I have owned my Marantz cd-73 for 20 years....it still can play a cd cracked from center to edge!

I purchased this player about 7 years ago at a flea market for $25, it did not go, as I was advised.
I recapped it ( power supply was the issue ), and presto life again !
I must say despite some simple specs on paper it does amazingly well.
The sound is equal to any I have listened to ( including my friends Cambridge )
I does only have fairly basic features by modern standards, but it does the job of playing disk's very well, even scratched ones ! , better than my others.
I found no lack of bass as one reviewer pointed out ( maybe his needs new caps ).
I would part with my Yamaha Sony and Technics players before the CD73.

Hello,

This was the first CD player I ever bought back in 1985. I only paid £200 for it as it was by then out of production and had been replaced by more ergonomically refined machines, but none were as well built, nor did they sound as good. The Marantz CD73 came complete with an expensive and well matched phono lead which I still use with it.

By modern standards this machine is primitive in operation, it can only search serially through CDs, it has no random access, nor does it have remote control unless used in conjunction with other contemporary Marantz hi-fi products. It has no digital display, instead it has a series of 15 leds which light up to indicate which track is playing - on track 16 all the lights come on and then its guesswork ! I think this is all part of its charm, besides at that time we were used to using turntables so the operation of this machine was perfectly acceptable.

When I first heard this machine I was bowled over by its soundstage and imagery, IMHO only matched by the most expensive turntables, but with the advantage that there were no clicks and pops to endure as one did when playing vinyl. Bass is deep and clear, midrange is superb and treble is very smooth and free from the occasional hardness of the Sony players of its time. I listened to music for many hours at a time and always felt relaxed.

I have upgraded my CD player a few times over the years, acquiring the next 'Best Buy' to come along but none sounded any better than the CD73, the only improvements were a bit more detail and much better ergonomics. I eventually acquired a Marantz CD63 Mk II KI Signature machine in 1996 and that I found superb in all respects and I haven't felt any need to upgrade further. I held on to the CD73 and continue to use it from time to time. It's only failed twice in 24 years, with power supply PCB problems, first time it just needed a few dry joints resoldered and the second time it needed new capacitors. The PSU is the CD73's weakest component as it tends to run rather hot but it's easy to access and simple to repair (DIY for < £10). Its CDM0 or CDM1 CD transports very rarely expire.

The CD73 is even now an excellent sounding CD player and its robust construction is rarely found in modern machines. It quite rightly has become a classic and nice examples fetch very good prices.

Howard

The looks of this machine are splendid, classy buttons and display, and the loading mechanism is a classic! Easy to service, if you have a spare CD303 or CD300 or equivalent player from Philips. The sound is rocksolid, and gives an analog feel to CD's, in the right way. Reads everything from CD-R's to bad disks.

Track selection is primitive, but i love it even more because of it! I believe Sony SBM CD's don't sound so well on this player, but that's Sony's problem.

The CD73 is a classic! The sound is fat, but transparant... The sound is sweet, but beefy... The sound is smooth, but powerrrrrfull! The 14 Bit DAC and it's smooth analog circuitry make this beast a real pleasure to listen to. I have compared the sound with many other players, but i can't say i heard any of them beat the sound of the CD73.

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Philips CD100, CD202, CD300 Akai CDA405, CD32 (this one sounds good too) Various REVOX DENON SONY etc.....

loading mechanism, lights, supersound

power supply LM317t part

Great piece of equipement, this unit was the one thing missing in my old marantz set. I’ bought this cd player 2 years ago, unfortunately it was not in working order there was a loud buss coming out of the DAC unit. Fortunately, a month ago I came across A Philips cd player (cd 303) this unit is the “ugly” twin brother of the cd73 and I was able to correct al the faults, and now it’s running ? Also the power supply, DAC and most of the loading mechanism is the same.

Clear detailed sound plus everything already mentioned.

Do not have remarks yet.

I've bought the piece quite recently and I am still just listening to it and reading the reviews about. The first impression is impressive.I fully agree with the other owners. In my case the transport is CDM-0 /they say so-the lense is blue/. The clock is upgraded. Sounds clear and may need some upgrade in the power section.

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Philips CD 104 upgraded

Sound Build quality Looks really cool Drawer mechanism

Age

I have owned this unit for about a year now, and I totaly agree with the other reviewers. This machine is awesome. The transport (legendary CDM-1 from Philips) reads just about anything, including CD-R (burned discs) which wasn't invented untill a few year after prduction of the CDM-1 mechanism stopped. The sound are just great, after a small repairjob on the power supply section. Beats the hell out of my D300 which cost more the doubble of the CD73. My only worry is the day the laser dies. Other parts can (relative) easily be replaced, but spare laser assemblys are hard to find. This thing is more than 20 years old after all.

Sound Build quality Looks really cool Drawer mechanism

Age

I have owned this unit for about a year now, and I totaly agree with the other reviewers. This machine is awesome. The transport (legendary CDM-1 from Philips) reads just about anything, including CD-R (burned discs) which wasn't invented untill a few year after prduction of the CDM-1 mechanism stopped. The sound are just great, after a small repairjob on the power supply section. Beats the hell out of my D300 which cost more the doubble of the CD73. My only worry is the day the laser dies. Other parts can (relative) easily be replaced, but spare laser assemblys are hard to find. This thing is more than 20 years old after all.

Sound Build quality Looks really cool Drawer mechanism

Age

I have owned this unit for about a year now, and I totaly agree with the other reviewers. This machine is awesome. The transport (legendary CDM-1 from Philips) reads just about anything, including CD-R (burned discs) which wasn't invented untill a few year after prduction of the CDM-1 mechanism stopped. The sound are just great, after a small repairjob on the power supply section. Beats the hell out of my D300 which cost more the doubble of the CD73. My only worry is the day the laser dies. Other parts can (relative) easily be replaced, but spare laser assemblys are hard to find. This thing is more than 20 years old after all.

Still sounds good,solid build quality,sturdy phillips transport,the loading draw is a coversation piece.

slow response to track selection,only caters for 15 tracks on the LED display,no digital out

I purchased the cd 73 in 1985 from a disc jockey,so it had had substantial use. It sounded excellent then and has never let me down after all these years of constant use. At 10 kg it is a solid lump that has stood the test of time. To update now and get a cdp with better sound, I found would cost a $1000+ and nothing else has a loading draw quite like it. Also the all LED display is now unique.

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none