Ken Ishiwata is a legend in the works of hifi - never met him but I’ve had a CD63 KI sig and the matching amp in the past and have a CD11 Tribute CD player now.
Received my CD11 yesterday. Man these CD players are expensive these days. Its replacing a TEAC. First thing I noticed was how well packaged the CD11 is; you know that you are getting something of quality. The real test was the sound. I normally hooked up that old TEAC by digital out to my Outlaw RR2160MkII receiver. That receiver has a very nice sounding Burr Brown DAC. I initially connected the CD11 that way and it sounded good and maybe a little nicer than the TEAC. I then decided to connect it with the analog RCA out to utilize its own Texas Instruments DAC. All I can say is wow! The sound is very pronounced and detailed with no harshness. It sounds similar to the high res FLAC files I play through a Hi-Res media player.The only minor issue I have with this unit is that bright red power LED when the unit is in standby. When the unit is on it turns blue and you can dim it from the setup menu. There's no option to dim it when it is red other than to completely shut the unit off with the power button. At $600 I feel I got my money's worth.
I remember the first time I ran across a Rotel product. Had purchased a CD player from another brand....and it was awful. Bought a Rotel in 1987, and it is still working and playing today. Not to say that folks will have the same experience, but Rotel has long been considered the audiophile choice on a budget. I see these two new products as continuing that legacy
Got a CD11 Tribute to go with a set of Klipsch the Sixes. They work quite nicely together as the Tribute takes the harshness out of the treble on a few of the CDs I have that didn’t play nice with the Sixes using other methods to play them. I would certainly recommend the CD11 Tribute to someone that is looking for a CD player.
Very useful comment. So you can call cd11 sweet sounding?Because some says that between marantz cd 6007 and rotel cd11,rotel has the more sharp/edged treble and marantz more soft edge treble.I'm between those two.I have a 28 years old teac and want a new one.I cannot tolerate shril/harsh sounding players.I like sweet treble and mids.I like most the looks of the rotel.The faceplate is all metal?Because the 6007 front edges are plastic.
@@andreassouth1523 there is a imported Carpenters CD that I bought several years back that sounded absolutely awful through the Sixes when played back on a computer. The piano and horns were just grating, almost metallic, and harsh to me. When I got the Rotel in and hooked up, that was one of the first CDs I put in. The metallic harshness was gone. I haven’t listened to the Marantz to know the difference in the two but the Rotel has made me a very happy guy. Especially at the price it sells for. The faceplate on the Rotel is metal. It’s a solidly built player that will hopefully give me many years of enjoyment.
Thanks for the review as I just placed an order for the CD 11 Tribute with my local shop. I have a Yamaha RS300 receiver to pair it with and guess what the speakers are....the Paradigm Atom SE that you coincidentally mentioned so I look forward seeing how well it all sounds.
I’ve recently got the Rotel a11 tribute amp hooked up to my Dali Oberon 1 speakers and it sounds fantastic. Great sound. Great value. Highly recommend 👍
I got the Rotel A12 amp and paired it with the B&W 606 S2 anniversary edition - it's a great and sweet sounding setup, currently only for vinyl playback, but now I'm saving money to get the cd player Rotel CD11 Tribute to complete the setup, in the beginning I was confused why the volume was so low even at like you said normal volumes and I thought that something was broken - oh and forgot to say awesome video as usual !!
Just fixed my re-capped Arcam 8R (had to swapout the MOSFETS) - bi-amped with a 8P (also re-capped) - the A11 will be on sale soon - has some nice features but just does not sound nearly as good as the old kit.
Hello. I looking for a new amplifier and need some advice. I consider either the A11 tribute + an external dac (ifi zen), or for about the same budget here in France, the audiolab 6000a. My speakers are Triangle comete ez. The audiolab is hard to find here, except online but seems to be amazing with thèse speakers. I really dont know what to chose, as the A 11 tribute is on m'y shortlist as well. What would you advise ? I mainly listen to vinyls, and have a Tisbury phono stage as well. Thanks for your help !
