Price Paid:  $100.00 from Richer Sounds

Summary:
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

Strengths:
Great combination of sound,build and value for money.

Weaknesses:
Would benefit from a better DAC

Similar Products Used:
Ariston CDX700
Pioneer PDR609

Price Paid:  $80.00 from eBay

Summary:
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.

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

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

Similar Products Used:
Many. NAD, Rotel, Sony, Philips...

Price Paid:  $200.00 from local dealer

Summary:
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.

Strengths:
brand name, looks, sound, display

Weaknesses:
none so far

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Alsound

Summary:
This was the first real CD player I ever owned. Previous to the Marantz I used a Sony 5 disc carousel but quickly traded it in search of better sound. Marantz introduced the CD-48 in 1996 so the design is over 4 years old and has since been revamped by the new millenium series.

Even now there aren't many players that match this one for features. Coaxial digitial output, fader, cassette dubbing, instant track access on the fascia, remote controlled volume plus a headphone socket with its own volume control as well). The player itself is pretty well built but the transport (sourced from parent company Philips) could slide a little more smoothly.

The sound is typically Marantz. It's not about hifi - it's about music. Treble is sweet and lush but not to the point of being syrupy, midrange smooth and coherent and bass is well defined with no muddiness or thumping of other rivals in the same price bracket. These qualities make the player very versatile. It'll sound good with well recorded mainstream pop, makes a good fist of jazz/classical and dance tracks have a nice groove to them. Its only with ballsey raw rock / heavy metal that the Marantz fails, sounding too smooth and laidback.

5 stars for value, 4 for sound

Strengths:
very well equiped, marantz pedigree, warm smooth sound, works well with a lot of entry level amps and speakers

Weaknesses:
buffs the edge of rock tracks, bass could go lower

Similar Products Used:
sony, yamaha, pioneer, technics etc etc

Price Paid:  $250.00 from A&B Sound

Summary:
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.

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

Weaknesses:
Plastic cd tray

Similar Products Used:
Sony cd player