Well, my Denon DCD-620 player that I bought in 7th grade finally lost its battle with father time, so I needed a new player. I'm still in college, so my system isn't what I would like but I am dealing with:
Yamaha RX-V692 Receiver
Denon DRM-400 Tape
Klipsch KG4(Front), KV1(Center), KG1.5(rear)
Monster Cable Speaker Wire
MIT Terminator2 Interconnects

I originally bought the Rotel 930, having done an AB test with the 950. I thought I was crazy thinking that the 930 sounded warmer and more pleasing, but after consulting other shoppers in the store, I realized it wasn't just me. I brought home my new CD player and hooked it up. The sound was good, but for some reason I thought my Denon sounded better(plus the track seek is extremely slow on the Rotel).

I asked the dealer to order me in the 951, which I thought would justify the $200 price increase for the Burr-Brown, and the HDCD was a bonus. Well, after over a month of waiting, I finally received my unit for $479, and the difference is substantial. On all of my CDs, the sound is a world apart from the 930, and even better than my old 620(May he RIP). I am still a little dissapointed with the flimsy CD tray on the Rotel, and the slow track seek, but the sound more than makes up for it. I can't wait to get a decent pre-amp so I can actually hook it up via digital coax. Thumbs up...

I've always loved technology behind sound reproduction. AlthoughI can't shamelessly say I'm an audiophile since I don't own any class B or better products according to Stereophile magazine. But I don't buy any audio
equipment just because they are a bargain either.
I recently thought I should finally upgrade the cd-player.. I've always been
a skeptical that cd-players sound all that different if minute.
I always though speakers are where most money should goto.
I use rt-3 Polk speakers($250) they are pretty good for cheap speakers
Since college days I've purchased Rotel-rb981 power amp($600) and entry level
pre-amp ($300). and my old Pioneer ($300) cd-player from 1986!
and added a passive subwoofer (home-made with top-of-line polk subwoofer)
powering it with Marantz MA-700 ($500) and crossover it with Carbin crossover($300)

So I still have old speaker and old cd-player which most audiophile claims
that they are the most important link in audio.

Just changing the amps totally improved the sound.
Then I bough RCD-950 ($350 used)cd player with nice review and all, it sounded pretty bad
because of the background noise(hiss, crack/pop) sounded almost like LP player!
I was shocked that after 15 years of cd-player evolution the sound wasn't what
I thought. So I changed it with new RCD-951 ($500) the noise is gone no more
crack/pop and hiss. However from constantly comparing it with my old
first (maybe second) generation Pioneer cd-player, the new player actually had more hiss (although not annoying) this may be due to fact that recent cd-players
use less electronics (op-amp filters) to make the sound more accurate(transparent).
Okey hiss is small enough that it's not an major issue. However from sound quality-wise the new player sounded really good. But even with HDCD you barely
could hear the difference (you really have to concentrate for hours). I think the new player is bit more detailed and warm (maybe I'm imagining it).
Build quality is nice although tray is bit flimsy. Gold plated rca jack would be nice for $500 player.
Maybe my speakers and headphone is too dull to hear it.
But it's defintely better than it's predecessor!(rcd-950).

I have been looking for a cd player and reading various reviews from various sources. I've auditioned it with a Marantz 6000OSE and the Arcam 7SE and it wasn't a bad sounding player just thought that the other two seemed more open, so I started to do some research. I came across a review from Hi-Fi Choice published in issue 191. A reviewer (about ten back or so) lifted the review and manipulated to make the 951 look better than published. Why do this? If you have an opinion about a machine use your own words and try to do it as honestly as possible. This is a great resource and it's pain whne people try to manipulate the ratings for their own dam ego's sake.

FYI the URL for this review is: http://www.hifichoice.co.uk/ just click on REVIEWS on the left hand side of the page click on CD PLAYERS at the top and look for the Rotel.
The following is the review as published...

Welcome to the RCD-951, a simplified version of the RCD-971 which earned itself a big fat Best Buy back in issue 184. Beneath the RCD-971's skin beat the twin hearts of two Burr-Brown PCM63Ps locked in eternal embrace in noise-cancelling dual differential mode. In the RCD-951's case, one of the DACs has gone west, and the remaining one has a slightly lower spec. The power supply has also been simplified, with the toroidal transformer of the 971 going out the front door while a frame type EI transformer creeps in through the back. Unchanged is the Pacific Microsonics PMD100 digital filter, which means that the RCD-951 is fully HDCD compatible.

