Marantz DAC Controversy. Where's the AK4490 DAC? [Part 1]

It seems Marantz are replacing the AK4490 DAC with the ESS ES9010K2M DAC in their audio equipment but still advertising the AK4490 in the spec sheet.
Are other audio manufacturers doing the same?
Marantz DAC Controversy [Part 2] • Marantz DAC Controvers...
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[@oldfatbastad6053]

they should have named them 6007E, E being ESS and labelled theproducts as such and had them as a seperate model on the website.

[@WXSTANG]

In fairness... the ESS circuit looks to have a better pre amplifier section after the DAC.

[@PMIGACZ]

I just purchased cd6007 yesterday from Richer Sound UK and same story, ess dac instead of akm dac in my unit

[@barrystamp8600]

Marantz' newer replacement for the CD6007 (CD 60) uses an ESS9016M2K DAC chip working with its own MMDF (Marantz Musical Digital Filtering) with two user-selectable coefficients - slow roll-off and sharp roll-off, short delay. A bought-in CD mech is used, “chosen for its reliability”.

[@tdvols]

Thanks for this info. I have decided to purchase the Rotel mk 2

[@andreassouth1523]

Which dac rotel has??

[@brave1671]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with ESS 9016. The implementation of a DAC is much more important than the DAC circuit itself. I am quite sure Marantz engineers know how to implement a Sabre DAC in their CD-player in the best way possible.

[@thedave54]

The idea is - update the information about your product that you are selling!

[@diegocanale1124]

​​@@thedave54so much for transparency

[@gurpreetsingh18]

I just bought this a week back here in India,mine looks as advertised 😊

[@_____.__]

It must be the old stock.

[@maxcoutinho3879]

That's good to hear. I too am from India and am planning to buy this CD player. From where did you buy yours? I could buy from the same dealer. :-)

[@gurpreetsingh18]

@@maxcoutinho3879 bought it from amazon appario retail.

[@kellyrossman5679]

@@_____.__ has to because no cd6007 2023 on any shelf has the ak4490 chip . Marantz is indeed using the ess chip or middle to end of 2022 for that matter . That’s why someone if they wanted to could start a class action ..

[@KwangMarkEleven]

I believe the change is happening because of the worldwide chip shortage of the last two years. Anyway they should notify consumers.

[@thomasward00]

First world problems, they put an exact quality replacement, it's a non issue for 99.9% of buyers.

[@_____.__]

Because the AKM factory was closed for a while after an extensive fire had happened there.

[@kellyrossman6032]

@@thomasward00 you paid for prime rib and the waitress brings you Salisbury steak . Just eat it or send it back ? Ok seriously though the ak4490 on paper is better the ess matches well with what marantz did with the changes made to the boards and people are saying one sounds better over the other . Bullshit . The dac converts and doesn’t play sound . The comments are ridiculous about the subject . The ess chip is in some pretty high end equipment. Also to educate you further the ak4490 is or was a mass production that marantz had a contract with the company that caught fire that the cd6007 was using . The cd6007 build and sound quality if in the hands of say someone like Cambridge ,Nad etc the price would be more likely over $1000 into $1500 territory. Yes the player is that good sounding and built to last inside and out . Buy one with either dac chip .

[@passcomcompass2623]

​@@thomasward00 its not about better or worse, even they put in a better chip the customer still has the right to know, even if I offer you a billion dollars, you would still reserve the right to reject. Its a morality problem not an audio quality one.

[@robertoreynaldo1005]

It may be shortage of AKM DAC due to fire incident from AKM plant. But the thing is, Marantz should do a web notification for some changes in electronics components.

[@daveduerr9153]

Yes, purchased the CD 60, and I am really meticulous about documentation regarding my equipment purchases, and I too was alarmed at your findings about the DAC in the CD60. I printed the spec sheet at the time of purchase of my CD60 (had to wait for it, for about 2 months from my retailer Crutchfield) and at that time they had changed the specs on the US web page to the ES9010k2m for the dak. I have not opened up my unit, or checked on the Crutchfield web page to see if the graphics of the interior boards represent the AK DAK (they have superior graphics). I agree completely, and think that if you can provide documentation of the AK DAK chipset/board at the time that you purchased the CD 60, let them refund your money or give you a unit with the advertised AK DAK. Regarding me: I'm screwed, I have docs that say that the chipset is the ES. I do enjoy the player, but in the back of my mind, knowing that something was substituted without my knowledge is alarming. I am with you.....

[@hernancarrizo158]

I knew it….., they think we are morons

[@anotherbrickinthewall1700]

Good call....great public service.

