty deep for me. I've noticed only in certain recordings the bass doesn't seem to be as deep as it could be. Very few. For me, right now, I like what I've got here. The point of diminishing returns has been found?
Oh, another thing....a while back I asked about my player skipping around with the bassline when turned up. Yea, the problem was the 14 year old player I was using. The 1072 is sitting in the same place the old one was.......smooooooooth.
What are you using with the Apollo? I'll shoot the Dared's back to you after I've given them a whirl so you can get another shot at them with your new deck to see what they're really like.
You should be getting them and day now. I sent them out on Monday. The post office told me 4-5 days.
I'm using Audioquest King Cobras, which I've had for a while now. I'm in no hurry to try the Dareds out again. I don't mean that in a bad way BTW. I want to fully break in the Apollo and get used to what's doing what before I start changing things around. The King Cobra's a good synergistic match right now to my ears.
Keep the Dareds in your system for a while. This should give you a good baseline frame of reference.
Maybe two or three months down the road I'll give them a go again, then again I'll probably just be getting a Mira 3 then and will want to wait to change anything for the same reasons.
fyi - I went ahead and bought a used VH Audio Spectrum interconnect. If anyone's interested I'll report my impressions when I get it. I was pretty impressed by some reviews I read on it, mainly from audioasylum.
As opposed to the Silver Siren, it's a copper cable. With my current cables, I can tell the Silver Siren is "better" than my Blue Jeans cable due to clarity and detail. However, I'm not liking the "sheen" that it's putting on the music. With my Boston's metal tweeters and the silver Chord speaker cable I'm using, it's just too much and I think I need some copper to balance it out.
This is neither here nor there but just thought I'd post.
Stu- I got the Dared's today. Thanks much. I'll get them hooked up tonight but probably won't get any real listening in until this weekend.
Either I haven't been around IC's much or these things are pretty beefy. In my own special audio ignorant way I'm saying, "Look at these things. How could they NOT make a difference one way or another?"
I intentionally left the caps loose so as to not potentially confuse you like I was. Plug them in, make sure the arrow is pointing away from the CD player and toward the pre-amp, and tighten the caps over the RCA. It'll make more sense when you've got it in front of you.
Hey all, Just wanted to report I received a set of VH Audio Spectrum (copper) interconnects last Thursday, and it appears my cable search is over.
Like them much better than the Silver Sirens. Three times the price though so they better be or I'm not keepin em'. (Got em used at 1/2 retail off audiogon though).
I came across these things while doing a search on Art's Van den Hul's that he spoke of so highly. VDH makes a lot of different ICs and I was doing a good bit of reading on descriptions and reviews of them all to find a good candidate for an audition. I had zeroed in on a VDH Integration Hybrid, when I came across a glowing review of someone who replaced his with a VH Audio Pulsar. Not to get all into it, but it sounded exactly like what I wanted. Then read how the Spectrum (2x price of Pulsar) was even better.... strolled over to old audiogon and then saw the Spectrum for the price of a new Pulsar, and said the heck with it, let's give it a whirl.
There's a lot of reviews on these ICs over at audioasylum as well as the manufacturer's site, so I won't regurgitate everything that they say. Needless to say, this thing is wonderfully detailed but but has brought more smoothness to my system. Excellent bass and noise floor as well.
Just thought I'd throw the name out for interested parties. System is *complete* for now!
... until I decided to get a new power cord for the Apollo. ;)
Been lurking in the background (my account was suspended due to inactivity!).
I'll just add my $0.02 worth. I think the RCD1072 is a great machine at its price point. It is a machine that takes a long time to burn in, so it does not always impress on demo (since most dealers have units with very low hours in the shop). But -yeah a really good player.
cheers Rav
PS I see the cable stuff also, I have recently purchased some local Aussie made Eichman Bullet plugs, so suffice to say I will be cooking in the cable kitchen soon.
The 1072 is indeed a little too lively for some tastes, which is as it should be. I 'may' try an Apollo against my trans-dac some time soon as well, but only a Naim cd5x could pry the Rotel from my hands. Well I have to put the beer down first, but you get the idea...
