Has big up as well as downs. The question will be this: Do you like listening to bass? Answer yes = try a different player. no or don''''t care = try this. Marantz CD5000 has beautiful, fine, light-weighted, sophisticated sound. Lack of bass and a little brightness caused by it would hurt people like me, though. One funny thing to notice: this player has better sound (at least as of balance over frequencies) on its headphones socket. If you''''re a heavy headphones user, you don''''t even need an amp. CD5000 has got an extra analog volume control to the standard digital volume control. I''''ve wrote a very, very long review before but an error occured. Well, I guess this gives you enough of my opinion. Good luck.

Lack of grain and stridency

broad midrange dip

This is truely the most amazing HIFI bargain I've come across in over a decade. True near hi-end performance for
the price of an entry-level interconnect!
The aspect that astonished me was how many things this does right. So much so for the expenditure, I had to slap myself to insure I wasn't in the twilight zone! Liquid, dynamic
ppp to FFF, linear, quiet, extended, detailed, sparkling, rich chocolate timbers, intense harmonics. The only real letdown, and this is somewhat mood variant - is a slight to moderate "clockiness". This is not a jitter issue, since the top octave is not gritty or blurred, must be a transport issue- but i'll leave that determination to the equipment designers (as well should you). With the above caveat, I cannot recommend this be used as a bargain transport. I would leave that to the RCA/PANASONIC 5210P.
The dac stage is great enough whereas you can use it as is. The quality headphone amp is a suprise (again) bonus
and sound spectacular w/ the $99.00 Grado.
The only other character flaw - and this may be a blessing to many - is a designer midrange dip or loudness contour.
I say designer because it sounds intentional. I could correct this w/ an interconnect with the opposite bias.
(forget transparent 100 cables - to much of a good thing in this application). Just a last note on build quality. HIGH.
This machine so greatly exceeds expectation for this price point ($229.00 at HIFI.com) it's like fantasy island for the HIFI enthusiast on a budget! good listening. -K.a.s.

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Rotel, Pioneer pd102 (circ 1995 defunct)

excellent build, musical clarity,aesthetically pleasing, great sound overall

it would be daft to complain at the price

i fancied an upgrade on my technics "old faithful" so after taking into account sound , price, & quality of build of other players i settled for a trial of the "5000" immediately i was attracted to the warm lush sound, and the excellent bass, mid, and treble handling capabilities, i also thought the cd data readout was a nice touch. play the best of George Michael, and the player handles Georges super smooth production with ease, however throw on R.E.M.-"AUTOMATIC" and the instruments of the band and of course Stipes vocals are sharp and well defined, oh by the way it can rock try NEVER MIND THE ******** by the Sex Pistols and thelikes of anarchy,pretty vacant, & god save the queen sound just as good as fresh as they did when you first heard it 23 years ago!i for one rate this player.

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technics slpg90

Excellent Sound- Warm and Musical

None for what it costs / How it sounds

The sound is warm, musical and full of detail. One of the things I like best is that the player never sounds harsh or cold "digital". I am sure you could spend (alot) more money and get a better sounding player but, at the $250-$300 price point (paid $199 for a demo unit), the CD-5000 is hard to beat.

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Sony, Technics, Denon, Yamaha

Classical Music
headphone jack has volume control, lots of power

Rap, bass is not as good as other areas.

First off, I don't see this player with so much as a lack of bass, it's just a little muddy. Still, if you compare it to many other $200 CD players, which I did, it puts them to shame on any frequency. Sure, you can get better but I haven't seen anything near the Marantz for this price.
The display is highly visible yet not bright. The transport does look a little flimsy, but I could care less as long as it sounds great. The remote is simple and does everything you want, even controls the volume.
When I put it with my Sennheiser 590 heaphones and listen to Beethoven's 9th, it puts shivers down my spine. That's my test of quality. I also hooked it up to a friend's B&W Nautilus speakers ($8,000) and it delivered a very warm sound accross the board, sounding better than his own $600 CD player.

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Denon 370

clean sound, low price

a bit bright sometimes

Got this for about 260 at a local hifi shop. didnt have alot of cash so i had to aim low. it was between the cd500 and the nad 520 and i chose the marantz for the better looking build quality. The Cd5000 is a tremendous bargain. it features excellent imaging, clarity and range. It is surprisingly detailed, but bit bright sometimes, and occasionally sounds a bit too digital, but these things are not an issue when you consider the price. The build quality is excellent and has alot of cool features like coax and optical out and cd-r reading ability. the remote is also a nice touch when im being super lazy on the sofa.

Overall i recommend this player. it is a great deal for music fans on a budget. while i would rather have something more spacious like a rega planet, there are few cdplayers under 300$ worth buying.

Value and technical abilities.

None

I prchased this player for $220. I feel that it images excellent. It reproduces high, mid, and low frequencies in a very detailed and acurate manner. It also ha a solid, and well constructed appearance. It is very remeninescent of the great Vector Research components of the late 70's and early 80's. Produces warm and deep sounds. I purchased it from a small audio company in Litchfield, CT. called Approved Audio Service. They were competitive in price and more knowledgable about this product than the large trade stores.

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Nakimichi

Smooth operating transport.

Not the best display.

Purchased the Marantz CD5000 about a month ago from hifi.com.It replaced a Sony X202ES CD player that I had for about eight years.Both where used as a transport.The Marantz CD5000 seems to image better than the Sony,but they sound quite a bit alike.The reason for the switch was that the Sony had started to mistrack a few months ago.The Marantz as the Sony has a smooth operating transport,but the Sony had a much better display.I can't say how either one sounds as a CD player because both where used only as a transport.But as a transport the Marantz is a great buy.

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Sony X202ES

Price, 3 year warranty, many options, excellent sound for price, DEPTH DEPTH DEPTH and Clarity.

I recently replaced my old faithful sony carousel changer with the Marantz CD 5000. It was the last thing I upgraded in my stereo and it obviously should have been the first. It is very important to start out with a good source. Only after adding a new source was I able to fully appreciate my amplifier and speakers.

I have a Carver HR-732 integrated amplifier and Infinity Qe
emit bookshelf speakers.

The difference in sound was immediately evident. I can hear sounds on CD's that I didn't know were there, and instruments that were mixed together are now distinguishable due to added depth. On some Cd's that I have, I did not even know that there was reverb added on to the singer's voice. I can distinguish the difference in recording quality. Cymbals and guitars also sound much more realistic, bass is tighter and more extended (I never knew that those little 6" woofers could produce such tight, deep bass), and finally piano music sounds... well, more like a piano should sound. So, for $239 it was a great deal and really improved my system. If you want to put together a nice sounding cheap system, definitely go for this CD player, I would guess that if you wanted a substantial sound difference over the CD5000, you would have to go with the AH Tjoeb at ~ $600. Oh, and the warranty is 3 years.
So, I give it 5 stars all around. I suppose if I were to go and listen to a $1500 cd player, I'd have some weaknesses to list for the CD5000, but I haven't heard a better player, so I must say that this is the best value under $500. If you are looking for a dealer in the DC, VA area, try Gifted Listener Audio, they gave me a pretty good deal.

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Your run of the mill cd changers

I just purchased the CD 5000 from my local dealer to use as a CD transport linked to a Monarchy DIP jitter filter and an X-DAC DAC. It looks nice, solid build, quick track access and an edit function for making copies.It also has both co-ax and optical digital outputs. I was using a Marantz DVD 810 as a transport. The CD 5000 sounds better, with more detail and warmth.For the price (I paid 229, it lists for 279) it's a good buy, especially in light of Marantz's 3 year warranty.