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Help my Rotel RCD 1072 make music

6 months ago I purchased used Rotel RCD 1072 to pair with my Rotel RA-1062 and B&W 683s. Since the 1072 has been in place, the sound I'm getting is very detailed but flat, sterile, dry. Which is surprising because I was using a cheaper Sony CE595 for 7 years which sounds smoother and warmer in comparison. The 1072 is very attractive and well built but the sound it produces is cold and unemotional. Has anyone else felt similar disappointment with Rotel cd players and what did you do to improve the performance? Cables AQ King Cobra and Bedrock. THanks.
dustsailor
jc4659
550 posts
 
JohnnyR, I am auditioning the Codex now and am very impressed with it  It is dynamic, musical, revealing, and just plain fun when listening to music I thought I knew well.  What an overachiever.  Not quite as impressed with the toslink as I am with the USB input.  Thanks for the suggestion.  This will be way less expensive than upgrading my pre, at least for now.
audioconnection
1,271 posts
 
Glad you are loving it
wait till you get the Ayre Pre amp going in there it will be a real treat 
JohnnyR
dustsailor OP
28 posts
 
itzhak1969, did you upgrade to Mcintosh SS or tubes? My dream system consists of Mcintosh components and Sonus Faber Olympia towers I heard at Magnolia last Christmas. Best system I've heard in a long time.
jafant's avatar
jafant
19,607 posts
 
dustsailor-
do you still own the Rotel gear?
Happy Listening!
dustsailor OP
28 posts
 
Just a quick update -- yes I still own the Rotel gear. I finally found the culprit which turned out to be the AudioQuest cables.

Earlier in the year, I replaced the AudioQuest cables (Bedrock, King Cobra, and NRG-4's) with Acoustic Zen Matrix Ref, Satori, and El Nino. As soon as I made the change, it made a dramatic difference to the sound of my system. The AZs brought natural tone, bass, and a sense of involvement which was never there before. No longer did everything sound bright and artificial. I don't know which brand is "correct" (i.e. accurate, neutral) and what is colored, but all I can say is that my ears love the sound of the AZ cables. There is a sense of playful tunefulness in everything, it just makes the Rotel gear sound more like music and not like 80s early-gen CD like the AudioQuest did.
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