Marantz MODEL 50 & CD 50n

CDs are back after years of decline. As a student in the mid-eighties, I managed to get a summer job and earn some good money, and for me, the logical thing to do was to buy my first stereo. At the time, the NAD 3020E was the amplifier to buy (I still have it); I purchased a pair of JPW P1 loudspeakers and then proudly bought some 79-strand cable (flat, of course!). My sources would be the latest technology at the time, a Kenwood Dual Cassette player and a CD player, and I bought a Marantz CD67. It had a game-changing 1-10 track access at the touch of a button, which at the time was mind-blowing (I had come from my dad’s reel-to-reel tape).

What’s going on with CDs after all this time? Many, like me, have not bought a CD for years, preferring to stream with (varying degrees of) ease. Many, too, have ripped (like me) and sold their collections (not me), so they have no need for the silver spinner.

Marantz, however, seems to have never given up on CDs, and their latest collections reflect this with a bewildering choice of CD players at differing price points.

The same choice is true of Marantz’s amplifiers, which have many options. Some amps have digital options, some stream (look for an ‘n’ by the Model number), and others, like this MODEL 50, are just plain old (in a good way) integrated amplifiers.

Design

MODEL 50

This review includes the Marantz MODEL 50 pure analogue integrated amplifier and the CD 50n player. The MODEL 50 integrated claims 70W per channel of Class A/B amplification (into 8 Ohms) with six analogue inputs (one of which is a moving magnet turntable input) and a preamplification RCA output. If you are after more power, you’ll need to pick a lower number than 50 to go up the range, but pay a little more. For example, the MODEL 30 is £2900 with 100Wp/ch into the same 8 Ohms, and the Reference MODEL 10 is £12,000 to deliver 250W (the MODEL 50 is £1,600, see below). This MODEL 50 is pure analogue, so there is no digital or network capability (the MODEL 40n is an integrated amplifier for £2,200 with the same 70Wp/ch, but it has network streaming built-in). Finally, the MODEL 50 has a headphone output and a remote control.

CD 50n

With no digital capabilities in the MODEL 50, the CD 50n becomes the perfect partner for it, with the ‘n’ signifying networking capabilities. These equate to the Marantz/Denon HEOS platform offering networked audio streaming services and multi-room support. The CD 50n has Spotify and Tidal Connect built-in, and Alexa is there, too. The unit supports AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth and is Roon-ready. There are coaxial, optical, and USB-B inputs and a USB-A Memory Stick input. There is DSD up to 11.2Mhz via USB-B Asynchronous mode (PC/Mac/Server, etc) and via Networking. SACDs are not supported.

Quality

Marantz MODEL 50 & CD 50n side on convex curves

These Series 50 units are classy. The Black colour I have is sleek, with convex curves at the front, hinting that confident design choices have been made. The CD 50n has a large screen for displaying track information. The CD has a smooth front tray loading system with little fuss.

The MODEL 50 integrated has a small circular porthole that refers to Marantz designs of 70 years ago, where a VU meter was displayed. It now displays volume or input information only above various volume and tone controls. Both units have a 6.35mm headphone output to the right. The units look like they are styled as pairs; the symmetry is good. They are relatively hefty in weight.

MODEL 50 Dimensions (W × D × H) 442 × 431 × 130 mm; Weight 14.2 kg

CD 50n Dimensions (W × D × H) 442 × 424 × 130 mm, Weight 10.3kg

MODEL 50 £1600, CD 50n £1600, both available in Black or Silver/Gold.

Full Specification is here.

Performance

Rear Marantz MODEL 50 binding posts with plenty of room

Review Equipment

I have the Marantz units set up with a pair of fairly old KEF R700s using Atlas Mavros loudspeaker cable. I’m using the Fixed Output output between both units. The MODEL 50 has both fixed and variable terminals to the rear, which is helpful. I’m supplementing the KEFs with a REL Classic 98 wired at the high level when needed.

I have also been running the MODEL 50 as a two-channel AV box with an OPPO Blu-Ray disc player and a REL Classic 98 involved. There’s a video of this here.

Towards the end of the review, I replaced the cheapy Marantz RCA interconnects between the two units with some proper upgraded Atlas Mavros interconnects with GRUN to enhance the signal between the two units.

Physically

The amplifier demands you stand up and adjust the smooth volume control…

MODEL 50 Auto standby

These units are easy to use, and the CD loading tray is sleek and classy. They are both very tactile and stylish. The amplifier demands you stand up and adjust the smooth volume control despite the excellence of the remote control. As a pair, they could not be easier to set up.

On start-up, you get a small star in the porthole of the MODEL 50, which is a Marantz brand identifier, further embellishing the quality of these units. The units auto-off after being left alone for a while; I like this these days as someone who probably didn’t turn off his NAP 250 for six or seven years!

