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Post by alit on Oct 25, 2024 8:47:22 GMT
Rotel make some very good kit for sane money, I'm using their top end preamp which I was lucky to pick up on Marketplace for half the retail price. Wasn't sure I believed the seller when he said he'd only used it for a couple of hours for testing purposes, but when it turned up all the accessories had never been taken out of their bags (You know how you can always tell), and the remote still had it's plastic film on. The thing was obviously brand new. Very happy with it, a real Swiss army knife of a pre, inbuilt DAC and MM\MC phono stages. Can't hear any detriment in comparison to my passive with Tribute autoformers.
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Post by jandl100 on Oct 25, 2024 9:03:54 GMT
... Can't hear any detriment in comparison to my passive with Tribute autoformers. Yes, that's a thing, isn't it. We do like to kid ourselves that fancy pants audiophile gear is better than what the great unwashed use. But actually, as Oli is also finding ...... I've rather given up on high ticket audiophile electronics. There are great sounds to be had from "mass market" middle range gear. |
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Post by alit on Oct 25, 2024 12:35:29 GMT
Yes there can definitely be an element of that. Saying that I did get the Tributes for £300- Ant Cresswell of BTE Designs made a nice wooden box with a perspex top for me to fit them in. Not sure what they would have been new, but considerably more than that.
The Rotel retails at £1700 or so now, so not chicken feed but when you consider it incorporates a dac, phono stage and can accept bluetooth input I think it represents pretty good value as these things go, given it's sound quality.
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Post by macca on Oct 26, 2024 7:31:01 GMT
When I was at university those few of us with 'proper' hi-fi systems all had NAD, Goodmans or Sanyo/Fisher.
In my second year, 1988, a youth started who had a full Rotel stack - with the CD player. We were in awe of it and him. Rotel was high end to us. Their cheapest amp cost the same as my whole system.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 26, 2024 7:37:53 GMT
When I was at university those few of us with 'proper' hi-fi systems all had NAD, Goodmans or Sanyo/Fisher. In my second year, 1988, a youth started who had a full Rotel stack - with the CD player. We were in awe of it and him. Rotel was high end to us. Their cheapest amp cost the same as my whole system. I hadn't really got Rotel on my radar until this popped up. I'd been using their CD-965 I think it is, whilst the D70s was out on loan. This Rotel DAC is getting better by the day TBF. I noticed yesterday when listening to Blurs -13 album that on some tracks where backing vocals are clearly defined and separated via the D70s, the Rotel doesn't pull them apart at well. That said, it doesn't seem to matter to my foot, as it never stops tapping along to whatever I'm listening to. I wonder what else is out there that's worth a listen! |
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Arke
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Post by Arke on Oct 26, 2024 7:53:50 GMT
Ah Rotel! I look back on those days with fondness. In sixth form I used to sell hifi to the unsuspecting folk of Norwich. Not a proper hifi shop, but an electrical store with a hifi Department.
I mainly worked in hifi separates and we got a very decent discount. My first Rig was a Rotel RCD-965BX, RC-960BX pre and a RB-960BX power. A pair of Misson 752s to top it off. It was awesome and probably sounded way better to me than it did to my mum (in our flimsy house)!
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Post by jandl100 on Oct 26, 2024 8:48:55 GMT
"I wonder what else is out there that's worth a listen! I think it would be a long list. You picked up a fairly random Rotel. Statistically it's unlikely you struck lucky and just happened to choose a 1 in a thousand great sounding bit of kit. |
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Post by macca on Oct 26, 2024 9:17:57 GMT
I had their 1062 integrated for a while:  Sold it to a neighbour, still working fine more than twenty years on. Can be used as a pre-amp too. Only one word of caution with their amps - some will drive low impedance well, some won't. The 1062 won't, despite its macho appearance. There's a million different models so do your research. |
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Post by mikeyb on Oct 26, 2024 9:42:52 GMT
I still own this RA-921 that I bought in the late 90s, it was getting used up until recently whilst I was on the computer but unfortunately the selector switch is getting a bit flaky. I really need to get it looked at.  |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 1, 2024 16:35:05 GMT
I'm losing my marbles here.
In the past week, I have spent £60 on two CDs lol
The first one has been on my watchlist for ages. Since 2021 "Craig Einhorn - Choros" has been on permanent search for eBay. Sure, the odd copy had popped up but at £75 for a CD I couldn't do it. Finally, Music Magpie listed a copy for £25! BIN!
Then whilst perusing CDs in my local used music shop the day after, I found CSN - CSN Original Master Recording. Still sealed and numbered. I had to get it as two of my favorite songs are on there. Guinevere and Helpless Hoping. Once home, I carefully opened the CSN and ripped it via EAC. I transferred the files to the X50D and hit the play button. The improvement over the original CD version I have is extremely obvious. I am sincerely pleased I bought it, but was it worth the money? Absolutely. I love those songs, and now i love them more.
The trouble is, I went on a rampage of collecting some MFSL CD rips and it's not all sunshine and lollipops. For instance, "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. The MFSL version (Vs the recent Japanese version I picked up) is flatter, less vivacious, and certainly less dynamic. It's quite a surprise, but it's obvious that it's not just a case that buying the most expensive version guarantees the best SQ.
