Marantz CD6005 upgrade

[WhatTheTech]

Hi guys

i'm in the market for a new disc spinner, i know right who even buys cds in 2018
Anyways my current player is now skipping 90% of my cd collection, even brand new discs.

Regards my budget i would say £700 - £1200 would be my max.
I currently use my Ruark R4 for
DAB /Internet radio so i'm not looking at streamers.
Just the best bang for my bucks on sonic performance for my 20 year cd collection

My current amplifier is the PM8005 which i would describe as neutral maybe slightly leaning towards a warmer sound.

My speakers are what you would call budget speakers" Kef Q150s "
The performance ratio from the 150s give me about 85%
of the LS50's, overall a nice
well balanced sound.

What i want to achieve on my upgrade is for my new cd player to be smoother and richer tone
to my CD6005.
I do like width and space to the sound stage,the top end must be well balanced and the bottom end to be tight!

So my question would be how would you describe house sounds of different brands that would suit my needs.

I would describe my CD6005 as musical, has strong dynamics with good detail, that can be a bit meaty for my tastes.

Once i get a shortlist of cd-players i can go to different dealers to test them out with my amp & speakers!

Cheers

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Hi guys

i'm in the market for a new disc spinner, i know right who even buys cds in 2018 Anyways my current player is now skipping 90% of my cd collection, even brand new discs.

Regards my budget i would say £700 - £1200 would be my max. I currently use my Ruark R4 for DAB /Internet radio so i'm not looking at streamers. Just the best bang for my bucks on sonic performance for my 20 year cd collection

My current amplifier is the PM8005 which i would describe as neutral maybe slightly leaning towards a warmer sound.

My speakers are what you would call budget speakers" Kef Q150s " The performance ratio from the 150s give me about 85% of the LS50's, overall a nice well balanced sound.

What i want to achieve on my upgrade is for my new cd player to be smoother and richer tone to my CD6005. I do like width and space to the sound stage,the top end must be well balanced and the bottom end to be tight!

So my question would be how would you describe house sounds of different brands that would suit my needs.

I would describe my CD6005 as musical, has strong dynamics with good detail, that can be a bit meaty for my tastes.

Once i get a shortlist of cd-players i can go to different dealers to test them out with my amp & speakers!

Cheers

I still buy CDs so your safe

my obvious choice would be the matching CD player that goes with the Marantz PM8005 which is the Marantz CD8005 which actually sounds better then the Marantz CD6005

I’ve owned the Marantz PM8005 And Marantz CD8005 and the Marantz CD6005 and it’s matching amplifier so I no there is a difference between them both it’s worth a look at the Marantz CD8005 because you could probably buy one cheaper now Marantz has brought out a replacement for the Marantz PM8005 which is now PM8006 and CD8006 .

 

[WhatTheTech]

That's great feedback cheers. Since you owned both players can i pick your brain for a moment.
Could you describe the difference in performance between the 8005 and 6005?

I find my CD6005 can struggle with composure at higher volumes

 

[Blacksabbath25]

That's great feedback cheers. Since you owned both players can i pick your brain for a moment. Could you describe the difference in performance between the 8005 and 6005?

I find my CD6005 can struggle with composure at higher volumes

would you say the sound gets hardened at high volume ?

its been awhile since I’ve owned the Marantz CD8005 but build is a lot better I would say but it comes down to a wide range of things like your speakers plays apart and amplifier in the overall sound your getting and the Dac inside the CD player it’s self .

i felt at the time which is more down to the speakers and the amplifier that the sound sounded deep in the bass and quiet detailed with a good sound stage it depends in what you expect from your current setup .

 

[Blacksabbath25]

It ain't the cd player that struggles at higher volumes...that would be a amp or speaker issue.

Marantz PM8005 Mark it’s a pretty good amplifier and obviously it depends on how loud you have it but if I was honest I would be looking at speakers

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

It ain't the cd player that struggles at higher volumes...that would be a amp or speaker issue.....that's why we set out on the upgrade path....budget amps and speakers do struggle when it comes to playing music at higher volumes... dynamic shifts in music really stresses amps and speakers with the end result in lesser kit being distortion in the highs and boomy uncontrolled bass.....a mixed up muddled up sound.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Ahhh my apologies...I thought he had the matching amp to cd player....yes the pm 8005 is a class above....so I'd be looking at splitting the budget between speakers and a player then....I'd go used myself....I wouldn't spend the cash on a new cd player these days...lots and lots of fantastic used kit on the bay.

 

[WhatTheTech]

Thanks for the response guys.

I don't listen to my music at loud volumes as you don't need to dial the amp volume up much
I did set up my Ruark to my speakers and amp just to compare to my CD6005,
I did feel like my Ruark was better at higher volumes to cd6005. Overall the Cd6005 does have a fuller sound to my Ruark.

I do understand that my speakers are probably not good enough for my amplifier.
These 150s are a short term fix to be honest, upgrading my source is the priority first, i will change my speakers in a year or so down the line!

