HDCD, good build quality, nice sound, "no nonsense" looks, slim profile

None so far

My objective in buying the 951 was, first, to reduce the high string "grain" produced my ancient Phillips player, and, second, to try HDCD disks. Using some troublesome disks of my own, I first listened to the Denon DCM-370 and the Harmon Kardon FL-8550. Neither, however seemed to reduce the "grain" to any noticeable degree. Then I compared the Rotel RCD-951 with its more expensive siblings, the 971 and the 991. All seemed to eliminate the "grain" so, since I couldn't discern a difference between the three Rotel machines, I bought the cheapest, the 951, for $499.00.

First, the bad news. At the store, I listened to the Rotels through an extremely expensive tube amp which I now realize had more to do with "grain" reduction than the player itself because, played on the 951 through my IC amp, these difficult disks still exhibit some "grain" although it is somewhat reduced in comparison to my old player.

The good news. HDCD is far, far better than I expected! Even my dog noticed...for the first time ever she barked at the speakers when the bass drum thudded in Mephisto Waltz (Minnesota Orchestra, Reference Recordings, "Mephisto & Co."). High strings are "grainless" and "airy", trumpets "bite", and cymbals actually "shimmer". Soundstage depth is startling...my back wall disappeared, the timpani wound up in my driveway and the trombones seemed to be seated at my picnic table under the maple tree.

I don't understand why HDCD is such a secret in the general marketplace. It is the biggest "hi-fi" step for me since I replaced my record changer with a turntable in 1956! If there's a problem at all it's that I now can't bear to listen to my old, conventional disks.

A very fine CD player. Of course other high-end CD players sound better that costs 5 times as much while only a 5% or so improvement. Definitely worth every penny, but it would be nice if it had pair of gold plated RCA jacks. 4 stars for the build quality. A full 5 stars for sound and value.

Great bass extension. Extremely detailed. Looks. Functions. Price. Built like a tank.

Cheesey remote.

This is a review for the RCD-961 which is the updated version of the RCD-951. I'm told the difference between the two is a newer chip set and some improvements in THD and S/N ratio. Regardless, they are essentially the same player.

I LOVE this CD player. It is highly detailed, VERY musical, warm yet transparent, non-fatiguing, and provides a wide and involving soundstage. It completely blew away the much more expensive Krell 300 CD player (see my review) which, IMHO, is one of the worst pieces of junk (except for build quality) ever put on the market. Also, I didn't hear much of a difference between the 961 and the Arcam FMJ 23 which is almost 4 times the price. Although I think the Arcam is a slight bit more refined in the upper registers, I don't think the slight (and I mean SLIGHT) improvement is worth the substantially extra financial outlay.

I also like the fact that the 961 has features such as "repeat", "random", "search" and "scan" directly on the player as well as on the remote. This makes it easy if you want to chuck the remote and use the player manually. Most players I've seen such as the Arcam only have these functions on the remote which I find a bit restrictive. Also, the "scan" function allows you to scan through bits of each track rather than just skipping to the next track.
This makes it quick and easy to get to the spot you want to without having to play the entire track.

The 961 is an amazing player at an amazing price ($499). Its looks, build quality, sonic presentation and the fact that it has HDCD makes it an outstanding value at any price. It's definitely a keeper.

Build quality. Sound quality

Remote control looks cheap

I have had this CD player for a little over a month now. I just bought Kimber Kable Hero interconnects. While they are not broken in yet, the sound is amazing. This is truely a good CD player. I like how the unit looks. It has a clean front, but does everything you need it to do. The remote control has small buttons and looks cheap. I think it was a good purchase. I plan on upgrading my entire stereo system to Rotel components.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 5 disc CD player

I auditioned the RCD-951 on the weekend before purchasing it. I auditioned it using a Rotel amp and B&W series tower speakers. On normal CD's, the unit produced excellent sound staging and very smooth response in midrange and bass. The highs were detailed and articulate. Then I listened to a HDCD disk and I have to admit I had never heard music sound as good as on a HDCD disk. True, DVD audio standard is coming out and I will have to audition that system but for $649 CDN, this CD player is worth every penny. I look foward to putting this unit through it paces with my system at home which is an Onkyo TXD-S656 and Paridigm Monitor 7 speakers.

I have to say that I was a bit skeptical that this player was as good as some people said. I took an A/B test next to the high end Sonic Fronteirs unit.. needlsee to say, The SF model sounded a bit better but it was very very very close to the exact same quality of sound. And I would really have to make a close decision between the two.. But when we add price into the eq. there is no question.. Thumbs up to rotel for making a very very nice player at the price that is incredible.. Please email me if you disagree or think that I am wrong.. This player will not displease you, and it has HDCD which is a great feature.

I was a bit disappointed with this player. The treble is too bright, voices grainy and articulation at lower frequencies is muddled. The RCD-951 is very detailed, just not in a way I like very much. The lack of fluidity present with this Rotel frustrates me, however, with HDCD discs, it begins to sound quite a bit better; it is still a bright machine, but the grain is less prevalent, but the nagging inability to resolve the instruments in space still bothers me. Ultimatly not a player I would buy, but not a bad machine all in all. It is detailed with a strong sense of pace, and drives rock tracks really well, but it's lack of emotion, realism, and grace drop it a few notches in my humble opinion. Finally, it's the HDCD that props this player up 1 rating. -3 stars w/out HDCD.

