These days, not many people buy single-play CD players for their home entertainment center. However, if you want a high-quality dedicated CD player with an impressive feature list, take a good look at the Marantz CD5001.

The CD5001 is compatible with the usual CD and CD-R/RW music discs, and it can display CD Text when available. As you would expect, there is a full array of playback modes, including song and disc repeat, shuffle and music intro scan. Unfortunately, the CD5001 doesn't support the playback of MP3 or other digital audio files burned to disc.

This is a high-end player, and it includes features like a peak search for properly setting recording levels when dubbing, as well as a pitch/speed control to blend tempos or keys when making a compilation disc. Although it doesn't play Super Audio CD (SACD), the CD5001 uses the same type of digital-to-analog converter, with 192kHz/24-bit technology. For the purest possible signal, the fluorescent display can be turned off to prevent any interference with the audio signal. Even the amplifier for the headphone output delivers cleaner performance than you'll find on most consumer CD players.

The CD5001 has one optical and one coaxial digital audio output for a digital connection with other components, and there are gold-plated RCA analog connectors as well. The frequency response is 20Hz to 20,000Hz, and the signal-to-noise ratio is an excellent 110dB.

While most people would overlook a CD player in favor of a DVD or universal player, the Marantz CD5001 does one thing, and it does it remarkably well.


Pros:  High-performance dedicated CD player, pitch/speed control, good connection selection
Cons:  Doesn't play digital audio files, somewhat pricey for a CD-only disc player

Warranty
3 years