I'm selling two Rotel RDD 980 less than $200 on ebay....I think they sound fine and offer flexibility by changing DACs. I would guess that the design of the Rotel transport is better because of the isolation from parts together in a one box construction. I looked at the specs and description transport in the RDD 980 manual and they mention bigger and better transformers/power and less vibration by going to separates. That may be ad hype but there often are compromises in old one box design. There is much discussion about which is more important, transport or DAC; in theory you should hear a difference but you may not...too many variables in my opinion (cables, amps, speaker, support/isolation etc.) I have compared my system to a one box rega planet and Pioneer pd65 and liked the rdd transports with different dacs but I doubt that you'll hear much difference in ONLY a switch to a tranport
Is there a decent used transport for under $300?
Hi everyone,
I have a way cheap but decent budget rig: a Trends T-Amp driving tekton design single driver speakers (Fostex 167e, $325)and a Tube Audio Design subwoofer ($125 shipped, really not as bad as you would expect). Until today, the signal came from the venerable Rotel RCD 855 player (considered a good budget player in its day) with the digital out feeding a cheap "Super p" DAC, which sounded significantly better than using the 855's DAC.
All together I was getting a robust, authoritative, and stable full range sound, but today the 855 finally gave up the ghost after a protracted demise.
I have been wanting to get a transport only unit anyway, but for this setup need to keep the cost below $300 used. Is this possible? If so, would such a transport be better than a similarly priced player? For example, is the Rotel RDD 980 transport currently listed on A'gon for $195 an improvement on the digital output of the 855? I'd also love to know about any other thoughts/possibilities.
Thanks very much in advance of any responses. It's no good here (hear) without the music.
I have a way cheap but decent budget rig: a Trends T-Amp driving tekton design single driver speakers (Fostex 167e, $325)and a Tube Audio Design subwoofer ($125 shipped, really not as bad as you would expect). Until today, the signal came from the venerable Rotel RCD 855 player (considered a good budget player in its day) with the digital out feeding a cheap "Super p" DAC, which sounded significantly better than using the 855's DAC.
All together I was getting a robust, authoritative, and stable full range sound, but today the 855 finally gave up the ghost after a protracted demise.
I have been wanting to get a transport only unit anyway, but for this setup need to keep the cost below $300 used. Is this possible? If so, would such a transport be better than a similarly priced player? For example, is the Rotel RDD 980 transport currently listed on A'gon for $195 an improvement on the digital output of the 855? I'd also love to know about any other thoughts/possibilities.
Thanks very much in advance of any responses. It's no good here (hear) without the music.