Marantz DV9500 DVD-player

This player is not aimed at Orthodox music lovers, but at people who need a comfortable and omnivorous device. It can lead the most advanced AV system, since in technical terms it is not inferior to its competitors (the digital path is based on the modern CS4398 DAC, the branded micro-assemblies on discrete HDAM elements are installed on the analog outputs). At the same time, there are also features for the people: playing mp3, displaying JPEG photos and, finally, the SRS TruSurround system, which is very useful in case the purebred Marantz player is included in the simple stereo system. We can say briefly about the quality of the video path - everything, installed in DV9500, is the most advanced. But in our test, another "function" is much more interesting - the ability to fully turn off the video section, which will benefit the sound.

The nature of Marantz DV9500 playback cannot be described in two words. When playing CDs, DV9500 conquers with its tonal and spatial accuracy. Each instrument is recognizable, no sound source is tied to loudspeakers - not every CD player with the cost of more than $ 1500 - 2000 has such musical correctness. Playing DVD-Audio caused mixed feelings. The resolution at the weakest levels was clearly improved, the upper frequencies were freed from the digital tint, the scale of the sound stage increased, but the sound acquired aggressive notes in the most important range - the mid-frequency range (turn off the video path did not bring to any noticeable improvement). However, the device refers to SA-CD reverently: the sound is neutral, energetic, neatly encrusted with details and correctly placed in space - no matter what material you are listening to, stereo or multichannel.