My Rotel RCD-1072 died a very sudden death a few months ago. At 13 years old, I felt I got my money's worth. Did some reading on the CD11 Tribute, and purchased one. I'm running it through a Rotel RA-1062, also 13 years old, and Paradigm Monitor 7 v.5's, and a Paradigm Ultracube 10 sub. Wow. I'm not sure where the Tribute falls in the hierarchy vs the 1072 (lateral, step up/down), but I'm getting more detail, and slightly more pin point location of instruments/voices. Much livelier, as well. It does everything a CD player should, and at a price like Paradigm of old, almost too good to be true. If you're on the fence, hop down and buy one.
After Ken Ishiwata passed away his personal friend and legendary audio designer Karl-Heinze Fink stepped in to finish the job. KHF is best known as a speaker designer and he's just done the new Wharfdale Diamond 12.2. I wrote a comment on another channel that was reviewing those speakers and to my surprise and delight, KHF responded. What he said was, he mostly listened through the Diamond 12.2 when he was working on the Rotels. Now the 12.2 is at a lower price than the Evo 2 and KHF's personal flavouring does move it slightly away from standard Wharfedale sound but of course it stays within the family. If you already own the Evos I think it's a pretty safe bet they will make a great pairing. And if you don't then you can save some money and get the Diamonds safe in the knowledge that this is what what used to tune them with!
@@RasheedKhan-he6xx wow! That's such an interesting comment! I'm so fortunate that you have shared this here, cause I recently bought the Rotel and now I can't be more excited to pair it up with my Evos 4.2. Thank you so much for bringing some light to my questions!
@@warmgrooves Hey Daniel..How did that pairing work out for you? I'm considering the A11 and a set of Diamond 10.2's myself. Not quite the same but like Rasheed said..It's in the family
@@martinroach608 Hello Martin! It's been a great great surprise. The soundstage is amazing and, together, they deliver an incredible sound. I totally recommend it to you!
Please reach out to our team at www.audioadvice.com for the best advice on this. Both are very nice, it will depend on your use case and rest of your system. Thanks for watching
That is a great classic speaker, but unfortunately one of the most power hungry speakers ever made, you need lots and lots of good power to wake them up. Something more like this www.audioadvice.com/shop-by-brand/rotel/ra-1592-mk-ii-integrated-amplifier Thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice thanks for the quick reply! I’ve heard the “power hungry” description quite often over the years. Sadly, my current budget situation won’t allow me the one you recommended. I’m not in need of too many “bells and whistles”. The back panel inputs on the Tribute were perfect for my needs…really have no need for anything more. After the Tribute was ruled out, I quick-searched for something a little stronger but within my budget. Stumbled upon the Yamaha A-S701. Similar back panel with a little more power. Do you think this would be something I should look into further or am I pigeonholed into spending beyond my means?
@@TonyNoShots Just be sure and choose something with preamp outs. That way, as time passes and you save a little more, you could add a power amp to get the power you really need.
@@AudioAdvice that’s another thing I was pondering. Pretty much anything will feed the speakers but I’ll eventually want to FEED them. Thanks for your time and input. Much appreciated.
Hi, I have just recently purchased the Rotel CD11 Tribute CD Player and using it with a Rotel RA-03 Amp and AVI Neuton IV Monitor Speakers, ( must be about 15yrs old now) do you think I would hear a difference in sound if I upgraded to the A11 Tribute Amp ? Thanks in anticipation.
Thinking of upgrading my Marantz PM4001(10 year old budget award winner) for the A11. Features and build look great but I'm concerned about the sound quality. Will it be a considerable step up?
Thanks for your question! Every situation is unique, so if you go to www.audioadvice.com you can chat or call our team and we would be happy to review your specific situation and give you the best advice possible. Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
Hi great informative video, I now have both rotel set up , now and years ago I had a rotel rx100l tuner amp and always well build quality equipment . Regards mark
This is a plea to anyone whom might have an idea what power amp would suitably match the A11 Tribute from Rotel. I have this amp and like it but need to juice it up a little and so suggestions welcome...
Has anyone seen an honest to goodness user review of this CD player? Every video I've seen so far just sounds like they're reading off the company pamphlet and manual.
