Found the ARCAM 9 delightfully detailed and full-bodied, too, but quite lacking in pace and rythmn compared to my old Rotel 855. OTOH Rotel dealers (and the factory service rep!) claim these old Rotels sound better than the newer 9 series...although for the bucks how can the 991 NOT be better...sheesh! I listened to the 991 briefly, and agreed with the dealer that the adjustable dither was somewhat useful, but to me it appeared to smear the top octaves more than anything else...but I also felta 'Canto DAC1 did the same!...... I'd go for the ARCAM 9 if you don't mind its sluggishness. Brad at Virtual Mode in CT uses a vbration-modded Rotel 855 as his ref source for high-end passive preamp design! So go figure. I too await feedback re the Planet 2000. Someone here suggested poor build quality. Didn't seem so bad to me upon first glance. Anyone got a fix on its sound? I too would like to clean up the top octaves without losing my old Rotel's excellent PRAT. Ernie
