We couldn’t assist however have a sense of déjà vu when taking the Marantz CD6007 out of its field. Cowl the mannequin quantity and it’s not possible to distinguish this unit from the mannequin it replaces. Did somebody at Marantz’s styling division simply copy and paste the earlier design?
If that’s the case, they’ve been doing it for years. You’d want to return over a decade and 4 mannequin cycles to discover a CD6000 mannequin that appeared notably totally different. Fortunately, the engineers answerable for the sound haven’t been taking issues really easy.
Options
The large information right here is the change of DAC chip to an AKM 4490 (the CD6006 used a Cirrus CS4398), permitting the CD6007 to course of high-resolution recordsdata.
Not by means of the CD disc drive, in fact. You’ll want to make use of the entrance panel USB Kind A socket to get the recordsdata into the participant, as there aren’t any different digital inputs right here. You may play hi-res PCM music as much as 24-bit/192kHz and DSD128. The final technology mannequin might address 48kHz recordsdata at finest and never DSD.
Different engineering adjustments between the 2 generations of participant are a quieter energy provide and improved HDAM amplifier modules, helped alongside by a sprinkling of higher-quality inner elements. The headphone circuit now shuts down when not in use, which reduces pointless energy draw on the availability and removes the potential for extra noise.
Construct
The CD6007’s construct high quality, as with its predecessor, is great. It feels strong and operates with a slickness that belongs at a far greater value level. The disc mechanism on our pattern is quiet and responsive, all of the controls working with precision. We will’t consider a rival CD participant that feels as polished in use.
Marantz CD6007 tech specs
Frequency response 2Hz-20kHz
Dynamic vary 100dB
Energy consumption 32W
Accessible finishes Black, silver-gold
Codecs CD, CD-R/RW, WMA, MP3
Dimensions (hwd) 10.5 x 44 x 34cm
Weight 6.5kg
The distant is a full system design and stays just about as earlier than, although just a few of the buttons do a barely totally different job. It’s a pleasant handset, being straightforward to make use of and nice to carry.
Except for the entrance panel USB, there are the same old single-ended RCAs for the analogue output alongside optical and coaxial for digital. Unusually, Marantz provides the choice of turning the digital outputs off once they’re not in use. That is price doing as a result of it brings a little bit further readability to the sound, however you’ll want a reasonably clear system to note it. The identical applies to switching the show off.
Marantz additionally now provides a selection of two digital filter choices for people who wish to tweak additional. Filter 1 has a gradual roll-off and is claimed to supply a deeper stereo picture whereas Filter 2, has a sharper roll-off and is supposed to provide a extra direct and brighter presentation.
The sonic variations aren’t huge, however we have now a choice for Filter 1. It simply sounds extra pure to our ears. However there’s no proper or mistaken right here and the selection comes all the way down to style and system.
Sound
Do all of the engineering adjustments convey a couple of worthwhile enchancment in sound high quality? The brief reply is certainly sure, nonetheless it’s not a step change.
We play a CD of Tchaikovsky’s Slavic Market Op.31 and the CD6007 provides a extra vivid and dramatic rendition. Notes are outlined with a contact extra precision, significantly at low frequencies, and the dimensions of sound is notably larger. In comparison with the older CD6006 UK Version, this new machine is a crisper, extra open performer.
Stereo imaging has benefitted, with the brand new Marantz in a position to render a extra expansive and better-focused sound stage. Devices are simpler to find and keep locked in place extra simply when the music turns into extra demanding.
Equally, larger-scale dynamics are delivered with extra verve and punch. There’s a satisfying sense of composure to tie all of it collectively. Tonally, there’s a refined shift too, with the brand new participant sounding a bit extra ahead and a contact brighter.
Switching to India Irie’s Fantastic exhibits that it’s not all one-way visitors. The older participant has extra solidity by means of the midband and provides Irie’s voice a way of physique and pure heat that the CD6007 doesn’t fairly match.
The brand new machine responds in a extra cohesive method with rhythms and a barely higher sense of drive. We will hear the main edges of the bass notes extra clearly and there’s a higher feeling of area between the instrumental strands.
This holds true after we play a wide range of music recordsdata by means of the USB enter. Each gamers show admirably slick in use right here, although utilizing the comparatively restricted entrance panel show to navigate the music feels clunky. The last-gen CD6006 UK can’t play the hi-res recordsdata, in fact, whereas the brand new one copes with hi-res PCM and DSD with out concern.
We attempt the headphone output and are happy to report that it’s a superb one. There’s no apparent distinction in high quality between the 2 Marantzs on this respect (bar the inherent adjustments within the sound), and none was claimed. A built-in achieve adjustment, discovered within the set-up menus, is a smart contact that ensures wide-ranging compatibility with totally different headphones.
Verdict
Total, it’s a transparent win for this newest Marantz 6000 CD participant, even when the outcome isn’t a knockout. Homeowners of the CD6006 shouldn’t rush to alter their participant because it nonetheless has a lot to supply in addition to an easier-going, extra intimate presentation – even whether it is second finest in most respects.
Nobody can accuse Marantz of pushing the boundaries on the CD6007, but it surely didn’t actually should. The corporate has taken an already wonderful CD participant and made it a bit higher. At this level in CD’s life arc, on the inexpensive finish of the market at the very least, that’s all it takes to make sure class management.
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