ROTEL RCC-955 CD Players
ROTEL RCC-955 CD Players
USER REVIEWS
[Jun 10, 2006]
birdy33
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Very musical, via analog I invest in some good ones and it sounds great.
Weakness:
A little noisy, can have problems with scratched cds. Picked one up on ebay for $113.00, great sound!! My old CDs have come to life again. Very musical will not regret this purchase, it was a steal!!!! Similar Products Used: sony, pioneer nad |
[Mar 08, 2003]
Herb_from_Stamford
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Fabulous warm yet detailed sound. Quiet mechanism when it is able to recognize and read CD's
Weakness:
Unable to recognize all Red Book CD's depending on the TOC formats according to Rotel Factory Service in MA. Unstable circuits which cause playback to fail in the course of playing a CD. Unbuffered Power Switch which sends "electronic pulse" through preamp to speakers. I probably should have posted this review much earler to let other people know that what Wade says in some postings below is quite true. My story is similar but a bit different than Wade's. I had problems with the RCC-955 and its companion stereo receiver the RX-975. Furthermore there are quite a few postings on this forum stating problems with the RSX-965 A/V receiver as well as Rotel's ineptitude when servicing products. I was replacing my trusty old SONY CDP-C525 when I came accross the beautiful sound of the Rotel RCD-971 and RCC-955. To this day I have yet to find moderately priced Red Book CD players that can compare. Unfortunately I chose the convenience of the RCC-955. At first it became fussy about recognizing the Table of Contentsading discs. Next it would stop in the middle of play back of a disc (with a great deal of static). At that point I couldn't get any CD to be "recognized". I sent this unit back to the Factory twice and of course they couldn't find anything wrong. So, I sent the Factory Service Center (in MA) a GRP CD of Tom Scott that the player had never been able to read. Using that CD, the Factory Service realigned the laser and the returned unit (missing some screws and with scratched CD) worked again. However with prolonged listening sessions, the player began to skip again. Note that this behaviour is very similar to "many" reports on the Denon DCM-370 at this site. In fact the 2 players look and handle remarkedly the same. As "willing" as the Factory service was, they proved to be inept. I had a great dealer but these problems came up about 6 months into ownership. I had an additional problem in that the "unbuffered" power switch caused a high pitched "crackle" in my speakers. I never bothered Rotel at that issue. The sound of the RCC-955 is superbe (warm but detailed sound) but the tracking/stablility problems were unmanagable. Again, we are not alone, the Denon DCM-370 owners are suffering too !!! Unlike Wade I gave up and replaced the unit with a SONY DVP NS755V (SuperAudio on the cheap - too bright on Red Book however). Similar Products Used: Denon DCM-380 Sony CDP-C525 Sony DVP NS755V |
[Sep 03, 2002]
alanb
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Musicality; build
Weakness:
Black box "'80s" look; no power on remote This is an update to my previous review. I had said that this unit does not have random play within disc but it does have. I re-read owner's manual. Like all mid to high end audio this changer is cable (coaxial and rca, sensitive). I never believed cables, especially interconnects, really made a serious difference until recently. But they do. I also didn't want to believe HDCD makes a difference but it does. Incidentally, don't let a retailer tell you you need an HDCD player if your amps decodes this format. My Rotel RSX1065 receiver decodes HDCD and when I used an older Sony shelf system with optical out, the receiver decoded the HDCD anyway (of course the quality was not as good as the Rotel changer). Yes, the digital "ones and zeros" are NOT always transported the same. System so far: Rotel RSX-1065 A/V Receiver Rotel RCC-955 CD Carousel Altec Lansing 3 way Speakers (USA) Acoustic Reseach Performance Series cables and interconnect AMX Silver Plated Digital Coaxial (for o minidisc recording purposes) SOny Satellites (garbage?) Onkyo DVD; Sharp md-mt877 Portable Minidisc Recorder Similar Products Used: technics,denon,sony |
[Aug 07, 2002]
alanb
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Rotel reputation of quality, build and sound. Stereo separation; HDCD; 20 bit rather than the standard 1 bit; Pacific Microsonics DAC; coaxial output
Weakness:
