RDG stands for Rotel Digital Gateway. The RDG-1520 certainly opens the gate wide for all that streaming media can offer, plus it includes an FM radio and offers a USB input for direct digital connection of an iPod or other USB class 2 devices, bypassing the inexpensive analog output stage in favor of our Wolfson 24-bit/192kHz DAC and high-end analog stage.

The receiver’s tuner section includes terrestrial FM and Internet radio, plus premium music sources* like Pandora and SiriusXM, so your listening options are virtually limitless! There are presently over 15,000 Internet radio stations listed. In order to help keep favorite stations handy, the RCX-1500 includes 30 possible presets for instantaneous access to both FM and Internet broadcasts.

The RDG-1520 streams music files from a PC using Windows Media Player 11 or 12 over a WiFi or wired LAN Ethernet connection. Supported codecs include RealAudio®, WMA, MP3, AAC & AAC+ (non DRM), AU, WAV and AIFF. The RDG-1520 can be controlled via bi-directional RS-232, as well as discrete IR.

Custom integrators will appreciate that the chassis is a standard 2U size and it works with Rotel’s RFK rack kits for an easy, clean installation. You might think the RDG-1520 would be a multi-thousand dollar component, given all that it does and the high-performance design. The few similar units on the market are indeed very expensive. But the RDG-1520 offers the value proposition the Rotel is known for around the globe.