Rotel RCD1572 MKII

The RCD-1572 MKII is the compact disc player at the top of Rotel's Series 15 range. Its purpose is straightforward: to serve as the main physical source in a stereo system, getting the best out of an already-established CD collection. Rotel has been working on this category of equipment since 1982, the year the audio compact disc appeared, and the manufacturer has developed its circuits across successive generations.

Two technical choices define this unit. The first concerns the reading process itself: the RCD-1572 MKII employs a dedicated integrated CD reading mechanism, that is, a transport block designed specifically for this purpose rather than an adapted generic drive. The second concerns conversion: the digital signal is processed by a Wolfson WM8740 stereo digital-to-analogue converter, which also handles the filtering function.

This Wolfson circuit was originally designed for high-resolution sources. It accepts digital signals with a bit depth of up to 24 bits, with sampling rates between 8 kHz and 192 kHz. In practice, this means the conversion stage has considerably more headroom than the CD format itself requires, giving it margin to render the low-level nuances recorded on the disc.

This player is aimed at listeners whose music collection remains predominantly physical and who want a dedicated source rather than a multi-purpose unit. It naturally finds its place in a stereo system built around an integrated amplifier or a preamplifier and power amplifier combination, following a separates-based approach in which each component performs a single function.

When buying a CD player used, particular attention should be paid to its mechanical section, which is the only moving part of the unit. Some useful checks:

• The loading tray: smooth opening and closing, without jerking or belt-slip noise.
• Disc recognition: the time taken to read the table of contents, and behaviour with burned or slightly scratched CDs, which place greater demands on the optical block's servo system.
• Continuous playback of a full disc, to detect any dropouts or track skips towards the end of the disc, where laser wear tends to show up first.
• The audio outputs and display, as well as the presence of the original remote control, on which access to some functions depends.

On a unit with a dedicated mechanism, the condition of the transport takes precedence over everything else: it is the part most affected by time and the most decisive factor for the unit's longevity.