A small but significant improvement keeps Marantz’s CD player class leading
You would needto go back over a decade and four model cycles to find a CD6000 model that looked notably different. Thankfully, the engineers responsible for the sound haven’t been taking things so easy.
For the latest in this CD player lineage, Marantz updated the DAC chip to an AKM 4490 (its predecessor the CD6006 used a Cirrus CS4398), allowing the CD6007 to process high-resolution files. Not through the CD disc drive, of course. You will need to use the front-panel USB socket to get the files into the player, as there are no other digital inputs here. You can play hi-res PCM music up to 24-bit/192kHz and DSD128. The last generation model could cope with 48kHz files at best and not DSD.
The 6007 boasts a quieter power supply than previous models and improved HDAM amplifier modules, helped along by a sprinkling of higher quality internal components. The headphone circuit shuts down when not in use, which reduces unnecessary power draw on the supply and removes the potential for additional noise.
Solid and slick
The CD6007’s build quality is as excellent as we have come to expect from Marantz’s players. It feels solid and operates with a slickness that belongs at a far higher price point. The disc mechanism on our sample is quiet and responsive, all the controls working with precision. We can’t think of a rival CD player that feels as polished in use.
The remote is a full system design and remains pretty much as before, though a few of the buttons do a slightly different job. It’s a nice handset, being easy to use and pleasant to hold.
Aside from the front panel USB, there are the usual single-ended RCAs for the analogue output alongside optical and coaxial for digital. Unusually, Marantz offers the option of turning the digital outputs off when they are not in use. This is worth doing because it brings a little extra clarity to the sound, but you will need a pretty transparent system to notice it. The same applies to switching the display off.
This Marantz offers a choice of two digital filter options for those who like to tweak further. Filter 1 has a slow roll-off and is claimed to offer a deeper stereo image, while Filter 2 has a sharper roll-off and is meant to produce a more direct and brighter presentation.
The sonic differences aren’t massive, but we have a preference for Filter 1. It just sounds more natural to our ears. But there is no right or wrong here and
