In late 2024, Marantz announced its new 10 Series, which comprises three models: the Model 10 integrated amplifier (US$15,000, CA$22,000, £12,999, €15,500), the Link 10n streaming preamplifier (US$14,000, CA$17,000, £10,399, €12,500), and the SACD 10 SACD player–DAC (US$14,000, CA$17,000, £10,399, €12,500), the subject of this review. The 10 Series was five years in development following the launch of Marantz’s retro-styled Model 30 amplifier and SACD 30n SACD player–DAC in late 2020. Conceived and engineered in Marantz’s facilities in Shirakawa, Japan, and clearly inspired by Marantz classics such as the Model 9 mono tube amplifier, the 10 Series is more than a trio of high-end products from Marantz. It’s a truly integrated family of products built from the ground up to showcase the absolute best Marantz has to offer in terms of technology, build quality, and performance.
Design and engineering
Even before putting cable to connector, the SACD 10 had a series of surprises in store for me, the first of which was painful. I unassumingly grabbed the box while bending over, and I damn near threw my back out. At 73 pounds, the SACD 10 is not only the heaviest disc spinner I’ve encountered, it’s only two pounds lighter than the Model 10 integrated amplifier. It measures 7.5″H × 17.3″W × 16.6″D.
After lifting the SACD 10 out of its double-boxed packaging, I carefully removed the protective foam wrapper and classy-looking accessory box, and was again surprised—this time by the materiality, fit, and finish of the unit itself. The all-aluminum exoskeleton is exquisite, featuring a 12mm-thick top cover, 15.8mm-thick overlapping side panels, and a 45mm-thick precision-milled front facia (of which only six per day can be manufactured). The wave-textured front panel is mechanically coupled to both a triple-layered copper-plated base and a solid-copper front-facing isolation panel. That isolation panel is then mechanically integrated with the SACD 10’s internal copper isolation panels, which also double as chassis supports. Underneath, the SACD 10 is supported by four massive (and heavy) copper-cored aluminum feet, finished with felt underlays to protect supporting surfaces from damage.
Visually floating off the exotically thick and textured front panel is a secondary ¼″-thick brushed-aluminum facia, providing a home for a series of aluminum buttons and knobs symmetrically flanking a crystal-clear OLED display. The buttons on the upper-left provide dimmer, stop, and eject functions, with a power button and input rotary knob placed directly below. To the right, in a mirrored configuration, are back, play/pause, and forward buttons, atop a headphone volume knob and ¼″ headphone output jack. The slim, solid-aluminum transport tray is subtly placed directly beneath the OLED display, and the entire assembly cleverly conceals a series of surrounding cool-white LED lamps that, when on, add a sense of quality and sophistication I’ve never seen on any other disc spinner.
On the left side of the rear panel are a pair of unbalanced (RCA) and a pair of balanced (XLR) analog outputs, along with a USB Type‑A port for connecting a portable storage device and performing firmware updates. Located directly below are an IR input, in and out ports for remote control, and a corresponding internal/external toggle switch. In the upper-middle of the rear panel are a coaxial (RCA) and an optical (TosLink) S/PDIF input, both of which accept PCM audio up to 24‑bit/192kHz. Next to them is a USB Type‑B DAC input, which accepts PCM up to 32/384 and DSD256. Further right are one coaxial and two optical S/PDIF outputs, with a non-grounded IEC power inlet directly beneath.
Inside, the fully balanced SACD 10 takes a multilayered approach in strategically arranging its key components. Mounted in the center of the three-layer bottom plate is Marantz’s in-house-designed SACDM‑3 transport. The transport is situated between a pair of copper-shielded toroidal transformers: one for the digital circuitry, the other for analog. Behind the transport resides the digital and analog power-supply circuitry, shielded from each other using a copper brace that also supports the upper deck.
Moving up a level, there is a series of eight-layer PCBs tasked with housing Marantz’s multiple proprietary digital technologies. The most notable of these is the latest iteration of Marantz Musical Mastering (MMM) processing. First introduced just over a decade ago in their award-winning NA‑11S1 SACD player, MMM is a SHARC DSP-based one-bit processor, but with a twist. Instead of simply processing native incoming digital streams through a DAC and sending them directly to an analog output stage, MMM takes all native signals, whether PCM or DSD, upsamples them (Marantz calls this MMM‑Conversion) to DSD256 (11.2MHz) using a dual-clock-based proprietary converter, and then sends the new stream through a unique filtering stage (called MMM-Stream) directly to Marantz’s latest HDAM (Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Module) analog output stage, replete with new SA‑3 op‑amps. This approach not only eliminates the need for sample-rate conversion but also provides a very-high-frequency near-analog stream that Marantz’s HDAM more easily processes.
The SACDM‑3 transport can play CD, CD‑RW, and SACD discs, but not DVD‑Audio or DVD‑Video. It is one of the quietest, smoothest-operating drives I’ve encountered, even besting the considerably more elaborate and costly drive found in my nearly twice as expensive reference T+A MP 3100 HV Multi Source Player. Fun fact: when an external digital input is used, the SACD 10 powers down its transport.