Relatively new to this, but catching on quickly and loving it! I have a Rotel 1056 receiver which does music duties as well and I was looking to upgrade the sound by getting a dedicated CD player. The Rotel 1062 seems like the perfect fit, but the NAD 542 is significantly cheaper (at least here in Oz). Was just wondering whether there would be a problem mixing source and amplication brands or whether it would be fine to go with the NAD. Another less attractive option (as I've understood it) is a Rotel RDV 1050 DVD player which is in the same price range as the NAD 542. Was wondering whether there would be a massive difference in sound quality between the Rotel RCD 1072 and RDV 1050. Any advice would be much appreciated!
A dedicated cdp is the way to go. The dvd player, while capable of cd playback is weighted with it's video responsibilities. Personally, I want my cd player to concentrate on audio only.
As far as the NAD vs Rotel goes. Can you get to a dealer to listen to each player? I did exactly this while auditioning for my current setup. To me, the 1072 was a more complete sound. Attack, depth, bass...the two machines were very different with the 1072 winning easily. I also believe there is something to be said for matching components and synergy.
Some people have mixed Nad and Rotel to varying rates of success and enjoyment. Do try and get a demo of each player, and see if you can overnight them home to try yourself. BTW, have you priced a Rega Apollo against the 1072? I know the difference here in NA is wide, how about OZ?
Thanks stryvn and Nuck, I'm searching for a dealer that does both - the guys I picked up my Rotel receiver from do only Rotel and an assortment of Cambridge Audio, Marantz etc. The NAD dealer I'm aware of does NAD, MF etc. Price wise, the 542's around A$600, the RCD is $900 (display piece) and the Apollo around $1500. Any of these players would be a massive improvement over the Sony DVD I'm currently using. With the DAC on the receiver it doesn't sound as bad as I thought it would, so I'm fine with it for DVD but would like to get a little more out of my system for music. The NAD does seem to offer the most bang for the buck, but then again, there are those synergies to consider...
Rohan, the prices sound about right. Can you get a player from each store on the same evening? If not can you test either at home? This all depends on your relationship with the dealer, of course, and a valid credit card,LOL. The Rotel 1070 cdp(if available) should chop off a few bucks. Same player, minus the HDCD capability. If you like the house sound of your Rotel now, then look for a 1070 to try out. The cdp will reinforce that sound.
I wasn't able to find that 1070 around here, Nuck, but that might be a nice option for Rohan.
Don't be afraid of the display piece either, Rohan. I'm sure the guy you're dealing with is going to stand by his product and Rotel has a 5 year warranty and the 1072 is a pretty reliable/sturdy deck. I've even heard of people dropping this deck with no ill-effects.
But an overnight with each deck in your system would surely be ideal. Either way, I think you're going to be ok and an improvement will be had.
The home audition is the best possible option - I haven't been comfortable enough to ask for that - especially if I sense I'll be returning the unit - which in this case I'm guessing will be the NAD. I've been lucky so far, stuff I've bought sounds better at home than at the shop, which is way better than the other way around! I guess I'm just going to bite the bullet and go with the 1072 after a good listen in-shop vs the marantz and CA 640. It's undoubtedly a capable unit, and with the matching 'look' of the receiver, should please the wife as well. I haven't seen the 1070 around, so I guess that must have been sold out or not ordered in Oz. I do like the Rotel sound, it isn't bright as some people have found, to me it sounds smooth and detailed. And if the unit is as good as you guys have found it, I'll be ecstatic. Thanks again for your help!
Mate, if you find the presentation of the 1072 and the Amp to be smooth and detailed, you are a fan for life! Rotel doesn't sell a zillion widgets a year for nothing! I have always been a fan(have an amp or two kicking around), if you like it, don't listen to Classe.
I was playing with a 1072 in the store today. I brought my own music CD. It was powered by a US $2000 Rotel AV amp on some hi end B&W speakers. Great but not the kit I would be using. I guess my next cd player will be the 1072 or the Rega Apollo. I have an Azure 640C with an annoying mechaical whirring. Came that way new and I didn't want to mail it back. I guess I should go with the matching integrated amp 1062, or Rega Brio3 if I go Apollo.
