Price Paid:  $200.00 from Cash Converters

Summary:
G'day All,

I'm finally making the time to post my humble findings after using the Marantz CD4000 for almost 6 months.

I definitely agree with previous posts that describe the attributes of this CD Player despite the fact that it is an entry, low end machine.

As I've been buying lots of gear to ready myself for my new home, I've also been interchanging all my gear and the experiments have paid of.

Compared to other CD Players I've used, the CD4000 is a quality budget player that the other big name players should try to aspire to instead of giving you rubbish just because you choose to buy a budget player instead of anything that's got a higher price tag.

The CD4000 was previously hooked up to my Marantz SR4300 AV Receiver and Marantz PM4200 Integrated Amp and is currently hooked up to my Naim Nait 2 which is driving my Australian Accusound ES55 Eclipse Floorstanders.

The Naim Nait 2 has definitely brought the entire sound system to beyond humble expectations. The CD4000 is as clear as crystal and still manages to deliver the Low End spectrum which has surprised me as most of us may know that Naim Amps and this CD Player can be a little too Bright and lacking at the Bottom End.

It does Jazz, Pop, Dance & House superbly for it's price, but I think it's also the overall present setup which has contributed toward delivering a true punchy and non-fatiguing sound.

A truly good CD Player for it's price.

The Remote : I find it personally cute as it's not cluttered and fits in the palm of your hand without being stupidly chunky for no reason.

The Cosmetics : Much better than most budget CD Players. Some of which I'm sure may be as good or better but somehow are off-putting because they have poor asthetics. Being humans, most of would steer toward something that's a little more pleasing to the eye and not bother with what's not 'good looking'. Personal taste, but I'm sure it's all relative.

The Display : Personally, I feel this is what lets the unit down. There's nothing worse than trying to read a display that's too faint in a dark room. I'm actually gonna enquire if it may be upgraded somehow. Maybe that's wishful thinking but oh well, if ya don't ask, you don't find out.

Strengths:
1. An outrightly superb CD Player in it's class and price range.

2. Has Digital Coaxial output.

3. Has a Variable Volume Output.

Weaknesses:
1.That faint display.

Similar Products Used:
Denon, Sony, Pioneer.

Price Paid:  $300.00 from HFX Systems - Albert

Summary:
I bough this cd player when i decided to separate my home theatre and stereo systems. I got the player at a reduced price because they only had gold left, which does not bother me i believe in function over form. While waiting for my new speakers to arrive i had the player connected to my home theatre speakers B&W 603's, the sound was a vast improvement over my previous dvd player, soudstage was more open and detailed, much better than i had expected from a budget player.

When my new speakers arrived the cd player had been on repeat for a good few days to run it in. My B&W 704's finally arrived and i could set up my new sound room. bear with me here as i will go through the evolution of my system to try and explain the fantastic ability of this player.

Phase 1:

Marantz CD4000
Rotel RC 995 pre amp
2 X 250W Monoblock amps
Cable talk 4.1 bi-wire
Monster 500 interconnects from cd
Audioquest sidewinder to amp

Findings:

Good sound stage after many hours placing speakers, the 704's are ultra sensitive to placement and my room is not ideal so if you are purchasing a pair be prepared to spend time moving them around its well worth the effort, when you have them positioned correctly they just "dissapear", but i digress.

I found the female vocals ok, but basically the highs wern't high enough and the lows were just not there, i just did not feel like they artist was sitting right in front of me which is what i want.

Phase 2:

Marantz CD4000
Rotel RC 995 pre amp
2 X 250W Monoblock amps
Monster 500 interconnects from cd
Audioquest sidewinder to amp

monster 1.5 biwire cable terminated with monster lock system to replace cable talk.

Findings:

absolutely incredible the music was so real and balanced the high's were high but not sharp exactly what i was looking for.

Phase 3:

addition of Mark Levinson No.36 DAC using audioquest siler co ax cable for digital output.

findings:

astounding you could reach out and touch the singers it seems so life like.

The was tiding me by until i could find a mark levinson no.37, i auditioned quite a few other players but could not spend the extra while waiting for what i wanted.

I have since gotten a cd6000 ose on loan and the only real differences so far have been that the 6000 seems to reach just that little bit lower, granted it is better all round but at what price.

The cd4000 must be one of the best budget players around and even when partnered with high end equipment it does'nt become a weak link. In my opinion it does everything well, which is better some exceptional points and a lot of bad ones.

Strengths:
Great player, good open soudstage, can be a bit bright, but easily solved with the addition of a rug to the room. Clean balanced sound. Fantastic when partned with a DAC

Weaknesses:
Display not bright enough

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer, Cambridge audio

Price Paid:  $60.00

Summary:
I bought this second hand & cheap, as a backup because my NAD 541 cd-player has to be sent back to the manufacturer again. And I must say, it is pretty good, for its price, also for its new price. It has soundstage, clear & crisp sound and works well. Of course, compared to the NAD (when it's working), the high frequencies are too agessive, bass is somewhat wobbly and sound is too open ('digital') but it is way better than the old JVC I had, or the sony's from friends

Strengths:
price
soundstage
dynamics

Weaknesses:
too agressive
weak bass
ugly

Similar Products Used:
JVC, philips (old), sony, NAD

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Local Store

Summary:
What a great value for money. Crystal clear sound eminated from the moment the unit was switched on. Fade effect is great for DJ action. Dull gold colour, and simple, attractive design pairs great with my amp, a Denon AVC-A1D.

Strengths:
Simple to use. Great sounding unit, for a price that beats quite a few companies'.

Weaknesses:
Remote not too great, could've been better desinged.

Similar Products Used:
Range of Sony, and Denon.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I had initially picked up a Denon DCD 485.
What a waste.This was a complete waste even for an entry level player.Fortunately
the dealer exchanged it with a marantz cd4000.What a difference.The sound totally opened up.Incredible soundstage and definition.I heard that the nad c521 is a very good player but has some skipping but settled on the marantz. After69 hrs of break in, The marantz sounds like a dream.Very good for an entry level player

Strengths:
Incredible soundstage and seperation.

Weaknesses:
Display a little weak, but then this is a cdp and not a TV!

Similar Products Used:
Denon DCD485