For headphone users, the SACD 10 includes a dedicated discrete-variable-gain headphone amplifier with an upgraded HDAM, common to all 10 Series products.
I applaud Marantz for dressing the remote up; it features a brushed-aluminum top plate finished in an exclusive midnight green, confidence-inspiring button tactility, and some thoughtful direct-access buttons for simultaneously dimming the SACD 10’s OLED display and sexy backlighting. But that’s where the love affair ended for me. The remote is packed with buttons, none of which are backlit, so good luck using the remote in anything other than a well-lit room. While complementary to the unit’s top plate, the small bronze type is challenging to read, which made it a struggle for this reviewer’s old eyes to find anything but the larger-labeled functions. This problem is compounded by the fact that this remote, common to all 10 Series products, includes several redundant buttons. If you buy more than one 10 Series product, you may end up with redundant remotes. A fully backlit, model-specific remote would be welcome.
Setup and tweaking
Installing Marantz’s hefty SACD 10 required nothing more than removing my T+A MP 3100 HV Multi Source Player and connecting the Kimber Kable Select KS1116 balanced interconnects and a Shunyata Research Alpha NR power cable to the SACD 10. Power was sent to the SACD 10 through a Shunyata Research Denali 6000/S v2 power conditioner, while the other ends of the KS1116s were connected to an Audio Research Reference 6SE preamplifier. Amplification was provided by a pair of Classé Delta monoblocks, which were connected to my Paradigm Persona 7F loudspeakers using Kimber Kable KS6063 speaker cables. For comparison purposes, I also used my Pro‑Ject RPM 10 Carbon turntable and Sumiko Starling cartridge.
I connected my Intel NUC small-format computer, which runs Windows 11 and Roon, to the SACD 10’s USB input. A dedicated driver enables seamless communication between the SACD 10 and your computer, and Marantz offers an intuitive setup wizard on their website to guide users effortlessly through the installation process.
While reviewing the manual for one of the world’s heaviest SACD players, I discovered that the SACD 10 is also one of the most configurable. If Marantz’s default sound isn’t to your taste, their proprietary MMM processing offers extensive customization: three dithering options, five noise-shaping settings, and two digital filters, providing 30 different ways to tailor the sound to your liking. To avoid getting lost in endless tweaking, I tested each filter, dithering, and noise-shaping option sequentially, choosing the combination that sounded best to me. Ultimately, I settled on Filter 2 for a more open and detailed soundstage, Dither 1 for minimal digital artifacts, and the Balanced noise-shaping setting, which enhanced detail without affecting the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
Selecting the optimal dithering setting was the most challenging. Dither 1 and Dither 2 both reduce digital artifacts (except for SACDs and DSD signals), with Dither 2 being more aggressive but slightly improving the SNR. Marantz lists an SNR of 116dB for CD and 118dB for SACD, but doesn’t specify the impact of the different MMM settings. In practice, I noticed little difference between Dither 1 and 2, but turning dithering off introduced a slight increase in background noise and graininess. I ultimately chose the default Dither 1 option.
Listening
With connections made and sound options selected, I began listening. Initially, I played music from an SSD connected to my Intel NUC. On Ray Charles’s duet with Norah Jones on “Here We Go Again” from Genius Loves Company (24‑bit/88.2kHz FLAC, Concord / HDtracks), the soundstage positioned Charles just left of center and Jones slightly to the right. The lifelike quality of the audio made it easy to imagine both artists sharing a microphone. Beneath their vocals, the bass was deep, cohesive, and thoroughly extended, blending with the immersive sound of Charles’s keyboard. Jones’s piano—added after the initial recording to enhance Charles’s part—seemed to float in my room, bringing extra warmth and richness to the music. With my eyes closed, the SACD 10 cast images convincingly enough that I could scarcely detect the speakers’ locations at any point during the performance.
Listening to “Here We Go Again” from the SACD of Genius Loves Company (Concord SACD 1033‑6) via the transport, I heard no difference between the SACD and the hi-rez PCM track that I had just played from my NUC. While streaming and file-based playback are undoubtedly more convenient than physical media, the tactile engagement and liquid-smooth operation of the SACD 10’s transport imparted a sense of sophistication and craftsmanship that proved irresistible, prompting me to spin discs for the remainder of this review. In doing so, I noted another endearing characteristic: the SACD 10 showed no favoritism toward Red Book or SACD playback. No matter what kind of music I played or how well it was recorded, the SACD 10 had a knack for making my speakers disappear, leaving behind only a vivid, precisely drawn soundstage on every track.
Switching from the SACD version of “Here We Go Again” to Ludovico Einaudi’s 2004 album Una Mattina on CD (Decca 475629‑2) only made this more obvious. The second track, “Ora,” is a solo-piano piece that pulls you in with its flowing tempo and expressive keystrokes. Its magic depends on how clearly each note’s attack is defined and how fully its tone comes through. Through the SACD 10, every note sounded rich and saturated, with crisp attacks and beautifully lingering decays, every element occupying its own space in my listening room. The imaging was so precise that the piano felt true to its natural size, providing an experience that was genuinely musical, not just atmospheric.
