Very nice, basic function, Rotel cd player BUT ....
It has ONE (OBVIOUS) COSMETIC ISSUE - it is for this reason only that I am offering this very well regarded Rotel RCD-965BX LE at well below current market price!
PLEASE ENSURE YOU READ MY DETAILED DESCRIPTION BELOW
ROTEL CD Player
Model: RCD-965BX Limited Edition
240V AC Australian release
Single disc
High quality Philips CDM-4/19 swing arm laser mechanism
Analog & digital outputs
Standard CD player facilities including direct track access
High quality audio output - designed with the audiophile market in mind
NO REMOTE is supplied
COSMETIC CONDITION:
This would have to be up there with one of the heaviest CD players I have ever used! Only surpassed by my magnificient older STUDER players (which extensively used diecast metal chassis)
Case is very clean and unmarked, only the very lightest of marks to the top
Absolutely no dents, signs of drops or misformed casing. This is one VERY STRONG case.
Absolutely NO PROBLEMS WITH CD PLAYBACK - STUNNING HIGH QUALITY AUDIO
THE ISSUE IS THIS ...
The Eject button is completely missing!
All the remaining buttons are excellent, secure and work as they should.
Unfortunately, as with so many designs, the plastic used for the front panel buttons is not so robust. I remember we used this one day in the studio and out "popped" the top of the eject tray button! Such a great design job on the casing but lousy attention to the front panel user controls. Great machine but it then went into the backroom until we could find a replacement front panel - we never did!
*** See my DETAILED INFORMATION below about this button and possible repair ***
Flourescent display (blue/green) is bright and clear to read in all lighting conditions.
NO damage to the front/rear labelling at all
TESTING/GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
The RCD-865BX is extremely well regarded in the audiophile community and then Rotel released the LE edition (Limited Edition) with the discrete output stages. You could consider the 965BX LE to be a "hotted up" version of the standard 965BX.
Ok, so what does this Rotel RCD-965BX LE sound like?
Damn fine!, in two brief words. Sweet as ....
I have been test playing many of the CD's I am listing on my website over the last couple of weeks and the audible detail is amazing!
The audio is not coloured, grainy or embelished with sounds that shouldn't be there in fact I can hear instruments that I hadn't noticed before - just beautiful nice clean music that is easy to listen to for long periods (I have had the player running about 6 feet away from my ears for 10~12 hours per day over the last couple of weeks and my ears didn't "close down".
I implore anyone who is interested to take a look at the many many online reviews from users of these machines, these will at least give some idea of what to expect from such a CD player.
Here is just one link to USER reviews
My personal comment about the construction inside.
To be honest I don't like the large (one piece) main PCB upon which the CDM-4 mechanism is directly mounted, it can make for more difficult servicing.
Traditionally CD players have the main PCB and the optical drive with electronics sits alongside the mainboard, so getting access to the optical side of things is much much easier and after-all it is the optical drive that more often than not needs attention after years of use or even non-use.
Having said that, the player is very well laid out and constructed. Extensive use of "gold" electrolytic's and styro capacitors and the DAC is a SAA7323 with the SAA7220 digital filter. These special Gold print electrolytics are extensively used throughout the audio path, I believe they are commonly referred to as BLACK GATE caps (made by Rubycon and marked as such on the can) although some (still with Gold print on the can) are all marked as
ROTEL
HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPONENT
value/voltage
UK (BHC) MADE
Of course the heart of this player is the excellent Philips CDM-4 optical reader, the laser head sits on a swing arm - there are none of the traditional slide rails.
Rotel have paid a lot of attention to the design of this CD Player and used high specification components to achieve their aims.
Originally we paid around A$1100 for this CD player, way back in the mid 1990's!!
The case is all 1mm thick steel, including the top of the case and everything is screwed together - no rivets!!!
Two ways of identifying the LE edition externally, the CD tray front metal plate has printed on it LIMITED EDITION and on the rear panel is a little yellow sticker indicating the same.
Digital output is via the rear nickel plated RCA socket for direct connection to your amp if it has digital input or your sweet little DAC external box, but most people will just use the ordinary analog gold plated RCA outputs situated right next door to the digital output
Although Rotel paid a great deal of attention to the technical design of this CD player and the casing used, the front panel button system was not quite so well thought out.
THE ISSUE!
The Eject button is physically completely missing! Just a rectangular hole remains, where the button once was.
I remember how this Eject button disaster happened, I was with the sound engineer when it unfurled!