I paid for my A11 Tibute to replace a broken Marantz PM6005 a week ago, and I am rather impressed : very clean, well balanced, punchier than the Marantz which was on the mellow side
Pma800 sounded constipated with my power hungry Dynaudio Emit10s. In fact, all of the Class D amplifiers sounded constipated. Class A/B sounded better. Audiolab6000 super detailed but thin; Arcam had muscle but veiled sound; Rotel a11 had sufficient detail and oomph. I suspect that amps around $1500 would be the ideal situation for 4-6 ohm rated speakers.
As that i have a chance to test both of them with my elac Unifi UB5 A11 Tribute mid sound more open, singer vocal show lot more reveal and forward. That is the magic of a11 tribute i guess. A12 compare to a11 tribute singer step back and calm but..... what make me ultra impress is the instrument seperation this is totally on different league from a11 tribute. I can easily tell the location of each sound. CONCLUSION : Vocal from A11 Tribute is unique from every other amp i tested on the same day( a12 ra1572 ra1592 cambridge axa25 nad 326bee nad 356bee nad375bee) But overall sound I prefer A12 as it show many characteristic of higher end gear than a11 tribute which i feel music is still clouded when we try to localize the instrument
The one thing I really really wish is that they'd made the CD 11 Tribute an SACD player. That would (a) set it well apart from the standard Rotel CD 11 (b) pay homage to the fact that Ken Ishiwata absolutely loved the SACD format and (c) blow a hole in the market by offering an honest to goodness $500ish SACD player! That simply doesn't exist and if they had done it I'd be running out the door to buy the set right now.
Amplificateur neutre qui n'impose pas sa signature sonore et fait bien le travail. Je lui envoie la musique en bluetooth de mon smartphone et le son est bon👍
My complaint here is that awful badge. It’s stuck on like an afterthought and in every picture I’ve seen of these components it looks slightly askew. I also don’t love the “tribute” as a marketing technique. The cynic in me says a few upgraded capacitors and some rubber feet don’t really qualify as a serious redesign- sort of like putting an “LL Bean” badge on a Jeep. At most I wish they had just put a “KI” suffix in the model name, but overall I dunno, this doesn’t feel quite right.
Ken Ishiwata is a legend in the works of hifi - never met him but I’ve had a CD63 KI sig and the matching amp in the past and have a CD11 Tribute CD player now.
Thanks for sharing! Yes, he certainly was!
Received my CD11 yesterday. Man these CD players are expensive these days. Its replacing a TEAC. First thing I noticed was how well packaged the CD11 is; you know that you are getting something of quality. The real test was the sound. I normally hooked up that old TEAC by digital out to my Outlaw RR2160MkII receiver. That receiver has a very nice sounding Burr Brown DAC. I initially connected the CD11 that way and it sounded good and maybe a little nicer than the TEAC. I then decided to connect it with the analog RCA out to utilize its own Texas Instruments DAC. All I can say is wow! The sound is very pronounced and detailed with no harshness. It sounds similar to the high res FLAC files I play through a Hi-Res media player.The only minor issue I have with this unit is that bright red power LED when the unit is in standby. When the unit is on it turns blue and you can dim it from the setup menu. There's no option to dim it when it is red other than to completely shut the unit off with the power button. At $600 I feel I got my money's worth.
Thanks for sharing your experience with our community! We felt the same way, Rotel worked some magic with the CD11.
Can the CD player play gaplessly between tracks???
I have some Rotel amps myself that have been running for years. Great sound
I remember the first time I ran across a Rotel product. Had purchased a CD player from another brand....and it was awful. Bought a Rotel in 1987, and it is still working and playing today. Not to say that folks will have the same experience, but Rotel has long been considered the audiophile choice on a budget. I see these two new products as continuing that legacy
Got a CD11 Tribute to go with a set of Klipsch the Sixes. They work quite nicely together as the Tribute takes the harshness out of the treble on a few of the CDs I have that didn’t play nice with the Sixes using other methods to play them. I would certainly recommend the CD11 Tribute to someone that is looking for a CD player.
Thanks for sharing!
Very useful comment. So you can call cd11 sweet sounding?Because some says that between marantz cd 6007 and rotel cd11,rotel has the more sharp/edged treble and marantz more soft edge treble.I'm between those two.I have a 28 years old teac and want a new one.I cannot tolerate shril/harsh sounding players.I like sweet treble and mids.I like most the looks of the rotel.The faceplate is all metal?Because the 6007 front edges are plastic.
