Price Paid:  $140.00 from accessories4less web

Summary:
I bought this refurb w/1y Warr directly from accesories4less.com. I am very happy so far. The unit was cosmetically perfect and well packaged including the orignal accessories, manual, and warranty statement. My system: Denon AVR2802 18" Audioquest for analog input. Energy Take 5.2 w/S8.2 sub. Listening to analogs in Direct Mode. This is a very attractive and functional 5 disk carousel changer. IMHO, this carousel changer has the best changer mechanism on the market. It is rock solid and lightning quick. The carousel has deep recesses for each disk that make it easy to load (and they hold onto the disks when it is spinning so fast). This thing will load disks from an open tray and start playing them in less than 4 seconds! The "quick play" and "load" buttons on the tray are nice features. The sound from this player is very nice for this price range. I compared the analog outputs side by side with my Pioneer DV-440 (the Pioneer has Burr-Brown 192kHz/24bit DACs). The Marantz was noticably warmer with a wider soundstage and greater dynamic range. Vocals, piano, percussion, and guitars all sounded more realistic on the Marantz. There also seemed to be greater bass definition and extension as well. The laser mechanism and servo control in the Marantz is also top notch. I was able to listen to some scratched disks on the Marantz that I have NEVER been able to play through on any other player (home or car). You will find that the VAM-1201 mechanism is used on many audiophile single disk players. There are couple of things that could be improved. The remote is too small and doesn't have enough function. Also, the changer reacts somewhat slow to the remote commands as well. I'm not sure if the IR pulse strings are long or what, but you need to hold the buttons on the remote longer that you would expect. Also there is no music calender on the display, but this is minor to me. Others have complained that the display is too dim, but I can read it just fine. Some people have complained that you cannot go back to the beginning of a track that is playing, but you can. On this player, you just press the Play/Replay button and it returns to the beginning of the current track. Frankly, I like this feature. Now you press << once and it goes back to the previous track. How simple! I did find that this Marantz player is somewhat picky when it comes to playing computer generated CD-Rs. Disks that were burnt on my TDK 32x burner played back with some static and jitter towards the beginning of the CD. (The TDK uses Z-CLV and starts at 20x/10000rpm!) When I re-burnt at 16x CLV, there was no static or jitter. Evidently the Marantz doesn't introduce as much error correction during playback. I guess this is to be expected in a near audiophile player. Too much error correction makes for a less natural sound according to the experts(?). If you want the best sound out of this changer, definetly use the analog outputs. Unless you have a VERY high end reciever or an external DAC, the sound from the digital output probably won't be as warm and natural.

Strengths:
Stong build and attactive design. An exceptionally fast and solid changer mechanism with some innovative features. Warm sound. Wide soundstage. Great dynamic range. Great tracking from the laser mechanism. Scratched disks are no problem. Digital coax. The player doesn't scoff at CDRs and CDRWs. Variable output level. Feature rich for dubbing to tape. Volume control on headphone jack is nice touch.

Weaknesses:
The remote is too small and doesn't have enough functionality. The changer reacts a little slow to the remote. The display could be better, but who cares? The changer is picky about home burnt CDRs, but if you use disks labled as AUDIO CD-R and burn at slower speeds then everything is fine.

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer DV-440 (single-disk DVD player with nice DACs) Sony CDP-C245 (circa 1994 and near the end of its life) Yamaha CDC-585, CDC-685 and CDC-775. Denon DCM-370 and DCM-380. Sony CA70ES, and ot

Price Paid:  $147.00 from www.ac4l.com

Summary:
About 6 months ago my 10 year old Yamaha CD changer finally gave out (well, with a little help from the kids). So for a while I used my inexpensive Toshiba DVD player (single CD) to listen to music. Needless to say, the Toshiba was not the best at reproducing music (at least to my liking). The sound was very "bright" and perhaps a bit "harsh". I did some research on CD changers and came across with the Marantz CC-4000. Granted, I did not compare this changer side-by-side with other CD changers but the reviews here (and for the CC-3000, essentially the same) were very encouraging. The fact that I got this for less that half price (refurbished) seemed like a steal to me. I am now enjoying a smoothness of sound that I can listen for hours and hours without fatigue (as opposed to the Toshiba). Changing CD''s is very fast (faster that my old Yamaha) and it has pretty much all the features that I would ever need. It also seems like a good match for my Mission M73 speakers.

