Everything. It's a nice suprise to get more than you expected.

I doesnt do the dishes.

In a perfect world I could afford a 5 grand machine however after a few months, actually a few weeks, i realised I don't need one. Im amazed at how often I find myself fighting with the kids to use the lounge room. I have it paired with B&W 602's and a Marantz 7500 reciever that runs in "pure direct" for CD's. Yes I know its not as good as an intergrated amp but it aint far off.
First thing I noticed was more detail, clearer highs and punchy lows.
I could listen to it for hours on end.
Sure there are better machines but for a couple of percent better would you pay double or more?
Even the guru at my local hi-fi store, who is always wanting me to spend more money with him, thinks it's almost perfect.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Sony, NAD

Price is cheap for a CD player and it will satisfy the AV enthutiasm but definitely not approaching to HI-Fi buffs. Hi-Fi components demands more than this unit can deliver. For the AV that want independent unit of CD player, then it is a good buy.

Lack of lower frequency tightness of sound reproduction and the high frequency is harsh.

Just got the unit for a few days,hook up the the Marantz 7200 amplifier and serioulsly audition to the sound produced through AE Evo 1 speaker. The unit look great with dot matrix display and the capability to display text. However, when seriously sit down and listen to the audio produced, it is tend to be dissapointing. The sound at lower frequency is lacking of tightness and the high frequency tend to be harsh. As comparing to my old Sansui CD 711, it is noticeable different and not as clean and smooth in high frequency. The sound from Sansui is clearer and the separation is very much better. It is not a CD player to go for if a sound quality is the ultimate goal.

Customer Service

The approach should be further improved. It is kind of dissapointment of the sales person attitude.

Similar Products Used:

Sansui CD 711 and Sansui CD 311, AE Evo 1 bookshelf speaker, Marantz PM 7200 Amplifier.

Detail, soundstage, bass

Seriously, for $300 what can you really complain about????

I agree with all the reviews before, except for the one bad review just before mine, which seems like an extremely harsh trashing of a $300 product.

With the price in mind of just $300... this player is spectacular... it easily outclasses a more expensive NAD CD player I owned previously. Detail, soundstage, bass... just about everything sounds well above my expectations at this price range.... Now would I go as far as to say this Player outclasses far more expensive units? Quite possibly, but audio is a highly subjective hobby.

My advice, is that before you purchase a far more expensive Player from another company, give the Marantz a try, you may be as pleasantly suprised as I was when I bought mine.

Similar Products Used:

Nad, Rotel, Arcam, Musical Fidelity

Looks nice

Thin,bright,harsh,no body or warmth.

Well it looks good,the display looks nice,but sonically I find it dissapointing,very thin sounding,the midrange lacks body,warmth,or any kind of musical emotion,sounds dated as early thin bright CD players,doesn't do much for me at all,a very tiring,harsh,thin,doesn't want make me want a sit and listen for a long time.

It looks nice,but very plastic,cheap transport,nice panel layout,acceptable for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Nad,cambridge audio.

Resolution
Soundstage
Presentation
Price

None so far.

I purchased this CD player a little over a week ago and continue to be amazed by it's performance. This Marantz has resolution like no other at this price point, and is easily a competitor to others I have heard up to $2000. Details galore, a wide soundstage, and amazing instrument separation complete the picture. It's very musical, with a perfectly relaxed presentation and flow to the music with absolutely no grit or grain. Build quality appears to be fine and you can't beat the three year warranty for such an inexpensive component.

One note of caution: if open, the disc drawer will close by itself after a short time of inactivity. I'm in the habit of opening the drawer and then picking out a CD. This could be an issue if you don't have the CD fully seated in the drawer and it begins to close by itself. Now I make sure and have the CD selected BEFORE opening the drawer :)

Similar Products Used:

CD players by: Rotel, Ah Tjoeb, Vincent, Cayin, Audia, Arcam, Thule, Sony, Technics

Resolution, musicality, relaxed presentation

None so far

I purchased this CD player a week ago and continue to be amazed by it. It resolves like no other at this price point. Details abound, fantastic separation of instruments, and an eerily wide soundstage complete the picture. The bass is a tiny smidge leaner than some other players I've heard, but it has not been an issue. What I'm enjoying most, though, is the perfectly relaxed and paced flow of music which is very pleasant to listen to. This is an incredibly musical player with absolutely no grit or grain. I'd advise anyone looking to spend up to 2 grand on a CD player to check this one out, you could save a lot of money to spend on discs instead!

