The worst from Marantz, I didn't think Marantz could make something as cheap sounding as this just to get their share of the MARKET.

The problem was it was not delivering what was on the recoded CDs, I am talking about the redbook CDs.
It started delivering from midrange and up, no bass, and it was all highly compressed and fatigue sounding.

The fact is of all the CD players I have had in the past , non of them could deliver the music which is detailed without being in your face, non fatigue, tremendous dynamics , drums are well defined and the cymbals are so real sounding, does anyone know of a player like that?

There is nothing to add.. It is one of the best players I ever heard. :-)

Great combination of sound,build and value for money.

Would benefit from a better DAC

Bought my CD48 to replace an Ariston CDX700,which I was talked into buying as a first CD. The difference was so extreme,that I have since upgraded every part of the system I had. I know now that the CD48 is not perfect,but for £100 u.k,it's still a great buy.It was the first time I'd heard the music really come to life on a digital format.Hearing the seperation of the highs,mids and lows was something I hadn't expereinced with the Ariston CDX700.It is solidly built,and there is plenty there for people who like buttons on their hi-fi. The only low point is that I bought a Pioneer PDR-609 CD Recorder last year.That took me by surprise by sounding better than the CD48 on playback.It sounds sharper and clearer.It's going to be interesting hearing how it compares to the Cambridge Audio CD6,which I got for my girlfriends birthday today for,wait for it,£30 u.k. I will still recommend the CD48 to anyone who wants to make the first step up to proper hi-fi,without paying through the nose. The setup used is Marantz CD48 Sherwood R725 Receiver Gale Mini Monitors Celestion F20 Floorstanders Cambridge Audio Pearl Interconnects Gale XL 315 Cable

Similar Products Used:

Ariston CDX700 Pioneer PDR609

Mid range is good, but almost too sweet quite often - a manipulative sound, unnatural.

Build quality is K-Mart cheap, or below. Overall, the 48 is an imitation Marantz, despite high reviews here.

At first I thought this was an unusually good player, but more extended experience has shown otherwise. This player smears the treble far too much...listen, for example, to Helen Merrill on "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To." The S sounds are unbearable, like quick hits of sandpaper. I have an older Rotel that makes this song not only bearable but most enjoyable. Also, the musicality the Marantz initially seemed to have was artificial, like a cheap player tuned to sound really great. Which is exactly what this one, in the end analysis, is.

Similar Products Used:

Many. NAD, Rotel, Sony, Philips...

Value for money.

CD tray loose and not steady.
Slight hissing sound when playing CD.

Excellent player for the money. You can get it in the UK for as low as £80 (USD$130). Other than the hissing sound which I find rather annoying, everything else is clear and well defined.

Low cost, bang-for-the-buck

Build quality might be questionable, but is reasonable for a $200 unit

To add to my 7/25/99 review:

I added an MSB Technology Link DAC a couple of months ago. The sound improvement is huge, by my standards. Power comes from a Jolida JD302B, speakers are Triangle Zephyr MkII, cabling is courtesy of Millersound (interconnects) and Harmonic Technology (speaker cable). Every friend and member of my family who has compared the before-DAC and after-DAC agrees that the DAC makes a large difference. The CD48 will keep me content until DVD audio becomes the norm... and the great thing about the MSB is that it supports 96 KHz sources. The CD48 and its successor come highly recommended.

Appearance, Price, Sound quality, Company's reputation,
Multiple features.

Plastic cd tray

A friend recommended Marantz, when I told him I was looking for a new cd player. After several hours of research, I decided to take his advise, and I'm glad I did.
Marantz makes 3or 4 models which cost less than the cd-48, and of course the popular 67se which costs a few dollars more. I wanted a single cd player for about 400.00 and the cd-48 was close enough,(375.00CDN..250.00US).
This cd player has everything you would expect at this price range and more. There is a built in volume control (by remote only) as well as a program for recording to cassettes. The sound quality is quite exceptional for this price range.
To be honest, I didn't think a new cd player would make much of a difference in sound. After listening to a couple of tracks from my collection, I knew I'd be up till the midnight hours, listening to the music I had been missing with my old cd player.
I beleive that in order to get noticably better sound from a cd player, you would have to spend alot more cash. That money would be better spent on some descent interconnects and speaker cables, which can make alot more of a difference than I would have thought possible.
With the right equipment, this cd player sounds excellent.
My sound system consists of: The Marantz CD-48,
Decware Zen amp (tube)5 watts per side,(powering mids and tweeters)
Bryston 2B amp (intergrated) 60 watts per side, (powering woofers). No pre-amp used.
Infinity Studio Monitor II's (12" woofers,5" mids, horn and cone tweeters).
MIT Terminator 2 and 4 interconnects, MIT Terminator 5 speaker cables for highs, KimberCable speaker cables for lows. Monster Y splitters.

Similar Products Used:

Sony cd player

brand name, looks, sound, display

none so far

I bought Marantz Cd-48 together with Marantz Pm66SE amp and B&W DM601S2 speakers. The cd player has a lot of functions which I don`t use much but you never know. The sound is good for all kind of music. I`m a casual listener and I wonder if my hi-fi system match together. Decent interconnects are a must. The similarity to the Philips CD player is obvious. I don`t like design of the new Marantz cd players. This player is a great value nonetheless.

Definitely a smooth sound for the price

Doesn't really give a distinguishably enjoyable sound (though not bad at all, just not highlighted)

This is a great cd player for the money (probably around 200$). It does have a smooth sound and great detail. However, the real reason I got this one over the Cambridge is the price. I kinda regret that now, but oh well its not like its a bad piece of equipment or anything. If I were you, I would definitely audition a Cambridge before going for this exceptional value.

Similar Products Used:

Cambridge Audio Cd4

clear and open sound

build quality, sometimes sounds too smooth and uninvolving

First of all i'd like to remark that this unit costs usd 360 on our market. So I'll share my opinion based on the mentioned price.
I don't have CD-48, but i've seen and heard it. During 'the test' i used several CDs- Yes- "Open your eys" and "91125", Rush- "2112", Billy Cobham "Spectrum", Steve Smith and a little bit clasic- Dvorjak- simph #9 "From the new world".
The build quality isn't so good within this price's area (compare to the rivals as Kenwood, Yamaha, Technics). It looks like a crisp toy.
About the sound- typical for the money. Well balanced and smooth (but often too smooth for me- esp. with prog/rock). The bass is not amaizing in any case. The midband is well focused, clear but sometimes to sweet with hi-frec. It lacks
impact and punch...
In my opinion it's good choice if you prefer pop music and easy- listening kind of music.

...Of course if the price were usd 200... :-)