Strengths:
Smooth, sweet sound. Fast CD changes in random mode. Quite operation. Appears to be well-made.

Weaknesses:
None that I can think of for the price.

Similar Products Used:
Toshiba DVD-2700, 10-year old Yamaha

Price Paid:  $235.00 from Stereo Exchange, NYC

Summary:
I agree with the other reviews posted. You can''t get a better sounding player for a comparable price. I am very disappointed in some basic functionality flaws, as I''ve listed under "weaknesses," and have lead to my 3 star rating.

Strengths:
Great sound for low price. CD-RW playback.

Weaknesses:
Too Numerous! Cannot shuffle 1 disc unless only 1 in changer. Back skip function does not go to head of current track but to head of previous track. To go to head of track, must hit back skip then skip forward. No track number listing for CD, only # of current track. Remote and display. No optical digital out (coax only); does not decode newer formats like HDCD, DVD-A, SACD.

Similar Products Used:
Too Numerous.

Price Paid:  $300.00 from Paragon A/V, Madiso

Summary:
This is in the single-disc review section, but should be in the multi-disc section. The price is before trade-in. I assume it''s a 2001 model because the date of manufacture on the back is sometime in the fall of last yr. I got this because I wanted to go back to stereo from surround & needed to trade in. The local dealer that accepts trade-ins carries few brands, & I decided on Marantz. This player is very compatible with the Marantz SD-4050 dual cassette deck (reviewed in older products section of tape decks). You can do peak search to set record level & select a tape recording time to automatically arrange songs & avoid "run over" at end of tape. You can also select a CDR/W recording time if you are using a Marantz burner. However, I use a Sony MD-JES470 MD deck, which only has an optical dig in, & this changer only has coax dig out. I am able to use my Sony single-disc NS300 DVD player (reviewed in the DVD section)for the MD recorder, but can''t record a programmed multidisc compilation. I don''t have any complaints about the sound, but I don''t have a trained ear. The remote doesn''t do a lot, but it is small & easy to use. The real remote problem is not the changer remote, but the stereo receiver (Marantz SR4120, not posted for review yet) remote, which doesn''t, as far as I can tell, have a way to change the disc you''re playing! This deck is ok if you are getting an all- Marantz system, & the 3-yr warranty is nice. But the features:price ratio is not very good. It may be that some authorized dealers are selling it for less than where I got it.

Strengths:
Peak search & other recording programming functions for use w/compatible Marantz tape decks & CD burners; quick platter rotation; 3-yr warranty; plays CDRW

Weaknesses:
No optical digital out (coax only); does not decode newer formats like HDCD, DVD-A, SACD; some quirky, somewhat cumbersome features (or lack therof)on the remote & the panel that are covered in other reviews; Marantz ownership fluctuations over the yrs have lowered their rep & created quality control issues

Similar Products Used:
Symphonic, Onkyo disc changers

Price Paid:  $238.00 from Stereotypes

Summary:
After researching a good deal of higher end CD changers under $400, I came to decide on the Marantz CC-4000. I was also considering the OSE model of the same series, but in the end, I am happy enough not spending that extra hundred bucks. This is the first Marantz product I've owned. The first thing that struck me was the speed of the changer. In random mode, which I use heavily, this is a consderable advantage. Also, the tray has the buttons for moving the carousel around and quick playing discs - which I have decided is good. The unit plays CD-R discs as long as the disc has been finalized. Moving on to the sound of this player, I am most impressed by it's sound stage. I don't care what people say about this unit having a "cheap DAC"...it's soundstage does not sound "cheap." I didn't want some $1000 single CD player...I wanted a good 5 disc changer. And I feel this unit fit the bill. As far as it's drawbacks, there are a few annoying things. The remote does suck...it's not as responsive as I like and you can't turn off the unit remotely. Also, when you try to skip back to the beginning of a song, the unit skips to the previous track. The unit also doesn't have a listing of tracks on the display. And for those HDCD discs of which I have a few...you're out of luck. As far as I'm concerned, though, the quality and price makes up for those drawbacks.

Equipment:

NAD C350 Amplifier (see my review)
Klipsch Lascala Speakers (2)
Marantz CC4000 CD Changer
Toshiba CD-4109X DVD Player
Tara Labs Prism 22 Interconnects

Strengths:
Smooth clear sound, fast load times, fast changer, good price.

Weaknesses:
Remote, no list of track #'s on display, no HDCD

Similar Products Used:
Sony, Kenwood, HK, Denon