Rotel RCD-855

[MrEd]

I am sure there are some kits or boards out there.
I have avoided this because I know how it will grow out of control with my over the top power supply thinking / philosophies 🤐

 

[je2a3]

I read through some of your info this morning.
You certainly have raised my interest in modding one of these.

The mods are relatively simple for anyone who has built preamps and amps from the ground up. I also avoided cutting traces inside those 30 year old CD players and just added IC sockets so everything is reversible. Since op-amps rely on global negative feedback to linearize the circuit, I didn't go crazy rolling them.

I am sure there are some kits or boards out there.
I have avoided this because I know how it will grow out of control with my over the top power supply thinking / philosophies 🤐

I felt uncomfortable installing a tube output section inside a plastic chassis CD player (ala Lampizator). Besides, I wanted a proper tube rectified power supply. That's how I ended up hacking a $60 Chinese DAC kit and building a nosTDA1541tube DAC around it.

 

[tubesglo]

The mods are relatively simple for anyone who has built preamps and amps from the ground up. I also avoided cutting traces inside those 30 year old CD players and just added IC sockets so everything is reversible. Since op-amps rely on global negative feedback to linearize the circuit, I didn't go crazy rolling them.

I felt uncomfortable installing a tube output section inside a plastic chassis CD player (ala Lampizator). Besides, I wanted a proper tube rectified power supply. That's how I ended up hacking a $60 Chinese DAC kit and building a nosTDA1541tube DAC around it.

I do have a metal chassis player with a TDA1541A but also tube preamp and amp. I think I'll leave well enough alone. The unit although NOS still has 32 year old electrolytics that I'll probably start replacing but it sounds so good and in such mint condition I may hold off for a while. Your projects look interesting however. I'm enjoying the read.

 

[je2a3]

I do have a metal chassis player with a TDA1541A but also tube preamp and amp. I think I'll leave well enough alone. The unit although NOS still has 32 year old electrolytics that I'll probably start replacing but it sounds so good and in such mint condition I may hold off for a while. Your projects look interesting however. I'm enjoying the read.

If I were in your shoes, I'd keep the RCD855 as stock as possible and would only replace Black Gate caps that are bulging.

If you want to experiment, get a TDA1541 DAC kit from eBay and use your Rotel as a transport.

A few pictures of a well designed CD player + DACs from the multi-bit era.

"Under the hood" of my Sony CDP505ESD.

Just like your Rotel, the TDA1541 chip is surrounded by discrete film bypass caps instead of SMD caps found in mainstream Magnavox/Philips CDps. The Elna and Nichicon PS caps look healthy so I'm not planning to replace any of them any time soon.

SMD bypass caps under a TDA1541 chip of a mainstream 80s Magnavox CD player

The original Arcam Delta Black Box from the late 80s was one of the earliest outboard DACs using the Philips TDA1541 DAC chip. Notice the separate power supplies for the digital and analog sections!

Adcom GDA600 - 2 x Burr-Brown PCM63 DACs, DF1700 8 x oversampling filter + a chunky regulated power supply.

 

[tubesglo]

"If I were in your shoes, I'd keep the RCD855 as stock as possible and would only replace Black Gate caps that are bulging."

Exactly and no caps are bulging. The thing looks brand new inside and out, minty clean as it should being new old stock. Not sure I'll be using my server and DAC anytime soon, maybe they'll become the backup to this instead.

 

[RichPA]

Very nice! I got one of those when they first came out, and it was the first really good digital I'd had in my own system. I gave up on it after repairing the transport several times, but I remember it fondly. I'd definitely keep it stock - I think it is a classic.

 

[RonSSNova]

I still have mine. I had to repair the main board due to a failed transistor causing the disc to spin backwards. Worked for a couple hours then the laser died.
I guess you can still find transports.....but likely not worth the cost. Alibaba shows some. I've never purchased from there.

 

[geoff]

I have one and like it a lot.
Nice score.
I'm having a drawer use with mine I need to figure out.

I used one for years (still have it on a shelf) that, when the drawer wouldn’t open or close, I made a little tab/handle out of painter’s tape, applied to the top edge, that worked great.

 

[tubesglo]

The drawer issue is usually a belt or issue with a tooth or three on a gear. Worst case, the motor but they're readily available.

 

[MrEd]

I used one for years (still have it on a shelf) that, when the drawer wouldn’t open or close, I made a little tab/handle out of painter’s tape, applied to the top edge, that worked great.

Mine won't open but closes nicely...
I have been thinking about gluing a pull knob on it.
I should get motivated to look inside.

 

[Shooter]

I too had the Rotel a long time ago, always liked the sound of the TDA1541, built Joe Curcio DAC using the same chip 30 years ago at the time took it to an audio store whom my friend worked and compared to the Krell they had and came out ahead. I have recently tried Joseph’s 6CG7 tube output stage from his blog on my parallel TDA1541a DAC, the sound is excellent!

 

[je2a3]

I too had the Rotel a long time ago, always liked the sound of the TDA1541, built Joe Curcio DAC using the same chip 30 years ago at the time took it to an audio store whom my friend worked and compared to the Krell they had and came out ahead. I have recently tried Joseph’s 6CG7 tube output stage from his blog on my parallel TDA1541a DAC, the sound is excellent!

