CD/SACD-проигрыватели и транспорты — Rotel CD11 Tribute

The CD11 Tribute is a special edition of Rotel's CD11 compact disc player, released in September 2020 at USD 599. The original CD11 was announced in March 2019 at GBP 430, and the Tribute version was developed together with the engineer Ken Ishiwata as one of his last projects. After his death in November 2019, the work was completed by the loudspeaker designer Karl-Heinz Fink.

Key specs that matter

Frequency response is 20 Hz to 20 kHz within ±0.5 dB. Signal to noise ratio exceeds 125 dB A-weighted, dynamic range exceeds 99 dB, and both THD plus noise and intermodulation distortion are 0.009% at 1 kHz. Channel separation is better than 115 dB at 10 kHz, and phase linearity is ±0.5 degrees. The analogue RCA output has an output impedance of 470 ohms, and a coaxial digital output delivers 0.5 V peak to peak at 75 ohms. Power consumption is 15 W in use and below 0.5 W in standby. The player measures 430 x 98 x 314 mm, with a front panel 80 mm high, and weighs 5.8 kg. The finish options are silver and black.

Engineering and use context

Compared with the standard CD11, the Tribute changes eight capacitors and one resistor in the DAC stage and replaces all nine capacitors in the power supply. Conversion uses a Texas Instruments DAC, although Rotel does not name the exact chip. The disc transport is tray-loading. The coaxial output lets the CD11 Tribute feed a separate converter as a CD transport, while the RCA analogue pair goes to a line-level input. A 12 V trigger input lets an amplifier or control system power the player up and down, and the front display and remote control cover track selection and playback. The CD11 Tribute has no USB, streaming or SACD capability and plays standard audio CDs. The chassis, transport and outputs are those of the standard CD11, so the changes are confined to components in the DAC stage and power supply. It was launched together with a Tribute edition of the A11 integrated amplifier.

Pairing

The analogue output suits any integrated amplifier with an RCA line input, and a separate DAC or an amplifier with a coaxial input, such as Rotel's RA-1592MKII, can take the digital signal. The trigger input can be linked to an amplifier with a trigger output for automatic switching.

Alternatives

The Rotel CD14MKII is a higher CD player in the Rotel range, using a Texas Instruments 32-bit DAC in an identically sized chassis, weighing 6.51 kg.