Whether your tastes run to classical, rock, jazz o whatever, you'll find plenty to enjoy here

Marantz offers several versions of the 6000, and this is the Limited Edition of the Original Special Edition, notable not least for offering its benefits for no price premium over the standard OSE. Modifications include a couple of upgraded capacitors and a change to the response of the low-pass filter, plus some extra screening internally. It's a smartly assembled unit, given an extra touch of class by its unusual weight - largely the result of a double-skinned base and some internal damping, all intended to cut down mechanical resonance.

As arguably befits the most expensive player in the group, this is the most comprehensively featured. The front panel gives little enough away at first, though the headphone socket is a useful bonus: but as soon as power is applied the smart dot-matrix display shows signs of unusual versatility. Sure enough, the display can also give access to CD Text, and a little bargraph to the right of the main display shows the setting of the variable analogue output level. Other features include a whole bunch of editing features (select some or all tracks and play them in any order you like), peak search and other features to assist with copying to cassette, and also compatibility with finalised CD-RW discs. One surprise came when I found that the 6000 doesn't like CD-Rs which have been recorded on a PC in disc-at-once mode, discs supposedly identical in format to pressed CDs. It will play them but often refuses to jump from one track to another. CD-Rs recorded on an audio recorder are fine, though.

Build quality is good, with neatly laid out circuit boards bearing Marantz's trademark HDAMs (Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Modules). There are both coaxial and optical digital outputs and connections for a Marantz system remote controller. Measurements are typical of the breed, with output level right on the button at 2.0V and low in-band noise and distortion: however, as so often, ultrasonic noise and aliasing distortion are not quite as low as they might be, these being a function of the low-cost upsampler/DAC chip used.

Sound quality
Marantz's reputation for CD players rests not least on the 'house' sound, for which probably the best one-word description is 'civilised'. Excitement is not by any means forbidden territory, but don't expect to find any added to essentially lacklustre CDs. I'd go so far as to say that the basic tonal quality of this player is very much that of some of the best high end players and DACs, though in the absence of a truly free lunch there is the odd hint of the budget in there too.

Basically, what the 6000 OSE lacks in absolute terms is the last degree of insight. In practice it means that inner details and subtle ambient cues are not quite as easy to find as they are with the finest digital kit. This becomes more obvious the longer one listens: but let's not get despondent, for long-term listening is certainly pleasurable. At the price it's difficult to do better in the detail stakes.
So whether your tastes run to classical (clear strings and brass with just a shade of hardness added), rock (plenty of bass drive and energy), jazz (lifelike vocals with the merest hint of overemphasised sibilants) or whatever, you'll find plenty to enjoy here. Perhaps bass could on occasion be a little more profound, but midrange and treble are notably clean and neutral.

Conclusion
Considering that very fine performance and the multiplicity of features on offer, not to mention the smart build and appearance, a Best Buy seems to be in order.