Glad you liked it! 😊

 

[tubesglo]

Glad you liked it! 😊

I too had the Rotel a long time ago, always liked the sound of the TDA1541, built Joe Curcio DAC using the same chip 30 years ago at the time took it to an audio store whom my friend worked and compared to the Krell they had and came out ahead. I have recently tried Joseph’s 6CG7 tube output stage from his blog on my parallel TDA1541a DAC, the sound is excellent!

I'm sure that DAC sounds great! Unfortunately players with these chips are becoming harder to find and command a pretty high price, otherwise I'd be interested in that project. I don't want to remove the chip from my player either. Out of curiosity is there a way to implement a USB input to that DAC?

 

[je2a3]

I'm sure that DAC sounds great! Unfortunately players with these chips are becoming harder to find and command a pretty high price, otherwise I'd be interested in that project. I don't want to remove the chip from my player either. Out of curiosity is there a way to implement a USB input to that DAC?

With a bit of patience and resourcefulness, Magnavox CDPs with dead lasers are the best source for TDA1541 chips. Philips lasers are NLA so those CDPs can't be revived.

ICYMI, this board I posted previously came with a PCM 2704 USB interface.

Built TDA1541 DACs can also be found on eBay for those who are not DIY inclined.

 

[tubesglo]

With a bit of patience and resourcefulness, Magnavox CDPs with dead lasers are the best source for TDA1541 chips. Philips lasers are NLA so those CDPs can't be revived.

ICYMI, this board I posted previously came with a PCM 2704 USB interface.

Built TDA1541 DACs can also be found on eBay for those who are not DIY inclined.

Have you compared this DAC with others in your system? My entire CD collection is on my Euphony OS feeding a Bifrost 2. I'm very happy with its sound and of course the Rotel sounds great. I wonder how this multibit chip compares to say a Denifrips with true R2R.

 

[je2a3]

Have you compared this DAC with others in your system? My entire CD collection is on my Euphony OS feeding a Bifrost 2. I'm very happy with its sound and of course the Rotel sounds great. I wonder how this multibit chip compares to say a Denifrips with true R2R.

I've compared it to an original Arcam Delta Black Box, Adcom GDA600, Xiang Sheng DAC 01a, Audio GD R2R11 + more. If you click this link, I blogged all the details about my digital/DAC journey, which evolved into the nosTDA1541tube DAC. I tailored this DAC to my taste so I can enjoy all my digital sources @ 16 bit/44.1kHz.

I don't have access to over $1,000 R2R DACs but a friend who visited last month liked it a lot. He owns a Chord + a Denafrips (forgot the model #s of his 2 DACs) . He thanked me for my suggestion to buy a pair of Western Electric 111C repeat coils 7 years ago because that tamed the bright top end of his Denafrips.

He and other visitors to the man cave commented that the nosTDA1541tube DAC mimics my Garrard 401/AB309/SPU set up.😊

 

[Shooter]

I think the TDA1541 is one of the most analog sounding chip, especially in NOS mode, have not compare it to the new R2R dacs, but few years ago had a $ 12,000 Korean Sabre dac in my system, it did sound quite analog but impose a layer of haze over the music.

 

[Shooter]

I'm sure that DAC sounds great! Unfortunately players with these chips are becoming harder to find and command a pretty high price, otherwise I'd be interested in that project. I don't want to remove the chip from my player either. Out of curiosity is there a way to implement a USB input to that DAC?

shouldn’t be too difficult to implement USB input, you can get a USB input i2s out board and bypass the input receiver chip and hook up 3 wires to the data, bck and ws of the TDA1541. I am no electronic expert, there is an extremely long thread on DIYaudio Building the ultimate non over sampling Dac with TDA1541a

 

[RichPA]

Great CD player. Mine is long gone, but it was the first component that convinced me that digital really was the future (I got mine when they first came out). Also made a great transport for my first explorations in the world of DACs

 

[Saquan@123]

A new old classic. I recently picked this up after some negotiation. Literally NOS, never sold store display model that saw very little use. I bought an Adcom player back in 87 or 88 that had the same Philips TDA1541A Multibit DAC chip. Since then I've owned NAD, Cary Audio and for the longest run a Jolida. JD 100 with tube output which was my favorite of all. When I had the Adcom I honestly don't think I knew or gave a rats ass what that Philips chip brought to the table. Having given up on vinyl and a large album collection back in the early 2000's, going back has not been an option, a self discipline thing I suppose. Knowing I'd be buying all my favorite music that I purchased on CD only to come back full circle wasn't an option. Streaming? Nah don't like it. I have wav files of all my CD's and use Euphony Stylus OS to send it to my DAC. With tube preamp amp combo I'm content with digital. The CD player is for backup for when the inevitable hardware issues happen with hard drives and such. This Rotel is by far the sweetest sounding player I've had in front of me. There's an OPPO 83 in my theater rack but for music this old Rotel is the cats ass. No mods planned for now, I don't claim to be smarter than the original engineers but I do read where a simple op amp change can be of benefit. I'm sitting here listening to some Art Pepper and could be very happy if no changes are ever made. No fatigue, just easy and sweet to listen to with richness and a well balanced sound making me want to keep going through my discs for more. The 32 year old machine will get electrolytics changed out if and when I hear the slightest hiss, crackle or pop...but not yet.

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Absolutely fantastic cd player!Have a Rotel RCD 965, RCD02 and Marantz CD 5005 on my rack and I always keep coming back to the RCD855.Marantz remote operates the 855 and 965.It has that vintage analogue sound and what a midrange!