Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This player was purchased from Amazon and A/B compared with an Oppo BDP83 Nuforce Edition. My comparisons apply only to 2 channel analog output operation. The 9004 is a beautiful piece and weighs nearly 50 lbs. The sound quality in most modes is excellent. In SACD operation I felt that the Oppo was a significant improvement. The music just sounded more alive with the Oppo. Keyboard and organ tracks that were clean and audible with the Oppo just seemed to disappear into the rest of the music with the Marantz. That specific disc is Jimmy D. Lane, It's Time. Two other people participated in the level matched test and all of us preferred the Oppo. With DVD-A and CD the difference was marginal. The 9004 is very good in those other formats. The system consists of B&W 802 Tower speakers powered by Aragon monoblocks and Soundstage Pre/pro. No crossover or delay was applied since the mains are full size and only stereo operation was used. I'd likely have been satisfied with the Marantz had the Oppo not been available for A/B comparison. Both units were burned in for 2 weeks playing continuously into load before any conclusions were reached.
Two other issues were slow loading and only 1 pair of L & R outputs. The problem with only one pair is that you cannot connect the unit for 2 channel stereo and 5.1 at the same time. That means cable swapping every time you switch between stereo and 5.1. My Sony SACD changer, Pioneer Elite DV-38A DVD-A player and the Oppo all have duplicate fronts to accommodate both modes without having to swap cables. Also, there were some Bluray titles that wouldn't load. I suspect a firmware update might correct that problem, but not the slow loading.
In the end, I returned this unit to Amazon since it's performance simply didn't measure up to its cost. If the roles were reversed and the $1300 Oppo sounded like the Marantz and vice versa, I wouldn't think twice about spending the extra thousands on the Marantz. I like the looks of the Marantz better, but the bottom line is always sound in this house.
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Super Audio CD, Blu-ray, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, CD Universal Disc Player, Compatible with Super Audio CD(Stereo/Multi-Channel), CD, BD, DVD, DVD-A, plus more, Upgraded Marantz M1 Chassis w/Copper Plated “Tri-box" Construction, Stiff Top Cover, Solid Copper Feet – Increases Chassis Rigidity & helps reduce mechanical noise, Marantz Reference series based internal design – Signal Path, Layout, Shielding, etc., Audio circuit derived from the Marantz Flagship Supur Audio CD/CD Player SA-7S1, Copper Shielded Toroidal Power Transformer, Balanced Outputs for Left and Right Channels, Marantz Proprietary HDAMs, New in-house designed Precision Laser Assembly, Dual HDMI Outputs with Native Direct Outputs – 1 for Audio & 1 for Video, Silicon Optix Video Processor (297MHz/14Bit), High Quality Onboard Decoding of Dolby TrueHD & dts HD Master Audio, 7.1 Channel Analog outputs, Vertical Stretch Circuitry Built-in, RS-232C for Custom Installation, Flasher Inputs, Discrete Commands, Center Mount Design, Profile 2.0 for BD Live and Upgrades/Updates, Perfect for matching to a REF system for the best Multi-CH experience, Combine with any High Quality projector
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