MODEL 50 amplifier, no REL

The midrange and low treble presentation is firm and clear, …there is  plenty of resolution…

I’ve been using the CD50n and an Oppo 105 Blu-Ray disc player to evaluate the MODEL 50; the presentation is very enjoyable. Despite their age, there is plenty of bass response from these saggy KEFs that still hold great affection with me. The recent experience of the Sonus faber Sonetto loudspeakers in place of the KEFs confirms this view. The midrange and low treble presentation is firm and clear, and there is plenty of resolution delivered by the CD50n via the MODEL 50. For example, Ray Lamontagne’s Supernova (CD, RCA 2014) rattles through with detail and associated energy. Having spent a long time feeling the Oppo BDP-105 is the best CD player I’ve ever heard, I realise this Marantz CD50n is, at the very least, competitive.

The CD50n uses HEOS, an older operating system, as its interface. One key thing about HEOS is that it is functional and works, but it lacks the slickness of others, like the class-leading Bluesound OS. I imagine a HEOS refresh would do the trick. But HEOS is quick, and it works, so that is good. There is no Qobuz in HEOS, which, for me, is a must-have. I note further that Chromecast is not supported.  This 50n does not support SACDs either. Marantz advised me a Qobuz update is on the way, so this is excellent news; see the statement at the end of the review.

MODEL 50 amplifier, Rega RP3 input to MM Phono Stage

My Rega RP3 is the old one before the new shiny Planar 3s, but I have the updated Elys2 MM cartridge, so it is fairly up to scratch. The MM phono input in MODEL 50 is perfectly acceptable to my needs. An on-hand iFi Zen Phono 3, currently in review, gave me a preferable presentation. Nonetheless, the MM input is nice to have, and provided you’re not DJing in Ibiza, this will get you to your vinyl place.

CD 50n as a DAC

I put the CD 50n in my current external passive crossover system into a Moor Amps Angel preamplifier that has a Sigao external crossover placed between it and the two Moor Amps Angel 6 power amplifiers. The CD 50n DAC performs startlingly well in this setup with an Atlas USB-B cable into the DAC at the rear. A 24-bit, 96kHz version of Led Zeppelin IV is on repeat at the moment from the Melco N100 library, as it is a nice recording. The sound is resolving and energetic, and the CD50n does a great job. Tonally, the CD50n is a little lighter than expected, and there’s a fraction less bass response offered; the CD 50n does not disgrace itself in place of an iFi Pro iDSD DAC in this premium system.

Placing a CD in the CD 50n is fun too. The same Led Zep IV on CD is similarly lively, though I prefer the library version on this occasion for its greater detail and energy.

Listening to the Chromatics version of Sound of Silence (Qobuz, 16-bit, 44.1kHz) via the Melco HD App, the Marantz DAC in this external crossover system gives me a profound and emotional response.

AV

I have had the MODEL 50 in a temporary 2.1 cinema setup in a room in our house, as in this video. I’m streaming the Sky Q box through the Oppo Blu-ray disc player to the MODEL 50 using RCA LINE 1 input. The MODEL 50 has been a consistent and dynamic performer, with the REL 98 Classic doing the heavy lifting in this setup. The film dialogue is clear and precise.

Headphone Output MODEL 50

The headphone output is decent and good enough with a pair of excellent Meze Audio 109 Pro headphones. The headphone output does not cut the volume to the speakers when you plug them in.  For this, you need to use the speakers off selection to the left of the front unit; there is a volume adjustment for the headphones, which is helpful.

Thoughts

…the CD player is excellent with the quick-witted HEOS App…

This is, of course, the competitive space in the hi-fi world. Marantz is up against Audiolab’s 9000 series, Cambridge Audio’s CX series amplifiers and CD transports, or Rega’s Elicit amplifiers with a streaming/CD solution. Cyrus, of course, has a suite of price-competitive streamers, CD players, and amplifiers.  I do not forget the numerous premium one-box solutions like the Cambridge Audio EVO 150, the Naim UnitiStar (the Nova?), and others near this combined price. But these Marantz solutions are a midrange step into a proper buildable HiFi journey. I am confident that this amplifier will do an excellent job for years. Indeed, the CD player is excellent with the quick-witted HEOS App, and I have no complaints there, though I would prefer Qobuz in there (see update news at the end).

Overall

This fine and well-thought-out combination dispenses confidently with the digital compromises in an analogue integrated amplifier solution.

This fine and well-thought-out combination dispenses confidently with the digital compromises in an analogue integrated amplifier solution. I like this a lot. It makes for a longer-term investment in this amplification choice, a unit you can build on as budgets improve.  I am delighted to see an old favourite in Marantz still pushing ahead in the two-channel HiFi world.

*Marantz says, as of this review, “Qobuz is very much on the roadmap for HEOS, and more details will be released asap”.

Addendum

This review was ready a couple of days ago, but an Oxfordshire-wide internet outage reminds us that without the internet, physical CDs have a place in our musical lives.  Thank goodness the CD50n has been able to step in these last few days!

Specification

Full details of the MODEL 50 are on the company’s site. The CD50n specification is here.

Marantz MODEL 50 & CD 50n