Marantz 50 review
Discover the Marantz 50 series in our review. Experience its excellent sonic performance, useful connectivity, and great bass. Ideal for your listening companion.
Discover the Marantz 50 series in our review. Experience its excellent sonic performance, useful connectivity, and great bass. Ideal for your listening companion.
If you're an enthusiast of streaming and also possess a large assortment of CDs and vinyl records, this system is perfect for you. It enables you to enjoy streaming downloads and on-demand content while still valuing your physical media collection, ensuring that no part of it is neglected.
MODEL 50 is crafted to blend modernity with a timeless appeal. Its design draws from classic elements such as symmetry, warmth, and tactile pleasure, pushing the boundaries in the world of audio equipment inspired by historic icons.
Equipped with a precisely crafted Class AB amplifier, MODEL 50 delivers powerful performance to your speakers, uncovering details you might not have noticed before.
Under the expert tuning of the Marantz Sound Master, MODEL 50 achieves exceptional performance. The careful selection of components ensures that your home experiences the Most Musical Sound.
Its integrated MM phono stage complements your turntable by enhancing the subtlety and tone of your vinyl records, thanks to a new design that eliminates distortion-inducing coupling capacitors.
MODEL 50 features stereo preamp outputs, offering added versatility for your audio setup. Whether it's connecting a subwoofer, expanding your home theater channels, or increasing listening zones, the options are limitless.
Marantz Model 50 Inputs include MM phono, four line inputs, tape loop, and direct power amp input. Outputs feature line out, preamp out, two sets of speaker outputs, and a headphone jack. Other connections involve Marantz remote input. It delivers 100 watts per channel at 8 ohms, or 120 watts per channel at 4 ohms. A system remote handset is included. Dimensions are 130 x 442 x 431 mm. The Marantz CD50n plays CDs and CDRWs. It has one optical, one coaxial, USB-A, and HDMI ARC digital inputs. Digital outputs are optical and coaxial. Networking capabilities include WiFi and Ethernet. It supports file formats up to 384kHz/24-bit and DSD5.6 through network or USB. It includes a headphone output. Its dimensions are 130 x 442 x 424 mm.
Back in the 1990s, a standalone CD player and amplifier served as the foundation for many people's first proper audio systems. Marantz was a prominent name at the time, with its products often included in beginner setups. Fast forward 30 years, and while many systems have moved beyond optical discs, Marantz continues to offer the classic CD player and amplifier combination with the Model 50 and CD50n. Nostalgia can be appealing, but does this setup still make sense in 2024?
At a closer look, Marantz isn't exactly clinging to the past as it might initially seem. The CD50n goes beyond being just a CD player. It includes HEOS, the Marantz and Denon streaming module, allowing it to access local music libraries, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon, internet radio, and AirPlay. Additionally, it offers various digital inputs, including HDMI ARC for TV connectivity, and a headphone port. Essentially, the CD50n is a multifaceted digital hub that retains a traditional appearance.
The device's internal components are quite impressive as well. The CD50n is equipped with an ESS DAC for decoding, in contrast to the more expensive CD30n that features a custom DAC. According to Marantz, it has been finely tuned by engineers for an exceptional musical experience. The UPnP and USB inputs support PCM up to 384kHz and DSD up to 11.2MHz. Users can also choose between a fixed or variable output, enabling direct connection to active speakers or a power amplifier.
Marantz expects users to pair the CD50n with the matching Model 50 amplifier. With the CD50n functioning as a digital hub, the amplifier focuses on delivering an analog connection setup, featuring four line inputs, a moving magnet phono stage, and a tape loop. It also includes a preamp and a subwoofer output, along with a power amp input that allows bypassing the volume control so the CD50n can handle everything.
Internally, the Model 50 adheres to traditional designs, which isn't a negative aspect. It's a Class AB amplifier offering 70 watts into 8 ohms, increasing to 100 watts into 4 ohms. Unlike typical Marantz designs, it uses a toroidal transformer and incorporates the company's HDAM Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Modules. These replace conventional IC gain stages and, according to Marantz, provide superior results because the components can be selected for optimal performance. The amplifier also supports two sets of switchable speaker outputs, a rare feature in 2024.
When the Marantz duo is used together, with the CD50n's fixed level output connected to the Model 50, surprising performance emerges right from the start. Whether or not this surprises you may depend on your familiarity with older Marantz equipment. While recent Marantz products are known for their lush and immersive soundscapes, this pairing does that effectively while adding something more.
In essence, the combination offers a punch and energy that sets it apart from recent offerings, aligning more with some of Marantz's Special Editions from the past. The pair remains refined, with a beautiful tonal quality when paired with high-quality recordings. Previously, one might have sought additional bite, but this duo delivers speed, harmony, and dynamic punch, making vibrant music come alive.
The attributes contributing to this impression involve bass extension, which retains its texture and depth while adding immediacy and agility, enhancing the fast-paced material. The remarkable part is that despite its capabilities, this setup remains forgiving with subpar recordings. Unless paired with overly aggressive speakers, this Marantz duo is unlikely to sound overly forward.
Testing the two units separately with different equipment confirms that they retain much of their core characteristics. Between the two, the Model 50 amplifier contributes more significantly to the invigorated energy and drive. It's the most energetic-sounding Marantz product encountered to date. Although the CD50n isn't sluggish, it leans toward the comforting sound of older models. Its decoding quality is excellent and remains consistent across various uses.