[terry parr]

for those of us still spinning the shiny discs. 

based on the reviews it seems the rotel is the more dynamic and punchy of the two, whereas the quad gets the nod for overall fine-level detail resolution. 

i currently have the rotel rcd-1520 as my main player now.  and i can attest that's it's a very engaging listen, overall.  very dynamic player (compared to others i listened to at the time when i decided on the rotel). 

it seems that the choice is up to you (unless you can afford to buy both) that you're choosing between a more dynamic presentation with superior low-end OR one that can impart a bit more refined and more subtle detail presentation overall.   

i realize all of this is relative, as we're talking about only comparing different cd players using standard redbook cd format as the source.

as i'm still researching different players for making a purchase (for what will probably be my final shiny disc spinner) anyone is welcomed to chime in with any player that they're familiar with that i should probably check out other than the QUAD and the ROTEL which were reviewed here:

http://programming4.us/multimedia/23148.aspx

[Quiet Earth]

Are you looking at players under $1500? Check out the Onkyo C-7000R :

http://www.eu.onkyo.com/en/products/c-7000r-35343.html

A real sleeper. This thing is built like a tank. It feels heavy duty and it's very well made. The tray mechanism is super solid and convincing. A smooth operator. It sounds pretty good too. I wouldn't classify it as sounding one way or the other, like detail and finesse vs. dynamics and punch.  It sounds more on the neutral side to me. Like it's not favoring any one particular area. It is certainly not offensive or fatiguing.  It might seem silly to say that the best thing about this player is that it doesn't sound offensive, but I think that is a real compliment in this price range. I can't say that about 99% of the computer audio that I've heard. At any price.

Oh, and I really like the color of the display too, even though it is too small to read from across the room.