Rotel just announced a thousand dollar CD player, model RCD-1570, for audiophiles, which offers careful refinements to reveal even the most subtle nuances buried in a CD’s pit spiral. One of its most important features is the Wolfson WM8740 digital filter/stereo digital-to-analog converter. Originally developed for high-resolution sources, it is the product of extensive research and real-world testing and processes digital signals up to 24-bits in length at sampling rates from 8kHz to 192kHz.
While word lengths and sampling rates may seem excessive for CDs delivering data at far lower rates, this high-speed facility adds reserve capability to ensure proper reproduction under all circumstances. As the most crucial link between a CD’s digital data and the analog world in which we listen, this converter boasts significant attributes in addition to its superb high-resolution capabilities. Two digital filter modes allow choice of roll-off characteristics while flexible connections permit adding additional filter modes calculated to bring CDs to life in ways not easily appreciated until they’re auditioned.
Another advance is the RCD-1570s slot-loading disc transport. In addition to mechanical simplicity and improved reliability, this design isolates the CD itself from potentially destructive vibration modes that may affect musical definition. And from a purely aesthetic viewpoint, it adds elegance by simplifying the front panels appearance.
The post-converter analog circuitry benefits from Rotel’s decades-long experience in crafting the finest sounding pathway from the D/A’s internal output to single- and double-ended rear panel connectors that bridge the gap between the RCD-1570 and down-stream components. All circuit components—resistors, capacitors, inductors—are chosen only after their positive contribution to sound quality were quantified and verified qualitatively by extensive listening sessions.
All of these circuits draw on a power supply based on an oversized custom Rotel designed and precision-manufactured toroidal power transformer that, in turn, feeds precise rectifiers, tight-tolerance voltage regulators, and advanced Slit-Foil low-ESR storage capacitors, all globally-sourced to ensure musically accurate operation under even the most demanding conditions.
XRL connectors provide balanced outputs, long recognized for their superior noise-rejecting characteristics while high quality RCA connectors provide an easy pathway to the myriad of components with single-ended inputs.
Price and Availability
The Rotel RCD-1570 CD Player will be available May 2013 for $999.
