This unit was a replacement for my onkyo dx-7711 and i own it for about 7 days. I've auditioned this unit in a high-end system comprising a preamp from audio research(i did not care about the model but it was programmable one with digital controls-not a highly appreciated model according to the dealer),a 400W or so Classe power amp and JM LAB Mezzo Utopia's, Transparent MusicWave super cables. The system had incredible imaging and distintcion of instruments. Swicthed to the classe CDT-1 transport and Classe DAC-1(a pair far beyond my budget) the sound became softer and lovelier but the imaging and detail was lost(both utilized balanced interconnects so they were not part of the test). Curiously i've connected my 7711 which seems to absurd in such a system but this player gave the best timbre and dynamics of the three!! Soundstage, imaging clarity was gone away of course.....
For the first time ever i realized the inadequacies of my onkyo 7711 but neither of the others were the real thing.. Each sucked from a different aspect.
When i've switched back to Rotel RCD 991 my eyes were pleased but my ears not-pinpoint imaging and a large soundstage even extending a bit outside of the speakers, super clear sound but dynamic scale and tonal richness of the instruments was lost. This was rather hifi than musicality..

Despite my impression i've bought the 991 obeying the dealers opinions that the unit will perform better after the burn in period. I've left the unit repeating several cds 24 hrs a week and dither set to 4. Yeahh i notice a subtle warming up and sweetness but not an not a bit of improvement on the flaws i've mentioned.

Now for the build quality: It utilizes a cheap sony transport with a lousy tray and it's not built like a tank as the so called 990..

My one week opinion is 991 is all about hifi and not music. Seems i'll return it...

But its merits deserve 3.5==>4 stars..

very detailed

cheap looking

This player sounded more open and detailed than the 971 which i was also considering. I didn't go around shopping that much, heard some other players too but don't exactly remember how they sounded compared to rotel (i know they sounded worse but not exactly in what way) I wish it didn't look so cheap though.

Similar Products Used:

rotel 971

Great soundstage and detail

Remote works well but feels cheap

I heard about the RCD 991 mid 1999 while auditioning a number of new players. My old player was an Onkyo DX 7310 which, while offering a surprisingly musical sound, was limited in detail and soundstage, and I thought was limiting the potential of my Aura Evolution 100 amplifier and B&W 602 speakers.
(I listen to everthing from classical to Pink Floyd, so need a versatile system.)
In my first flush of enthusiasm for a new player I came close to purchasing a second hand Icon Power Boss which sounded great, or an English LFD Mistral, but decided to wait untill I could audition the Rotel. I'm glad I did.
It won't surprise most people interested enough to read these reviews that there was a big improvement over the Onkyo. You just couldn't help feeling that it was getting the most out of the other equipment, and that any defects still there weren't the fault of the player. I had no authority to believe that, except a gut feeling, but can say now that I was right.
During the past 9 months I have replaced the Aura with a Plinius 150 amplifier and the 602s with NZ made Image 404 speakers. The sound is outstanding!, and I now believe all the good things I have heard about the RCD 991. There are no doubt better players on the market at a price, but I certainly have never heard one. A close friend has a superb Dynaco which is as good, but no better that we can tell.
After adding the Plinius amp to the system, the soudstage increased measurably, and the sound became much more "all-embracing".
Adding the Image speakers has given a final crown of glory that I had hitherto only imagined, if you'll forgive the pun. The base has tightened up and deepened, the detail is stunning and its now possible to understand what people mean when they talk about "feeling the size of the auditorium".
Which is all to prove to me that the Rotel RCD 991 has the ability to get the best out of a system.
For those interested in the details, I mostly run the player on Dither setting 4 as most owners recommend. The interconnects were given me by Peter at Living Sound where I bought the Rotel. I can't remember what they are but he said they were expensive. (They'd been made too short for another client! I got lucky.)
The speakers are bi-wired with good solid 2 strand that is also a no-name. (I prefer not to buy into the cable wars.) Besides, if my sound gets any better I won't want to go to work!
The Rotel is a big player with a big sound and well worth its growing good reputation.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz Cal-labs Icin Power-boss

It's a Rotel

It doesn't sound very good

I have been thinking about buying a new cd player for a few weeks now and have been reading a lot of reviews. Many of which I read on audio review. Since I own a Rotel 990 power and preamp, the Rotel 991 was a logical choice to look at. And many of the reviews on this website were very positive. Most of you like it very much and I even read it was better sounding than many players that are much more expensive. Well basically I disagree. I was very disappointed by the performance of the 991. I compared it to a player/DAC combination by Audio Note, which is about $300 more expensive, and to the C.E.C. 5100Z almost twice as expensive and to be frank about it. The Rotel could compare on any level. The sound was flatter, less space between the instruments, less definition, both other players produced sounds that where lost on the Rotel!! The only disc I played that sounded well on the Rotel was a HDCD, which isn’t supported by the other drives. The way the Rotel handles bass became irritating to me after a few minutes. The Rotel even didn’t sound much better than the 5 years old Pioneer PD-S801 I’m going to replace in the next 4 to 5 weeks, a player that only cost half the price of the Rotel when I originally bought it.
The player would have looked great together with my amps, but since I’m not a girl I don’t really care much about that.
My budget for a new player is between $1250 and $2000, and have listened to about 10 players by now and I’m most impressed by the C.E.C.

