New Toy - Marantz cd6004

Clipdat

After months of research I finally made a decision! Also, why is it that as we grow older our toys become more and more expensive?

Review coming soon...

gudnoyez

Nice CD player you got there, looking forward to reading your review!

Oldfatdogs

Hey Clipdat,what made you choose the Marantz ? Just curious, enjoy your new toy.

Dan

bthogan

If I may chime in...

I picked up one of these a few months ago. They have a feature that I'm surprised more high-end cd players don't have: a USB input, on the front panel, which can read ipods, and most other kinds of drives (flash, etc.). Tracks can be moved through and selected using the remote.

The upshot is that, in the case of ipods, you use the player's DAC, rather than the ipod's - a tremendous improvement over headphone-jack-to-RCA cables, or any other playback method that uses the ipod's DAC. It also has a headphone jack for playback, on the front panel, with separate volume control. I don't use it, but it's been well-reviewed, along with the player as a whole.

I usually prefer my high-end equipment to do one thing, and do it well. In this case, I took a chance, and it seems to have worked out. So well, in fact, that I'm not using cds too often anymore - I rip all of my cds to a lossless format (Apple Lossless), so when I listen to music via ipod-to-CD6004, the sound quality is more or less indistinguishable from actual cd. And it's so much more convenient.

Like I said, I'm surprised more players don't incorporate this feature. And the player's sound quality is excellent - about as good as it gets at that price point (~$500).

I haven't received any reimbursement from Marantz; I'm just very happy with my purchase.

Sorry to interrupt...

Clipdat

Hey bthogan, not interrupting at all, thank you for sharing your experiences with this unit. Unfortunately the weekend has turned out busier than I had imagined and I have not yet had an opportunity to unbox mine yet.

As far as why I chose this unit, I was looking to stay at or under the $500 mark and was researching players from Marantz, NAD, and Teac. My primary concern was sound quality. I had it narrowed down to this, or the Teac pd-h600 and I gave OneCall a ring to discuss these players. Shortly into the conversation, without me asking, the gentlemen offered me $100 off the online price of the Marantz. Couldn't argue with that!

As far as the USB/iPod input, that is just icing on the cake as far as I am concerned. I have a iPhone provided by my company, so I will have to give it a shot, just don't want to load up the work phone with too much music

Oldfatdogs wrote: »

Hey Clipdat,what made you choose the Marantz ? Just curious, enjoy your new toy.

Dan

bthogan

Clipdat wrote: »

As far as the USB/iPod input, that is just icing on the cake as far as I am concerned. I have a iPhone provided by my company, so I will have to give it a shot, just don't want to load up the work phone with too much music

I guess I should add that I have two large-capacity ipods (160gb and 80gb) that I put my super-sized lossless files on.

I thought about the TEAC too; the price differential was the deal-maker.

Mike Reeter

Hey Clipdat, Marantz makes good stuff, very musical. I'd say you made a good choice! N'joy

alkermes

I own a CD5003 - a little older and lower down the food chain - but I have been very impressed with it. Based on my experience I would expect the CD6004 to be a very nice CD player (and getting discounted a $100 is even sweeter). USB inputs are a nice feature. Some of the newer players let you use the cd player's DAC as a standalone DAC for directly connecting a PC via USB. Sometimes though they are limited to MP3 when you would like to play FLAC or some other lossless format. But it seems this is feature set that is evolving in a positive way.

