Digital Drive: REVIEW: Rotel RCD 991 CD Player/Recorder by silversg@hotmail.com

Model:	RCD 991
Category:	CD Player/Recorder
Suggested Retail Price:	$1299
Description:	CD player w/ RCA and balanced out, adjustable dither, Toslink
Manufacturer URL:	Rotel
Manufacturer URL:	Rotel

Review by silversg@hotmail.com ( A ) on April 18, 2003 at 23:53:16
IP Address: 65.115.175.40

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for the RCD 991

I have owned the rotel 991 for several years and chose it after home demos of it and several closely priced units. I have never found the 991 to be amusical or uninvolving as others have noted. its major deficit i found was a rolled off high end with diminished transparency

i have been thinking about where to go with my digital front end and decided to wait a year or so to see what happens with the universal player. The reviews that I have read have been luke warm at best.

I made the decision to have the 991 modified by richard kerns of audiomod.he did a parts upgrade on my sony dvd,cd,sacd player and i am happy with the results. after he received the unit he advised that I change to the super clock 2 and possble vishnay resistor upgrade. the capacitors are black gates and did not need to be changed.

I decided to go all out and did both. In addition I had already upgraded to power cord to the Harm Tech fantasy ac-10. When the unit was returned and right out of the box the sound was quieter, much cleaner and the staging more specific. after a couple of months of listening that which i first heard has remained and in addition the high end is more extended and more transparent. the tonal qualities of instruments is substantially improved.

Based on other reviews i believe that a substantial percentage of the improvements are because of the super clock 2. If you are unsure of what to do on the digital end and have a rotel 991 please consider this upgrade. It has improved my music enjoyment substantially

richard kerns at audiomod is a pleasure to deal with. his prices are more than fair. he clearly presents the options and the work is done in a timely manner.

Product Weakness: compared to the stock unit its a substantial improvemnt but it still falls short of the best units i have heard that also cost much more
Product Strengths: much increased clarity and extension, improved tonal qualities, improved pace, bass is less bloated and the wood on an acoustic bass more evident

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	marsh a400s
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	vtl 2.5
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	rotel 991 modified
Speakers:	maggie 1.6qr
Cables/Interconnects:	all harmonic technology
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	jazz, rock, blues classical
Room Size (LxWxH):	14 x 16 x 7
Room Comments/Treatments:	none
Time Period/Length of Audition:	2 months
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	compared to the stock unit its a substantial improvemnt but it still falls short of the best units i have heard that also cost much more
Product Strengths:	much increased clarity and extension, improved tonal qualities, improved pace, bass is less bloated and the wood on an acoustic bass more evident