[@31.01]

I bought the CD6007 about a month ago and I have problems with playing CD-R discs, it refuses most, my brother also bought a CD6007 when they were just on the market and it plays the CD-R without any problems and it also sounds nicer. .I returned my CD6007 player.

[@jdavis234]

There’s no AKM chips. Someone didn’t get the memo! Crazy they didn’t advertise the change. I’m going to open up mine and see.

[@brianrobson1481]

Hi there I was going to buy this cd player this week but I am not sure now.Does what hi fi know this and other reviewers?We should have been told this by Maranz so we could have the option to make our own minds up.

[@AmazonasBiotop]

So big companies have not the manpower to change their homepage and data sheets. But they have manpower to do a circuit board redesign and test because they must because of the fire. So at some point managers decided -"Oh then we need to make a revision of our documentation!" -"No let us skip that part." (Consensus) They decided to not mention that change.. This is categorized as a "silent revision" (in this case they were forced to do it, in other occasions they are not). The thing is those "silent revisions" changes measurements and perceived sound quality. In other words it's performance. When we know that people make buying decisions of how stuff performing (measure or sounds). So when manufacturer decide to NOT do a Rev ll/B model so that consumers can know what model that is used in audition or reviews! The chance is huge that what they're audition and study reviews that the HW they end up with is not the same as those (when often those are early models in the series) units and performing differently. That confusion would be easily solved by a revision number of the product. In this case the fire forced the manufacturer to make the change. In the computer HW world the issue is more severe when they deliberately send HW with faster memory or more memory to reviewers. And in the production they mount slower memory (RAM) and the performance is not on par with what reviewers got! If that then is deliberately done or not is the scarier part.. 🤮

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

You make good points, especially regarding the products reviewers use.

[@AmazonasBiotop]

@@UTILITARIANTVUK Yes, it has gone that far in the computer world. That some reviewers buy or get their graphic cards, motherboards and SSD discs. From the normal store or from anybody else that has bought from a store. So they do not get and test a special non available version from the manufacturer! As we know from several KZbin hifi content creators that some manufacturers ship to several of them their new product ahead of time before it's release date.. The content creators sign a NDA that they can not disclose anything prior a specific date (the scheduled release date). So the content creator get benefit to be "first" to review a product (but are actually releasing the review the same date as the other content creators are..). And the company get on their releases date alot of KZbin coverage so those that are eager to buy the next great thing is going to be excited. Then we can contemplate on two things: 1. What is the gear the content creators is getting? (When they are indirectly forced to use the HW they get when the product is not yet on the market) 2. Is then the gear a prototype or early production models? Or deliberately hotroded prototypes when the manufacturer knows that the HW they're sending out is going to a reviewer. It is a thin line and we can only trust the manufacturers. But giant HW manufacturer for computer parts has been caught to cheating.. so we have a setup with now as explained above that it will happen in our audio realm to. It is not a question about if it happens it is a question of when.🤔

[@rocksinger45]

WOW ~ That certainly is False Advertisement please keep us update this ~ I was. just thinking of buying this player but now I have second thought ~ You know this is like being between a rock and a hard place because if you open up the player it could void your warranty ~ Am I correct and what reseller would allow that ~

[@ramblinginmeath4950]

Ive been pondering about buying a CD60 ( had some Marantz gear a few years ago 2006 amp and CD player) and this is interesting - I have a class A amp and I have to decide on either a CD player with an on-board DAC and I would like to know what type of DAC is inside the box so to speak.. my other option is to invest in a CDT and an external DAC -- then I have perhaps better choice - but the costs go up considerably - and this brings it all down to what is acceptable performance from. CD player with an onboard DAC or move to CDT .. The Audiolab 7000CDT is tempting as its the same price as the CD60.. greetings from Ireland

[@rubenalvar3253]

The Pioneer PD-10AEM2 is advertised as having a AKM DAC with a THD of 0,0029% and a SNR of 107db, but once you buy it a paper apart from the manual says it has changed to THD 0,004% and a SNR of 103db. No information about the new DAC, but for sure a cheap one.

[@ceecee130x]

False advertising... there should be a class action suit. I know, I know, the ES 9010 is pretty much on par with AK 4490, but like you said, consumers have the right to be informed. Even though the sonic qualities between those two chips are likely to be similar, there are laws against false advertising for this very reason (consumer rights). If nothing at all, if the end users wind up getting a couple hundred dollars on the settlement, it would be a nice discount, while owners can keep on enjoying good music. I had the Marantz CD-63 SE back in the mid-90s, and wanted to stay with the same manufacturer for a new uinit... this news does give me pause about the company's business model... I stopped buying Apple stuff since 2015 when Tim Cook treated consumers like they're idiots and lies straight in their faces (e.g. it's a design feature of the ultra-thin iPads to be bent; the butterfly keyboard keys are superb, it's your dirty fingers that are wrecking them).

