Has anyone out there listened to the Rotel 1072 and the Arcam CD73 side by side? For the under $1000 single disc players these two seem to be the front runners; same price, similar (limited) features (though the Rotel can play HDCD). I've listened to each of them independently and thought they both sounded great but have not listened to them side by side in my own house on my own equipment. I have an NAD C162/C272 and Paradigm Studio Reference 60s. Any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks
TSH
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Posted on
I preferred the Arcam. It was more musical, maybe a little warmer. Detail on both was very good. The store I auditioned at had them matched with Acoustic Energy and B&W speakers. I listened to the Arcam with an Arcam integrated and the Rotel with a Rotel integrated.
In the end, I went with a cheaper NAD 542 cause the price difference of the Arcam was not justified in my system.
I'm with TSH having owned Rotels and listening to the 1072 more times than I care to mention (and liking it). I like the Rotel sound but I like my C542 NAD more. Arcam is less foward and easier to listen to than either the Rotel or NAD, but the NAD has many of the characteristice of the Arcam for less money. This is one of those cases where the return on investment with the Arcam was not worth it. If you are just choosing between those 2 I know that I would choose the Arcam for long term listenability.
I'm with Art as I beleive that the NAD c542 would be the smartest buy. I find that the Arcam 73 creates a larger image compared to the NAD, but the Studio 60's have no problem with the size of image, so in my opinion the NAD would be the more accurate fit. A better player if you can get your hands on it is the Shanling cd-s100 mk2 as it is definitly a step ahead of all these units.