Also unchanged in the transition is the player's build and styling, which are solid and stolid, respectively. The RCD-951 breaks no new ground, but it really didn't need to. In common with its predecessors, it is a little heavier and more solidly engineered than most, and the mechanism is smooth and well oiled, but not quite silent. Front panel controls include track-skip and cueing at opposite ends of the fascia. With most players, these controls are the best of friends, and this is a curious decision, but the controls are otherwise well grouped, with the play and navigation controls on the right and programming, random play, repeat and display mode keys on the left.

The only really disappointing feature is the remote control - buttons are cramped and it's ergonomically a mess, an unfortunate oversight given the improvement in the handsets supplied with a number of the Rotel's rivals. It does add usefully to the Rotel's functionality though, not least thanks to the direct access track keypad.

Sound Quality

A mixed bag on audition, it was clear both to the panel and to the author in the hands on testing that the RCD-951 is not in the same league as its senior brother. The RCD-971 is a polished and refined performer, where the 951 sounds alternately grainy and glassy, with 'unsubtle' timing and a mid/treble that sounded 'gritty' and 'splashy'. There was a strong measure of consistency in the comments made with different musical tracks, and in different presentations to the panel, and this of course tends to underline and reinforce the complaints. Other than that, the panel had difficulty in engaging with the music from this player, not because it sounded particularly poor, but because the music lacked the articulation and coherence necessary to make a strong aural case for itself.

None of the musical excerpts used for the panel tests involved HDCD recordings because this would have presented a less than level playing field for those players without decoders. In fact, the RCD-951 is the only player of the 12 so equipped, and with good recent HDCD recordings the RCD-951 came to life somewhat. Even with non-HDCD recordings, the player sounded rather better focused than it did in the panel sessions, but this remains at best a modest performer.

Conclusion

Our advice to potential buyers of the RCD-951 is: wait, save up the extra £50 and buy the RCD-971 instead. Unless they look closely visitors won't realise it's the 971 they're listening to, but they will hear the difference.

Even with HDCD compatibility, this is a mundane deal.

AG

gloriously detailed and sharp sound, great soundstaging

nothing of any significance

Having used my now quite old Marantz CD-48 player for 18 months it started to show its age. A great player back in 1997 but outgunned by newer offerings. I've never used Rotel products before I purchased the 951 but going on the 5 star supertest winning review in What Hifi and a Best Buy in Hifi Choice it seemed like a stonker of a buy. Plus HDCD sounds cool.

The first thing you notice when you lift the player out of the box is that the thing is built like a reinforced US battle tank. It contains slathering of high quality internal parts including an 18 bit burr brown DAC plus extensive internal damping and a pretty beefy power supply. Just the weight of it hints of what's inside it. It's also a great looking machine. Slim and stylish with a clear display and control buttons logically set out. Remote control could look better for a player in this price range but all the main functions are there.

So to the sound. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE !! I left a disc spinning on repeat overnight to allow adequate burn in time. Having my first listen the next morning I was left with a huge cheesy grin from ear to ear. Damn but this player sounds real! I loaded up Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms. The sound just swept forth from the speakers in ocean like proportions. Every instrument was where it should've been giving the soundstage tremendous depth and focus. Mark Knopfler's guitar sounded gusty and razor sharp with his classic money for nothing riff clearly stating the Rotels formidable talent for replaying rock tracks. It's equally good with other styles as well. Verdi's II Trovatore has excellent dynamics and good scale. Brown eyed girl by Van Morrison bubbles along beautifully.

The main strength of this player is ability to convey details in the recording that previously weren't possible for only $599 Australian. To get better resolution you would need to spend at least another 2 grand. Couple that with sweet sharp treble, deep punchy bass and impressive dynamics and IMHO simply nothing touches this player for the money. 5 Stars !!

My system consists of:

NAD C340 integrated
Rotel RCD-951
Tannoy mercury M1's (soon to be upgraded to the revolution series)
IXOS cables and interconnects

Similar Products Used:

Marantz CD-48, Sony CDP-XE510, Yamaha CDX-493, NAD 522