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Rotel RCD-1520 or 1072?

Hello all, I am in the process of upgrading my CD player and have narrowed it down to two choices. My system consists of Paradigm Studio 60v5 speakers and Rotel separates (RC-1082 & RB-1080). I'm using an old Sony CA-9ES disc changer, which was good in its time but is getting a little long in the tooth I think. Should I upgrade to Rotel's newer RCD-1520, which uses Wolfson DACs and offers a slot-loading mechanism, or save the cash and look for a used RCD-1072?
mkash3
hifiharv
351 posts
 
Don't forget that some think the slot loading is hard on the CD's playing surface.
adam18
670 posts
 
I haven't heard the 1520, but I am really happy with my RCD-1072. It's a very musical CD player, with "analog-like" sound. I have never experienced the typical "digital listening fatigue" with my deck, and its HDCD playback feature is a cool bonus (the new 1520 does not have HDCD.) I'm amazed at how many redbook CD's are done in the HDCD format, and they sound really good.... lots of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Grateful Dead, and Reference Recording stuff are HDCD encoded. There are a bunch of good reviews out on the internet for the 1072. The 1072 definitely benefits from using a high quality interconnect to your amp, and I've had great success with the AudioQuest King Cobra. Happy Listening !
pdn
438 posts
 
I couldn't agree more with Adam18. My RCD-1072 is such a great machine and yes I also use it with HDCD discs. The new 1520 does not decode HDCD. Coincidentally, I too upgraded to AQ King Cobra interconnects this year. Same as Adam18. Wow, I guess great "ears" think alike!!

For what it's worth, the RCD-1072 CD player was TAS 2003 Product of the Year.

I too would think that slot loading could contribute more to disc wear than the true "audiophile" drawer loading. Interesting point.
mkash3 OP
57 posts
 
Thanks for the responses guys! It does seem like the 1072 is a great machine and I guess I'll look for it on Agon soon. The slot loading mechanism of the 1520 does worry me but I looked around on some forums and apparently it's of good quality.

With that said, I'm pretty sure the specs of the two CD players are identical; the new 1520 simply uses a different DAC and different op-amps. Is that alone enough to contribute to a bigger sound difference?
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