Marantz CD-23Da (1997)
The CD-23Da was the last component of Marantz's Music Link series to be released. It arrived in 1997 at ¥200,000. It was an upgraded CD-23, essentially that acclaimed player with a pair of digital inputs (one coaxial, one TOS optical) added, so it could double as a standalone digital-to-analogue converter. Outside Japan it was marketed as the CD-23DLimited.
All three CD-23 variants shared the same core architecture. One main dual-sided board at the bottom handled digital processing, servos, and D/A conversion, with one power-supply assembly at the rear. The D/A section was Philips' DAC-7 bitstream design, feeding two Marantz HDAM modules, the company's proprietary high-speed amplifier blocks. The analogue output stage used FETs (2SJ74 / 2SK170) and was set at a low 150 Ohm output impedance. Construction was typical of the Music Link series: diecast aluminium throughout, a glass cover, and what the vintage knob described as a "discreetely flying saucer-like design."
One distinction separates the three versions. The original CD-23 and the CD-23Da used the regular Philips CDM9 swing-arm transport. The CD-23F (sold outside Japan as the CD-23Limited) got the CDM9Pro. The transport is the weak point of these players, because the CDM9 and CDM9Pro are not as durable as the earlier diecast Philips drives used in the preceding CD-15, CD-16, and CD-16SE models. The CDM9 can be identified by its grey plastic spindle, the CDM9Pro by a shiny metal one.
Specifications as recorded for the CD-23 family:
- Frequency response: 20 Hz–20 kHz ± 0.2 dB
- Dynamic range: 97.5 dB
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 110 dB (1 kHz)
- Analogue output: 2 V RMS / 150 Ohm (10 kOhm load)
- Digital inputs: 1× coaxial 75 Ohm 0.5 V p-p, 1× TOS optical
- Digital outputs: 1× coaxial 75 Ohm 0.5 V p-p, 1× TOS optical
- Dimensions: 250 × 124 × 281 mm (W×H×D)
- Weight: 6.3 kg
- Power consumption: 18W
The remote control had an aluminium top and included output level control. No independent period reviews have surfaced in the Archive's files. Beyond a single 2022 Yahoo Auctions sale at ¥54,000 and a Russian listing at 155,000 rubles, current market pricing is undocumented. If you own a CD-23Da and have service experience with the CDM9 transport, the archive would welcome hearing from you.
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