@@andreassouth1523 there is a imported Carpenters CD that I bought several years back that sounded absolutely awful through the Sixes when played back on a computer. The piano and horns were just grating, almost metallic, and harsh to me.
When I got the Rotel in and hooked up, that was one of the first CDs I put in. The metallic harshness was gone. I haven’t listened to the Marantz to know the difference in the two but the Rotel has made me a very happy guy. Especially at the price it sells for.
The faceplate on the Rotel is metal. It’s a solidly built player that will hopefully give me many years of enjoyment.
I bought it recently and love it.
I want to see a comparison between the CD11 and the Audiolab CDT 6000. I wish they had left out the internal DAC from the CD11.
Thanks for the review as I just placed an order for the CD 11 Tribute with my local shop. I have a Yamaha RS300 receiver to pair it with and guess what the speakers are....the Paradigm Atom SE that you coincidentally mentioned so I look forward seeing how well it all sounds.
I’ve recently got the Rotel a11 tribute amp hooked up to my Dali Oberon 1 speakers and it sounds fantastic. Great sound. Great value. Highly recommend 👍
Thanks for watching! We agree
Ive always liked using rotel cd players
With Nad integrated amps the lively sound of the rotel
With the warm smooth Nad
Has a nice blend
agreed! Thanks for watching
I got the Rotel A12 amp and paired it with the B&W 606 S2 anniversary edition - it's a great and sweet sounding setup, currently only for vinyl playback, but now I'm saving money to get the cd player Rotel CD11 Tribute to complete the setup, in the beginning I was confused why the volume was so low even at like you said normal volumes and I thought that something was broken - oh and forgot to say awesome video as usual !!
Thanks Petar, we appreciate your comments. Sounds like a nice system you are putting together.
Does the A11 have a metal faceplate? How is the build quality?
Just got one today
Vary musical and smooth
Relly bringing out the best from my CDs
Glad you are enjoying it and thanks for sharing!
Just fixed my re-capped Arcam 8R (had to swapout the MOSFETS) - bi-amped with a 8P (also re-capped) - the A11 will be on sale soon - has some nice features but just does not sound nearly as good as the old kit.
Nice! Thanks for commenting and watching.
Hello. I looking for a new amplifier and need some advice. I consider either the A11 tribute + an external dac (ifi zen), or for about the same budget here in France, the audiolab 6000a. My speakers are Triangle comete ez. The audiolab is hard to find here, except online but seems to be amazing with thèse speakers. I really dont know what to chose, as the A 11 tribute is on m'y shortlist as well. What would you advise ? I mainly listen to vinyls, and have a Tisbury phono stage as well. Thanks for your help !
Wow over 40yrs as a Rotel dealer, incredible.
Thank you, yes we have been around for a long time!
My Rotel RCD-1072 died a very sudden death a few months ago. At 13 years old, I felt I got my money's worth. Did some reading on the CD11 Tribute, and purchased one. I'm running it through a Rotel RA-1062, also 13 years old, and Paradigm Monitor 7 v.5's, and a Paradigm Ultracube 10 sub. Wow. I'm not sure where the Tribute falls in the hierarchy vs the 1072 (lateral, step up/down), but I'm getting more detail, and slightly more pin point location of instruments/voices. Much livelier, as well. It does everything a CD player should, and at a price like Paradigm of old, almost too good to be true. If you're on the fence, hop down and buy one.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you for your in depth review! I have a question. Do you consider that Rotel A11 would be a great match with Wharfedale Evo 4.2 speakers? Thanks!
After Ken Ishiwata passed away his personal friend and legendary audio designer Karl-Heinze Fink stepped in to finish the job. KHF is best known as a speaker designer and he's just done the new Wharfdale Diamond 12.2. I wrote a comment on another channel that was reviewing those speakers and to my surprise and delight, KHF responded. What he said was, he mostly listened through the Diamond 12.2 when he was working on the Rotels. Now the 12.2 is at a lower price than the Evo 2 and KHF's personal flavouring does move it slightly away from standard Wharfedale sound but of course it stays within the family. If you already own the Evos I think it's a pretty safe bet they will make a great pairing. And if you don't then you can save some money and get the Diamonds safe in the knowledge that this is what what used to tune them with!