No power on remote and overall diffcult to use, but use Rotel universal remote anyway; no random play within disc (who cares?); no headphone output Bought this unit based on reputation of Rotel and strong internet reviews. Got the Rotel RSX1065 receiver recently and was so happy with Rotel that, as my cd player needed upgrade, decided on RCC-995 after looking at offerings from Denon (dcm370) and Marantz (OSE4000). This changer is the most compelling changer musically on the market in it's price range. I was wondering why Rotel is no longer making it so I grabbed it before its too late. Percussion is excellent and placemennt of instruments can be deduced. Paid a little more but it is built solidly compared to other changers. Seems to share parts with higher priced Parasound changer. Unlike previous reviews here this unit does show track time elapsed (recent upgrade??) by Rotel. Similar Products Used: denon,sony,technics |
[Jun 22, 2002]
jomammah
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Musicality
Weakness:
None that I've found I'm very pleased with this player, as I expected to be. I've already got an RMB-1095, and have an RSP1066 ordered. Anyway, this is the most musical sounding CD player I've ever heard. It put much of the analog soul back into my CDs. Most noticeably, the bass is tighter, fuller and more well-balanced. I even like the remote. I think the MSRP listed here is an error. Similar Products Used: Sony, Pioneer Elite |
[Jun 22, 2002]
jomammah
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Musicality
Weakness:
None that I've found I'm very pleased with this player, as I expected to be. I've already got an RMB-1095, and have an RSP1066 ordered. Anyway, this is the most musical sounding CD player I've ever heard. It put much of the analog soul back into my CDs. Most noticeably, the bass is tighter, fuller and more well-balanced. I even like the remote. I think the MSRP listed here is an error. Similar Products Used: Sony, Pioneer Elite |
[Apr 13, 2002]
Michael
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
HDCD provides real detail and depth.
Weakness:
Lack of useful controls on the unit, including random play. The display is rudamentary, and the remote is less than ideal. It''s unfortunate that this review system allows one person to post numerous times, seriously affecting the rating of this unit. It is a very good player. I listened to this versus a Marantz and there is an obvious difference, so I bought one. The sound from the Rotel is very full, musical, and natural. It has functioned perfectly since day one. Similar Products Used: Technics, Marantz, Sony. |
[Mar 12, 2002]
Charles Padgett
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Sound, display panel.
Weakness:
No on/off on remote Rotel has a good product here. This is my second RCC-955. The first buy was defective; the unit had a very loud buzz on startup that did not disappear once a cd began playing. I contacted Justin Troutwine at Audio Buys at once; another unit was on the way from Rotel by that afternoon. The RCC-955 has replaced my four year old Onkyo cd player. The Rotel is a bit louder in transition during random play but the playback is outstanding. The ''estimated price'' is much higher than what is listed on this review site. $599 is the suggested retail; Audio Buys knocked off about $60. Similar Products Used: Onkyo |
[Mar 09, 2002]
astravitz
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Reputation of Rotel This is in response to the www PA user. This forum is for music not complaining about a bad experience with Rotel. I own the Rotel RSX-1065 and couldn''t be happier with the quality and build. Rotel is so concerned with proper quality that they are one of the only manufactures that gives you a 5-year warrantee. They also do not allow any of their products to be sold over the Internet. I''m planning on pairing this CD player with my stereo, because it sounds excellent - better then any other sub $1k cd player. I hope my 5 stars rating, offsets your 3 low star ratings! Similar Products Used: Pioneer Elite, Marantz |
[Mar 08, 2002]
Louis Toronto
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Build quailty, smooth tray operation, sound, HDCD decoding, styling.
Weakness:
no direct track buttons on the front panel, ho hum remote (but not a problem because I use Rotel''s universal learning remote RR-969) When it recently came time to say goodbye to my Carver TL-3300 single disc player, I decided I really wanted the convenience of a cd-changer but didn''t want what would amount to a big toaster to keep the dust off my CDs. High end CD changers are a fairly rare animal. After looking at offerings from Denon, Marantz, NAD, and Nakamichi I eventually concluded that the Rotel RCC-955 was the cream of the crop. It blows away my Carver which at the time I bought it was the top of the line single disc player. I also compared it to Rotel''s single disc RCD-951, RCD-961, RCD-971 and the new RCD-1070. In my listening tests, I found it to easily match the performance of the 951 and the 961. The 971 and 1070 are slightly better sounding players but nothing to fall out of your chair for. Given the convenience, gorgeous looks, and rock solid construction, and my previous experience with Rotel products this was a no brainer. Highly recommended. Similar Products Used: Players from Technics, Denon, Carver |