RDC-7's Phono Stage

[Burke Strickland]

Anyone else "into" vinyl? NOT the kind you wear -- such as 1970's disco pants :>) -- but rather, the kind you spin for music. In other words, LPs!

One nice feature of the RDC-7, which you won't find in many competing models, is the built-in phono stage. Given the superb quality of the RDC-7's FM tuner -- rivalling some very expensive stand-alone tuners I've auditioned -- I had high hopes for this. Potentially, it could save the need for another box in the equipment rack and another set of pricey interconnects.

So I tried it with my Rega Planar 3 and Grado Reference Platinum cartridge. Playback via the RDC-7's built-in phono stage sounded better than the same recordings via the built-in phono stage of the Yamaha DSP-A3090 I had been using prior to buying the RDC-7. However, by comparison, it isn't as good as the Lehmann Black Cube, a high end external phono stage, which I had bought earlier to move beyond the Yamaha's phono capabilities without springing for a whole new pre/pro. (And facing the possibility that a replacement pre/pro might not even have a phono stage.)

But it sure is better than what you'd fine on most receivers (that even have this feature any more) that most of us stepped up from. And it is convenient. For casual listening on an infrequent basis, it would serve just fine. In fact, I'd bet that most users could be satisfied with it for longer term critical listening.

Anyone else try it yet? What did you think? Are you going to keep using it, or are you looking for an external unit to supplement the RDC-7 in this area?

Burke

[allmodcons]

Better late than never . . .

I came across this post when researching the RDC 7 that my dealer offered me as an exchange for a Rotel 1098 that failed thrice. Well, I got the RDC 7 and took some time to evalute its phono section.

My system:
B&W CDMNT 1 Speakers
REL Storm III Sub
Carver Cinema Grand Amp.
McCormack RLD 1 Preamp w/ Phono section
VPI TNT jr turntable, SME V arm, Goldring Eroica Cart.
I also had on hand an Acurus P10 phono section.

Well, I won't be giving up the McCormack anytime soon. The McCormack presented a fuller, richer, weightier sound than the RDC 7 which by comparison sounded rather threadbare. While both units imaged very well across the soundstage the McCormack had greater depth of field, images appeared to be truly three dimensional where as the RDC 7 tended to flatten the image somewhat. I did not really expect the RDC 7 to best the McCormack because after all it is a dedicated two channel preamp that sells for over $2K.

Comparing the RDC 7 to the Acurus P10 (out of production but retailed for $400) was a much closer match and I think that the RDC 7 sounded better over all. The P10 does not have the dynamic range of the RDC 7 and sounds slightly pinched and constricted by comparison. The one area where the P10 excels, even bettering the McCormack, is in soundstage width. Never the less the RDC 7 painted a more vivid, albeit, narrower sonic image. So, while the phono section of the RDC 7 is probably not as good as those in dedicated high end pre amps I think it would certainly rival entry level ($1K) seperates and sound better than even the best receivers.

[Razvan]

How does the RDC7 compare to the Rotel 1098 sonically?

R

[allmodcons]

No comparison.

Simply put the RDC 7 blows the 1098 away in all sonic and visual parameters. The Rotel does have some features, such as composite and s-video upconversion to component video and more component inputs than the RDC 7 as well as that awfully usefull TFT screen. Of course the RDC 7 has an AM/FM tuner and a phono section that the Rotel lacks as well as THX Ultra 2 certification. But when it comes down to sound and vision I consider the RDC 7 a true high end component, on par with the rest of my system, the Rotel is a merely a very good piece of "mid fi" gear. Of course there is a US$1500 price difference betwix the two.

I did not mention it above, because I was focusing on the phono stage, but the line level analog preamp function of the RDC 7 almost rivals the McCormack RLD 1 in terms of sound quality. The Rotel did not come close to either one. When it comes to decoding surround the RDC 7 just sounds cleaner and more authorive than the Rotel, particularly in the frequency extreams. I was also immediatly impressed by how sharp the component video signal from the RDC 7 looked, noticably sharper than the same source through the Rotel.

Don't get me wrong the Rotel is a very good piece of gear and provides tremendous bang for the buck. However, as I discussed in a rather lively debate in the Rotel forum, the fact that the Rotel is made in China and is as reasonably priced as it is, means that some corners had to be cut and unfortunatly quality control suffered. I experienced three failures within 5 months, unacceptable on a $3k component.

I am delighted with the RDC 7, it is a brilliant piece of gear.