Marantz CD5000



May 2009.

This is the third CD player from the magical series of Philips machines which starts with CD751.  It has a sexy modern Marantz  face-plate but the whole player is 101% Philips CD-753. Not one resistor different.
I must admit - the face is 10 times better. What am I saying. 100 times better.  Although NOT worth the 50 x price difference on Ebay.

I wrote everything you need to know about this DAC chip which sits inside the cd5000 - it is the last Philips dac from famous TDA series - namely TDA1549.
I cant get enough of it - it is THAT good. In my book - it is the Philips' second best dac chip after the 41.

Philips CD751
Philips CD753

Lets summarize again the good points of Marantz CD5000 CD player:

1. In stock form it sounds so good like everybody get out. It is due to superb dac and very goos analog stage - only "half" opamp per channel.  This is very pure and simple and sounds great.
2. The face of  Marantz CD5000 belongs to elite of sexy looking pretty CD players - with great ergonomy, very easy buttons, highendish look, good display, not too many buttons.
3. Mechanism although shitty as hell - reads everything, works fast, is reliable and trouble free. I wish every mechanism was THAT GOOD.
4. The internal space is second to none. I mean - there is almost NOTHING AT ALL inside. The guts of CD5000 fill up some 5% of the cubature. So we can not only have alampizator with power supply, but a dwarf family could live there.

On the MINUS side - the box is ultra flimsy, soft, ringing and generally disguisting. It should be dampened with felt of some sort.
There is no balanced signal in the DAc shall you need one, but the owners of CD5000 are unlikely to have BAT or Krell amps anyway.

All in all, Marantz CD5000 is one of the best CD players ever made by Philips if not even the best. For lampization - look no further. This is THE ONE TO HAVE. Send me flowers and a case of Carmenere for 10 % of money you will save on the Wadia. The ebay priceof  (BEFORE this article was published) Marantz CD5000 sell below 100Eu.


Some memories from Lampization process.

Marantz CD5000

Would you say that this is a 1 kilogram of CD junk ? Looks like high end.

Marantz CD5000
Photo for the non believers - this player IS A PHILIPS. CD753.



Marantz CD5000

This is the first time I hear that Eindhoven is in Japan.

Marantz CD5000
My love baby DAC TDA1549T with arrows pointing to output legs. (L and R).
The exact data is at www.Allsatasheet.com


I simply float the outputs by lifting the next part (resistor) and soldering to the outputs. (not directly of course but to the point where the resistor used to be.).

This is a U output DAC so signal is strong and energetic. Low gain tube is best. I used 6SN7GT - a half triode per channel. 6H6P willl be a good choice too.

SRPP will be even better setup.

In 6SN7GR triode I used:
160 V DC supply (120 - 200 V)
R anode 15K / 2W (10-20K)
R cathode 330 Ohms 1/2 W  (any value between 200 - 600 Ohms)
R Grid to ground - 360 K / 1/4 W (any value between 200K and 1 Meg)
R input to grid - series - 330 Ohms (any value between 100 and 1K)
There are capacitors - (use foil type, I used the Elna electrolytes which were already there since in this place they are in-audible according to my tests.)  between DAC and tube grids - any value between 220 nF and 10 uF. I used 2 uF. Voltage unimportant.
The current in anode is on the level of 5-7 mA.
I used simply AC heating without problems or hum.
Output caps between anodes and RCA are 2 uF PIO by minimum 160 V.
Capacitors in CRC filter of anode were 220uF - R1K - 2 x 220 uF. All by 200 V minimum.


Marantz CD5000
Nice logical buttons, easy to find after a carmenere or two.



This is the smallest transformer ever found in any CD player. It is a size of a dice.  I had to use MACRO function used for photography of insects.

Marantz CD5000


These caps are lifted. Their legs in the air are ready to be connected to tube grids via R330 Ohms placed as close as pos to the grid pins. The minus side of the lytics is the decoupled AC signal.



The transformer fits nicely, thank you. On the right you see an in-line fuse with red wires.

The transformer is impossible to switch from the AC power switch which interrupts only secondary low voltage. So you have an option of permanent powwer to tubes - not bad idea - ot add a dedicated switch on the back as I did.


Since I already got between the sheets with this PCB - I also upgraded 4 critical caps with oscons and tantalums.
Arrow points to the regulator leg providing 5V DC to the DAC.



All is installed and ready to rock and roll.
Note new power switch at the back, new RCAs too, and the big red resistors are the anode 15K / 2W from Russia (metalfilm).



The tube here is a fabulous upgrade from 6SN7GT to the Russian metalbase 6H8C (6N8S) from 1954 year. What a tube that is !






Three caps of anode CRC filter.  I glued them to the CD chassis.




This is really nice mechanism. Malaysian it may be, plastic it may be - but I dont care. It works so well.




Ze sound:

If the Lampized CD5000 does not blow your wig off, it means your wig must be glued to your head. It is so good that it escapes any categorization.
If I ever want to become rich - I will make a challenge on my website - my 20 Euro CD751 lampized against any stock machine for any price that anyone cares to bring along.
If I win the duel - I get the other player. What a way to make living.