URGENT: Marantz CD63 SE

[jeevabobby26]

Hi jeeva,

whats yor take on cd53? I am having Wharfedale 9.2s. Can i go for cd53 for Rs4500?

ash

Hi ashwin,

Normally maratnz players will impress anyone anyday of its music output delivery, Rs.4500/- for marantz cd53 is a good steal, but be check for those ball tampering and test match cricket use of the marantz player you have offered at this price.

cheers

 

[brejeshvarma]

The player is nice, but what you can do is buy a set of vibrapods (available in india for about 1500 or less) and use them as feet for the cd player.

Not only do they help in making the sound less bright, but also do a lot to add resolution and detail..

I highly recommend these for any cd player in fact, or even dvd players.. try it and see, you will NOT be disappointed.

best wishes,
samir.

Dear Samir,

Can you please elaborate on VIBRA BANDS.How do use it ? Where do you get them in India.Can you show some pics or atleast direct us.?

Thank you
Brejesh

 

[psychotropic]

their dealer is some company in Pune, i got the details frmo the vibrapod website......apparently the cheapest set of vibrapods (4 of them) costs 1800 bucks, which is a good price if they're effective, and a rip-off if they're snake-oil.....anyone else here who has tried them?

Dear Samir,

Can you please elaborate on VIBRA BANDS.How do use it ? Where do you get them in India.Can you show some pics or atleast direct us.?

Thank you
Brejesh

 

[jeevabobby26]

Hi,

Normally, vibra pods are not only good for source players, its also good for amplifiers too.

If you didnt wish to get these vibra pods from mumbi, let DIY pods for the players and amplifiers.

Buy a pair of squash ball and cut it half. now the DIY vibra pods are ready for your players and amplifiers. And also buy MDF sheet of your CD players or amplifiers overall size before placing this pods.

Place the MDF sheet, then the DIY pods nad then the player or amplifier, this way the pods will isolate the vibrations from the speakers, outdoor vehicle vibrations and anyother vibrations happens to be connected directly or indirectly to your components. it will make improve detail, clarity, and crispness, and you will notice the brightness level has been lowered significantly.

Also, place some weight to the player, this will add mass and stability for the player to give a increase in punch.

cheers

 

[gobble]

I will buy squash balls tomorrow and try ...

Cheers

 

[psychotropic]

hey, so i picked it up! i tested it with my AE2s, it sounded good, still on the brighter side of neutral but less bright than with the JPW bookshelves, i have a feeling this will go well with a tube amp. maybe if the miniwatt comes to venkat, i can pair them and see how they sound.

I think I made a mistake in my original post when i said the soundstage was as good as the NAD, what i meant was that the imaging was as precise as the NAD, but the soundstage, come to think of it, is not as expansive as the NAD.

But the level of detail is seriously superb. In the Dire Straits song 'heavy fuel' (album: on every street), at about 0:23 there is the sound of a 'ride' cymbal being struck ting ting ting, from the left channel. With the CD63E this was reproduced with superb clarity.

I am also seeing on the web that this CD player is a modder's dream, maybe somewhere along the line when I pick up some soldering skills, i'll switch out some of the caps and the op-amps and see how it sounds.

Thanks EVERYONE for ALL the help. You guys are simply the best.

 

[stevieboy]

by picked it up you mean bought it? congrats and enjoy!

 

[unleash_me]

hey, so i picked it up!

Congratulations mate!

 

[psychotropic]

thanks guys ......i think i can say that my hi-fi journey has now made a (very) modest beginning.....to think i joined this forum to do some digging about which LCD TV to buy.....and then i ended up buying a plasma.....and then got interested in audio....and except for the plasma, none of my subsequent purchases would have happened if i hadn't come across hifivision.com thanks everyone.

 

[santhosh]

hey, so i picked it up!

Congrats mate. Wise decision:thumbsup:

I have been using a Marantz CD-63SE and am quite impressed with clarity. Since there are posts here mentioning bad pairing of speakers etc, let me mention my stereo setup:

Amp: Adcom 535 Mark II
Pre-Amp: NAD Monitor Series 1300
Speakers: B&W DM610 Speakers

 

[gobble]

Congrats mate. Wise decision:thumbsup:

I have been using a Marantz CD-63SE and am quite impressed with clarity. Since there are posts here mentioning bad pairing of speakers etc, let me mention my stereo setup:

Amp: Adcom 535 Mark II
Pre-Amp: NAD Monitor Series 1300
Speakers: B&W DM610 Speakers

Congrats Psychotropic!! :yahoo:

Santosh you did not mention if the 63se sounds bright like Psycho had concerns ...

