Rotelís HDCD Players Merit Significant AwardsJoint Promotion With Reference Recordings Exceeds ""Substantial Expectations""

Rotelís recent introduction of a full line of CD players featuring HDCDÆ (High Definition Compatible DigitalÆ) technology has paid strong dividends as the new line has received several awards and technical accolades from the international audio community. In addition, an ongoing promotion with Reference Recordings, the first label to offer HDCD-encoded discs, has generated response rates far surpassing all expectations, according to Michael Bartlett, Vice President and General Manager, Rotel of America, and Jan Mancuso, Sales Director for Reference Recordings. ""We know these players are the best weíve ever built,"" said Bartlett, ""but we wanted to add even more value to them by providing an easy way for our customers to experience the advantages of HDCD. Who better to do partner with than Reference Recordings?"" Rotelís RCD-951, RCD-971, and RCD-991, HDCD players covering the critical $499 to $1,299 price range, all use Pacific Microsonicsí PMD-100 digital filter/HDCD-decoder IC. In addition to properly decoding the ever-increasing number of HDCD-encoded CDs from major record labels around the world, these players also use the ICís advanced computational powers to provide superlative processing for non-encoded discs, and to fine-tune the performance of the players' DIA converters for enhanced musical resolution of any disc. The RCD-971, the mid-priced player in Rotelís new line at $699, has received particular attention when it recently won the coveted Diapason díOr (""Golden Sound"") award from the respected French journal ""Nouvelle Revue de Son"". This is a particular honor as the fifteen final candidates ranged in price from $200 to $7,000. Not only did the Rotel RCD971 win mention as the ""best value,"" it was designated ""best of the group,"" a far more significant achievement considering the technical accomplishments of many far more expensive units. The RCD-971 has also received a stunning commendation from Paul Miller, a leading technical journalist in the United Kingdom, who stated that the RCD-971 had the lowest jitter of more than 175 CD players he has tested to date. This comment is particularly significant in that Miller, in addition to his journalistic responsibilities at ""Hi Fi Choice Magazine"", one of England's leading enthusiast publications, designs sophisticated test equipment used internationally to evaluate digital circuitry. In his various capacities, Miller has analyzed products from some of the most capable designers and manufacturers in the world. (Jitter, or time-based inaccuracies in digital processing, is now thought of as one of the most significant contributors to sound quality - or lack of it - in digital circuitry today.) Not content to rest on technical laurels alone, Rotel of America has launched a promotion with Reference Recordings, a highly respected ""audiophile label"" that was the first to commercially release an HDCD-encoded disc. (Indeed, Keith O. Johnson, Referenceís long-time chief engineer is a co-developer of the HDCD process.) The promotion provides a classical music sampler free of charge (Tutti RR-906CD) to any purchaser of a Rotel HDCD-capable player when Reference Recordings receives a special card that is pre-packaged with the players. ""Usually, response rates for this type of promotion are fairly low,"" said Jan Mancuso, Referenceís Sales Director, ""but weíve been fulfilling requests from more than 25 percent of the people who have purchased Rotel players. This is simply outstanding and it tells us that Rotel's customers are serious about the exciting musical potential of the HDCD process as well as the type of music Reference has offered for years.""The Reference Recordingsí orchestral sampler, contains music from, among others, Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky, Mozart, Vivaldi, Arnold, and Richard Strauss performed by groups such as the Minnesota Orchestra, Dallas Wind Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra; and the Czech State Philharmonic. For more information, contact Reference Recordingsí Janice Mancuso at 415 355 1892 or Rotelís Michael Bartlett at 800 370 3741.