Used integrated amps, optical output questions

[LeRoy]

Simon,

The Marantz player I wrote about was a replacement for a Yamaha universal player (forgot the model#). The Yamaha would not unload a disk and I was thinking that was the end of that player so I ordered it's replacement. A couple of weeks later I was able to get my bro-in-law, who had the right tool to open up the player, extract the disk. The Yamaha had given me great service for a couple of years up to that point.

The Marantz player is a tonally dark player with BASS being the emphasis. I have had to dial down the subwoofer for both movies and music. Mids are generally acceptable for music and for movies the voices are clear and distinct. Highs on the Marantz are not as good as the Yamaha player for music but for movies the highs are great. The pace of the Marantz is slower than that of the Yamaha and took me some time to adjust. Marantz is noted for slower pace and bass emphasis. Overall, I enjoyed the music presentation of the Yamaha more than that of the Marantz but prefer the Marantz over the Yamaha for movies.

So, it depends..what is the emphasis for you..tonally dark/more bass/slower pace or a balanced sound with better pacing with more loaded disks?

LeRoy