Marantz PM6006 CD6006 Review

In an era where you can listen to music as long as you slide your mobile phone, I see Marantz still regularly launches the stereo sound system. I suddenly feel an inexplicable touch and emotion in my heart. Why am I touching? I am touched that there is still an audio company willing to design traditional CD turntables so that many physical record collections of music lovers will still enjoy the latest music equipment.

When I quietly look at the Marantz CD6006 CD player and PM6006 integrated amplifier in front of me, I suddenly remembered that listening to music in the early years was a very simple thing. There is no need to learn the settings of Bluetooth wireless connection, and there is no need to find songs in the massive playlists of digital music platforms. Listening to music should be a very intimate and personal entertainment, and it should not be alienated due to technological development.

You will feel a couple of mature and successful sound systems designed in various aspects, and what kind of pure musical experience can be given to you.

If you have been following Marantz for a long time, you should be familiar with their products. The latest music system of CD6006 and PM6006 is a two-channel audio system with a CD player and an integrated amplifier.

The predecessor of the 6006 is the 6005, which also has CD and PM products. When the 6005 was first launched, it has already received excellent reviews in the industry. It stands to reason that the 6006 launched this time is the successor to the 6005. As long as Marantz continues the success of the previous generation, it will not be challenging to build a good reputation again.

I have never tried the 6005 music systems, so I cannot tell how much the sound quality of the previous generation and the latest generation of 6006 has evolved. However, I have listened to the systems of Marantz CD5005 and PM5005, which happens to be also of a CD player and an integrated amplifier, just like the 6006.

If compared with the 5005, the 6006’s improvement in sound quality can be more remarkable, in my impression. How big is it? Let’s put it this way: if your current target is 5005, I sincerely recommend increasing your budget to 6006. Not only are you able to deal with a wider range of music types, the sound quality and the ease of driving speakers are also better than 5005. Go to the next level!
Before we talk about the sense of hearing, let’s start with the basic specifications of the 6006 music system!

Marantz CD6006 CD Player

First, look at the appearance of the CD6006 and PM6006. The case looks no different from the previous generation. It is also made of high-rigidity metal materials and exhibits outstanding vibration suppression capabilities. The surface of the cabinet is treated with a black matte surface, and the front panel has delicate patterns, which look elegant and straightforward.

If you like one device for multiple usages, in addition to the essential ability of CD playback, CD6006 is also equipped with USB and headphone jacks on the front panel. The former allows you to connect your iPod and iPhone to plug and play directly. The latter’s headset amplifier design is equipped with three modes of adjustable gains. If you don’t want to disrupt your neighbors or your families because of the loud volume at night, the headset amplifier function can come in handy.

In addition to the sound, I was very impressed that the machine’s weight is significantly heavier than the impression of the 5005. But looking at the cabinet, there is not much difference in the appearance and size of the two series. It can be seen that the price of the 6006 is higher than that of the 5005.

Open the top panel of CD6006, the first thing that catches your eye is the pleasing circuit configuration. from the power processing, DAC, to the analog output circuit are all made of independent circuit boards to reduce the chance of interactive interference. From the point of view of the selection of electric components, the CD6006 uses all the components that Martanz has always preferred, including the carefully selected R-Core power transformer, Audio-grade filter capacitors, and the CS4398 DAC chip that can decode up to 24/192.

Basically, Marantz is already familiar with the sound quality and tone of audio pieces of equipment. If the same components are given to other people to design, I am afraid that it will not replicate the exact sound charm as Marantz.

Speaking of sound appeal, we have to mention Marantz’s classic HDAM technology. CD6006 does not use traditional OP for signal amplification in the critical analog output circuit but chooses custom-made IC components to build a symmetrical circuit structure for the left and proper channels step by step. The disadvantage of this approach is that it is more labor-intensive and costly, but the advantage is that it allows Marantz to have more control over the sound of the equipment.

It is worth mentioning that this kind of technology is generally common in high-end equipment. It can be hardly seen in the relatively entry-level, which is also the value of the Marantz entry machine.

Marantz PM6006 Integrated Amplifier

The PM6006 integrated amplifier with digital input is an upgraded follow-up product of the multiple award-winning PM6005. PM6006 upgrades the peak current processing capability of the amplifier stage, which allows it to refine the sound more finely, thereby making the sound clearer and more transparent.