[@ENGLISHISBEST]

I don't know if I should open mine up as I don't want to be disappointed, but is this allowed to change specs mid way through production.

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

They can change the specs but they have to be transparent and make customers aware of the change. All the retailers and their own website still state that it has an AK4490 DAC.

[@Nccr3-ht8gm]

onkyo has been doing the same thing With there cd players Personally i think Ess is a superior dac

[@capjohnybravo]

Scammers everywhere. Sad story. I was about to buy this player.

[@devarsiratdas1425]

The pm7000n Amp also had a different Dac

[@yc-tai]

Marantz got no money to re-print the brochures

[@thomasward00]

The 4490 and ESS9010 are essentially the same quality..... Schiit Modi 3+, AKM4490 Dragonfly Black, ESS9010 These are both $120 dollar DACS that use those chips.... Personally Marantz is cheaping out with Both of those Dacs, they should be using at least an ESS9018 or better in a modern CD player at the $800 dollar price point.

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

I think the point I'm trying to make is that I wasn't given a choice. Also they may have different sound signatures.

[@thomasward00]

@@UTILITARIANTVUK Given not only the Global supply shortage but the AKM Fire that caused industry wide changes from AKM to ESS.... and since this is a like for like substitute, it's a non issue. It's not like they substituted a name brand DAC to a no name... I have both and actually slightly prefer the ESS Sound, but since it's so close, it's a non issue.

[@diegocanale1124]

I own a Marantz M-CR612 bought before the fire in early 2020 and i think it has AKM dac.

[@kenmo2896]

Can you play DSD with ESS dac?

[@WayneMusicianUK]

Okay then… I have a buyer next Monday for my Marantz CD63 MkII KI Signature CD Player, getting £220 for it!! Do I now keep it?? I’m Selling it as I wanted to buy the Marantz CD6007 in Silver, but after this blatant lie about the DAC chip being an AKM and it’s now an ESS, is there anyway of me finding out direct from Marantz or Richer Sounds where I was gonna buy it?? 🙄

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

Unfortunately, the only way to find out is to take the lid off.

[@hykenlam9313]

how about the sound quality between CD6007 with ESS dac vs. AKM? which one is better?

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

Not sure as I've not heard the AKM dac.

[@tomaslee8320]

Apparently ESS more detailed open sound and AKM dacs are warmer softer sounding ? Anyone got both ?

[@bigmacfullerton7870]

If this was due to a factory fire and the replacement DAC is as good or better than the original one I don’t really have a problem with it. You won’t be able to tell the difference between two good DACs

[@Marco.p-76]

io sono stato fortunato! ,ho un cd6007 ,e in un mio video una persona mia ha fatto notare questo problema,perche stava cercando di vedere se internamente era come il suo o no

[@edmondj03]

I bought one last week. What shall we do ?

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

There's nothing inherently wrong with the ESS DAC so you should be fine.

[@edmondj03]

Mine was brand new

[@robertmarasigan5124]

they will probably fire some employees first for the oversight before they will respond to your inquiry, its the same as putting ryzen chip on your laptop instead of intel as advertised :)

[@elizchan1]

How to open the Marantz pm6007 to see what DAC is in it? Can you do a video of that?

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

Very hard to get to. It's encased in a metal box and the screws are really difficult to access.

[@elizchan1]

@@UTILITARIANTVUK thank you. I have decided not to buy this due to your video. Very shady business deals. I called Marantz and they could not tell me what the DAC I have even with the serial number. Marantz cannot even provide me a manufacture date!

[@BorisPavlov]

@@elizchan1 My Marantz PM6007 is from 2022 and after I wrote to Marantz support with the serial number - they confirmed that the DAC inside is the same as in CD-player: ESS ES9010K2M

[@elizchan1]

@@BorisPavlov thank you for that info. I am getting the rega elex mk4. That is not worth my time and Marantz never called me back about the information I was seeking.

[@BorisPavlov]

Rega Elex MK4 is a great choice! Fortunately, The Marantz PM6007 was a good choice for me too, because it perfectly match my vintage speakers. The sound is quite amazing :)

[@handokosetiawan2803]

DAC ES9010 just like what Marantz ND8006 use, ES9016. Maybe Marantz do some improvement for CD6007.