I need another cdp and have the Apollo and Rotel at the top. I see a number of Apollos on Audiogon. But with my LP recording project, the temptation is to get a Yamaha cdr w/200g hard disc. I have a cdr but not w/storage. I suppose the Yamaha does not compare in sound since it costs less and is much more complex. Has anyone heard one?
I havn't heard one, Kevin, but I have both the 1072 and the Apollo, as well as a Classe transdac. I did a tete-a-tete with all of them a while ago, the Apolo beat out both on an attrition basis. The 1072 was hands down for RnR, the Apollo did Floyd the best, and the Classe kit does Bugs Bunny music the best. The Apollo is the all-rounder, but if you favor the Stones, Zep, Max Webster and Steppinwolf, the Rotel is my choice. Should you tend towards Johnny Cash, Elvis, Carl Perkins or the Killer, the Apollo is a solid choice.
From your description it makes them closer than I guessed. My mucic is closest to Art. I am a jazz fan and go to the jazz clubs and festivals when I can. If you were to stream online KPLU you would have a sample. I like a trio or quarted with a real piano and a stand up base. From Monty Alexander to Jo Zawinil. Under Subwoofers I named Buster Williams. Ron Carter is more known to mainstream fans. NO SMOOTH JAZZ. That does not mean it cannot be quiet and lovely. Vibes and piano duet for example. The ECM label. For the family I go to Marc Knoffler, John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, blues old and new. Santana, Ray Charles, Ry Cooder, Sade and lots more. Not a fan of big band with exception of a few classics like Mingus and Ellington. Lots of Brazil, Bossa nova, Samba and POP. I had a Naim which sounded great but was fussy so I sold it. My best now is CA Azure 640C which is good in the main room but no good for quiet music because of the motor whirrr it came with and hoped would break in but never went away.
Temptation! Another 1072 on Audiogon at just over half the cost of the Apollos there. Hmmmmm? Well, I wrote the seller to see if it is being bid on. I need it for my bedroom system for quiet night music. That is mostly ECM label jazz. Jarret, Gary Burton, Ralf Towner, Bill Evans etc. Miles Davis Silent way. My Azure 640C is just too noisy for this purpose but sounds good up louder in the living room.
KC, the 1072 will always go fast. This player is as lively, as 'right now' as any on the market(under 1800$)in attack, finish and no extra colouring. Bang, bang, bang. I don't listen to jazz, but if you want bang bang(I think you might) try the Rotel. Good player
I had posted a little while ago when I was in the process of searching for a CD player. Now that I've got one I thought I'd post my experience with the 1072, which I plonked down good money (in Oz dollars) for. It looked quite solid and matched my receiver really well. Connected this up using RCAs to the CD input of my RSX 1056, selected the analog bypass and was ready to be dazzled. But for the next few days I was sorely disappointed. CDs tended to sound muddy and lacked bass. The bass issue I expected since with there is no subwoofer output on an analog bypass. The stereo option on the 1056 did sound better since it enabled bass management and also allowed me to use the High Frequency contour but even with this, it was easily outclassed on redbook CDs by my 5 year old Sony DVD player connected to the Rotel using an optical cable, and using the 1056's DACs. I guess part of the reason for this is that the cross-over and contours on the rotel receiver operate in the digital domain and hence takes the analog out of the 1072, converts it to digital, processes it, and then converts back again to analog using the 1056 DACs. Thankfully the story didn't end there. I thought I'd try using the other analog input -- the multi inputs on the receiver. There are no bass management settings with this input -- its only possible to send a summed copy of the main channels to the subwoofer output. But what a massive difference in sound! The sound really opened up in detail and in dynamics. And When comparing vs the receiver's DACs, the bass was much more taut and the treble was just that little bit more refined - cymbals sounded almost real - and without any harshness. This is my first experience with Rotel, and while I'm really impressed with the sonics, I'm a little surprised at some of the design choices. Isn't it common for people to use subwoofers with music? And doesn't it make more sense to have an analog crossover which could relieve the amp of sub bass duties? Also not quite sure whether there is a physical defect with my CD input or whether this is something a software upgrade should handle.
