Price Paid:  $900.00 from store

Summary:
all i want to say about the marantz 18mk2,has a picture never seen it on other dvd with cheaper price,when i bought this dvd ,i bougt it for the sound quality,and i was never interest in my life about picture ,but now i know the difference and i am not in rush to buy a hdtv and spent 4000 dollars, even i prefer to play the cds on the marantz instead of the nad 540 .simply i love this machine is so quite when you load a dvd or a cd.

Strengths:
musical when you use the analogue output.you will hear sounds that it was never possible with other machines

Weaknesses:
not yet.

Price Paid:  $900.00 from store

Summary:
all i want to say about the marantz 18mk2,has a picture never seen it on other dvd with cheaper price,when i bought this dvd ,i bougt it for the sound quality,and i was never interest in my life about picture ,but now i know the difference and i am not in rush to buy a hdtv and spent 4000 dollars, even i prefer to play the cds on the marantz instead of the nad 540 .simply i love this machine is so quite when you load a dvd or a cd.

Strengths:
musical when you use the analogue output.you will hear sounds that it was never possible with other machines

Weaknesses:
not yet.

Price Paid:  $425.00 from ebay

Summary:
The Marantz dvd-18 mk2 is a outstanding dvd player, top notch in every respect the picture quality is outstanding it is a sharper and more detailed then a prgressive scan dvd player i demoed [ marantz dv 7100] and the sound quality is again outstanding , compared to my last dvd [MARANTZ DVD 930 ] THE PICTURE IS EXCELLENT, SHARPER AND BRIGHTER WITH EXCELLENT COLOR , AUDIO IS SIMPLY ECELLENT AS WELL , PLEANTY OF DETAIL AND GREAT DYNAMICS ALL THE WHIEL GIVING A WARM DEEP SOUND . my system was taken to the next level with the Marantz dvd-18 mk2. all though i must say that the dvd 930 was a very good piece also no complaints i retierd it to my den were i have a secound system, but the dvd 18 mk2 is just superb in my opinion. my system includes the following MARANTZ AV-9000 MARANTZ CD-17 MARANTZ DVD-18 MK2 BRYSTON 4B-ST [REARS ] 2 CHANNEL BRYSTON 6B-ST [MAINS AND CENTER] 3 CHANNEL XLO REFERENCE 2 INTERCONECTS [ALL AROUND] XLO ULTRA SPEAKER CABLES [MAINS AND CENTER]

Strengths:
beautiful picture and sound quality lots of detail, dont have to turn volume up as much now.

Weaknesses:
remote [ no lighting ]

Similar Products Used:
Marantz dvd 930 marantz dvd 810

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Secher Audio

Summary:
This review is for the mkII model. The DV-18 mkII so far has exceeded all my expectations. The picture quality is great with all colors being very natural and there are no signs of discolor or bleeding in the reds and oranges on NTSC films as I had seen in other players. Picture detail is sharp especially with PAL. The only drawback is it brings out ALL the faults on DVD video transfers and other picture defects etc. The sound quality is near perfect with loads of detail and warmth. As far as CD playback is concerned (for a DVD player) the sound is brilliant with all frequency ranges being very controlled and especially with acoustic instruments the sound is quite detailed. I am not a hifi expert but compared to all previous forms of cd playback I've had the DV-18 just blows them away. I havn't had any of the quality control problems other reviewers have had, the unit overall is faultless. If anyone is looking for the DV-18 mkII here in Australia, it's currently on runout at the moment and you should be able to pick one up for around $2000AUD or under. An absolute bargain. My setup: Onkyo: TX-DS989 AV Reciever Mission: 781 - Mains 78c - Centre 78ds - Surround L/R 771e - Back L/R All wired up using various Audioquest cable.

Strengths:
Picture quality, ease of use. This is one of the most user friendly players I've had. CD playback, build and Video off function.

Weaknesses:
None, the unit is faultess!

Similar Products Used:
Sony, Denon, Toshiba and RCA.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I am surprised to here so many of us have had some kind of problem with this unit. I returned my first unit when it began to fail to read DVDs about 6 months after I bought it. The second unit I got has been flawless. And I have had it for over 2 years now. I love this unit. I run it with the Marantz SR-18, B&W Nautilus 805s and B&W HTM2 center. Both DVD and CD quality are outstanding. The only thing I''ve noticed is that the CD playback, like many expensive CD players, is so accurate it can sometimes feel like it''s lacking musical warmth. My solution to this was to use the SR-18''s less expensive (yet very nice) preamp to do the digital-to-analog conversion. The SR-18 creates a more fun/warm sound and, like the DV-18, stays true to a flat signal across the entire frequency spectrum. If you want to know what I mean by musical warmth listen to a classic Marantz reciever(1970s) or new McIntosh equipment. Clean and very musical. BTW, McIntosh equipment would be my first choice, but who can afford that stuff?

Strengths:
Outstanding unit. Flawless reproduction of both audio and video. Worth its price. I would definitely buy it again.

Weaknesses:
My first unit ended up failing. The remote shuttle/jog is a bit annoying. No warmth in an otherwise very clean cd preamp.