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Question about a certain CD player

Van Basten II

By Van Basten II
in Audio Talk

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T.D. Mentor

T.D.

Posted
Posted (edited)

The only Rotel CD player I ever had was a cheaper model (I forget model #), but it was a real lemon, one of the worst I've owned. Build quality was poor, and the drawer assembly was extremely flimsy and shaky. The unit's laser had a very short life (perhaps related to the crummy drawer).

Doesn't mean the model you're looking at is bad, but I'd want to give it some serious testing before buying...

Edited by T.D.
Quincy Newbie

Quincy

Posted
Posted

Hard to say, as a great deal depends how much the machine was used.

Some reviews at audioreview from people who bought used paid both more & less than the price you quote, however the reviews are from 3 to 8 years ago. audioreview link

Kevin Bresnahan Mentor

Kevin Bresnahan

Posted
Posted

I know someone who works in a Rotel customer service office, and she says they get a lot of the Rotel 5 disc changers returned as defective. This is completely opposite of Rotel's amps & receivers. They rarely get those back.

J.A.W. Explorer

J.A.W.

Posted
Posted

Do you know if it spins clockwise or counterclockwise? :cool:

Congratulations, you have just won the "lame post of the day" prize!

What IS your problem?

I don't have a problem, the thread crap is yours, not mine.

DukeCity Newbie

DukeCity

Posted
Posted

Do you know the answer to my question and why?

You really need to relax.

I think it's clockwise here in the northern hemisphere. But down under, everything spins the other way. Gotta be careful when buying imports... :cool:

jazzbo Grand Master

jazzbo

Posted
Posted (edited)

I've been using a now discontinued Sony five cd SACD/DVD player, modified with a tube output stage. The stock outputs are. . . okay, almost good. The transport section is. . .really good. Not a problem in years of use, has never yet not read a disc, and a quite nice mechanism. I think that a Sony five disc changer would be a good source for use with a digital analog converter (DAC) if you went that route.

Edited by jazzbo
Quincy Newbie

Quincy

Posted
Posted (edited)

Denon has three 5-disc CD changers, the DCM-27 ($249), DCM-290 ($249) and DCM-390 ($349). The DCM-390 adds an HDCD decoder, which is a nice feature. Denon's reputation is still pretty good.

I bought a DCM-380 changer to replace a Sony-ES changer that had lasted about a dozen years. I was looking for a player that had the HDCD decoder as I have many Grateful Dead "Dick's Picks" and also like the convenience of a changer. While the Denon has been running for about 4 years now I'm not sure I would have bought it if I could do it all over again. Although it hasn't done so in many months, there were times where it would "spaz out" which require turning it off and waiting 30 seconds to stop the misbehaving. Examples include flipping between tray 1 & 2 repeatedly or not reading a disc in a tray. The tray construction is much flimsier than my old Sony, though I suppose that may be the difference between mid-line build in the 1990s and 21st century. I now often find myself using a Cambridge Audio single tray player that I bought for hi-res formats for playing regular cds, at least if I'm not playing a 2 disc set, just to avoid the occasional weirdness of the Denon player.

So what you have here is a long-winded wishy washy semi-recommendation with a touch of purchase regret. :blink:

*Forgot to add that the shallow trays (compared to the old Sony) mean you had better be absolutely certain the disc is fully in its space, as I once had a disc crack as it became dislodged when the tray closed. Another time somehow or other a disc fell into a "nether region" that required me taking the unit into the shop. The repair was done for free, mainly because the tech guy had never seen a disc become "so lost in the machine" before.

Edited by Quincy
T.D. Mentor

T.D.

Posted
Posted (edited)

My father's hobby is audio, and he constantly scours flea markets for stereo equipment, which he restores (if necessary) and turns over. I get to try out lots of the stuff, especially old CD players. The ability to acquire decent players for $10-25 makes the transport+DAC setup very attractive.

My experience is that Denon changers are decent, but the quality has fallen off noticeably over the years, so they aren't worth paying too much for. Sony ES equipment (mentioned by Quincy) is great, if you can find it used. Onkyo "Integra"-level stuff is also excellent, but my only experience is with a single-disc player. I'm currently using a non-Integra Onkyo 6-CD changer as a transport; it has some annoying mechanical quirks (probably due to dust/dirt), but plays/reads fine.

Edited by T.D.
  • 3 weeks later...
montg Newbie

montg

Posted
Posted

Denon has three 5-disc CD changers, the DCM-27 ($249), DCM-290 ($249) and DCM-390 ($349). The DCM-390 adds an HDCD decoder, which is a nice feature. Denon's reputation is still pretty good.

I bought a DCM-380 changer to replace a Sony-ES changer that had lasted about a dozen years. I was looking for a player that had the HDCD decoder as I have many Grateful Dead "Dick's Picks" and also like the convenience of a changer. While the Denon has been running for about 4 years now I'm not sure I would have bought it if I could do it all over again. Although it hasn't done so in many months, there were times where it would "spaz out" which require turning it off and waiting 30 seconds to stop the misbehaving. Examples include flipping between tray 1 & 2 repeatedly or not reading a disc in a tray. The tray construction is much flimsier than my old Sony, though I suppose that may be the difference between mid-line build in the 1990s and 21st century. I now often find myself using a Cambridge Audio single tray player that I bought for hi-res formats for playing regular cds, at least if I'm not playing a 2 disc set, just to avoid the occasional weirdness of the Denon player.

So what you have here is a long-winded wishy washy semi-recommendation with a touch of purchase regret. :blink:

*Forgot to add that the shallow trays (compared to the old Sony) mean you had better be absolutely certain the disc is fully in its space, as I once had a disc crack as it became dislodged when the tray closed. Another time somehow or other a disc fell into a "nether region" that required me taking the unit into the shop. The repair was done for free, mainly because the tech guy had never seen a disc become "so lost in the machine" before.

I have the DCM-390 too. I've had it for about 5 years. The disc changer sounds like it's groaning when it rotates, but so far it has held up. It seems to groan more in the summer, when the house is warmer. Weird machine.

.:.impossible Newbie

.:.impossible

Posted
Posted

I'm sure this player is not up to the quality you are looking for, but I've had a Kenwood 5-disc that I bought used in 1997 for a few bucks. Never once had an issue. I've moved four times in the past ten years and haven't a problem (until I bought a couple of SACDs by accident)! I'm very curious to "step-up" into entry-level audio world, but I always read about quality control issues and wonder why people spend all this money? Because the customer service is good? I mean, I get it. It is a quest for better sound, but...

Van Basten II Newbie

Van Basten II

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I know what you mean, i used to have a Phillips changer who did the job for about 6-7 years, bought a used Harman-Kardon that lasted about 5 months.

Looking for something that will have some legs for awhile and won't stick out like a nail, if i improve the rest of my hardware. I have my eyes on a Marantz 4001 that i could buy locally, but i'm still relunctant to make the plunge.

Other stuff means buying via electronic business and i'm not fund of buying this kind of stuff via internet.

Quincy Newbie

Quincy

Posted
Posted

... i'm not fund of buying this kind of stuff via internet.

The typo makes the statement! ^_^

Sorry, just love how those things happen. Good luck in your pursuit!

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