Reviews

Common sense would have you think that CD players have only improved over time, and that any CD player from 1994 will beat out any player from 1989. Perhaps this is accurate in terms of the transportation sections. And this might even be true for D/A converters… Nonetheless, in my view, there are a few […]

Closing up the 1980s, Philips announced four new CD players, ranging in price from £149 for the entry-level model CD380 to about £500 for the flagship model Philips CD880. Made in Belgium, the Philips CD880 is built on a heavy die-cast frame with a thick steel baseplate on trendy ‘drum’ feet, a copper-plated steel rear

The Marantz CD-17 KI Signature is the epitome of the Marantz philosophy: always striving for that little bit more. Last year, I tested the CD-63 KI, the first in a small series of special uprated versions of established Marantz goods overseen by Ken -Ishiwata, Marantz’s design wizard. This entailed taking a simple machine, dismantling it,

Even if we exclude the several other brand names (Mission, Meridian, Marantz, and others) that utilize the Philips chassis and mechanism, Philips had always maintained a commanding position in the sales numbers for CD players in Europe from their collaborative creation for the format (alongside Sony, of course). They had a tendency to focus their

Marantz is one of the rare firms that has succeeded in the mainstream while also progressing along the audiophile route. Its ambitions appear to have risen steadily over the last few years, as additional refinements and advancements surface in its Reference range. The SC-5 preamplifier, for example, is available with a battery power supply (of

Philips, which was first to market with CD players, had taken its time promoting units that can accept multidisc cartridges. The CDC875, a six-disc monster, was made available for £299.00, and touted to satisfy the needs of anyone who wants up to six hours of music on demand. The low price does not imply that

Experienced readers will be aware that Marantz is effectively owned by Philips, and that, while many Marantz equipment is imported from the Far East, its CD players, in particular, are based on Philips designs, despite their outward look. In actuality, Marantz is given a reasonable amount of leeway in deciding which models to target for

The limited-edition Philips LHH1000 has a transport (which houses the laser pickup assembly, the remainder of the CD player mechanics, and the servo electronics) as well as a separate digital-to-analog converter. The proposed list price for this player is $4,000, which is half the price of some other two-piece models but still twice the price

Paul Miller, pointing out the complexity in the low-end CD market, demonstrated how pandemonium prevails when too many manufacturers compete for the same budget dollars. In his January issue review, he assessed Marantz’s latest entrance at the £200 pricing point, highlighting the dangers of rushing to market and issuing a run with shoddy parts. Which,

The ambassador from Marantz is treating us like royalty. Only the KI-Signature badges set the CD player and amplifier out from the rest. Not for individuals who simply listen to music in the background. Both the amplifier (left) and the CD player have substantial copper plating and beefed-up power supply, which are trademark Marantz/lshiwata features.