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Help me replace my Rotel 1072

The Rotel RCD-1072 has served me very well, and I love its warm, rich sound, but I'm thinking of upgrading.

I'd like to buy a CD player that: a) also has a warm, natural, "analog-like" sound; b) has a little more resolution than the Rotel; and c) is very reliable. If it does SACD or is a universal player, I wouldn't mind, but those aren't priorities.

Here's the trick: I'd like to stick close to $500 used; I'd prefer to buy a single-box player to adding a DAC; and I'm not interested in going the computer/DAC route. I just don't like computers enough to want one in my stereo.

The usual suspects seem to be Marantz SA8004 (reliable?), Rega Apollo-R (again, reliable?, and Oppo 95 (too lean-sounding?). The Sony XA5400ES sounds like it would be perfect for me, but it would be a stretch. Good, affordable CD players are getting thin on the ground with the rise of computer audio... Do I have other options?

Thanks!

Other equipment: Vandersteen 1Ci, NAD C372, Sennheiser HD580, Blue Jeans cables.
ablang
lewinskih01
909 posts
 
I also loved mine, but replaced it with a Squeezebox Touch. After owning both for over a year, I realized the Rotel was not being used...so I sold it. The 1072 is good value indeed. I paid $700 several years ago, and replaced it with the $250 SBT...I guess that's even better value!

If you don't want a solution along those lines, I say keep the Rotel and save until you can spend something like the $1k Mofimadness suggested.

My two cents!
ablang OP
165 posts
 
Thanks, folks, for the eminently reasonable responses. The Rotel is great, and I've been considering the "just enjoy it" option, but the grass always looks greener...
ablang OP
165 posts
 
P.S. --I just told my wife about the "keep the Rotel" consensus. To you all, she says, "Thank you."
bgeofft-duplicate-0
174 posts
 
The RCD-1072 was best CDP I've owned for anywhere near the money.
loomisjohnson
1,958 posts
 
if you're hellbent on change (a sentiment i certainly understand) and seeking warmth, you might try a tube cdp--around your budget vincent or jolida come to mind
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