Inserting Boz Scaggs’s Dig (CD, Virgin 7243 8 10635 2 1) into the disc tray and pressing play, I found myself captivated for several tracks. The song I was most eager to hear was “Thanks to You,” renowned for its deeply resonant, room-energizing bass. The SACD 10 rendered Richard Patterson’s bass guitar with remarkable textural nuance, depth, and presence. Only because of deep familiarity with this track on my reference system did I perceive a subtle reduction in bass volume; however, this did not disrupt the overall balance, nor did it suggest any reticence or restraint in the SACD 10’s low-frequency performance. In fact, absent direct comparison to my reference T+A MP 3100 HV, this minor difference would likely have gone unnoticed. There was also a slight diminishment in soundstage scale, though Scaggs’s vocals remained firmly centered, anchored by Patterson’s commanding bass and layered in front of David Paich’s synthesizer, all interwoven with the delicate decay of wood blocks and alternating synthesized brass. The overall width of the soundstage, however, did seem just marginally reduced in my listening environment.
Diminishing returns
The only other disc player available to me for comparison, aside from an older Oppo BDP‑103 (discontinued; US$999 when available), was my reference T+A MP 3100 HV Multi Source Player (US$25,490). At almost twice the price of the Marantz SACD 10, the T+A offers equally robust construction, a proprietary control app, extensive streaming capabilities, volume control, internet radio, completely independent power supplies (with independent IEC inputs) for digital and analog circuits, and an even more sophisticated transport.
After noting subtle differences during Boz Scaggs’s “Thanks to You,” I turned to “Tin Pan Alley” from The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (CD, Epic TV2K 86423). The SACD 10 delivered an expansive soundstage, precise imaging, rich tonal color, and compelling dynamics. Chris Layton’s drums and Vaughan’s guitar were impactful. Still, it was Tommy Shannon’s bass that stood out, occupying center stage with slightly greater scale and immediacy compared to the T+A, which was an intriguing contrast to my earlier observations with “Thanks to You.” I revisited this track several times to pinpoint the nuances that distinguished the two players. While both consistently portrayed instruments convincingly, the MP 3100 HV ultimately provided a more refined, less reserved presentation, with instruments—particularly the bass—more expertly rendered in terms of texture, body, and resolution. Running contrary to Marantz’s historical reputation for warmth and smoothness, I would describe the SACD 10’s sonic character as silky (rather than velvety), dynamic, and highly refined.
Wrapping up
The Marantz SACD 10 is a perfect illustration of what happens when engineering meets artistry. I can’t help but wish Marantz had repeated the black-mesh top panel and subtle internal illumination from the Model 10 integrated amplifier on the two other 10 Series components. The SACD 10’s robust copper chassis and meticulously organized circuitry truly deserve to be showcased.
During my time with the SACD 10, I was consistently impressed by the way it created a soundstage that felt both precise and immersive, bringing out every detail and nuance in the music. Instruments and vocals came through with clarity and realism, making listening a genuine pleasure. The player’s ability to reveal subtle textures—especially in the bass—shows a level of sophistication you’d expect from much pricier equipment. Any slight differences in soundstage size or bass presence only became noticeable when compared directly against top-tier reference gear; otherwise, the SACD 10’s overall balance and musicality were outstanding.
Beyond its sound, the SACD 10 stands out for its solid build, its thoughtful design, and the flexibility it offers for fine-tuning your listening experience. Its sonic personality is best described as silky, engaging, and highly refined—consistently faithful to the original recordings. For anyone seeking a reference-level SACD player that blends craftsmanship, versatility, value, and top-notch performance, the Marantz SACD 10 deserves to be high up on your shopping list. Enthusiastically recommended!
. . . Aron Garrecht
arong@soundstagenetwork.com
Associated Equipment
- Speakers: Paradigm Persona 7F
- Power amplifiers: Classé Audio Delta Mono monoblocks (2)
- Preamplifier: Audio Research Reference 6SE
- Digital-to-analog converter / SACD player: T+A MP 3100 HV
- Music server: Intel NUC computer running Windows 11 and Roon
- Turntable: Pro‑Ject RPM 10 Carbon with Sumiko Starling cartridge
- Phono stage: Parasound JC3+
- Interconnects: Analysis Plus (digital), Kimber Kable Select KS1116 (analog)
- Speaker cables: Kimber Kable KS6063
- Power cords: Shunyata Research Alpha V2 NR and Sigma V2 XC
- Power conditioner: Shunyata Research Denali 6000/S v2 and GEMINI Model‑8
Marantz SACD 10 SACD player–DAC
Price: US$14,000, CA$17,000, £10,399, €12,500
Warranty: Five years, parts and labor (with registration)
Marantz
5541 Fermi Court
Carlsbad, CA
92008
Phone: 1-800-654-6633
Website: www.marantz.com
