I cannot speak for the Marantz, but the bottom few octaves were one of the major differences between the NAD 541i and the Rotel RCD-02 I auditioned when I bought a new player in late 2002. The NAD had thick, fat bass that lacked a bit of definition and tended to overpower the rest of the spectrum. While the RCD-02 has excellent bass extension and definition, IMHO, it is a bit polite in terms of output. Yet, when the recording calls for it, the bass dynamics on the RCD-02 seem pretty good to me. I bought the Rotel, but not because of its bass qualities (I felt it did other things better than the NAD). I like the RCD-02, but I agree that it is on the bright side of neutral.
Now, the equivalent models are the RCD-06 and the NAD 542, neither of which I have heard, so an audition is in order, if possible.