great looks.great H/T sound

CD sound & won't read some audio CD's

I purchased this player so I could incorperate a quality DVD & CD player, after reseaching on this site & elsewhere I thought this would be the answer.It replaced a CEC 5100 Transport & Aragon d2a mk11,the DV18 is not in the same class but would suit some one used to a $350us CD player it also won't read 1 or 2 of my favorate CDs although I am told the Marantz importers service Dept can rectify the problem (I will see) apart from the above comments this is a great sounding player on movies & I would buy the DV18 again

Similar Products Used:

toshiba 1200

Picture, CD playback

Flimsy tray

Originally I had the DV18 for a few months, then traded it back in for the DV18 mkII. With the mkII, they replaced that hidious remote with a nice clean one. Also, the transport will now read CD-RW. Other than that, it's pretty much the same as the original.

This player along with my Marantz 54" rear projection is spectacular. I havn't seen anything better at this price. It makes for a decent CD player as well (it will do for now until that Linn piece). You can't beat the price for a great audio and video player. I didn't give it the full 5 since they kept the weak tray.

Marantz AV9000
Linn 5105s (active), Marantz MA700s
Linn 5140s and 5120 (all active), Tukans, Mirage sub
Tara Labs Prime wire
Tara Labs Reference interconnects

Similar Products Used:

Marantz DVD810

Great CD sound; sexy front panel design

Flimsy Tray; Awkward remote control

This unit replaced a 1-year old CD17mkII because I wanted to play both movies and CDs and didn't have room for a second player. The CD17 was really good but I was willing to accept some compromises in sound for utility. Besides I still had the dealer trade-in option. Guess what? To my surprise the DV18 bettered the CD17 in most respects - it has a more natural tonal balance (the CD17 was slightly lean in the mids), a tad more detail and low level information, and more relaxed and less mechanical sounding. I can't be sure of this, but I think the CD17's bass is a bit more solid. Otherwise, the DV18 exceeded my expectations in every respect and was enough better than the under $1K competition to justify the added cost. I do find the the remote control inadequate for playing CDs (e.g. can't go forward or backwards within a track). The firmware upgrade is legitimate. Marantz-America tells me it's only needed if your machine has problems playing movies that have embedded DVD ROM data (i.e. The Matrix).

Similar Products Used:

Marantz CD17mkII

Playback of CD's, picture quality, looks, DVD playback, remote.

No balanced out, single tray.

I'll begin by saying this is the NEW model from Marantz, the DV-18MKII. It seems every time they fix a glitch they call it MKII (improving the RC-2000 a few years ago as well). My last player was a Toshiba 6200, it was my third Toshiba as I continued to upgrade when the new models came out and the 6200 was great...for movies. I am a firm believer that a person should only need 1 laser source for both video and audio. This is what I wanted this time.
I was told (by the rep who sold me the 6200) that I'd 'want' the new Denon 2800 when it came out, so I'd been waiting. The release date kept getting pushed back, so in a fit of impatience I bought this baby. No mistakes made here.
This player is fantastic. It plays DVD so seamlessly and perfectly it compares with the Arcam DV-88 I test drove. It doesn't have preogressive scan, but plays movies as clearly as my 6200 that did have it. Music CD playback is amazing as well. Clarity, depth, (it also plays CD-R's) I've never had a problem with ANY kind of disk. The remote is new as well and a pleasure to use. I think I've found my laser source, now if only it had a balanced out to plug into my Anthem AVM2.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 3109, 6200

