Imaging, depth, very enjoyable and exciting listen

Expensive at original £500 price, Cosmetically identical to cheaper players

I upgraded to the KI from a basic 67 MK2, and after trading my old player against the new, had to pay just £200 difference. What an improvement it made - I had no idea just how much information I was missing out on before. I now run it through a Cyrus Straight Line amp, via the QED Silver Spiral interconnect, to KEF Q35 speakers, through biwired runs of QED Silver speaker cable. It sings! The sound is very direct but not fatiguing as the mainstream press have made it out to be in comparison with, say, an Arcam. This player has made me go back through my music collection - it's like buying new CD's all over again! If you can pick one up cheap then do so; Marantz are discontinuing this model. It's a future classic.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz CD 67MK2

DEEP BASS, IMAGE, CLEAR SOUND

NOTHING

A GREAT CD PLAYER FOR JAZZ AND ACOUSTIC MUSIC.

Similar Products Used:

NOTHING

soundstage, musical

coloured, treble harshness unpleasant, lack of dynamics

Has been overhyped in media reviews. You can now buy significantly better for same price or less. eg Sony XE930E, Rotel 971, Arcam alpha 7SE

Fantastic, reproduction of sound. It excells with classical music, and jazz.

detail

boreing to lisen to, bright and over hyped

I bought this CD player on the recommation of an audio shop in London and rav
Reviews in a number of magazines before I bought this CD player I was much
More into vinyl but as recorlds were getting scarce I bought this CD player
Not to compare to my front end but to start colletinging CDs
The ki63 was used on a pioneer A400 amp and a pair of castles Chester speakers
I put up with this for a bout 3 years it was shocking bright bright and very bright
After listing to any cd I would have a headache within 5 minutes.
I no the main problem was the a400 but this was working very well with the
Rest of my system, which was a PINK TRIANGLE PT00 turntable
SME 309 ARM, AUDIO TECHNICA 0C9, MICHELL ISO & HERA POWER SUPPLY going into the A400 amp with the CASTLE CHESTERS
I then explained this to the idiot I but the crap from and he gave a
Different cable to try guess what no difference then he said my amp was
The problem strange how he told me this after I bought this junk.
So I just put up with this for a few months then decided to by a new amp
In the end I bought a AUDIOLAB 8000s & 8000p which made the
63ki sound a lot better but not my front end so I had a CD player that I could
Now listen to for more than five minutes but hated the sound on the front
End time went by and I ended putting back the A400 for my front end
And forgetting about CDs after a number of years I decided to try a xdac
xcans, cables etc with the A400 & 63ki NO difference I then tried a
Arcam 7 CD player this improved on detail but was still bright
Then a chap advised me to try a Cambridge D500 CD player I looked
At this thing and thought this guy was taking the Piss so I took this CD player
Home I could not believe it this CD player is one of the best I heard
Regardless of price detail, warm, lush most of all it doesn’t sound cdish
So after bad advice and a lot of wasted money I am happy.

Superb vocal rendition, very lifelike presentation, strong bass

Bass is not tight enough. Fussy about partnering components

I have tried many CD players but in the end, I always go back to my faithful CD63KI. I believe this is the best CDplayers tweaked by Ken Ishiwata. Tried the newer 6000Ki, CD17Ki, both can't come close to the extremely lifelike portrayal of the vocals and great sense of atmospheric details. The CD17 ki sounded too smooth and unexciting and the CD6000Ki lacks the attack that makes some music sound out of place.

Proper system matching is especially crucial to make the most out of this excellent players. Do not use this player with bright amp or metal cone speakers. Use it within its limit, you will be rewarded with some of the most seductive sound ever reproduced!

The tracking problem encountered by many reviewers below is attributed to the unreliable Tranport Mechanism Philips CDM12.1/12.3. This is no fault of Marantz as many players of other brands that used the same transport mechanism are also facing the same problem!

However, my unit is still working fine after 2 years of operation everyday and I believe it will continue to serve me many years more.

Similar Products Used:

Denon S10, Roksan Caspian, Sony CDX3000, Sony XA20es, Sony 555es, Pioneer S737, Micromega Stage 3, Audiolab 8000CD, Marantz CD17ki, Marantz CD16D, CD6000Ki

BASS. TREBLE. QUALITY, LOOKS, SOUND, SPEED, FUNCTIONS

IT DOESNT MAKE COFFEE

AMAZING SOUND AMAZING PLAYER AMAZING LOOKS!!!!!!!!!!

Marantz CD 63mkII K.I. Signiture
This is the last and most heavily tweaked version of the CD63 line introduced by Marantz in late 1996. Enough has already been said about this CD player in the audio press and on the internet, so I won't bore you with its technical details.

What I will say is that at the new 20% discounted price which Marantz is now offering this CD player(1998), all its shortcomings can be forgiven as it is probably the most rewarding CD player in its new price class.

As for the sound, the lush and overly warm bass which so many complained about actually never bothered me as it gave the sound an anologue feel to it. In the end it's all a matter of personal taste. The midbass, however does not suffer the same treatment. It hits hard, fast and tight!! As for the rest of the sound spectrum, the soundstaging and the level of detail, there really isn't much to complain about at this new price level. It perfomed superbly above the majority of CD players even at its old price!!

To sum it up, the CD 63 KI-Signiture is an excellent mid-fi CD player endowed with hints of hi-end abilities. Therefore, don't skimp on the other components. Use reasonably priced mid-fi gear or lavish it with some intro grade hi-end gear even! Only then will this CD player show its pedigree. Partner it with lesser capable goods and it will sound muddy and overbearing.

Finally, if your taste in music veers towards techno, rave, heavy metal, etc. look elsewhere! Your money will be wasted here. This player works better with acoustics, instrumental, jazz and vocal recordings. It will also do well with classical and rock too, but some might find the sound too refined. But whatever your choice of music, make sure you try this CD player out if you are in the market for a mid-fi CD player. It is now a BARGAIN!

P.S
I do have *one* little grouch though. The CD player had a transport/laser mechanism breakdown 9 month into my purchase. Although the not-so-prompt repair, was complete, a piece of audio equipment at this price level shouldn't have such problems so early!! That's the only reason why I'm giving it only 4 stars!!

When you play this CD player, make sure you have the highest quality components. Use tube amps, and great inputs to create the richness that could only be hinted at in lesser equipment. Try a Jadis DEFY 7 plus the Conrad Johnson 12PV pre-amp to make this play to the highest sensuality. Previous experience using solid state equipment, Krells, made this sound out of whack until we obtained our tubes.So give this 5 stars for the tubes-only rating.

The Marantx Cd-63II KI-Signature is a very fine mid-price cd player. It has a slightly rich tonal balance, but can still reproduce a variety of deep tonal colours. It has excellent soundstaging, with outstanding resolution powers - especially in the bass. Dynamcis and impact are also very good.
It needs to be used with clear, slightly lean, dynamic equipment (eg Naim Nait3 amplifier + Chord Rumor cable works very well) to be heard at its best. It then exhibits some real analogue-like touches of magic about it, that other similarly priced players can only dream about it. Enjoy.