About the Rotel CD14 MKII

An excellent CD player gets even better
An excellent CD player gets even better
The original Rotel CD14 made music on disc sound simply amazing, and the CD14 MkII raises that high bar. There's now a premium Texas Instruments 32-bit/384kHz digital to analog converter inside, and several tweaks have been made to the power supply and internal circuits in a relentless pursuit of superior sound.
About Rotel
Rotel has been crafting high-performance gear for music and home theater enthusiasts since 1961. They focus on creating the best signal path possible, using premium capacitors, transistors, diode bridges, and custom toroidal power supplies to get the most from music and movie soundtracks. Crutchfield is proud to offer a diverse selection of Rotel components including preamps, amplifiers, CD players, and home theater processors.
Product highlights:
- Featured in our article: Best CD players for 2023
- plays audio CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs
- premium Texas Instruments 32-bit/384kHz digital to analog converter
- frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz (±0.5dB)
- total harmonic distortion: 0.0018% @ 1kHz
- signal-to-noise ratio: 118dB
- smooth-action tray loading CD mechanism
- programmable playback (20 tracks)
- handheld remote control included
Connections:
- stereo analog RCA output
- coaxial digital output
- RS-232 port for integration with third-party automation systems
- 12-volt trigger in
- Rotel Link 3.5mm input for optional attachment of other Rotel network-enabled products with Rotel Link Out connections
- app controllable using the Rotel app (free for iOS®) when connected to a product with a Rotel Link Out port
Dimensions and warranty:
- 17"W x 3-7/8"H x 14-1/16"D
- weight: 13 lbs.
- warranty: 2 years
- Our 60-day money-back guarantee
- MFR # FR01274
What's in the box:
Rotel CD14 MKII owner's manual
- CD player
- 58" AC power cord
- Remote control (RR-D99)
- 2 "AAA" batteries
- 38" Stereo RCA cable
- 40" Mono-minijack cable
- Owner's Manual on USB thumbdrive
- Warranty Information
- Important Safety Instructions
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More details on the Rotel CD14 MKII

Features & specs
General | ||
---|---|---|
Disc Capacity | 1 | |
CD Transport Only | No | |
Disc Exchange | N/A | |
Track Programming | 20 | |
Random Play | Yes | |
Direct Track Access | Yes | |
Direct Disc Access | N/A | |
Networking Features | ||
Network Music Streaming | No | |
Ethernet Port | No | |
Wi-Fi | No | |
Remote | Included | |
Parts Warranty | 2 Years | |
Labor Warranty | 2 Years | |
Compatibility | ||
CD-R Playback | Yes | |
CD-RW Playback | Yes | |
Stereo SACD Playback | N | |
Specifications | ||
CD Frequency Response | 20-20k Hz | |
Signal to Noise Ratio | 118 dB | |
SACD Frequency Response | Not Compatible | |
SACD Dynamic Range | Not Given | |
SACD THD | Not Given | |
Inputs | ||
Digital Optical Input | No | |
Digital Coaxial Input | No | |
USB Type-A Input | No | |
USB Type-B Input | No | |
Outputs | ||
Analog RCA Output | Yes | |
Analog XLR Output | No | |
Digital Optical Output | No | |
Digital Coaxial Output | Yes | |
Headphone Output | No |
Product Research
Features
Stereo Compact Disc Player: The Rotel CD14 MKII compact disc player faithfully reproduces all that is recorded on a CD Audio disc, revealing even the smallest of musical details in a recording. Enjoy your CD collection the way the artist and recording engineers want you to hear it with the most detailed, nuanced sound.
- Disc Loading Tray: The CD14 MKII features a smooth, motor-driven tray-loading CD mechanism that will accept a 12cm or 8cm compact disc.
- Compatible Discs: The Rotel CD14 MKII supports playback of CD Audio, CD-R/RW, and CD Text discs. CD-R/RW discs must contain music files in CD Audio format (not MP3).
Note: This unit does not support MP3 or other compressed audio files.
Balanced Design Concept: Balanced Design Concept is the essential Rotel design philosophy that revolves around three major areas - Parts selection, circuit topology, and critical evaluation. These aspects influence final sound quality significantly and illustrate the holistic Balanced Design Concept approach to Rotel's product development. Thanks to the Balanced Design Concept, Rotel components easily exceed the performance of many mass produced audio products that offer plenty of features but skimp on audio quality, and compare favorably to components that are many times the price. Rotel continues its pursuit of extraordinary audio performance, which elevates the home entertainment experience through their core values of sonic accuracy, reliability, and affordability.