Regards

 

[jeevabobby26]

congrats psychotropic for your brighter side of stereo setup, there your journey begins in search of ting ting ting in every music you listen on your cds


cheers:clapping::clapping::clapping:

 

[anm]

congrats :yahoo:! is there anything else available in cdps? I am also looking for one!

 

[psychotropic]

yes santosh, i'd love to hear your feedback on that. i've actually spoken to a couple of people who're familiar with the CD63 who assure me that it's not excessively bright and it's perhaps the matching of the components that made it sound bright.

I am going to do a much more detailed listen when I get home today, and will report with detailed findings tomorrow.

Congrats Psychotropic!! :yahoo:

Santosh you did not mention if the 63se sounds bright like Psycho had concerns ...

Regards

 

[santhosh]

Congrats Psychotropic!! :yahoo:

Santosh you did not mention if the 63se sounds bright like Psycho had concerns ...

yes santosh, i'd love to hear your feedback on that.

Certainly does not sound too bright atleast not on my setup. Initially, I used to listen to them paired with the Jamo E570s and even then it was not very bright. There is absolute no fatigue even over long hours of listening.

there your journey begins in search of ting ting ting in every music you listen on your cds

This is something that I can vouch for. I could hear even subtle high frequencies that I never knew existed.

 

[dinyaar]

thanks guys ......i think i can say that my hi-fi journey has now made a (very) modest beginning.....to think i joined this forum to do some digging about which LCD TV to buy.....and then i ended up buying a plasma.....and then got interested in audio....and except for the plasma, none of my subsequent purchases would have happened if i hadn't come across hifivision.com thanks everyone.

Hi,
Congratulations on a more than decent CDP. IMO better built than most marantz today(except the SA series cdps). I had similar many years ago and it worked flawlessly till I sold it in my silly desire to upgrade.
Sorry i have hardly been active on the forum but if i remember correct u had bought the C542? Did u prefer the marantz and hence opted out? That Nad is a good cdp too and quite a deal at used prices.
Rgds

 

[psychotropic]

hey dinyaar, like i'd mentioned in the first post, i was going to buy the C542, but i let it slip because i was not more organised in my response to the seller, so he sold it to someone else, which is why I ended up buying the CD63. The early parts of this thread were spent wailing about the C542 but now i have the CD63 and i am happy, i'll post detailed first impressions in my next post in a bit.

Hi,
Congratulations on a more than decent CDP. IMO better built than most marantz today(except the SA series cdps). I had similar many years ago and it worked flawlessly till I sold it in my silly desire to upgrade.
Sorry i have hardly been active on the forum but if i remember correct u had bought the C542? Did u prefer the marantz and hence opted out? That Nad is a good cdp too and quite a deal at used prices.
Rgds

 

[psychotropic]

first impressions

So I hooked it up to my Audioengine 2s (using Bandridge RCA stereo audio cable). Instead of speaker stands i'm using an interim solution that I am finding works well, two thick law books under each speaker (Ratanlal and Dhirajlal on Criminal Procedure, Ratanlal and Dhirajlal on IPC), the books are of identical size, massive paperbacks, and they appear to somewhat neutralise the slight boominess of the speakers sitting on the wooden cabinet. I keep the speakers about 5 feet apart and toed in by about 15 degrees or so.

The room is 10' by 10' with a door on the left side of the setup (corner), and a window on the right side wall (in the centre). The wall facing the speaker has curtains, i am planning to get thicker and wider curtains soon.

First impressions playing Dire Straits's 'calling elvis' from 'on every street' were overwhelmingly positive. The sound had clarity and depth and an unprecedented level of bass from my A2s. I would say floorstander level bass because that was my first impression but of course, that's a bit of exaggeration there. But the sound was superb, the gruff raspiness of mark knopfler's voice was delivered in a convincing manner, and the imaging was precise. What blew me away was the drums, tight, pacy and with more thump than i've ever heard from the A2s. So much so that I seriously started to reconsider my idea of upgrading the A2s (but since i've committed to sell it to someone, it's not an option).

I went on to play a range of other stuff including Donald Fagen's superbly recorded "morph the cat" album, once again the setup sounded excellent. Then I played some Joan Baez (to oblige my wife), and some hindi music including "Swades".....where the Shehnai version of "yeh jo des hai" was delivered with such involving smoothness and......emotion (for lack of a better word)... that even my completely uninterested wife couldn't help smile.

Trials with less than well recorded material including some heavy metal from the 80s sounded surprisingly good, but the drawbacks in the recording quality were glaringly evident, and the solid bass that you heard on dire straits and donald fagen were not in evidence. Perhaps bigger speakers would have been able to do a better job here.

I will continue more trials today, and report back tomorrow.

 

[anm]

great writeup!

 

[stevieboy]

looks like one problem's solved now on to ze amp!