Oldfatdogs

The Marantz has good reviews,with 100.00 off that's a pretty good reason to go with the one you did.I hope when you get things set up you enjoy it.
Dan

trans am

I think you got the best "new" cd player in the $500 category. I was going to buy one but Ive been trying to get a used Rotel 990 or 991 on ebay. I ended up with a NAD T585. I have been using my old marantz DV4001 to play cds. even this dvd player sounds pretty damn good considering. its nice to have a true cd player. unlike you I ripped all my cds to mp3 and they all sound like crap. I rediscoverd my cd collection. what a treat! I paid 290 for the NAD. It should be here next week. I'll let you know. I wonder how that 6004 compares with an Arcam cd17 sound wise. anyone?

polkfarmboy

i had a marantz dv4001 and it was was a great cd player and put many other spendy units to shame.I want a nice cd player although i plan on a dac. I think Marantz designs some of the best looking equipment out there, every time I see those sa11s2 cd players I stare for a bit before moving on

Clipdat

trans am wrote: »

I wonder how that 6004 compares with an Arcam cd17 sound wise. anyone?

I was actually looking at the CD-17 somewhat before I decided on the Marantz. Really nice looking unit and someone was selling one local to me at a pretty good price. What made me decide to go new though was the possible high hours on the motor/laser and because moving parts are involved, I am weary to go used for a CDP.

You will have to let us know what you think of the T585 when you get it. Also sorry that I haven't posted up some impressions or an initial review yet. It's still sitting in my living room in it's sealed box. The problem is that I'm just so drained/lazy after work during the week that I can't motivate. I'll dive in this weekend though!

I have been debating doing an RCA cable comparison as well since I have a $7 Monoprice RCA and some Audioquest King Cobras that I have not hooked up yet. I am tempted to go straight for the King Cobras, but I would also like to experience the difference a good RCA cable can make. Thoughts?

polkfarmboy: Agreed! The sa11s2 is dead sexy!

polkfarmboy

Get them Cobras cooking even though you may not want to use them yet it will make a diff so find anything to hook them up to just to put hours on them. I bought some MIT exp's and had five of them but only three in use because of setup arrangements with my speakers. Long story short, when I hooked up the other 2 and put them in the rig they did not sound good at all in comparison to what I had heard with the burned in ones. The highs had a sharper ring to them and bass was a little leaner so that put me on the other side of the fence and made a believer out of me

Clipdat

Well, I did buy them used from a forum member, so they should have some hours on them already. Unless they "reset" their break-in after a period of non-use.

polkfarmboy

lol I am sure some people could start an argument over that :cheesygrin:

trans am

dudes I got the NAD T585 finally. it sounds absolutely incredible from my DV4001.
I wish you could hear it.

Clipdat

trans am: Glad you are liking the NAD! What do you think is specifically better about it, or is it just a better sound in general?

I finally had a chance to unbox my cd6004 earlier today! Initial impressions regarding build quality are good, it feels solid & weighty and all the front panel buttons have a nice feel to them. One thing I found interesting is that the manual states to not use any power cable other than the supplied one with the unit. What about aftermarket upgraded power cords? I noticed it's only a two prong IEC power plug, would this even be compatible with the regular Pangea and comparable cords?

Previously I was using a circa 1990s Pioneer 6 disc cartridge player. I always thought it sounded a little too bright and perhaps a bit sterile. When I took a listen to the Marantz, I immediately noticed greater detail in the sound, as well as a bigger soundstage. Mid-range and bass were also improved while delivering highs that are in no way fatiguing. Overall, a much more dynamic and "realistic" sound quality versus the old Pioneer.

Just for fun, I initially hooked up the player using a ~$7 Monoprice RCA cable. Then about 20 mins later I swapped that for Audioquest King Cobra RCAs. I have to be honest, I was expecting a more dramatic difference and I just didn't notice it. I did notice that it widened/changed the sweet spot and presented a slightly better soundstage. The bass was perhaps a tad improved too. Interesting experiment, in my opinion - just wasn't the "night and day" change I expected. I guess the Monoprice RCAs aren't "that bad". That being said, it would feel silly to have a $500 player hooked up with a $7 cable, so I'll stick with the King Cobras!

One thing I should also mention is that I probably only have 20 hours on my speakers and my receiver so I'm still in the break in period. Of course the Marantz will probably sound better as well once it's had some hours on it as well!