The system used was.
Audio Note preamp,
Two mono 8w blocks by Audio Note
Oelbach: Heavenly Sound Pure silver Interlinks
Link M300 (Belgian hand made high end speaker, about $3000)
Ocus speaker cable (Coax)

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer PD-S801, Audio Note DAC/Player Zero/C.E.C. 5100Z, Arcam 9

Excellent player. Sounded as good (if not better) as those
"high-end" players costing twice as much. The only drawback
is that it looks kinda boring. Great bang for the buck!

I recently upgraded from the Rotel RCD-950 CD player to the RCD-991. The differences were profound in every area. Granted, a significant portion of these results should be expected, since the new CD player surpasses the old one in price by over twice as much, but performance increased vastly more than 2 and 1/2 times. The 991 has all the basic sound qualities of the 950, but those qualities are dramatically enhanced and richened. I auditioned other CD players at around the same price, ranging from a $999 Arcam to a much more expensive Adcom. I liked the 991 better than either. While the 991 may not do everything better than other CD players in its price range, my impression is that the Rotel unit does everything extremely well and without any glaring weaknesses. In other words, the 991 scored about 9 out of 10 in every listening category, while the other units scored a 10 in some categories while earning only a 7 in others.
Associated Equipment:
PRE-AMP: Adcom GFP-750
AMP: Rotel RB-981
SPEAKERS: M+K S-125 w/ 125 watt sub
INTERCONNECTS: KimberKable Silver Streaks
SPEAKER WIRE: KimberKable 4TC

Looks

All I wanted to say is that this is one hell of a CD player. But in all reviews before this one, no one compared it with its illustrous brother, the RCD 990. Since I own a RCD 990 and my brother a RCD 991 (the poor sod) I know both players well and have done some AB tests.
My opinion is that they are both superb and sound almost the same. It's in the lower regions where the RCD 990 wins. It has a more detailed bass. Another point where the RCD 990 scores better is the focus. Although the soundstage is the same, the RCD 990 has a better focussing of especially the vocals. But further they are so extremely alike.
Another point is that the RCD 991 responds better (i.e faster) to commands and has a dither button. But then again, once you have set the dither you will probably never need it again.
A last point is that the display of the RCD 990 is much better to look at. It's more classy then the '13 a dozen' display of the RCD 991, as if that is important and you can turn it off.
To the person down here who gave only three stars, I like to say that the Rotel RCD 991 does need a rather long period before it sounds any good. Give it three or four weeks and reap the rewards. But the CEC5100 is indeed a better player, especially in the very low bass region than the RCD 991 (and maybe even better than the RCD 990), but has the disadvantage that it has some kind of switch in it that closes down the signal between the different songs. This gives a rather loud click which was one of the reasons my brother opted for the RCD991.
If you think that I like the RCD 990 better because I own one, than I have to say that that is not true. Yes, I'm over the moon with it but I would also be very happy with it's younger brother. It's still a brilliant good piece of equipment for your money.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel RCD 990, CEC 5100Z, Arcam alpha 9

Details

I only had these thing about 1 month,just curious how long is the break-in I reads couple of review down below and it take about 300 hrs to start sounding good. At what point I can tell the different.

Similar Products Used:

Classe

Hi, do you have anything of " ROTEL MICHI " cd player ..???

My search has ended for a CD player that takes full advantage of my very accurate and detailed Legacy Signature III speakers (excellent speakers). Many players, even those reputed to be the best, sound somewhat harsh and granular on these speakers. This is no fault of the speakers, they simply convey every detail and nuance of the recording.
I live for high resolution, and no CD player I have heard thus far provides more. If you like analog, try this player and you will experience no digital grain or screeching highs. The imaging, soundstage, transparency, and midrange purity equals Sonic Frontiers while allowing much more of the recording to be experienced. Although the bass is not heavily weighted like my Parasound DAC, it is fast, full, and well defined. There is absolutely no discernable jitter from this CD player. Needless to say I will not be using my Parasound DAC anymore (jitter anyone?). For reference I use Straight Wire Virtuoso balanced interconnects, MIT Terminator 2 BiWire speaker cables, and a Coda preamp.

In conclusion, this is the best CD player I have heard in my system. The only complaint I have of the player is the looks. It is built like a tank and it looks like a tank, typical Rotel. I am firm believer in paying for the electronics, not the cosmetics but I think the player could use larger buttoms and a more attractive front face. Regarding the dither adjustment, I left the dither set to "0" but I will experiment with its function more in the near future.

If you are considering buying Krell, Levinson, Wadia, or any of the elite players; you must hear the Rotel RCD 991. If you do not mind a "Rotel" sitting on a rack above your megabuck preamp and amplifier, you choice will be easy. For $1299, this CD player is a bargain and reference amoung which others should be compared.