Tomassio
Member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2026
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- 56
Hi everyone,
Newbie here on ASR, writting and greeting you from Spain. I made my "formal" presentation here yesterday. Following up on my introduction, I wanted to share a highly frustrating experience I’ve just had with my brand new CD player (I bought it barelly 3 weeks ago): the flagship Rotel / Michi Prestige Q430 (retail price: €3,990 / ~$4,400). I am posting this as a warning to anyone considering this unit for their system.
First of all, a few pictures of my setup:
Let me start by saying that, sonically, the Q430 is a spectacular machine. It has a dead-silent background, incredible channel separation, and massive dynamics. It combines sturdy construction and beautiful aesthetics (really nice good-looking aspect. I swear I love it). However, all that brilliant engineering is ruined by a completely incomprehensible design omission, and an equally disappointing customer service response.
A few days after setting it up, I was listening to a 20-minute Mahler symphony movement. I got interrupted and needed to rewind a few minutes within the track. I pressed and held the "previous track" button on the remote... and it just skipped to the beginning of the song. I tried doing it from the front panel buttons. Same result. I tried it on several tracks from other CDs, but eventually, I realized the unthinkable: the Michi Q430 does not have a fast-forward or rewind (scan/seek) function within a track. You also can't mark a specific point inside a track in any way.
If you are listening to a long classical piece, an extended jazz improvisation, or Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn Parts I & II (just to name a few examples), and you want to find or re-listen to a specific passage, you can't. If you get interrupted halfway through a 30-minute track, you are forced to restart from zero because the system turns off after a couple of minutes. (I can understand this auto-standby as a security asset for the laser reader, but I insist, the Michi forces you to restart the track entirely after that pause).
I contacted Rotel/Michi global support, assuming this had to be a software bug that could be fixed via firmware, but their initial response was astounding: They claimed the lack of a scan/seek function was not a bug, but a conscious "design choice" due to the "minimalist philosophy" of the Q430's remote control. Their official solution for a €4,000 flagship device? They suggested I purchase a different Rotel remote (the RR-D99) out of my own pocket. Surreal Customer SupportResponse, in my opinion.
I replied with a new email explaining that true minimalism doesn't require extra buttons; it requires assigning dual functions to existing buttons (short press to skip, long press to scan), which has been the industry standard for decades. Furthermore, a minimalist remote doesn't explain why the front panel buttons lack this basic function as well.
I further told them that omitting the fast-seek functionality on a premium CD player is as absurd as forgetting to implement the "Play" or "Pause" buttons. It is a fundamental requirement of the CD format, not an optional luxury. Even a cheap $100 CD player allows you to fast-forward or rewind inside a track. I also pointed out that hiding this severe limitation from their marketing specs borders on misleading advertising. The Michi manual doesn't mention anything about this issue either.
The Final Verdict from Rotel? Following my firm complaint, their internal teams (maybe the Engineering Department) reviewed the case. Their final email was polite but unapologetic. They confirmed that the unit is operating "as currently designed." They stated they have passed my feedback to engineering but explicitly confirmed that, despite acknowledging the importance of this functionality, they have no plans for any firmware update, change, or modification to fix this issue.
Finally, they gave me the ultimate "take it or leave it" corporate response: they told me that if this operation is essential to my listening requirements, I should just pack it up and return it to my dealer.
So, that is exactly what I am going to do as soon as the holiday break ends on September 1st. The unit is boxed up and going back. It is a real shame because the Q430 sounds beautiful in my Technics / Sonus Faber setup. I really loved this CD player from the very moment I started to seek information about it (I never could have imagined that I was going to find this kind of problem with an expensive—and top brand—Japanese device). But as a matter of principle, I refuse to reward a company that releases a crippled flagship product, blames it on "minimalist design," and expects the user to just accept it. Rotel has permanently lost a customer.
I'll be taking my money to brands that still respect basic functionality and their customers. (I'm currently researching the Accuphase DP-450 and the new Luxman D-03R, but, truth be told, I'm still processing all this nonsense).
In short: if you are considering this Q430, know that it is a true marvel in every way... right up until you need to fast-forward a bit within a track, or re-listen to those five seconds you love so much. At that moment, you'll realize you own the equivalent of an ultra-high-end luxury car, but one where the engineers decided to remove the reverse gear—and didn't let you find out until you had already paid for it and parked it in your own garage.
Apologizing for the length of the text, I'd love to hear your thoughts about this issue.