@@RasheedKhan-he6xx wow! That's such an interesting comment! I'm so fortunate that you have shared this here, cause I recently bought the Rotel and now I can't be more excited to pair it up with my Evos 4.2. Thank you so much for bringing some light to my questions!
@@warmgrooves Hey Daniel..How did that pairing work out for you? I'm considering the A11 and a set of Diamond 10.2's myself. Not quite the same but like Rasheed said..It's in the family
@@martinroach608 Hello Martin! It's been a great great surprise. The soundstage is amazing and, together, they deliver an incredible sound. I totally recommend it to you!
@@warmgrooves Excellent. That's fantastic to hear. Think I'm going to have to pull the trigger. Thanks! 👌🏾
Does this CD player have gapless playback?
Yes
Do you recommend this Rotel setup or Marantz 6007 one?
Please reach out to our team at www.audioadvice.com for the best advice on this. Both are very nice, it will depend on your use case and rest of your system. Thanks for watching
Novice here…
I have a pair of “vintage” Infinity Refernce Five speakers.
Will the AR11 Tribute give these speakers enough juice to sound off??
That is a great classic speaker, but unfortunately one of the most power hungry speakers ever made, you need lots and lots of good power to wake them up. Something more like this www.audioadvice.com/shop-by-brand/rotel/ra-1592-mk-ii-integrated-amplifier Thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice thanks for the quick reply!
I’ve heard the “power hungry” description quite often over the years.
Sadly, my current budget situation won’t allow me the one you recommended.
I’m not in need of too many “bells and whistles”. The back panel inputs on the Tribute were perfect for my needs…really have no need for anything more.
After the Tribute was ruled out, I quick-searched for something a little stronger but within my budget.
Stumbled upon the Yamaha A-S701.
Similar back panel with a little more power.
Do you think this would be something I should look into further or am I pigeonholed into spending beyond my means?
@@TonyNoShots Just be sure and choose something with preamp outs. That way, as time passes and you save a little more, you could add a power amp to get the power you really need.
@@AudioAdvice that’s another thing I was pondering.
Pretty much anything will feed the speakers but I’ll eventually want to FEED them.
Thanks for your time and input.
Much appreciated.
Hi, I have just recently purchased the Rotel CD11 Tribute CD Player and using it with a Rotel RA-03 Amp and AVI Neuton IV Monitor Speakers, ( must be about 15yrs old now) do you think I would hear a difference in sound if I upgraded to the A11 Tribute Amp ? Thanks in anticipation.
Those are very revealing speakers, so probably so. Thanks for watching
How it compares to the A12? Is the A12 still the best buy if the difference in price is small?
Depends on power needs, the A12 does provide more impact for just $200 more if you need it, thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice But it is not K.I. modified!
Thinking of upgrading my Marantz PM4001(10 year old budget award winner) for the A11. Features and build look great but I'm concerned about the sound quality. Will it be a considerable step up?
Mick- you should get a decent upgrade in audio, not huge as your PM4001 does sound good. Thanks for watching.
Is pairing a Rotel A11 Tribute with a Kef Q350 a good concept?
Yes, that should work fine in most rooms. Thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice Thank you!
Hi can I power up my a11 tribute with rotel rb 1152 mkll power amp?do you think it’s a good match?
Thanks for your question! Every situation is unique, so if you go to www.audioadvice.com you can chat or call our team and we would be happy to review your specific situation and give you the best advice possible. Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
Hi if i plug this Rotel Tribute with my NHT 1.8 tower speaker you think it will sound good?
Do you know the NHT sensitivity rating? If they are greater than 88-89 you should be fine, thanks for watching
if elvis were still around today he would have this rotel combo as part of his red velvet covered bedroom system.
Hi great informative video, I now have both rotel set up , now and years ago I had a rotel rx100l tuner amp and always well build quality equipment . Regards mark
Glad you liked it. Audio Advice has carried Rotel since 1981! We really like their gear, it has consistently sounded good for the money
Hi, would A11 and CD11 be a great match with Elac UB52?
