Marantz CD60

It’s a CD player. That’s it. And however unfashionable that may be in an age of multifunctional hi-fi products, where everything seems to stream or have enhanced features, Marantz has taken the brave step of adding a simple, superbly engineered machine to its 30 Series that’s designed purely to get the very best from your disc collection. OK, it’s not quite that simple, as it also has a USB-A port on the front to which you can connect storage devices, at which point it’s able to play music in ‘beyond CD’ formats, but at heart this is a pure CD machine, with nothing more than line outputs as well as optical/coaxial digital outs to feed an external DAC or an amp with digital inputs.

Actually, the CD 60 isn’t quite the dinosaur some may consider it to be: Marantz has already done the ‘do it all’ player thing with the SACD 30n, launched alongside the purist Model 30 amp and able to play SACDs as well as CDs, as well as having full network audio capabilities, and now the CD 60 arrives as a purist CD machine to complement the fiercely flexible Model 40n network amplifier.  And it’s not as if the company ever abandoned disc playback, as some seem to have done: its current range runs to seven players, all the way from the entry-level CD 6007 up to the flagship SA 10. And early shipments of the CD 60 will even come with a special two-disc compilation album, Explorations In Sound.

The CD 60 is built around a dedicated CD mechanism, where some players use a computer-use DVD transport, which enables it to be optimised to getting the most accurate data from your discs. The digital-to-analogue conversion is an off-the-shelf solution from ESS rather than the in-house Marantz Musical Mastering solution found in the company’s players, but a choice of digital filters is provided, the first delivering the classic Marantz sound, while the second gives a bit more pep to the presentation for those wanting more impact. Meanwhile the analogue section uses Marantz’s Hyper-Dynamic Amplifier Modules, widely used across the company’s products in place of the chip-amps found elsewhere, and there’s a dedicated headphone amplifier with its own output control.

Finishing it all is that now-familiar 30 Series styling, with the main controls panel ‘floating’ from the front of the housing, in black or ‘silver-gold’ – as Marantz calls its lighter finish –, while an all-up weight of 7.5kg pay testament to the solidity of the construction here.

Sound quality

It doesn’t take much listening-time to realise that the sound here is very Marantz: yes, the player sounds warm and smooth, but it’s immediately clear that not only is all the music there, but it’s being delivered in an entirely realistic and natural fashion. That means voices and solo instruments really shine, there’s a striking richness to orchestras and large-scale electric groups, and a real sense that you’re listening to a performance, not just music being played from a disc. Where recordings have a well-captured acoustic and ambience, that shines through here, aided by stereo imaging that has a real three-dimensionality to it – at least given a suitably capable amp and speakers – meaning performers really stand out. Sit in front of your speakers and you can hear where everyone was standing – or was placed in the mix – both across the plane between the speakers and front to back. It’s a big, luxurious and captivating sound, whether you play chamber music or EDM bangers, and while you can dump some of that Marantz refinement and get a more obvious sound by playing with the digital filter switching, it’s more than likely you’ll come back to Filter 1 and just enjoy how well this machine plays just about any disc you choose to spin.

Living with the CD 60

If all you want is an excellent means of playing your CD collection – and why else would you buy it? – the Marantz will prove a fine source for almost any amplifier/speakers combination, not least the company’s Model 40n amp driving anything from small bookshelf speakers to big floorstanders. And if you’re a fan of headphone listeners, the dedicated amp stage here will make the most of a wide range of top-class designs.

Conclusion

As a masterclass in combining ‘keep it simple, stupid’ and high-quality audio engineering, the CD 60 continues Marantz’s unbroken run of superb CD players, which goes all the way back to the early days of the format. Add in the added benefits of USB playback and that fine headphone amplifier, and it’s a great buy.

Why should I buy the CD 60?

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If you’ve a large collection of CDs, and want to keep on enjoying them, this machine will find new details in them, while still delivering a rich, organic, natural sound. And that very grown-up presentation extends its appeal way beyond an all-Marantz Series 30 system

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Tasting notes/sample tracks

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Moby In My Heart

A big, bold track from the sweeping soundscape of the 18 album, and the Marantz not only brings out all the scale and richness, but also reveals the detail and meticulous production of what was a brave, but assured move away from Moby’s better-known club sound.

Mary Wells Back In My Arms

Taken from the Something New compilation, this track showcases the soulful voice against a suitably lush jazz backing, all rich brass and tinkling piano – perfect fare for the CD 60’s warm, yet closely detailed, presentation

Frank Zappa Peaches En Regalia

New Zappa listeners start here, with the Strictly Commercial compilation, and while this opening track only hints at what’s to come, the jazzy arrangement and superbly recorded instruments giving the Marantz the chance to both swagger and enlighten. The album gets madder from here on in!

If you’ve a large collection of CDs, and want to keep on enjoying them, this machine will find new details in them, while still delivering a rich, organic, natural sound. And that very grown-up presentation extends its appeal way beyond an all-Marantz Series 30 system