- Parts Selection: Rotel engineers carefully select premium components and parts for all their audio gear. At each stage of development, Rotel engineers listen to circuit prototypes and revise the design when they feel they can gain a sonic advantage by using a particular component from another manufacturer or by specifying tighter tolerances. Since Rotel is an independent manufacturer, they are free to source parts from highly respected suppliers around the world to fit their requirements.
- Circuit Topology: It’s not enough to simply use good parts. Where you put them is equally if not more important. That's why Rotel keeps their circuit paths as short as possible, so there's less chance that spurious emissions and unwanted leakages will corrupt delicate signal nuances. That’s also why Rotel often uses more expensive "on-board" relay source switching, rather than routing a signal from a rear-panel input to a front-panel control. Rotel also relies heavily on something called Symmetrical Signal Trace design. This keeps each channel's signal path identical to the others to preserve the imaging and soundstage. Rotel also uses electrically superior "star" grounding techniques to improve performance because star grounding routes all ground connections to a single point to reduce potential loops that might introduce noise or produce hum.
- Critical Evaluation: Rotel's development team places a lot of importance on critical listening sessions before the final product is sent to market. Rotel electronic and acoustic engineers, both in the UK and Asia, have honed their aural acuity over the course of decades of collective experience to evaluate each stage of product development from working samples, through pre-production and, finally, to verify that final production is the same as the pre-production units. Some sessions evaluate different circuit elements: capacitors, resistors, and active devices such as transistors or operational amplifiers. Others focus on differences in circuit layouts or differences caused by power supply elements. Only after this tuning process is complete with sonic performance confirmed will the product be launched to the market.
Carefully Engineered Power Supply: The Rotel CD14 MKII compact disc player features a carefully engineered power supply to ensure separate, ripple-free voltage and current to both digital and analog circuits.
Texas Instruments 32-Bit/384kHz DAC: Critical digital-to-analog conversion is managed by a premium Texas Instruments 32-bit/384kHz DAC with independent power supplies eliminating unwanted distortion and isolating motor controls from sensitive audio circuits reducing noise and distortion. The state-of-the-art 32-bit/384kHz DAC (digital-to-analog converter) from Texas Instruments (TI) delivers accurate reproduction of CDs with stunning clarity and the finest details.
Analog & Digital Outputs: The CD14 MKII unit gives you a choice of two different kinds of output connections - stereo analog or coaxial digital. The stereo analog RCA output utilizes the built-in DAC and plugs into a conventional analog audio component, such as a stereo receiver or integrated amplifier. The coax digital output bypasses the built-in DAC and provides an unprocessed digital data signal for use with an outboard DAC or digital processor.
Front-Panel Display: A back-lit display on the front-panel of the unit provides useful information about the status of the unit, activation of special features, and track/time information for the disc being played. The unit will also display CD Text.
Front-Panel & Remote Control: The unit can be operated using its front-panel buttons or from corresponding buttons on the supplied IR (infrared) remote control. Specific instructions for each of these controls are detailed below. Most of the buttons are duplicated on the front-panel and on the IR remote control. However, there are a few exceptions where the buttons are only available on one or the other. Control functions include -
- Power On/Off
- Play/Pause/Stop
- Previous/Next Track
- Fast Forward/Reverse (2x, 4x, or 8x) *remote only
- Program Track (up to 20 tracks) *remote only
- Direct Access (0-9) *remote only
- Repeat/Random *remote only
Rotel Link: This 3.5mm stereo minijack input (labeled "Rotel Link") can attach to Rotel network enabled products with a Rotel Link output. This allows the attached Rotel products to communicate with each other and be controlled via the Rotel App (for Apple iOS 6.0+).
12V Trigger Input: The unit can be activated by a 12 volt trigger signal. The trigger input accepts any control signal (AC or DC) ranging from 3 volts to 30 volts. When a mono-minijack cable is connected to the 12V input and a trigger signal is present, the CD Player is powered on. When the trigger signal is turned off, the unit goes into standby mode.
Note: Do not connect both the Rotel Link and 12V trigger input. The 12V trigger's power on/off feature will override the Rotel Link feature.
RS232 Port: The unit can be controlled via RS232 for integration with automation systems. The RS232 input accepts a standard straight DB-9 Male-to-Female cable.
Auto Power Off: The CD player can be configured to automatically power off if unused for a specified period (30, 60, or 90 minutes). If the CD is stopped for the specified time, the unit will automatically go into standby mode.
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Customer Q&A
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The unit was very easy to install and sounds awesome the only negative I have is that when the unit reaches the end of the CD it repeats the last song over and over again.
Joe from Fort Worth, TX