Here's a pic of my modest bedroom setup:

Clipdat

Wow, I thought for sure by now I'd have comments about how bad my speaker placement is or how amateur my equipment rack is!

bthogan

Your speaker placement is very bad and your equipment rack is quite amateurish!:cheesygrin:

Don't forget to play with the "turn off display" function, and other things (like digital output) that can be turned off in order to improve sound quality. I thought that it made a noticeable difference...check out the manual for that stuff.

Also, I thought that I noticed a "burn-in" period; I saw someone else online who felt the same way. Another fire-starter, I know - it may just have been me (and him) getting used to the sound of the Marantz, and etc. (and it may). Just something to think about.

Currently running this player with a Parasound HCA 1500A (until the McCormack gets back) and Polk LSi9s, and I love it. As noted, the USB input, and lossless files on my ipod(s), means no fussing with cds, and great sound quality (although I think that cds might sound a bit better, a little "blacker", not sure, who knows...).

Clipdat

Hey thanks for the reminder about the different modes to turn off the digital output and the screen. I haven't even put the batteries in the remote yet, so I had forgotten about those. Nice to hear that it makes a difference.

Also looking forward to logging some more hours on it this weekend and trying out the USB port. I actually bought a special Audioquest USB cable to use with it: http://www.audioquest.com/apple-series/forest
Planning on doing another cable comparison with it vs. the stock Apple cable!

As a side note that Parasound HCA 1500A looks awesome! I'm sure it makes those LSi9s sound great!

roost28

Clipdat wrote: »

After months of research I finally made a decision! Also, why is it that as we grow older our toys become more and more expensive?

Review coming soon...

congrats! that is a very nice cd player, i have often considered buying a higher end cd player like that. i currently have an older kenwood 200 disc changer that has served me well and am curious would i really notice a big difference in sound between the two?

bthogan

Clipdat wrote: »

Also looking forward to logging some more hours on it this weekend and trying out the USB port. I actually bought a special Audioquest USB cable to use with it: http://www.audioquest.com/apple-series/forest
Planning on doing another cable comparison with it vs. the stock Apple cable!

I would be very interested to hear about your experience with that Audioquest USB cable. I've just commenced my USB cable upgrade journey. There are a lot of opinions about them out there...

Clipdat

Well, maybe I was trying the wrong kind of music, but I wasn't able to discern an audible difference between the stock Apple cable and the Audioquest cable.

My "test" consisted of listening to a song w/ the Apple cable, then switching cables and listening to the same song with the Audioquest cable. Admittedly not very scientific, but if anything I figure the placebo effect would have made the Audioquest one sound better, but that wasn't the case.

Perhaps my speakers are not revealing enough for me to notice a change?

EndersShadow

I would say that yes that is probably the case. You have like 1k+ in your gear and then one of the lower end of Polks bookshelves. I might suggest looking at the LSi's or even RTi's, they would be a better match for your gear.

Just my .02 though.

**edit** I take that back, what kind of files were you using, your source file is just about the single most important thing, especially with gear like that. If your using a iPod your source limited from the beginning as your iPod or iPhone cant do more than 128 bps I believe which is really small compared to something like FLAC files.

Clipdat

Hey Enders- they were 320kbps mp3s via my iPad.

bthogan

In my search for an aftermarket ipod cable to use with this player, I'm hearing that these cables have a burn-in period...someone always says that, I guess, but maybe give it a bit of playing time before "listening critically"...

Also, maybe try converting something to Apple Lossless, and give it a shot. It'll be a bit bigger than the mp3, but there may be more of a discernable difference between the cables.

I'm looking at the Audioquest Cinnamon cable at the moment. The Carbon gets great reviews, but it's not cheap. I'll try to remember to share my findings here if/when I make the move.

Clipdat

Thanks for your reply! I'll have to dabble with the Apple Lossless format and see how that sounds - seems that may be the best option considering the unit does not support WAV or FLAC files.

