Hi,
I found my old marantz cd-63se better than the nad c542, cambridge 640c v2, arcam cd73t, marantz cd7001. It just had that musical midband that the others couldnt match.
Some of these old cd players beat the newer one for musicality and naturalness. The newer budget players may be a little more refined but they couldnt match the old marantz for enjoyment of a good cd.
Have you compared the the older Rotel with the older marantz cd player. What was your conclusion soundwise?
Cheers
Steve.