Marantz CC-4000OSE: Perfection Is A Rare Gem
Written: Jun 06 '01
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Pros: Sounds Great, Sleek Look, High Quality, Playes CD-R(W)
Cons: We're Talking About Marantz Here!
The Bottom Line: Read my 'Verdict'
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| soupcraze's Full Review: Marantz CC-4000 5-Disc CD Changer |
I finally grew out of my two main home theater systems at home. So, I decided to make my 'Audiophile' systems. I like to make my systems easy, which means no seperates. I thought of buying a new reciever which was top-of-the-line. I considered the Denon AVR-5800, Onkyo TX-DS989, and then the Marantz SR-14EX. One of my relatives in Brazil is an audiophile. In Brazil, they have more European imports than the United States, so it wasn't all too hard to find Marantz products there. So, he found an SR-14EX dirt cheap for under $3000, and also found the Marantz CC-4000OSE very cheap there too for around $290 US dollars. I bought a Marantz DVD-18 player here in the US, and bought a Denon turntable for my parents, but I don't use it. Well, here was my audiophile system consisting of Marantz components. I also added Paradigm Monitor 11 (I have never loved speakers so much until I got these!!!) front channel speakers, Paradigm CC-370 (Best in its class, Boston Acoustics centers are better, but I wanted a seamless front) center channel, and Boston Acoustics CR-9s filling up the last four channels (rear speakers). Well, that's my system. I listen to music just about non-stop. In my other set-ups, I have switched to Onkyo CD players which I love, but I thought that I'd go better with Marantz because of Philip's CD technology. After using the Marantz CC-4000OSE for quite a while, here's what I found:
Price:
Buy this thing overseas, you can get a much better deal. Then you can send it via UPS international shipping. That's what my cousin did. You can also find the Marantz CC-4000OSE very cheap on online retailers going for less than $300. The Marantz CC-4000OSE is certainly a very high quality component, and it can only be compared to some of the best CD players out there. Well, I found the Onkyo DX-C540 to be quite popular. I also owned Onkyo players which included the DX-C380, and I can tell you that they are excellent, but the Marantz CC-4000OSE does exceed it somewhat in quality. The sound seems cleaner. many people say that they don't know what makes a CD player sound any different from any others. The lasers and discs are all the same, but it depends how the components are built inside of it that transport data, etc... Well, Marantz gives you only the very best. The low-price range Denon CD players aren't that great, but Marantz products are considered great in every price range. I'd have to say that the Marantz CC-4000OSE is truly a steal for under $300, it is an excellent CD player that clearly is the best in its class. You can't really go wrong with Onkyo, but the sound on the Marantz CC-4000OSE and other Marantz CD players are simply better. Don't even consider Denon at this price. Their higher priced CD players are better, but Marantz still exceeds Denon in sound quality and the overall quality of the player. Remember, you can never go wrong with Marantz, they are the greatest company that ever existed.
Looks and Styling:
The Onkyo CD players look like big black boxes. They get the job done with very precise sound, but the Marantz CC-4000OSE delivers the greatest sound along with its sleek looks. I don't think that styling really matters considering that you don't look at the CD player while listening to music. But for the people who look at it, the Marantz CC-4000OSE will be sure to impress them!
Durability:
Marantz makes the best quality products on the electronics market. Even though I never liked Philips and the quality isn't that great for them, Marantz is still completely different from Philips. They make only the highest quality components that will surely last a lifetime. When you first feel the Marantz components, you can just feel how incredibly solid they are. I'm very proud of owning Marantz, probably the most respected company out there. You're not paying for the name, you're paying for something spectacular.
Sound:
The Marantz CC-4000OSE was by far the best in its class. The sound was incredibly clean, with just about no distortion. If you truly want the cleanest sound possible, try a McIntosh CD player, but the Marantz CC-4000OSE will save you an arm and a leg. I compared it to the sound on the Onkyo DX-C540 which i tried out in a store. Both sounded excellent, but the Marantz CC-4000OSE seemed to have a cleaner sound. I have my Marantz CC-4000OSE connected to the Marantz SR-14EX via MonsterCable optical link. Optical wires in my opinion don't make very cheap CD players sound much better, but I got much cleaner and solid sound using an optical link with the Marantz CC-4000OSE. They cost about $20 at Best Buy. You're not really going to find anything better than the Marantz CC-4000OSE in this price range. I'm sure a lot of people would buy NAD or Rotel, but I trust Marantz, and I will continue to use Marantz products from now on. You can't really compare anything to the sound of the Marantz CC-4000OSE in this price range. I have only found one other brand to match the quality of Marantz, and that is Nakamichi. The Nakamichi product line however is too small. You'll be better off with Marantz. You can't go wrong with the Marantz CC-4000OSE, take a listen for yourself.
Ease of Use:
The Marantz CC-4000OSE isn't all that hard to use. Truthfully, I don't really have any problems with using CD players. The remote control is all good, and working it manually is no problem at all. I don't really think that many people will have a hard time using the Marantz CC-4000OSE at all.
Features:
It comes with all the features that you would find on a normal CD player. Such as shuffle, random, etc... You won't be missing anything on the Marantz CC-4000OSE. So, don't worry, you can't go wrong with the Marantz CC-4000OSE.
The Verdict:
Is the Marantz CC-4000OSE perfect? Well probably not, but it's pretty darn close! Everyone makes mistakes, but it doesn't look like Marantz has made a mistake here at all! This is probably the best sounding CD player in its price range. You can't really go wrong with Marantz. You can also find this for less than $300 online, or you can buy it overseas such as I did. The best place to buy Marantz is probably the Netherlands or Brazil, then you can ship it to the US via UPS international shipping. The Onkyo CD players such as the DX-C540 sounded awesome too, but the Marantz CC-4000OSE sounded a bit better. You can't go wrong with Onkyo or Marantz in this price range, but don't really consider Denon in this price range. Take a listen to the Marantz CC-4000OSE, and you'll be amazed at its perfection. It's the best in its price range, and its a truly spectacular gem!
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 289
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Epinions.com ID:
soupcraze
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Member: Soup Enthusiast
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Reviews written: 488
Trusted by: 185 members
About Me:
I enjoy many of life's passions... Music, medicine, people, and life itself.
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