| Search AudioEnz | |
| Articles | |
|
Current
reviews |
|
| News | |
| Community | |
| Buying | |
| About AudioEnz | |
About AudioEnz |
Making it special
Marantz tweak the 6000
By Michael Jones
March 2001
Marantz CD6000 OSE compact disc player $1199
If there's one company that has made a policy of producing "tweaked" or upgraded versions of their products, then it is Marantz.
Beginning many years ago with CD players, Marantz bring out Special Edition
versions (or in this case, OSE or Original Special Edition) of CD players
and amplifiers.
So what's the point of this?
Like all other products, hi-fi components are built to a price that will work in the marketplace. This requires careful trade-offs between the costs of the internal components inside a CD player, and the price point that product needs to hit. (This isn't specific to Marantz, or to hi-fi components. This affects just about every manufactured product).
Often, as with the case of the original 6000, the base player is very good and amenable to tweaking to improve performance. So Marantz, under the guidance of European-based Ken Isiwata, substitute better sounding (and more expensive) components to produce a higher-performace, but more expensive CD player.
Based on the Marantz 6000, the 6000 OSE upgrades the power transformer with a larger core and oxygen-free copper. The OSE uses an additional bottom plate in the structure to increase the rigidity of the player. Marantz also use an additional HDAM (their amplifier module stage) for current to voltage conversion in the output stage and numerous other tweaks.
The appearance of the 6000 OSE is simply gorgeous and the player looks much more expensive than it's $1199 price tag indicates. The superbly finished thick aluminium front panel is the main reason for this.
The front panel is very well designed, with the most used controls having larger buttons. This means that your finger will automatically go to the play or stop button, rather than accidentally hitting the track skip button.
The 6000 OSE includes a rarity on CD players these days: a headphone output. Not only that, but the volume from the headphone output can be increased or decreased via the remote control.
The Marantz 6000 OSE is a superb performer - easily among the best at this price, or even for several hundred dollars more.
The Marantz excelled in portraying the tonal structure of instruments, making many other competing players sound like caricatures in comparison.
For example, on orchestral works the OSE excelled with the tonal intricacies of the string and woodwind sections. This is something that a lot of the more affordable CD players struggle to convincingly recreate.
A great jazz drummer can create music solely from using the cymbals. I found the OSE's portrayal of cymbal work stunning.
The Marantz was an incredibly detailed player. Unlike some components that sound "detailed" the OSE did not thrust information at your face. Instead, it allowed the detail and information to emerge from the speakers, in a realistic form. Nice!
Drawbacks?
The only one I could come up with is that the OSE isn't that hot in the
pace and timing department. Compared to other players, the Marantz could
sound a touch "slow" and as if the musicians weren't totally
communicating with each other. Listener's susceptibility to this varies,
so you may not find this a problem. Coupled with this was some pitch indecision
on lower pitched instruments.
One retailer described the Marantz as a player where the music washes over you. You can easily be swept away by the music from this special CD player.
Click here for Marantz dealers
Want to comment on this review? Click here for Feedback