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Marantz SA8004 is fundamentally musical

I hate posting about equipment because what sounds good one day - usually changes the next - Of the long list of cd players that i have owned (in this price range - $500 to $2500) - over the last 20 years and even the ones i have had modified - this player sounds more musically involving than most that i have owned.

one of the few players that i have had where all i do is listen to music - rather than how much resolution there is, or soundstaging or how it does voices and cymbals and woodwinds, - how it images, etc - it doesn't matter - this player involves me with the music being played.

the old cliche - "everthing sounds cut from the same cloth"
or "sounds like one piece" - applies hear in spades.

This is using the player over 1 month - not hunreds of hours

regards
128x128smargo

Showing 3 responses by mcpherson

mcpherson
174 posts
 
How about the DAC? Have any of the 8004 owner posting here used it for ipod playback? I will be looking for a cdp soon and the 8004 is on my short list.
mcpherson
174 posts
 
First i dont understand why mr tennis continues to post on threads that have nothing to do with him or his taste. What is the point of being negative all the time??
I like the Marantz sa8004.
I recently went from Focal 918/Sony 5400 combo to
Merlin TSM-MMM/Marantz sa8004

It sounds like night and day....better...for my taste. Much better balance. No fatigue. Vocals spot on.
mcpherson
174 posts
 
Milpai
As I stated I went from the Sony 5400/ Focal 918 Profile speakers...to the Marantz sa-8004 / Merlin TSM-MMM

It had really gotten to a point that I was only listening to a handful of cds. Those few cds sounded great. As for the rest which included most rock, anything LIVE, and basicly any recording that was not mellow in presentation...i had stopped listening to them.
The cd playback versus sacd on the Sony was very different. sacd was hyper-detailed...very impressive to show off but not exactly my cup of tea for extended listening. I found myself listening to sounds, not music.:)
With the Marantz there is less gap between cd/sacd IMO
The Marantz/Merlin combo for me is great. Very smooth and refined to my ears. Vocals are spot on. No brightness at all. This holds true to the recordings I could not tolerate with the Sony/Focal.
I have used the ipod playback and it is not bad. A little more digital sounding than cd but not a problem. I use it for extended background music... i love just hitting shuffle and let it roll. You can control ipod with marantz remote if need be.
I feel that the Marantz/Merlin combo is surely "MUSICAL" :)
Let me clarify that i have nothing against the sony5400 and i still would love to hear one Modded...but with the Focals it did not match well for me.

As a side note I asked Modwright about Modding the Marantz sa-8004 and he said in a round about way that if there were enough people interested in it...it could be a possibility.
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