MusicDirector
New member
- Joined
- May 21, 2013
- Messages
- 2,013
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- #1
Thanks to Joe I have a Marantz CD5004 as a dedicated CD player now. I just hooked it up tonight using only analog....uh,....cables. (a four letter word to me).
Anyway, here is how she's doing:
Right now I'm listening to The Psychedelic Furs - Book Of Days. Not the best choice, but I also figure if this thing can make that CD sound good then the rest will fall into place nicely.
When I first hit play, it didn't sound too much different than my Onkyo. Ok fine, no problem with that, but I also thought there was something more to this player. I thought I would hear a difference in dacs with the Onkyo running a wolfson and the Marantz running a Cirrus. I learned something, you won't hear a difference in dacs themselves. You WILL hear a difference in how the output path is executed.
I then went to play with the settings and set the AudioEX to mode 2. Not much difference that I could hear. Then I set it to mode #3. Ah ha! More detail, wider staging! The only problem is that it also turns off the display. I kind of need the display, so I'm facing a dilemma. Do I leave the display on and lose some staging detail or live with it off and have better staging detail? There is another factor. I can't see the display very well. It's fairly hard to read except in a dark room. This is not so much the players fault as it is the fault of my bad eyes. (I have narrow canal glaucoma and my inner lens is also thickening as a result). I did discover though that when leaving it in mode #3 with display off, I can push the Display button and it lights up for about 5 seconds or so. That works for me and solves the concern over having the display off since I tend to listen to CDs all the way through 99% of the time and I have to be on top of it to see the display anyway.
Another thing I notice about the sound quality of the 5004 is it's fantastic bass output. I hate boomy bass or what I call loose cannon bass. I like tight, clean musical bass appropriate to the recording. Well the 5004 delivers there. Of course, the majority of what one hears is the performance of the speakers, but the speakers (if efficient and transparent) will put out what is fed to them. The 5004 is very accurate sounding especially in mode #3.
Also, it is a nice looking CD player from a cosmetic view with rounded corners and a minimalist style it is very sleek looking. I also like the functionality choices: Scan, repeat, random, program and I have always found calendar displays most useful. Why most makers have taken those away is beyond me, but the 5004 has one! It's linear along the bottom of the display and that's as good as any format!
The longer I listen to the 5004 it seems the more detailed it gets!! I think my speakers are starting to enjoy themselves even though they are under-powered. (It's important to keep one's speakers happy).:bonkers:
Almost time for another disc! This thing just sounds better and better the longer it plays. I can't wait to throw in a more detailed disc.
~Eric
Anyway, here is how she's doing:
Right now I'm listening to The Psychedelic Furs - Book Of Days. Not the best choice, but I also figure if this thing can make that CD sound good then the rest will fall into place nicely.
When I first hit play, it didn't sound too much different than my Onkyo. Ok fine, no problem with that, but I also thought there was something more to this player. I thought I would hear a difference in dacs with the Onkyo running a wolfson and the Marantz running a Cirrus. I learned something, you won't hear a difference in dacs themselves. You WILL hear a difference in how the output path is executed.
I then went to play with the settings and set the AudioEX to mode 2. Not much difference that I could hear. Then I set it to mode #3. Ah ha! More detail, wider staging! The only problem is that it also turns off the display. I kind of need the display, so I'm facing a dilemma. Do I leave the display on and lose some staging detail or live with it off and have better staging detail? There is another factor. I can't see the display very well. It's fairly hard to read except in a dark room. This is not so much the players fault as it is the fault of my bad eyes. (I have narrow canal glaucoma and my inner lens is also thickening as a result). I did discover though that when leaving it in mode #3 with display off, I can push the Display button and it lights up for about 5 seconds or so. That works for me and solves the concern over having the display off since I tend to listen to CDs all the way through 99% of the time and I have to be on top of it to see the display anyway.
Another thing I notice about the sound quality of the 5004 is it's fantastic bass output. I hate boomy bass or what I call loose cannon bass. I like tight, clean musical bass appropriate to the recording. Well the 5004 delivers there. Of course, the majority of what one hears is the performance of the speakers, but the speakers (if efficient and transparent) will put out what is fed to them. The 5004 is very accurate sounding especially in mode #3.
Also, it is a nice looking CD player from a cosmetic view with rounded corners and a minimalist style it is very sleek looking. I also like the functionality choices: Scan, repeat, random, program and I have always found calendar displays most useful. Why most makers have taken those away is beyond me, but the 5004 has one! It's linear along the bottom of the display and that's as good as any format!
The longer I listen to the 5004 it seems the more detailed it gets!! I think my speakers are starting to enjoy themselves even though they are under-powered. (It's important to keep one's speakers happy).:bonkers:
Almost time for another disc! This thing just sounds better and better the longer it plays. I can't wait to throw in a more detailed disc.
~Eric