Legacy Focus HDs

Doug, I ordered the Cambride Audio 840C. It replaces my Rotel RCD-1072, which was considred a great player when it was introduced in 2003 (and still is). I only hope the 840C will stand the test of time like the Rotel did.

Steve

The 840C is a very good unit, and I hope you will enjoy.
I have very much enjoyed having the "Digital In" function as I can stream audio to the player's DAC. This is, imho, what will save cdp's from the scrap heap - at least for the next few years. Eventually, my guess is that any player which does not have that feature will find little accommodation among the audiophile community. I'm seeing more players with that function, so that's a good sign. I use Sonos currently and I find the sound to be very respectable when fed into the Digital Input of a cdp's DAC.

I have Sonos and the 840C set up both at the office and the listening room (to be clear, the 840C is not the primary/reference cdp in the listening room; it is my "budget reference" player), and I have an Azur 840C both for Redbook playback and Sonos signal treatment at the office. It's a very enjoyable arrangement.

I didn't receive my 840C because the dealer got busted for selling them at too low a price. Cambridge Audio wont ship any more units to him.

I own the Rotel RCD 1072 and it's quite a machine for the money. They are introducing a replacement next month for $995 and Rotel has a reputation as an over achiever with cd players. Is it possible that Rotel armed with more current technology, could introduce a cd player that would be equal or better than the 840C?

Impossible to answer based on the information; a head to head comparison would be the only way to know. The rotel should be a pretty good transport; you could consider adding a dedicated DAC. The Cambridge DacMagic is supposed to be very good for the money. You'd want to find a very good digital cable that suits you. It would likely give you a very good result for a resonable investment.

Doug, it unfair of me to ask that question since neither one of us know anything about the new Rotel CDP. I think I will anti up the extra money and go with the Bryston BCD-1. I'm still researching it but it's starting to sound like the right CDP that will work well with the Legacy Focus HD's. Thanks for attempting to answer my previous question!