I am going to suggest there isn't a CD BEST VERSION guide anywhere, other than maybe going by the DR Database.
Anyway, I also picked up some interesting cables to experiment with. Monocrystal Copper...More on that once i have all the bits here.
Right, off to look for more caps for the D70s.
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Post by hifinutt on Nov 1, 2024 17:05:23 GMT
Has anyone experimented with Schukco plugs? Getting rid of the fuse in your mains lead could be beneficial. i once had my isotek sigmas converted to schuco , had that for years . i did get a bit confused with the way they plug in though sometimes |
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Post by hifinutt on Nov 1, 2024 17:06:34 GMT
I'm losing my marbles here. In the past week, I have spent £60 on two CDs lol The first one has been on my watchlist for ages. Since 2021 "Craig Einhorn - Choros" has been on permanent search for eBay. Sure, the odd copy had popped up but at £75 for a CD I couldn't do it. Finally, Music Magpie listed a copy for £25! BIN! Then whilst perusing CDs in my local used music shop the day after, I found CSN - CSN Original Master Recording. Still sealed and numbered. I had to get it as two of my favorite songs are on there. Guinevere and Helpless Hoping. Once home, I carefully opened the CSN and ripped it via EAC. I transferred the files to the X50D and hit the play button. The improvement over the original CD version I have is extremely obvious. I am sincerely pleased I bought it, but was it worth the money? Absolutely. I love those songs, and now i love them more. The trouble is, I went on a rampage of collecting some MFSL CD rips and it's not all sunshine and lollipops. For instance, "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. The MFSL version (Vs the recent Japanese version I picked up) is flatter, less vivacious, and certainly less dynamic. It's quite a surprise, but it's obvious that it's not just a case that buying the most expensive version guarantees the best SQ. I am going to suggest there isn't a CD BEST VERSION guide anywhere, other than maybe going by the DR Database. Anyway, I also picked up some interesting cables to experiment with. Monocrystal Copper...More on that once i have all the bits here. Right, off to look for more caps for the D70s. often spend a fair bit on CD from Holland as not on streaming platforms . worth it |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 1, 2024 17:09:52 GMT
I'm losing my marbles here. In the past week, I have spent £60 on two CDs lol The first one has been on my watchlist for ages. Since 2021 "Craig Einhorn - Choros" has been on permanent search for eBay. Sure, the odd copy had popped up but at £75 for a CD I couldn't do it. Finally, Music Magpie listed a copy for £25! BIN! Then whilst perusing CDs in my local used music shop the day after, I found CSN - CSN Original Master Recording. Still sealed and numbered. I had to get it as two of my favorite songs are on there. Guinevere and Helpless Hoping. Once home, I carefully opened the CSN and ripped it via EAC. I transferred the files to the X50D and hit the play button. The improvement over the original CD version I have is extremely obvious. I am sincerely pleased I bought it, but was it worth the money? Absolutely. I love those songs, and now i love them more. The trouble is, I went on a rampage of collecting some MFSL CD rips and it's not all sunshine and lollipops. For instance, "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. The MFSL version (Vs the recent Japanese version I picked up) is flatter, less vivacious, and certainly less dynamic. It's quite a surprise, but it's obvious that it's not just a case that buying the most expensive version guarantees the best SQ. I am going to suggest there isn't a CD BEST VERSION guide anywhere, other than maybe going by the DR Database. Anyway, I also picked up some interesting cables to experiment with. Monocrystal Copper...More on that once i have all the bits here. Right, off to look for more caps for the D70s. often spend a fair bit on CD from Holland as not on streaming platforms . worth it Where in Holland? |
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Post by hifinutt on Nov 1, 2024 19:50:02 GMT
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Post by macca on Nov 1, 2024 21:37:57 GMT
I'm losing my marbles here. In the past week, I have spent £60 on two CDs lol The first one has been on my watchlist for ages. Since 2021 "Craig Einhorn - Choros" has been on permanent search for eBay. Sure, the odd copy had popped up but at £75 for a CD I couldn't do it. Finally, Music Magpie listed a copy for £25! BIN! Then whilst perusing CDs in my local used music shop the day after, I found CSN - CSN Original Master Recording. Still sealed and numbered. I had to get it as two of my favorite songs are on there. Guinevere and Helpless Hoping. Once home, I carefully opened the CSN and ripped it via EAC. I transferred the files to the X50D and hit the play button. The improvement over the original CD version I have is extremely obvious. I am sincerely pleased I bought it, but was it worth the money? Absolutely. I love those songs, and now i love them more. The trouble is, I went on a rampage of collecting some MFSL CD rips and it's not all sunshine and lollipops. For instance, "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. The MFSL version (Vs the recent Japanese version I picked up) is flatter, less vivacious, and certainly less dynamic. It's quite a surprise, but it's obvious that it's not just a case that buying the most expensive version guarantees the best SQ. I am going to suggest there isn't a CD BEST VERSION guide anywhere, other than maybe going by the DR Database. Anyway, I also picked up some interesting cables to experiment with. Monocrystal Copper...More on that once i have all the bits here. Right, off to look for more caps for the D70s. Interesting one that on the DR Database. Every version tested seems to be well within the acceptable range. MFSL version is on the lower side but still fine. It's never steered me wrong yet. Not sure which version I have, it was given me. Possibly the 1998 but it's not later than that. I been paying between £7 and £12 for some Fall CDs recently and that's second hand. One I'm after is an original of The Godfathers 'Hit By Hit'. Saw one for £30 but thought that was too much and left it, not seen one going that low ever since. So if you spot one and don't want it for yourself... |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 1, 2024 22:13:31 GMT
Ok, I'll keep an eye open..you never know!
