Denon DVD 3910 vs. Rotel RCD 1072 for Redbook CD Performance

[Turkish1480]

Has anyone directly compared these two players for CD performance. I would like a one box solution, but not if the RCD-1072 is far superior in performance. Any help is appreciated.

Set up:

RC 1070
RB 1070, maybe upgrading to the RB 1080 (any thoughts?)
B&W 703

[Iggurk]

Hello!

3910 is "good" cd player for a multi-player, but it sound poor compared to a good dedicated CD/SACD player.

Sound really poor compared to my Marantz SA17, I cannot listen music on my 3910 anymore since I've the Marantz, and my 3910 was modded....

Yves

[hifiguymi]

I personally like the RCD-1072. The Denon is good, but the emphasis is on video in that piece. The Rotel has a more open soundstage. The Denon tends to sound analytical compared to the Rotel.

Eric

[Iggurk]

If I was you I will take some time to listen to a Marantz player like the SA11, to me Marantz players goes well with Rotel amp & B&W, sound is very good to my ears.

Try also to listen to the Rotel 1090, bypass the 1080.

[Clepto]

If you have any desire to do a 1 box solution, and want SACD and DVD-A playback though, Rotel isn't an option.

[bigburner]

Hi Turkish1480, and welcome to the HTGuide Forum.

If you want a one box solution I would consider buying an Oppo 981 DVD player (US$229) http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/dv981hd_index.html and an external DAC such as the Benchmark DAC1 (US$975) http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/dac1/ and I would use this combination for DVDs and CDs.

The Oppo is built like a budget player but the picture quality is superb. It does 1080p, SACD, and DVD-Audio. If it breaks down after 2 years then buy the latest Oppo which will have an even better video processing chip. At US$229 that's quite feasible.

A good external DAC like the Benchmark will provide sound quality that is equivalent to a CD player that costs many thousands of dollars. If you watch music DVDs then you'll get the same high quality sound for DVDs too. This is a big advantage over a standard DVD player. The Benchmark DAC1 is a quality piece of equipment which will last forever, and will work nicely with whatever DVD player or CD player that you buy.

With regard to the amp for your 703 speakers I think you will get better performance and less distortion from a more powerful unit when you listen to music at high volume. The three Rotel models that you should consider auditioning are the RB-1080, RB-1090 and RB-1092.

Nigel.