Yes, absolutely, thanks for watching
This is a plea to anyone whom might have an idea what power amp would suitably match the A11 Tribute from Rotel. I have this amp and like it but need to juice it up a little and so suggestions welcome...
This would be a good choice www.audioadvice.com/home-audio/components/stereo-amps/rotel-rb-1552-stereo-class-a-b-power-amplifier
@@AudioAdvice Lovely choice.
Has anyone seen an honest to goodness user review of this CD player? Every video I've seen so far just sounds like they're reading off the company pamphlet and manual.
I paid for my A11 Tibute to replace a broken Marantz PM6005 a week ago, and I am rather impressed : very clean, well balanced, punchier than the Marantz which was on the mellow side
@@ChristopheChardon are you still enjoying your A11?
@@andrehb perfectly fine for me
How is A11 comparing to Denon PMA800?
Please reach out to our team at www.audioadvice.com for more information. Both of those are good, it may depend on your use case. Thanks for watching
Pma800 sounded constipated with my power hungry Dynaudio Emit10s. In fact, all of the Class D amplifiers sounded constipated. Class A/B sounded better. Audiolab6000 super detailed but thin; Arcam had muscle but veiled sound; Rotel a11 had sufficient detail and oomph. I suspect that amps around $1500 would be the ideal situation for 4-6 ohm rated speakers.
hi kindly give the review of rotel a12
As that i have a chance to test both of them with my elac Unifi UB5
A11 Tribute mid sound more open, singer vocal show lot more reveal and forward. That is the magic of a11 tribute i guess.
A12 compare to a11 tribute singer step back and calm but..... what make me ultra impress is the instrument seperation this is totally on different league from a11 tribute. I can easily tell the location of each sound.
CONCLUSION : Vocal from A11 Tribute is unique from every other amp i tested on the same day( a12 ra1572 ra1592 cambridge axa25 nad 326bee nad 356bee nad375bee)
But overall sound I prefer A12 as it show many characteristic of higher end gear than a11 tribute which i feel music is still clouded when we try to localize the instrument
The Tribute series is very aesthetically appealing. I look forward to seeing how they perform. Thank you for the review!
The one thing I really really wish is that they'd made the CD 11 Tribute an SACD player. That would (a) set it well apart from the standard Rotel CD 11 (b) pay homage to the fact that Ken Ishiwata absolutely loved the SACD format and (c) blow a hole in the market by offering an honest to goodness $500ish SACD player! That simply doesn't exist and if they had done it I'd be running out the door to buy the set right now.
Can't play SACD. Bummer. Would go ERC-4 for that reason alone.
SACD is mediocre
Little unknown fact is that rotel
Manufactured adcom gear
Wow, thanks for sharing!
This system enters the world of hi end for not much money
Amplificateur neutre qui n'impose pas sa signature sonore et fait bien le travail. Je lui envoie la musique en bluetooth de mon smartphone et le son est bon👍
My complaint here is that awful badge. It’s stuck on like an afterthought and in every picture I’ve seen of these components it looks slightly askew. I also don’t love the “tribute” as a marketing technique. The cynic in me says a few upgraded capacitors and some rubber feet don’t really qualify as a serious redesign- sort of like putting an “LL Bean” badge on a Jeep. At most I wish they had just put a “KI” suffix in the model name, but overall I dunno, this doesn’t feel quite right.
Don’t buy it, many options.
@@laorhino9702 I have no intention to, for the reasons mentioned, among others.
the teal front panel looks ugly.
Its more of a grey blue in real life and looks good to us. Thanks for watching
Hi, would A11 and CD11 be a great match with Elac Debut B6.2?
They would work well, yes. Thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice and with the Elac Reference Debut DBR62 speakers? Even better?
@@tomvanpeteghem7677 The Reference is actually a little harder to drive than the B6.2, in a larger room you might need more powere
Hi, would A11 Tribute be a great match with Wharfedale Denton 80th?
In a smaller space, it should work well. Those speakers are pretty in sensitive and can benefit from a lot of power. Thanks for watching