What audio system do you have, or plan on getting?

[Spotted Horses]

Well that's unusual for the build quality of Rotel equipment. The laser must be out of synch.

I thought I read on this site somewhere that there are only one or two manufacturers left in the world that make a CD transport. It seemed like a plausible claim. So presumably you are getting the same transport whether you spend $50 or $5000 dollars on an optical disc player.

[Spotted Horses]

And I could not avoid temptation, so I ordered the Kef R11 towers. I used financing. But yeah. I hope that I love them, and I think and hope they will also be my end game.

My first impulse is to feel a bit jealous. It reminds me of the time when I still was an aspirational audiophile, and hoped to someday have a perfect listening room with top quality equipment. Never got there. The closest approach was a pair of Polk Audio LSi9 speakers with a Marantz Integrated Amp and SACD player. But I remember endlessly fussing over it.

Now my setup is a MacBook and AirPods Max (streaming from Apple Music of FLAC file on my hard disk) and I seem to enjoy music more. If I want get really fancy I use my Schiit audio DAC and Headphone Amp with Beyerdynamic T1 or Shure SRH1540 headphones, but even that seems like an unnecessary refinement.

[Kalevala]

I thought I read on this site somewhere that there are only one or two manufacturers left in the world that make a CD transport. It seemed like a plausible claim. So presumably you are getting the same transport whether you spend $50 or $5000 dollars on an optical disc player.

Wonder whether or not there is a big difference in the quality of the two transports?  Or if at least one of them makes different levels/quality of transports for sale?

In any event, do what makes you happy and you feel is also within your budget. 

K

[Kalevala]

I don't consider my streamer to be extra. I spend much more time with streaming and downloads than listening to CDs.

So are you asking them to replace the Rotel, or are you just returning it?

K

[DavidW]

So are you asking them to replace the Rotel, or are you just returning it?

K

I decided to just return it. It is too much of a hassle to potentially go through a few to find one that doesn't skip especially when I have to pay return shipping even though the player is defective. The step-up model has a perfect five-star rating, it seems that perhaps Rotel exercised less QC on their entry-level model than on the rest of the lineup.

[Kalevala]

I decided to just return it. It is too much of a hassle to potentially go through a few to find one that doesn't skip especially when I have to pay return shipping even though the player is defective. The step-up model has a perfect five-star rating, it seems that perhaps Rotel exercised less QC on their entry-level model than on the rest of the lineup.

So, did they not issue a call tag?  Or didn't you request one?    They should have covered that if it was defective....or maybe offered to refund you for that if when they tested it, they found it to be defective.  In any event, I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you.  Are there any audio stores near you where you can check out equipment before buying and who will stand behind you and your purchases?

K

[DavidW]

The policy is the buyer pays for shipping NO MATTER WHAT. A fee is assessed if anything is missing from the box, even if the equipment is defective.

This is common for small businesses. Large businesses can afford to eat shipping costs on returns, but small companies can't.

Edit: I'm not mad at you, I was just dashing it out and was overcaffeinated.

[Spotted Horses]

Wonder whether or not there is a big difference in the quality of the two transports?  Or if at least one of them makes different levels/quality of transports for sale?

In any event, do what makes you happy and you feel is also within your budget. 

K

In my limited personal experience, there is no correlation between the cost of the device and the performance of the transport. I had to get rid of my NAD CD player, whose sound I loved, because the transport went out. I had a $50 DVD player which also played CDs flawlessly, and a $1000 Marantz CD/SACD player which always annoyed me with the clickity-clack sound of the transport and fussiness in playing CDs. I paid $2 to the electronics recycling center to take it off my hands, after I entirely switched over to FLAC file streaming to a DAC (and later, streaming).

[DavidW]

Looking for ways to pay off my speakers I've turned to buying a cheap Topping DAC to replace both my DAC and preamp (for the sake of paying off my speakers). What I bought sounded INCREDIBLE.  It had no problem with wide dynamic range as evidenced by Petrenko DSCH 8. It also handled Jurowski's Tchaikovsky 6 with ease. The first got plenty loud at -20 dB which means that even the harder things I know about (Schnittke and Mahler at low volume level and I. Fischer's Mahler 9) it can handle.

Detail retrieval was not as good as the Rega CDP, better than the Denafrips DAC. Imaging, soundstage, and engagement were on par with that Ares DAC... which means... I have a winner. I will sell my preamp and DAC.

[Valentino]

I got curious now: Which Topping DAC is it?

I use a Topping L30 (Mk. I) headphone amp for my main system Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro and a Topping DX1 direct USB powered DAC-headphone amp with PEQ on a PC and veteran Sennheiser HD 580 Precision in the home office.

As for CD players/transports I found a silver Yamaha CD-S300 this spring. I love the looks of it and it's analog output sounds adequate. The plan is, when I get around to buy a Wiim Ultra, it will become a CD transport. The Wiim Ultra also supports PEQ, so that I can trim away some Beyerdynamic sonic irregularities.

[Spotted Horses]

In any event, do what makes you happy and you feel is also within your budget. 

In my case budget doesn't come into it. There is a developmentally disabled family member in the household, and listening to music is limited to when everyone else in the household is sleeping, which doesn't lend itself to listening to audiophile speakers. I gave away speakers whose cumulative value exceeded DavidW's KEFs.

[DavidW]

I got curious now: Which Topping DAC is it?

D50III. It is a DAC with an EQ. See review here

[Kalevala]

In my case budget doesn't come into it. There is a developmentally disabled family member in the household, and listening to music is limited to when everyone else in the household is sleeping, which doesn't lend itself to listening to audiophile speakers. I gave away speakers whose cumulative value exceeded DavidW's KEFs.

I'm sorry to hear that (re family member).  That must be rough.

All strength and good wishes to you and your family,

K

[Mookalafalas]

New home "hidey hole" listening system (for my tiny bedroom nook in my puny Japanese home).

Jbl 305 MII (second hand)
  With SMSL DL200


  My 3rd upgrade. Sounds very fine.

My next move will probably be these bad boys:

  Or a close sibling...

[DavidW]

I continue to adore the R11s. I've listened to solo piano music, chamber music, and orchestral music. New recordings, old recordings. All great! They are warm, with some sparkle on the top end... i.e. the KEF sound but very detailed and close to neutral in my room.

[Mookalafalas]

I continue to adore the R11s. I've listened to solo piano music, chamber music, and orchestral music. New recordings, old recordings. All great! They are warm, with some sparkle on the top end... i.e. the KEF sound but very detailed and close to neutral in my room.

  I envy you. In my old house (where I had my own, isolated, room) I'd have considered them. Maybe one day.

[88]

This is my system:

Martin Logan Renaissance ESL 15A speakers
Pass Labs INT-250 integrated amp
Luxman D-07X SACD CD player (I use the built-in DAC for Qobuz and downloads)
Roon Nucleus Plus streamer
Cardas speaker cables and interconnects

[Harry]

This is my system:

Martin Logan Renaissance ESL 15A speakers
Pass Labs INT-250 integrated amp
Luxman D-07X SACD CD player (I use the built-in DAC for Qobuz and downloads)
Roon Nucleus Plus streamer
Cardas speaker cables and interconnects

Not bad at all. The Logans plus the Pass Labs is a ideal match.

[88]

Not bad at all. The Logans plus the Pass Labs is a ideal match.

Thank you. It certainly provides me with great pleasure. The sound is wonderfully transparent and lifelike.

[Kalevala]

Thank you. It certainly provides me with great pleasure. The sound is wonderfully transparent and lifelike.

Do you have any cats, and if so, have you ever had problems with them climbing/clawing at the speakers?

K