In my system the Arcam 9 was much more musical, with great presence, detail, soundstage and bass, the Rotel sounded a little dull to me in comparison. No high frequency harshness with my gear, very smooth in fact - Conrad Johnson SS amp, Rogue 66 pre, Alon V Mk2 speakers, Coincident tri-wire, Nordost SPM ICs. I would suggest you audition both and judge for yourself. If your system tends toward brightness, a CD player with tubed output stage might be just the ticket i.e. Ah Tjobe, used Cary 301 etc. I've been very happy with my Alpha 9. I also thought the Rega Planet was a very nice player for the money - I just felt the Arcam was superior for classical and acoustic music, more accurate portrayal of instrumental and vocal timbres IMO. You should be able to get a deal on a used/demo Alpha 9 since the Alpha line are being discontinued in near future.