Great sound, clean and tasteful looks, price/performance

lacks a dimmer/off feature on the display

I have had the 951 about two months and have been thoroughly pleased with it. It has been discontinued for 2001 but you may find one in a dealer's store or, as I did, used on Ebay. It is worth more than the price. I popped the top and counted more than a dozen Black Gate capacitors (premium stuff), of coarse the Burr Brown and Pacific Microsonics components contribute highly to the performance. High build quality, for instance, the PC boards are screwed down to the chassis stand-offs and strategic resistors are raised off from the board, like NAD 3020. Someone had reported that the player had plenty of sound deadening. I did not find it to be so, but the inside surfaces of the top cover are painted. On the subject of sound deadening, I did find that the player responds well to proper application of vibration control tweaks and I highly recommend that a good amount of time be spent in achieving optimum vibration control. The player also will reward you highly for using excellent interconnect cables. Neil Gader of TAS reported "...the RCD 951 relishes a challenge and clearly demands the best peripherals to bring out its best. It shines, depending on the company it keeps." (issue 119). I have also replaced the power cord with one of my own design, the results were a significant improvement similar to better interconnects. The player was clearly designed and built for the audiophile. They have done some trick design work in the power supply, the hefty main transformer is fed by both 120 VAC line voltage and a 240 VAC stepped up voltage from a small (toroidal?) transformer preceding it- the transformer apparently has dual primary windings.

The sonics of the 951 are exceptional. It can convey the pace, rhythm, micro and macro dynamics found in live music. A properly set up 951 will probably out perform many players 10 times its cost that have just been plugged in and played.

Sound, Build, Value

None unless you consider a small remote a weakness

Let me put this in perspective, my system consists of;

Nakamichi AV-7 Reciever ($307.00 Ubid.com NEW)
Front Speakers Infinity Prelude ($700.00 Each Ubid.com New)
Back Speakers Infinity Delta 60 ($269.00 OnSale.com New)
Center Speaker Infinity Delta-CC ($150.00 DMK Elec. NEW)
DVD Pioneer 606 ($294.00 Ubid.com New)
TV Mitsubishi VS60603 60 inch ($1,695.00 PC Richards Floor Model One Month Old with 2 year in home warrenty)

Ok, I needed a CD player. I couldnt find a 'quality' one 'online' or in a mass market store so I was forced to go the local high end dealer route.

I went with the idea of getting the new Nakamichi MB-10 5 disk changer. I like Nakamichi. I took my own CD's and listened to everything in the store. Nakamichi, Marantz, Yamaha and Rotel.

All of the above were in the same price range. $500.00
(Same sticker price)

The Marantz & Yamaha were the first 2 crossed of the list.
One thing or another, they just didnt make it.


It came down to the Nakamichi MB-10 which I was partial to and the Rotel 951-D HDCD player.


The Nak sounded real good but somehow it seemed a little bright? a little vertical?

The Rotel had a much 'fuller' sound, wider, more filled in. Even my wife commented on it.

Got it home, it sounded good. But the thing was I went out and got a couple of HDCD disks. WOW! BIG DIFFERENCE!!!

The Giggle Factor came into play!

Ok, this thing has a good solid build, nice finish, good control layout. The remote is very tiny, but so what it does what it is supposed to do. It is only a 'Single Disk' player. I got the normal discount and walked out of the store with it for $501.00 including tax. I dont consider a $500.00 unit 'Cheap'

It changes tracks very quickly, silently.

Of all the CD players I listened to this was the hands down favorite. Superior sound to all of the one's I mentioned above. I hated paying $500.00 for it but make no mistake, it delivers above others in this price range.


I wouldnt call it a bargain, but it is for sure one hell of a good sounding CD player! Very Happy With It!

Similar Products Used:

Nakamichi, Denon, Marantz, Yamaha

Overall sound, staging, price

Remote control, slow ff & rw.

System:

Amp: Rotel 985BX
Speakers: Dynaudio Audience 9
Interconnects: Tara Labs RSC Prime

I did blind tests at my local audio shop between the 951 & 971 (using the same Rotel amp I have at home, and Dynaudio Audience 70's). I played the same track cued up to the same point simultaneously on both players. A friend switched between the two sources while I listened with my eyes closed.

After 45 minutes of A/Bing these players with some of my favorite music, I could not tell the difference! Occasionally I thought one sounded better, but I ended up picking each player almost exactly 50% of the time.

This is player has a gorgeous sound for an incredibly low price.

Once in my house, I discovered a very open sound stage compared to my old Sony CD player, and much greater detail. It was like putting on new glasses...

My only complaint is the samll remote (but I use the one that came with the 985 anyway) and the slow fast-forward searching. Very small complaints considering the sound.

Ed