quality of headamp in Marantz CD 6006. Improvement possible by stand alone headamp?

[Hardanger]

I bought the CD player Marantz CD 6006, which imho has a not-so-bad built in headamp. My HPs are AKG K712 Pro and Sony MDR Z7. Want to purchase the Fostex TH 900 Mkii in future. I almost exclusively listen to CDs. I am quite satisfied with the sound of the Marantz, but I'd highly appreciate hearing your opinions/hints whether the sound noticeably can be improved by a separate/stand alone head amp. And if so which ones? (new devices only) I still can return the Marantz. I then probably would go for a more simple/cheaper CDplayer increase and pluf in the head amp directly there.
Thanks in advance for all hints.

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

If you are happy, that's what matters. Marantz tend to have pretty good headphone outputs though.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I bought the CD player Marantz CD 6006, which imho has a not-so-bad built in headamp. My HPs are AKG K712 Pro and Sony MDR Z7. Want to purchase the Fostex TH 900 Mkii in future. I almost exclusively listen to CDs. I am quite satisfied with the sound of the Marantz, but I'd highly appreciate hearing your opinions/hints whether the sound noticeably can be improved by a separate/stand alone head amp. And if so which ones? (new devices only) I still can return the Marantz. I then probably would go for a more simple/cheaper CDplayer increase and pluf in the head amp directly there.
Thanks in advance for all hints.

Marantz have decent headphone outputs that I actually preferred my CD60 driving my HD600 than my LD MkII, at least as long as I keep to sane volume levels. The MkII has too much of the stereotypical tube sound even at low output levels.

That said, the HD600 is 300ohms, and CDPs and integrated amps made primarily for speakers tend to have a high output impedance. Even with the sensitivity of my SR225 that at least will make power output and distortion by cranking it up less of a concern, there's still too much of the reduced damping factor that it sounds like a tin can (it was the total opposite with the LD MkII where the lowered damping factor resulted in some bass bloat). On the Grado even my CMOY was better than the CD60.

For your headphones there's a likely chance it will be better, however if you still really use CDs I'd much rather keep using the Marantz and save up for the headphone amp than switch it out. I wouldn't have parted with my CD60 if could still read newer CDs (it can't read newer discs that had PC content at the innermost ring where the laser head starts reading, which makes it assume it's not an audio disc), and that's even with the constant breakdown of the CDM-4 transport's tray mechanism (I've gotten used to servicing that POS).

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Marantz have decent headphone outputs that I actually preferred my CD60 driving my HD600 than my LD MkII, at least as long as I keep to sane volume levels. The MkII has too much of the stereotypical tube sound even at low output levels.

That said, the HD600 is 300ohms, and CDPs and integrated amps made primarily for speakers tend to have a high output impedance. Even with the sensitivity of my SR225 that at least will make power output and distortion by cranking it up less of a concern, there's still too much of the reduced damping factor that it sounds like a tin can (it was the total opposite with the LD MkII where the lowered damping factor resulted in some bass bloat). On the Grado even my CMOY was better than the CD60.

For your headphones there's a likely chance it will be better, however if you still really use CDs I'd much rather keep using the Marantz and save up for the headphone amp than switch it out. I wouldn't have parted with my CD60 if could still read newer CDs (it can't read newer discs that had PC content at the innermost ring where the laser head starts reading, which makes it assume it's not an audio disc), and that's even with the constant breakdown of the CDM-4 transport's tray mechanism (I've gotten used to servicing that POS).

I've got a CD-52 and yeah I have taken apart a CDM-4 transport a few times, got a backup laser too

Love the sound out of it, although I do use the coaxial output to a JDS Labs EL DAC most of the time

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I've got a CD-52 and yeah I have taken apart a CDM-4 transport a few times, got a backup laser too

I was planning to mod it to bypass the OS chip too, until I got a fresh batch of CDs and none worked. Would have kept it if CD-R's worked, but nope.

Love the sound out of it, although I do use the coaxial output to a JDS Labs EL DAC most of the time

They're incredibly smooth with great midrange. Newer models though especially the CD5xxx line are so 2D the bass drums are right next to the vocals.