Marantz CC4001 CD player

PyroGuy

Hi All...

Quick question - anyone had any experience with the Marantz CC4001 5 disc CD player? I'm asking as it looks like a relatively inexpensvie CD player with RS232 control (I need status feedback)

We have a client who wants to add a CD player for 'muzak' type application for specific music genre when the Satellite Radio service just doesn't have what they want.

We put in a cheapie ($30) CD player just to fill space for now, but the owner went crazy when the staff kept complaining that it stopped, etc (of course feedback was NOT available) so they never really knew if they were in repeat mode, shuffle, etc.

I saw a module for the 4001, but as a non-expert programmer, I am wary (scared) of getting into duet modules at this time. All I want is control of a few basic commands and a bit of feedback.

Is the 4001 any good?

Cheers!

DHawthorne

I've used it a few times, and have no complaints. It seems to be typical of Marantz products: nothing truly remarkable, yet quite solid for it's class. The protocol is simple enough that you can roll your own module fairly easily (which is how I chose to handle it). As long as they aren't looking for something real high end (like, say a Meridian 808i), I would think it a good choice.

ericmedley

One little aside to note about most (if not all) of the new Marantz stuff. The newer models are 'eco-friendly' The upshot of this is that out of the box they come set up in low power use mode.

That means when they are off, they are off, not in standby.

They will not respond to any RS-232 commands unless you walk over and turn on the power by hand.

There are commands to overide this feature and set it up like we're used to. However, in the event of a prolonged power outage, we've seen the units go back to factory settings and then needed to have the customer manually power the unit up.

This is an interesting trend in manufacturing. I understand the wish to create eco friendly stuff. But, most of these appliances use a trickle charge to keep the memory alive. I would think there are bigger fish to fry when it comes to getting appliances to move toward being green.

We're USGBC members and at our last regional conference, I brought up the issue. I explained that we need to take an honest look at how we're teaching people about saving energy. There's a lot of myth and urban legend being spread around. A DVD player in standby is not drawing much power at all. A lamp left on in an empty room draws much more power and is very common.

Sorry about getting way off topic....

As Dave says, the Marantz stuff is pretty bullet proof and is designed very well for control. I like the fact that the feedback is scaleable. You can set it up to give you no, a little bit, or tons of feedback.

PyroGuy

Thanks guys!

Good info - it's what I was hoping to hear.

I agree with the eco comments too. It's important to be eco friendly, but let's put the effort where it matters. Given my choice, I'd be more concerned about the mercury in millions of CFL bulbs starting to hit landfill in 5 years than the milliwatts of power required to keep a chip running inside a cd player!

Cheers!