Build quality and Warranty; Dual-use value

Remote is large and can be confusing

I use this player primarily for DVD playback, but must also say that as a CD Player, it compares favorably to my Cal Audio Labs Icon MK.3 HDCD. Soundstaging and low level details are not as refined, but it reproduces well recorded CDs with fine clarity and detail. If you are looking for a player with excellent picture resolution, good simulated surround sound (for use with 2 Stereo speakers), Video Component outputs, Gold-plated ins/outs, from a manufacturer with a reputation for excellence, this may be the unit. If you currently own an inexpensive or mid-priced CD player and wish to upgrade, this player might satisfy both DVD and CD needs. Note:I have not had a problem with the "flimsy" tray. Strong 4 Stars!
Equipment:
Panasonic 32" SDTV Digital Television
Tara RSC Video (Comp. Video), Audioquest Quartz audio cables
Mitsubishi VCR player, Audioquest Ruby, Video 2 cables
Audible Illusions Modulas 3A
Aragon 8008ST
Cal Audio Labs Icon HDCD
VPI Jr. W/Audioquest arm, Audioquest Emerald cables
Vans Evers Power Conditioner
PSB Stratus Golds w/Audioquest Midnight cables
Audioquest Emerald, Tara Labs RSC Prime cables
Transparent Powerlink Super power cords

Similar Products Used:

Sony,Toshiba, Pioneer Elite

Awesome Video and Audio; built quality; 3 year warranty
NTSC-Pal

Wider than standard components

One of the best DVD players without progressive scan video. Picture is amazing, and could be adjusted if necessary. Easy to make it region code free just using remote control. Plays true Pal signal, good combination with region code hack.
Audio reproduction is extremely dynamic during movies. CD playback is so good, so even Marantz admitted when CD17MKII($1000MSRP) was discontinued.
Expensive, but for the combination of video and audio impovements over similar priced players the price is fair.

Preamp: Marantz
Power: Harman/Kardon
Speakers: Mirage OM10 & Tannoy M3
Interconnects:
Transparent Music Link Plus,
Audioquest Digital Pro
Speaker Cables: AQ Forest

Similar Products Used:

Marantz DV3100, Sony 7700, 7000.
Toshiba products

Video and audio quality.

None for the price.

This unit was purchased simply because of its sound and video quality. But more importantly, the video quality. The remote control is fine, the disc draw size or build is fine.
Also, the access time and spin up time is OK (I've seen slower). I have had no problems with skipping on CD's. The lip sync on this unit is far superior to some Pioneer DVD players (which make some titles look like badly dubbed foreign films).

So if you are buying a DVD player, this would be a first choice. If you don't need all the features then go for the high end Toshiba range (SD 9000 or SD 9100).

This unit also outputs full PAL 625 lines so it can be used with older sets that don't have provision for NTSC. The other brands and models that I have come across so far don't do this. They just modify the chroma frequency so on some sets you would get the reduced hight.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DVL 909, DVL 919, DV 717, Toshiba SD 9000.

Audio playback quality, Video quality, Ease of use

Lack of progressive scan

For audio playback, this DVD player is phenomenal(MKII). Incredible details are revealed. Almost the same level as the Marantz CD 17 Mk II. The break-in time is atleast 2 weeks. This player will reveal the weaknesses of the receiver and the cables, if they are not up to the mark.
For audio, this player is miles ahead of Pioneer DV-37

For video playback, this player is extremely good.Colors are dark and vibrant. It does not possess progressive scan capabilities. In this aspect the Pioneer DV-37 is marginallly better.

The player is easy to use and setup. This is THE ideal player in the <1000 $ range for people who don not want a separate CD and DVD player.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite DV-37

To follow up, I agree with Dave's last review. There does seem to be a small percentage of cds that skip....talk about frustrating. However there is the point of this is a dvd player, not a cd player. I'm being a bit hipocritical, I do use this player as a cd players and drewl at the quality of sound it puts out...its wonderful!!!! But its a dvd player and I think most audiophilies would agree with me if you want a high end cd player Wadia or a similar brand is the way to go (or SACD), but dvd players are dvd players. Again I am a hipocrit here, its sounds great as a cd player, but exhibits some problems with cds. Maybe Marantz did try to do too much in one unit. Personally I can live without CDR playback. This is still an incredible sounding/looking (video quality) unit....when it works:)

High end at a reasonable cost.

tray is slightly flimsy

This and all the new Marantz dvd models for this year are extremely better than the previous. I strongly suggest this dvd player to anyone, especially if you play cd's!!

Similar Products Used:

Marantz dvd930