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Cayin, Vincent, Ah Tjoeb, Arcam, Audia, Thule

Price, fast commands, tight controls, clean quite sound...nice remote

none

This piece is the best CD player you can buy under $500, HANDS DOWN. It was the Marantz or the Rotel, but for $400 more the Rotel fell short (though it is an awesome piece if you have a deep pocket). This replaced an Onkyo Integra DVD player I had for 7 years (paid $450). I just expected it to sound equally good, and it does (with the added MP3 capability). It is a very fast (no delay) player and also VERY quite. Controls are smotth and tight, and I love the small remote. This player really has no competitors so it was an easy choice for me, and I am fairly critical about audio purchases.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, HK, Sony, Rotel

Natural, "organic," slightly warmish sounding player that just sounds "right."

Perhaps a tad "thin," and of course, given its price point, not as refined as much more expensive players.

I bought the CD5001 a few weeks ago, having been curious about Marantz. I'd read a few good reviews, to include the ones above. What's a few hundred bucks to us audio crazies?

There's no doubt the build quality is excellent. What I wasn't prepared for, was the absolute naturalness of the sound that comes from this player.

The audiophile community might think a $300 player would be "embarrased" in a system costing 20 X as much as the player itself. When I added a Sim Audio Moon I-5 to the mix, through my Harbeth Compact 7's, I fully expected the CD5001's weaknesses to be revealed.

Not so. In fact, it did quite the reverse. It reinforced its strengths--which are, are: "organic" naturalness, punchy bass, warmth, excellent mids, and voice that is presented in remarkable realism.

Some might find the sound a bit "thin." I did at first, but the addition of the Moon I-5, told me that it wasn't necessarily the player. Even still, if you want Naim like PRAT and slam, this won't be your thing.

There is just something "right" about the wonderful sound coming from this player.
The fact that is costs so little is irrelevant. I own and love Rega turntables (I own the P5) , but the Planet 2000 that I had in my system for 2 years, never felt "right." From my perspective, it sounded "mechanical," and never communicated the emotion of music.

Is the CD5001, a player costing 1/3 as much as the Rega, better, IMO. Yes. Sue me.

Oh...and it has a "display off" feature.

:)

Similar Products Used:

Rega Planet 2000
A number of NAD Players

Warm, clean, detailed sound.
Solid build quality.

None for the price.

Excellent built quality, pure Marantz look. Excellent detail and dynamics (drums sound really good). Bass is thight and present. Very good headphone port.

Similar Products Used:

Sony CDP-25

Considering the price this is an incredible player. The first thing I noticed as a strength was the sound of drums in recordings. They were crisp with good attack. Kick drums were full bodied. The sound was faster and sounded like drums played live. Cymbals were also more natural, like a wood stick hitting metal intead of the distorted sound of the old player. The next thing that caught my attention is the detail of sound from different electric guitars and different players. I am not musically trained but this much resolution helps me understand and appreciate what the musicians are doing. When instruments are being played louder the sound really builds up in my room now. There is more swell and bloom to the music.

Classical music was also rendered more complete. This player gives a better sense of the number of instruments playing. You know that several violins are playing together vs it sounding like one big violin. There seems to be more space between instruments. More focus and less distortion overall. Counter melodies within a piece can be heard more easily. Large vocal groups are both more distinct in that I can hear what the different vocal ranges are doing but also coherent because the voices are more natural and easier to follow.

If the music is well recorded and beautiful it will be played that way. If the music is loud and agressive that is the way it will sound.

No weaknesses noticed for a $300 player. I am not saying this player is state of the art but little is missing for the asking price.

The CD5001 is a solidly built player. The cd drawer is smooth operating and the disc spins silently. This player has the option of turning off the display. While I can not state that the feature improves sound I do like to listen with the display turned off. Right out of the box the sound was good but improved in less then a week. Initially the sound was detailed but a little thin in the bass. The sound continued to warm up and the bass filled out nicely. High frequencies are nicely extended and detailed. The player has solid imaging and a wide soundstage. Images at the far sides of the soundstage are more detailed. Individual instruments within an orchestra retain their unique sound and there is little confusion about what instruments are being played vs my older player. Voices are also more natural in the sense that you are hearing all the nuances of individual voices. Voices are more three dimensional as are instruments. The level of resolution of this player is surprising considering cost and much enjoyable.

Customer Service

None needed so far. Player has a 3 year warranty.

Similar Products Used:

My other cd palyers are both Sony brand. The first is the Sony CDP XA1ES and the second is the RCD W500C recorder changer. Both players were purchased for the same amount paid for the Marantz CD5001. The CDP XA1ES is a nine year old player and the RCD W500C is a current model purchased last year. The Marantz's sound is superior to both players and far superior to the CDP XA1ES. A lot of improvement in cd players over nine years.

The Marantz CD5001 is connected to a Cambridge Audio Azur 640A and speakers are the NHT SuperOnes. Cabling is Alpha Core speaker and interconnect cables.