The Jap pressing is monsterous mate. It's either a trick of them using a loudness button or something else, but it's definitely more vibrant.
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Bigman80
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The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,398
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 1, 2024 22:46:22 GMT
I'm losing my marbles here. In the past week, I have spent £60 on two CDs lol The first one has been on my watchlist for ages. Since 2021 "Craig Einhorn - Choros" has been on permanent search for eBay. Sure, the odd copy had popped up but at £75 for a CD I couldn't do it. Finally, Music Magpie listed a copy for £25! BIN! Then whilst perusing CDs in my local used music shop the day after, I found CSN - CSN Original Master Recording. Still sealed and numbered. I had to get it as two of my favorite songs are on there. Guinevere and Helpless Hoping. Once home, I carefully opened the CSN and ripped it via EAC. I transferred the files to the X50D and hit the play button. The improvement over the original CD version I have is extremely obvious. I am sincerely pleased I bought it, but was it worth the money? Absolutely. I love those songs, and now i love them more. The trouble is, I went on a rampage of collecting some MFSL CD rips and it's not all sunshine and lollipops. For instance, "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. The MFSL version (Vs the recent Japanese version I picked up) is flatter, less vivacious, and certainly less dynamic. It's quite a surprise, but it's obvious that it's not just a case that buying the most expensive version guarantees the best SQ. I am going to suggest there isn't a CD BEST VERSION guide anywhere, other than maybe going by the DR Database. Anyway, I also picked up some interesting cables to experiment with. Monocrystal Copper...More on that once i have all the bits here. Right, off to look for more caps for the D70s. Interesting one that on the DR Database. Every version tested seems to be well within the acceptable range. MFSL version is on the lower side but still fine. It's never steered me wrong yet. Not sure which version I have, it was given me. Possibly the 1998 but it's not later than that. I been paying between £7 and £12 for some Fall CDs recently and that's second hand. One I'm after is an original of The Godfathers 'Hit By Hit'. Saw one for £30 but thought that was too much and left it, not seen one going that low ever since. So if you spot one and don't want it for yourself... |
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Post by macca on Nov 2, 2024 7:01:45 GMT
Ok, I'll keep an eye open..you never know! The Jap pressing is monsterous mate. It's either a trick of them using a loudness button or something else, but it's definitely more vibrant. MFSL version is a remaster, that's your answer. Although don't know specifically what they did. Ordered that Godfathers CD already, there was one going in America. Won't get here till december by which time I'll have forgotten I ordered it and be wondering what's in the package. |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 2, 2024 7:43:12 GMT
Ok, I'll keep an eye open..you never know! The Jap pressing is monsterous mate. It's either a trick of them using a loudness button or something else, but it's definitely more vibrant. MFSL version is a remaster, that's your answer. Although don't know specifically what they did. Ordered that Godfathers CD already, there was one going in America. Won't get here till december by which time I'll have forgotten I ordered it and be wondering what's in the package. 😂 That's going to be a nice surprise! |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 2, 2024 7:45:15 GMT
I got bored of waiting for the RCAs for the new cable last night. As it's 75ohm cable I thought I'd give it a whirl as a coax and see what it sounds like. Left the system playing overnight so it's got some time on it. Should be interesting:  The cable is made by Ecosse and features a "Monocrystal" multi strand centre and OFC braid. optical has been having a play with cables recently and highlighted cables made by VBS. They too feature Monocrystal, so I'll have a try of this cable over a few days in between the Rotel DAC and X50D whilst I await the RCAs. Then I'll turn it into interconnects. Lovely. |
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Post by macca on Nov 2, 2024 8:54:15 GMT
MFSL version is a remaster, that's your answer. Although don't know specifically what they did. Ordered that Godfathers CD already, there was one going in America. Won't get here till december by which time I'll have forgotten I ordered it and be wondering what's in the package. 😂 That's going to be a nice surprise! Happens all the time that I get back from work and there's a package in the porch and I have no recollection of what it might be. One time there was a big box, could easily have contained an amp or speakers. Had no idea what it could be but based on previous form I assumed I must have ordered something at some point. Took it inside and opened it up and it was a load of blankets plus some tins and packets of food with the writing in 'foreign.' Only then did I check the shipping address - right house number, wrong street. I sealed it back up and took it round, but there was no-one in so I left it in their porch. |
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