Thanks also for the tip on the break-in. I'll keep that in mind and hold off on critical listening for the moment.

My burn in approach so far has just been listening to the unit as normal, and logging my listening hours. I figure if it's going to be turned on and playing something, I may as well be listening to it.

EndersShadow

Clipdat wrote: »

Hey Enders- they were 320kbps mp3s via my iPad.

Yeah, more than likely you wont notice too much difference with that.

I would suggest finding some FLAC to put on an external HDD to connect to the Marantz (if that works, I am not super familiar with it) and play that with the two USB cords

bthogan wrote: »

In my search for an aftermarket ipod cable to use with this player, I'm hearing that these cables have a burn-in period...someone always says that, I guess, but maybe give it a bit of playing time before "listening critically"...

Also, maybe try converting something to Apple Lossless, and give it a shot. It'll be a bit bigger than the mp3, but there may be more of a discernable difference between the cables.

I'm looking at the Audioquest Cinnamon cable at the moment. The Carbon gets great reviews, but it's not cheap. I'll try to remember to share my findings here if/when I make the move.

The problem is I dont think you can use higher than 320 bps on any iDevices. At that low of a bitrate I would think it would be hard to hear any differences between two USB cords....

I am planning on getting the Carbon for my computer build, but I only need like a 10" cable or less so the price isnt a huge deal. If I had a longer run I would be looking at Cinnamon too. That and since my build is all black, I kinda want to keep with that (including new black powercords :eek:)

**edit**

Clipdat: In looking at your player it isnt really setup to playback high fidelity files via USB or your iDevice so I dont know how much use the nicer USB cable will have for you in regards to making it sound better as it appears your source files via USB are going to be limited.

jon1redleg

clipdat, I also bought a Marantz CD6004 a few months back for $350 + tax from a local dealer. I Love this CDP
I hear things in the music that I never heard before, I am set up using cables ( not as high end as yours )
but the features that you can use by going cable are great. The only problem is that I to have been so busy with
the family thing I do not get the chance to really listen to it. The first week I had it I had a real cicker of a head
cold:sad:

Clipdat

Hey Jon -Yeah I remember your post, glad to hear you are enjoying your 6004. Any recordings you would recommend I try out on it? I already tried Diana Krall - Live in Paris and that was pretty great!

Enders: Yeah 320kbps mp3 and then the Apple Lossless is the highest it accepts as far as I can tell. I do think a properly encoded 320kbps mp3 can sound good though. Maybe not "HI-FI" in the true sense of the word, but in ABX tests, very few people can tell the difference between a 320 and a FLAC.

I guess the TSi100s might not be in line w/ the rest of my setup due to their low cost and entry level nature. I do think they sound pretty damn good for $200 speakers though.

Regarding high-end bookshelf speakers, how about the KEF R300 vs the Polk LSiM703?

jon1redleg

Clipdat wrote: »

Hey Jon -Yeah I remember your post, glad to hear you are enjoying your 6004. Any recordings you would recommend I try out on it? I already tried Diana Krall - Live in Paris and that was pretty great!

Enders: Yeah 320kbps mp3 and then the Apple Lossless is the highest it accepts as far as I can tell. I do think a properly encoded 320kbps mp3 can sound good though. Maybe not "HI-FI" in the true sense of the word, but in ABX tests, very few people can tell the difference between a 320 and a FLAC.

I guess the TSi100s might not be in line w/ the rest of my setup due to their low cost and entry level nature. I do think they sound pretty damn good for $200 speakers though.

Regarding high-end bookshelf speakers, how about the KEF R300 vs the Polk LSiM703?

I have listened to a few different things but if I have a friend over I put in a band called the Cox Brothers
( live at the Bluebird ) it a band from Indy, 3 hours from my place. I GET GOOSE PUMPS from track #9.

Other than that I listen to Colbie Cailla which sounds good and Alison Krauss.