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Review 2 of 5
Price Paid:
$120.00
from Richer Sounds (UK - Summary:
There have been some frankly shocking reviews on this product that thankfully I didn't read before buying. If I had, I may not have considered the CD5400, which would have been a minor disaster, because I really like this CD player and think that it deserves better. I would suggest that anyone into so-called 'top-flight' hi-fi should go and spend £500, £1000 or even £10,000 on a CD player if that's what floats their boat. Lets not compare apples with oranges here.
I got the Marantz CD5400 to replace a similarly priced Technics SL-PG490 that I bought 7-odd years ago, after comparing against a couple of others, a Marantz included (CD63 or something like that). I believe that the CD5400 beats the Technics for clarity of sound. I also believe that the transport is LESS NOISY than the Technics. It also looks to be equally as well built and attractive (I have the black version - don't like gold much), but this is very much personal choice, of course. I preferred the look to ALL the Cambridge Audio players, which to my mind look like cheap Arcam impersonators nowadays.
The Marantz has a look that impresses and a sound to match. I have tried it with techno, acoustic guitar, rock, classical and ambient music. It sounds great with all of them. I think that it lifts any detail out very nicely and renders the sound in a lively manner where it exists. There don't appear to be any 'dull' spots in the frequency response, which seems pretty uniform to me and I have heard the odd thing, like Nick Drake putting his guitar down after a song that I hadn't noticed before. Also worth noting is the fact that a couple of CDs that refused to play in the Technics have worked in the CD5400.
I think that all in all it is a nice sounding player that doesn't require turning up loud in order to be sonically exciting. I had read elsewhere that high freqs were especially well featured but I would myself add that the bottom end is very tight and punchy and that I didn't notice anything lacking in the mid-range either.
Any musicians/DJs might be interested by the +/-12% pitch control. I mucked around with it a bit but am not convinced of it's usefulness. I've heard that if you want to jam along with a CD and you can't be bothered to retune your instrument or you prefer to sing in a different pitch range you can tune the CD to it instead(?)
This is one of the features that is only accessible via the remote control, which leaves the player itself uncluttered in that minimalist way that we all seem to love right now.
Often there is talk about CD players that don't sound very 'natural' and have an artificial or synthetic sound. I suspect that this is often due to inferior recording processes or even sound sources, during the production of the CD that have been uncovered by said machine. Listen to a variety of favourite CDs on the player and this will tell you more about it than any audio reviewer can. Take that same CD selection around and play it on every player you're considering buying. I would recommend the Marantz be included within that sample group if it's within your budget. Ideally, take all the players home, audition them through your amp and speakers and then take back all the players you don't like. Strengths:
Solid, good-looking unit.
Excellent value for money.
Sounds engaging, even at low volume. Weaknesses:
None that I can find or would be churlish enough to expect at this price. Similar Products Used:
Technics SL-PG490
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