Cambridge audio 640C or Rotel RCD-1072

[june]

Hello All,

A co-worker is very interested in buy a quality CD player. Which one do you perfer Rotel or Cambridge Audio?

[twitch54]

Both are winners in the sub 1k category, I vote Rotel, I've had the 1072 in a secondary system in our living room for two years and it's been flawless.

If your buddy is willing to pony up a few more $$$ the Rega with a street price of around $900 is superb as well.

Another option is to buy an inexspensive Oppo player and mate it up with a nice DAC, like a Benchmark for example.

[Ovation]

I have a Cambridge player and I am very happy with it. Either one would be good, IMO, but if I had to pick, I'd go with the brand I already know gives me good sound and no reliability issues (not that Rotel has any, I've just never owned a Rotel).

[JonMarsh]

Well, you know that excellence is the enemy of good...

The Cambridge 640C V2 is a very nice player in it's price range, and What Hi-Fi? gave it a best in class under L500. BUT, if there's anyway they can stretch their budget, and if they're just looking for the best CDP they can find, they should take a look at the 840C, which is really a specialist piece of kit, having a very high end DAC for that price range, with single ended and balanced outputs, an in addition to digital outputs with upsampling, also has digital inputs for playback of other sources or transports. This player uses upsampling to 384 kHz, with technology and DACs developed by Anagram Technologies of Switzerland.






Here's a link to a PDF with an interesting review if you want to follow up.

Being an SACD fan, this player wouldn't meet meet my needs, but if SACD was off the table, this is one I'd be looking at very closely to use with my music server system.

Available in black, too.

[wkhanna]

Which Rotel CDp?
Is used an option?
Does the rest of your friend's system have the ability to get best these players have to offer?

I have had the 640 for almost a year. It replaced a Rotel 855, and I have also compared it to my Oppo 970 in redbook SQ playback. I got mine used from PewterTA, a fellow member here, and have been thrilled with it ever since. Best thing I did was get a set of SilverCat IC's from Doug, (its DAC's sound far better than the ones in my RSP-1066 so I use the RCA analog out's) but of course, they would likely make any CDp sound better.

[jpvnnvpj]

what about a marantz SA8001 that has sacd how would it compare with ca and rotel.

[PewterTA]

Marantz didn't impress me as much as a CDp. I would think the CA or Rotel would be a step up on it. That's just my opinion though.

Here's the "real" two differences between the CA and the Rotel.

The CA 640c v2 is a slightly "brighter" sounding CDp. The Rotel has a little more of a warmer sounding CDp. Now by this, I mean that they both have the same clarity and detail in the low, mid, and highs...but the CA has a little bit more "umph" in the upper high range. Now with me, it's coupled with a Rotel 1098/1095 and B&W combo which the B&Ws are a "brighter" speaker and the Rotel amp is a wamer sounding amp.

What that all balances out to is a nice sounding fully detailed sound coming from my system.

If he has something like a (just going to extremes here) Krell amp with Klipsch speakers, I would recommend the Rotel more to help balance out the brightness of the Krell and Klipsch combo.

So you really need to tell him is to have him evaluate his own system...does he think it's too bright, or maybe to soft... Does he fell like he's missing cymbals hit or does he get listening fatigue?! That's all questions I would ask to try to find out what he's wanting or missing.

Otherwise the two CDPs are almost identical (except for asthetics)... as WKHANNA said, he's got my old CA 640c v1 and it's now almost 3 years old I believe and he's not had a single problem with it...my 640 v2 is almost a year old and never had a problem.

Either one he gets though, if he's not had a "decent" CDP, he's going to immensely enjoy!

-Dan

Oh and as soon as I find the money in the couch, the 840C is going to be sitting in my rack... In fact, I better go look for more money right now... :rofl:

[june]

ThanksAll,

Now where do we purchase a CA 640 in Philly? Our local Rotel dealer is Worldwide Sterio.

[twitch54]

ThanksAll,

Now where do we purchase a CA 640 in Philly? Our local Rotel dealer is Worldwide Sterio.

Why would you want to buy anything in Phila ????? Sales tax alone is reason enough to shop elsewhere....like Delaware !!!

Audioadvisor.com is a good mail order / online dealer that carries Cambridge.

[june]

Thanks All,

My co-work decided on the CA-640 & I'm getting the Rotel 1072. I've been an proud owner of a Rotel RCC-955 for years. I'll put the 955 in the bedroom when I get the 1072.

[twitch54]

Thanks All,

I'm getting the Rotel 1072.

Overture, rte 202 outside of Wilmington carries the complete Rotel lineup, that's where I got mine.