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

On paper, the AK4490 is better. They also have different sound signatures but I suppose it's subjective.

[@handokosetiawan2803]

@@UTILITARIANTVUK heard it too, they said AK sound 'bassy and smooth' and ES 'bright and harsh'.

[@_____.__]

@@handokosetiawan2803 They probably thought, most users would go for the brand name and do not care what DAC is inside. 😀

[@barrystamp8600]

​@@UTILITARIANTVUK is there an option on your CD6007 remote to change the ESS DAC digital filter, sharp, slow, or other? usually ESS dacs have this option which can alter the sound processing.

[@sabs1970]

I would never buy this player as the CD mechanism & laser pick up is poor junk at best I am still running the school marantz CD 52 ' CD 72 which runs the classic CDM 4/19 transport. mechanism Which are very well made

[@davidevans4535]

They are having them made cheaper in china or elsewhere the cd player that is not just a dac replacement

[@shaunyweaver1144]

Which ever way you work it, it's false advertisement . All changes should be reported, they would not have a leg to stand on if you returned it, and asked for refund no matter how long it was sold with wrong hardware .

[@ChrisTaylor-dz6nk]

Sound differents .yes or no.more important then the dac.

[@mobby1212]

ESS ES9010K2M DAC is just as good or better

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

It is good but looking at the specs, the ak4490 is better.

[@_____.__]

It purely depends on your preferences and taste. For many, ESS DACs sound too "clinical".

[@shangrilaladeda]

akm is back up and running now

[@_____.__]

I wish we could already notice that in the products that are available now.

[@shangrilaladeda]

@@_____.__ gellis labs sells a dac that is suppose to have an akm chip if you choose, I’ll be ordering one maybe this weekend and when I get it I’ll check it out

[@kaybhee6]

note cd 6007 sounds worse,,, harsh... than cd 6006 and cd 6005

[@hernancarrizo158]

Answer from Marantz 😡, contact my dealer?, what Amazon has to do with the chip inside......... "Response By E-mail (Sharon (Customer Support)) (28/09/2022 05.30 PM) Dear Hernan, Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately AKM's chip factory burnt down and as such we had to find a different supplier. The ESS DAC has been chosen which we only have done to guarantee the quality we are happy with. We recommend you contact your dealer in this case Amazon, but AK chips are no longer available for obvious reasons. We apologise for the inconvenience. Met viendelijke groet / Kind regards, Sharon"

[@peterbrownless]

This is very naughty. I bet the two sound significantly different - how many people have bought one of these based on reviews of what is effectively a total different system? Shocking. I'll stick with my Jurassic age CD63KI!

[@andywrollo2915]

Thats dissapointing. I don't care if it sounds better etc. Imagine buying a Mercedes snd when you open the bonnet it has mickey mouse turbo 🤣Surely they are in breach of consumer law. I have the 6006uk

[@_____.__]

AK4490 is an outdated chip, that has been replaced by AK4493 a while ago.

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

Yeah they also have the AK4493S and AK4490R released this year.

[@therealmitch-a-palooza7262]

The 4490 is not really "outdated". It's still an excellent DAC, and AKM DAC's are going to be better than ESS ones regardless, including the 4490. I don't own a CD6007, however, I would be pissed if I found out it had an ESS DAC instead. That being said, I would still prefer the newer 4490R, 4493, or 4499EX.

[@necrodh]

if you hear 30 year old "outdated" dacs from philips/marantz those wipe the floor with modern ones

[@therealmitch-a-palooza7262]

@@necrodh that depends on the DAC. Maybe it’ll sound better than an ESS DAC, but not a flagship AKM DAC chip

[@adamdavies163]

Disgusting, surely that should be the CD6008, lets face it the changes between the CD6006 - 6007 were no more obvious. I have a CD6007, although mine is around 18 months old so likely to be original spec. I like the build quality, but not a fan of the very cheap and nasty Sanyo CD mech, much preferred the old CDM / VAM1201 series units.

[@ИгорьСташников]

Самая неудачная покупка. Загрузка диска долгая. Не все диски читает. Хотя производитель утверждает что все стандартные диски читает. Мой старый marantz cd5000 в три раза дешевле и играет лучше. И грузится диск моментально. От marantz одно название. К п покупке не советую. Прорыва в звуке не ждите. 😭😢 .

[@ИгорьСташников]

MARANTZ 6007-CRAP!

[@necrodh]

since philips and marantz went on separated ways marantz became average consumer garbage

[@adamdavies163]

And sadly Philips disappeared completely.