What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
15 AUG 2007
Marantz CD6002
Those with long memories will remember the days when Marantz dominated the budget and mid-priced CD sectors. But that’s many years ago, and most of the firm’s recent efforts have been decent rather than inspirational. The CD6002, along with the range-topping £5000 SA-7S1, changes that.
Recent Marantz players have always been likeable. They’ve had a rich and smooth sound that worked a treat on vocal material or small-scale classical. The problem was that, for our tastes, they lacked drive and sacrificed punchy dynamics for refinement. There’s no such compromise with this player.
Slick menus help operation
At last, Marantz has produced a sensibly priced disc-spinner that’s as happy delivering Nirvana’s thunderous Smells Like Teen Spirit as it is rendering a small-scale work such as Tabula Rasa from Arvo Part. The CD6002 has stunning timing and dynamics, and then some, and couples it to a beautifully fluid midrange that suffers none of the excessive richness of its predecessors.
The result is an entertaining machine that has enough ability to cope with large upgrades of amplifier and speakers without becoming the limiting factor in system performance. We’d have no problem using this player in a system made up of Roksan’s excellent £650 Kandy Mk III amp, coupled to ATC’s over-achieving £850 SCM11s.
The only other player in this test able to avoid embarrassment in such a system is the considerably pricier Pioneer.
Factor in excellent build, finish and ease of use – think quick, slick transport, clear display and fine remote handset – and you have a formidable proposition. Which is why we give it our sub-£300 gong in our 2007 Awards.
Back to top