Current feedback amplifier technology provides bandwidth and high-speed sound reproduction capabilities. Combined with a toroidal transformer, PM6006 has a considerable energy supply capacity and can quickly drive more demanding speakers. Finally, the unique HDAM module realizes a powerful, dynamic and detailed pure Marantz sound.

In addition to being a two-channel amplifier, PM6006 also has a digital conversion function. It has a built-in DAC and uses the same DAC chip as the CD6006, which is also 24 bit/192 Hz. To reduce the interference between the power supply and the DAC circuit, Marantz specially designed the two to be the longest diagonally in the machine and covered them with a metal shell to further reduce sound quality being interfered with by noise.

The power transistor uses a pair of C4467/A1697 each, with two Nichicon filter capacitors of 10,000uf/63V each, through independent HDAM output lines, achieve an output power of 45 watts (8 ohms) per channel.

In addition, this machine also comes with two optical inputs and one coaxial digital input (one more optical input than PM6005). An additional metal cabinet completely shields the entire digital part to ensure that the operation of the digital part does not have any influence on the analogue signal. Of course, all the original features are retained-such as five audio inputs, including dedicated turntables, two pairs of gold-plated speaker jacks for two-wire crossover, and remote control. In short, the new PM6006 is a new star with excellent genes.

Sound Performance

This time I chose the two pairs of speakers. The first pair is KEF LS50 Meta, and the other is JMR Euterpe Supreme. Use these two speakers with entirely different characters to probe the Marantz sound system.

KEF LS50 is the first player to play. I will choose this pair of speakers. In addition to the lively and neat personality of the KEF speaker itself and the delicate and feminine Marantz, it has the feeling that Marantz CD5005 and PM5005 are also finalized with LS50 Meta. I wonder if the higher-end 6006 would let me hear the difference in sound quality for the first time.

Unexpectedly, as a major audio manufacturer, Marantz is really different. It has the ability to design superior quality equipment within the same budget. The first one to talk about the sound quality. The sound quality of the 6006 is obviously better than that of the 5005. The sound quality is also soft, but it sounds gentle and smooth, not extensive, and delicate enough.

Listening to the violin, what comes up in my mind is all the details drawn with the melody. It’s soft, and there is no ignition. The standard is for enjoyment. After listening to Lisa Wahlandt’s “Stay A While”, I found that the 6006’s sound field separation is excellent, separating the piano, jazz drums, and bass in the music.

Lisa’s singing voice fully demonstrated her extraordinary sweetness. Although the vocal lines portrayed by 6006 are not refined and profound, they have a special soft beauty, which sounds very feminine. Will 6006’s voice be thin? No, through the LS50, known for its neutral and high-resolution playback, I can hear the sound sounds moist, shiny, and has a good meat sound.

How is the sound balance of 6006? Well, although Marantz’s 6006 has a pure sound quality, the tone is not cold, but it can cushion the transparent and flawless piano particles with the thickness that should be due. The texture and airiness of the interaction and collision of the piano sounds can also fully explain the sweet overtones and luster in the space.

When the delicate cymbals flicked in the music background, I found that even though resolution, transparency, and detail reproduction are not the 6006’s strengths, the overall results are still satisfactory. The sound sounds smooth, delicate, and not artificial. In the flow of music, there is naturally less motivation to pay attention to acoustics.

Replaced with JMR Euterpe Supreme, compared with LS50, it sounds more plump and charming. The middle and high-frequency lines are softer. It is most obvious when listening to the violin. The extension at both ends is better, and the sound is temporarily affected.
In contrast, the comfort of pulling apart, the LS50 combination is relatively restrained.

The JMR pair of speakers complement the low-frequency extension of 80Hz-40Hz, and the sense of the scale of the music comes out. Listening to Ann Sally’s “Voyage”, the albums made me hear the excellent low-frequency solidity. Although not particularly eye-catching in terms of speed, with an output power of 45 watts per channel, giving the 6006 a suitable volume and space, it is not too difficult to achieve a charming balance of music.

Conclusion

Every time Marantz’s newly launched models always give me the conclusion that the sound is still good, the surprises are slightly less. But this time, the Marantz CD6006 CD player and PM6006 Integrated Amplifier made me reluctant to shut down after listening to them for a long time.

It’s a very faithful expression of the characteristics of comfortable and charming music. Listening to music should be a straightforward and innocent thing. Instead of listening to a bunch of digital platform music without feeling deep, it is better to adjust the listening pace and walk along with Marantz 6006 in an elegant melody.