Cheers!
Newbie here on ASR, writting and greeting you from Spain. I made my "formal" presentation here yesterday. Following up on my introduction, I wanted to share a highly frustrating experience I’ve just had with my brand new CD player (I bought it barelly 3 weeks ago): the flagship Rotel / Michi Prestige Q430 (retail price: €3,990 / ~$4,400). I am posting this as a warning to anyone considering this unit for their system.
First of all, a few pictures of my setup:
Let me start by saying that, sonically, the Q430 is a spectacular machine. It has a dead-silent background, incredible channel separation, and massive dynamics. It combines sturdy construction and beautiful aesthetics (really nice good-looking aspect. I swear I love it). However, all that brilliant engineering is ruined by a completely incomprehensible design omission, and an equally disappointing customer service response.
A few days after setting it up, I was listening to a 20-minute Mahler symphony movement. I got interrupted and needed to rewind a few minutes within the track. I pressed and held the "previous track" button on the remote... and it just skipped to the beginning of the song. I tried doing it from the front panel buttons. Same result. I tried it on several tracks from other CDs, but eventually, I realized the unthinkable: the Michi Q430 does not have a fast-forward or rewind (scan/seek) function within a track. You also can't mark a specific point inside a track in any way.
If you are listening to a long classical piece, an extended jazz improvisation, or Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn Parts I & II (just to name a few examples), and you want to find or re-listen to a specific passage, you can't. If you get interrupted halfway through a 30-minute track, you are forced to restart from zero because the system turns off after a couple of minutes. (I can understand this auto-standby as a security asset for the laser reader, but I insist, the Michi forces you to restart the track entirely after that pause).
I contacted Rotel/Michi global support, assuming this had to be a software bug that could be fixed via firmware, but their initial response was astounding: They claimed the lack of a scan/seek function was not a bug, but a conscious "design choice" due to the "minimalist philosophy" of the Q430's remote control. Their official solution for a €4,000 flagship device? They suggested I purchase a different Rotel remote (the RR-D99) out of my own pocket. Surreal Customer SupportResponse, in my opinion.
I replied with a new email explaining that true minimalism doesn't require extra buttons; it requires assigning dual functions to existing buttons (short press to skip, long press to scan), which has been the industry standard for decades. Furthermore, a minimalist remote doesn't explain why the front panel buttons lack this basic function as well.
I further told them that omitting the fast-seek functionality on a premium CD player is as absurd as forgetting to implement the "Play" or "Pause" buttons. It is a fundamental requirement of the CD format, not an optional luxury. Even a cheap $100 CD player allows you to fast-forward or rewind inside a track. I also pointed out that hiding this severe limitation from their marketing specs borders on misleading advertising. The Michi manual doesn't mention anything about this issue either.
The Final Verdict from Rotel? Following my firm complaint, their internal teams (maybe the Engineering Department) reviewed the case. Their final email was polite but unapologetic. They confirmed that the unit is operating "as currently designed." They stated they have passed my feedback to engineering but explicitly confirmed that, despite acknowledging the importance of this functionality, they have no plans for any firmware update, change, or modification to fix this issue.
Finally, they gave me the ultimate "take it or leave it" corporate response: they told me that if this operation is essential to my listening requirements, I should just pack it up and return it to my dealer.
So, that is exactly what I am going to do as soon as the holiday break ends on September 1st. The unit is boxed up and going back. It is a real shame because the Q430 sounds beautiful in my Technics / Sonus Faber setup. I really loved this CD player from the very moment I started to seek information about it (I never could have imagined that I was going to find this kind of problem with an expensive—and top brand—Japanese device). But as a matter of principle, I refuse to reward a company that releases a crippled flagship product, blames it on "minimalist design," and expects the user to just accept it. Rotel has permanently lost a customer.
I'll be taking my money to brands that still respect basic functionality and their customers. (I'm currently researching the Accuphase DP-450 and the new Luxman D-03R, but, truth be told, I'm still processing all this nonsense).
In short: if you are considering this Q430, know that it is a true marvel in every way... right up until you need to fast-forward a bit within a track, or re-listen to those five seconds you love so much. At that moment, you'll realize you own the equivalent of an ultra-high-end luxury car, but one where the engineers decided to remove the reverse gear—and didn't let you find out until you had already paid for it and parked it in your own garage.
Apologizing for the length of the text, I'd love to hear your thoughts about this issue.
Cheers!