 

[Blacksabbath25]

I would say your Marantz PM8005 should be giving you a fuller sound and not totally sure that changing the CD player will change things for you I would try a different speaker

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Here you go https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F253442369416

Very good player that originally rrp at just over 1k....brilliant build.excellent sound....it's speed and attack should offset the warmness of the marantz amp and give you a finely balanced sound.oh and I own one also.lol.

 

[WhatTheTech]

Yes i would certainly like to achieve getting the balance right, as the Marantz combo plus the speakers do give me to much of an overall warm sound.

Nice piece of kit that Naim gear, i don't believe this particular model has digital outs?
Ideally i would like to get a Cd player with digital outs as my amplifier is only analogue.
Thid way that keeps me right for the future. How would you describe the naim sonic signature

Regards my speakers, i will certainly look to change them when i can, unfortunately i only bought them recently, i got a nice deal on them over Christmas.
I have to change my player first due to cds skipping, plus my optical connection is faulty as well.

I read your thread on your Amplifier. I hope you get your new Yamaha sorted asap, what a beautiful looking amplifier!

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

The naim sound signature is legendary WTT....it's all about PRAT...pace,rhythm and timing....it's about listening to music as a whole and how it all binds together.....it's very much the opposite of analytical and separation of instruments.....but not at the expense of detail retrieval....and yes the cd5i mkii doesn't have optical out...for that luxury you'd have to move up to the cd5xs....probably all the player you'd ever need...but it's around £1100 -£1300 used.....it really is probably the time to think about doing away with a cd player completely and moving on to streaming locally from your pc or nas...it does totally cut out the transport mechanism and failures will be less likely not to mention the unwanted noise etc that cd transports can introduce to the chain....that budget you have could set you well on the way....but I can understand that some people just want to keep playing their cd's...

 

[bigfish786]

If you are interested in buying used, don’t forget to keep an eye out for the SA-KI Pearl lite CD player too.

they do appear every now and then. That’s what I’d be looking for.

 

[rainsoothe]

Hi. With that budget I would also seriously consider a Chord Qutest Dac and a cheap transport (Sony Blu-ray player with digital out, or something like that)

This has the added benefit of also upgrading any digital source you are/will be using.

 

[WhatTheTech]

Thanks for the response guys

I would certainly be interested in any of the Naim gear with digital outs, but sadly my budget is lacking in that department.

I wouldn't feel comfortable about buying a top cd player second hand to be honest with you.
No guarantees on long-term use. I'm looking at a long term cd player that are well built and with give me sonic gains over my current player.

Yes i would certainly be open to a standalone dac.
How would you describe the Chord sonic signature.

Also what other dacs would be a leap up in performance to my CD6005. Thanks

 

[Muddywaterstones]

Not sure if its on the market yet but the new Marantz NA800? is a pretty potent streamer, Dac, Cd player all rolled into one box.

Otherwise I'd be looking at Dac and just hook up a cheap cd player.

 

[newlash09]

Comes in your budget. A Swiss army knife with ripping, on board storage and streaming smarts.

Has an onboard dac to connect directly to the PM8005. Also has digital out to add an external DAC later. Comes with app control for smartphones, tablets and PC's. Has MQA decoding too if you care to use tidal. Sounds really good.

And ripping your cd in bit perfect and playing via a good external dac will beat most cd players in sound quality.

I wouldn't spend my hard earned 1000 pounds on a cd player in view of what is technically available in the market today. So please give it a thought .

 

[WhatTheTech]

Well i appreciate the variety of options been mentioned to me on this thread.

To cut a long story short,
it's looking like most modern day cd players up to the £1000 mark are not worth the money!

Would this be down to high end players only been slightly better on sonic gain to budget players like my CD6005

Thanks

 

[Macspur]

If you're still keen on a CDP the Rega Apollo R is a very good player for just under £600 new.

Mac

www.realmusicnet.wordpress.com

 

[BigH]

The Marantz 8005 is only £500 now, that would be worth the extra over a 6005 for build quality alone. Best way is to go an listen to them if you can. Cyrus is another to consider but think they are the top end of your budget. Audiolab and Roksan also have a good rep. in your budget range. Yes there are lots of good used players around. I would be inclined to spend less on a cdp and put the money towards new speakers.

 

[Deleted member 108165]

The Marantz 8005 is only £500 now

Plus also has SACD playback capability, just in case you ever want to dabble in the format.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

The Marantz 8005 is only £500 now

Plus also has SACD playback capability, just in case you ever want to dabble in the format.

yes and it’s expensive to buy the SACDs I have some but they are getting expensive

 

[WhatTheTech]

Yes the 8005 does seem like a very good deal.
So if i sell my Q150s that would give me some extra pocket money to splash out on more luxurious speakers.

Does anyone know how my PM8005 would fair
with the Ls50s or Monitor Audio Silver 100 ta.

 

[bigfish786]

im currently running focal speakers with marantz amp, and to me its a match made in heaven. give them a go.

 

[gasolin]

I had nothing against my Marantz CD5005 when i used it with my Maranatz PM8005 and i still use it today

Try looking at mission lx-2's, Q acoustics 20 or mabye the powered AE! Active http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/reference/ae1-active/