After years of use, the tray mechanism can stick (this is quite a common with these tray mechanisms), and this CD player was no exception - the tray was sticking. The tray drive rubber belt obviously needed maintenance. But before that maintenance could be undertaken, the sound engineer kept punching the Eject button in frustration and low and behold, it "popped" out!
I looked at the feasibility of fitting another button (see the photograph of what it looks like inside the front panel) but any repair/replacement button would only be a temporary fix. If anyone offers you a "repaired" EJECT front button, forget it! The "fix" will not be long term and it is far better to replace the complete front panel.
The front button assembly framework is all plastic, plastic, plastic and is glued into the all metal front panel. Under normal circumstances this suits the use it has been designed for but if the user starts stressing the two little plastic supports on any button (pushing it frantically will do this!), the button will just fall off!
I did investigate replacing just the one button but I was not happy it was a secure long term repair and have not proceeded to replace the EJECT button.
The ONLY way to fix this problem properly is to fit a WHOLE NEW FRONT PANEL ASSEMBLY. Of course Rotel cannot supply you this spare part but if you can find an old RCD-865BX with a nice clean front panel, it is fairly easy to change the panels over - problem solved!
Removal of the original front panel is not a difficult task, 3x philips head screws on top and a couple underneath and it just slides off in the forward direction.
THERE IS AN EASIER SOLUTION...
Instead of messing around trying to find a new front panel, just use a remote!
You can of course use a non-metallic object like a biro or even your pinky finger to activate the Eject function but the "cleanest" solution is to just use a remote.
I am NOT supplying a remote to suit, it went missing along with the broken Eject button top!
I see online that sellers do offer the original remotes (VERY expensive) or a programmable Universal style remote which will do the same job but not with the Rotel badge on them.
I did find my "test" remote (a universal type) that "talked" to this CD player and all worked fine (at least I know the remote IR system also works still!)... I will not offer my own remote, I need it!!!
While looking around inside this unit, I changed the tray belt as a matter of course. The tray belt I have fitted is BRAND NEW and the toothed slide wheel is in excellent condition. The tray movement is now smooth and without strange noises!
These tray rubber belts in particular have always been an issue with these machines, fortunately replacement belts (if you needed one in the future) are not difficult to find online or you can measure up the belt and get it from a local belt supplier such as Wagner Electronics, Sydney.
It is always the rubber belts that cause issues with these CD players, over time the rubber stretches or becomes out of shape and the tray stops functioning properly. The belt left in the machine was like this and I tried to "rejuvenate" it but I really felt it still wasn't good enough and changed the belt to a new one, especially since I already had the front panel off anyway.
NOTE: I see there are numerous posts online about changing this belt - BEWARE OF THESE ONLINE INSTRUCTIONS.
These posts tend to be from non-professional "backyard cowboys" who suggest pushing down the white rear lever and wiggling/twisting the tray out! Great way to destroy that toothed wheel!
There is only one way to do the job properly...
Remove the front panel metal plate from the front of the drive tray (with Rotel Limited Edition printed on it)
Remove the 3x top philips head screws and the 2x underside philips head screws
The front panel can now be moved forward and off the main case frame.
Disengage the drive belt and slowly move the tray forwards and if you hold the tray slightly downwards, it will clear the stops which are part of the front frame - off comes the tray which gives clear access to the tray belt.
All of these procedures place no stress on the tray components, if done correctly it will simply slide completely out in the forward direction.
Fit the new belt, reverse the dis-assembly procedure and your tray movement will be fixed (unless that toothed wheel has broken teeth!) Those toothed wheels are also easy to obtain online.
Total replacement time spent should be around 10 ~ 15 minutes
ROTEL RCD-965BX LE SUMMARY:
Beautifully made (mostly) with exceptional audio quality
EJECT button missing - solution is to either use a remote control or have the front panel replaced
SPECIAL SHIPPING NOTE:
I no longer have the shipping lock keys (2) for the optical mechanism. I will attempt to reproduce a plastic key(s) to lock the laser mechanism but this may not be easy for me to do. This makes me very nervous about shipping this equipment, I would need to try and copy the locking key(s) because the CDM4 is a delicate mechanism and it would not appreciate being swung around all over the place! Actually, looking at the action of the two keys, they tend to just lock the suspension of the whole laser assembly, the head still swings freely within it's arc of travel.
This means I would MUCH PREFER pickup or I may even consider bringing it to you, if you are not too far away from Rooty Hill (2766)
I will ship (apprehensively), packing of the equipment is not the issue here - it is the nature of the optical system that needs to be well protected with the locking keys that I am worried about.
