Marantz CD 50n CD and Network Audio Player

The One That Also Takes Your Television

The CD 50n is built on the SACD 30n platform and aimed at someone with CDs rather than SACDs. What it keeps is the part that changes a system: it is a disc player, a streamer and a converter for everything else you own.

It is the first Marantz source component with HDMI ARC. Connect it to a television and the set's own remote controls the volume, while film and streaming sound comes back down the same cable into your hi-fi.

Alongside that sit an optical input, a coaxial input, and a USB-B taking PCM to 384kHz and DSD to 11.2MHz. A 32-bit ESS Sabre converter and two system clocks handle what arrives.

Two Ways Out, and a Headphone Stage

There are two analog output pairs. The fixed pair goes to an amplifier in the usual way. The variable pair has volume control, so the CD 50n can drive a power amplifier or active speakers on its own.

Marantz builds its own output modules rather than using op-amps alone. The CD 50n combines an HDAM with an HDAM SA2, the same family of discrete circuits the company puts in its more expensive players.

A headphone output with its own volume control sits on the front. HEOS, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth and Roon are built in, over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. The chassis is 442 by 424 by 130mm and weighs 10.3kg.

What Reviewers Are Saying

LB Tech Reviews set out the output arrangement: "It also has both fixed RCA outputs for connection to the system and variable outputs with volume adjustment."

On how it relates to the model above it, the same review explains that "The SACD 30n contains HDAM SA2 modules, while the CD 50n uses a simpler HDAM module in combination with HDAM SA2."

Who Is This Player Best For?

• Your television sounds worse than your hi-fi — HDMI ARC brings the set's audio into the system and lets its remote control the volume, which no optical connection can do.
• You have discs and services — HEOS, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth and Roon are built in, so the same box that plays your CDs also plays everything you subscribe to.
• You want fewer boxes — the variable output has volume control, so a power amplifier or a pair of active speakers can connect directly with no preamplifier between.
• You have other digital sources — optical, coaxial and a USB-B taking DSD to 11.2MHz mean a set-top box and a computer both feed the same converter.
• You have CDs rather than SACDs — this is the SACD 30n platform tuned for the discs most people actually own, which is where the money goes further. Add one of our integrated amplifiers and the system is complete.

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Run the fixed RCA outputs to a line input on your amplifier, or the variable pair straight into a power amplifier if you would rather leave a preamplifier out of the chain.

A television connects on HDMI ARC, a set-top box on optical or coaxial, and a computer on USB-B. The network arrives over Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and headphones plug in at the front.

Pairs Well With

Building around the CD 50n? Here are some great companions:

• Integrated Amplifier: The Model 50 is its designed partner — see our Integrated Amplifiers.
• Bookshelf Speakers: Finish the system — see our Bookshelf Speakers.
• Headphones: There is an output waiting on the front — see our Headphones.
• Interconnects: A clean run from the analog outputs — see our Interconnect Cables.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does HDMI ARC do here?

It brings your television's sound into the system over one cable and lets the television remote control the volume, which an optical connection cannot.

Which digital inputs does it have?

Optical, coaxial, HDMI ARC and a rear USB-B accepting PCM to 384kHz and DSD to 11.2MHz.

Can it drive a power amplifier directly?

Yes. The variable analog output has volume control, so a power amplifier or active speakers can connect without a preamplifier.

How does it differ from the SACD 30n?

The SACD 30n adds SACD playback and uses HDAM SA2 modules throughout, where the CD 50n combines an HDAM with an HDAM SA2.

What streaming is built in?

HEOS, covering Spotify Connect, Tidal and more, plus AirPlay 2, Bluetooth and Roon, over Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

How big is it, and what is the warranty?

442 by 424 by 130mm and 10.3kg. Five years on parts and labor for the original purchaser, when bought new from an authorized dealer. It does not transfer if the unit is sold on.

See It in Action

HIFI Daydreaming sets the CD 50n against the Primare CD15 Prisma:

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Learn More

Want to learn more about HDMI ARC, using a CD player as a DAC, or network streaming? Visit our Learning Center for guides, tips, and expert advice.