[kevin360]

The only reference I could find was one comment about that product's imminent release. I have a few Marantz products that I think are very good. The Sonos is a snap to use, but it has limitations I'd like to overcome - chiefly, being able to play my collection of 24/96 albums. I'd use it with my ARC DAC7, which I think is fantastic. I'm sold on this method of listening to music - convenience out the wazoo! 

[kevin360]

I guess not. Perhaps that's good. I ordered one, assuming it would be at least as well behaved as the Sonos Connect is. It isn't. I can live with the kludgy browser-based interface - the remote is fine, but I can't read the display window from my listening position. What I cannot live with is the fact that it can't switch from one track to the next without a brief interruption - rather annoying with material that segues from track to track.

This issue exists whether the data is sourced from the NAS or a USB thumb drive. I called Marantz and the tech support guy intimated that it is a hardware limitation - no hope of a future firmware release addressing the issue (bummer). The only solution is to rip such CDs as images using EAC, which gives me the ability to play them from start to finish without the irritating interruptions - it doesn't, however, permit me to start at track 3.

Otherwise, it's a great unit. The analog output of the NA7004 stomps the Sonos, but I can't tell the difference between the two when running their SPDIF out to the DAC7. It's been relegated to the bedroom system and I'll try something else. Anybody have a suggestion? I just want a player that can route bits to my DAC - and handle up to 24/192 while not creating breaks between tracks that shouldn't exist. Is that so much?

[Stu Pitt]

You'd think an $800 player would be able to play tracks without any interruptions.  How come dirt cheap portable mp3 players can do this, yet a lot of 'high end' components can't?   It's a disgrace IMO.  That's not a shot at just Marantz, as I've heard of a lot of digital gear having this problem.  I mean honestly, is this rocket science?

I'm frustrated by this as I've heard the Cambridge NP30 which I've been seriously considering has this issue too.  A $600 or so machine can't get it right, yet my $200 Apple TV 1 has no issues?   The current $100 one doesn't have the problem either?

Sorry for the rant. 

[kevin360]

I'm with you in this rant! You're absolutely correct. It is a disgrace. When I finally got a human, the response was almost, "Yeah, so, what's the big deal. That's the way it works..." He actually suggested that I use something like i-tunes, to which I asked why I'd need the friggin' player if I brought a damn computer up here.

Thanks for letting me know that I'm not suffering from an isolated case of frustration. I put the Sonos back in place for now.

---

I'm actually spinning a disc right now, though.

[Keoma]

Glad to read about this shortcoming, since I had considered the NA7004 as a DAC for my Squeezebox Touch. Fully agree with the criticism. I love Marantz (I own an SR-5005 receiver that I use only to power the surround and center channels in my system nowadays, but that actually sounded great when I used it as a 2-channel amp), but for $800 that is a deal-breaker to me as well. Plus, I do not believe the unit plays ALAC nor AIFF files, either. Please correct me if I am wrong. My $250 Squeezebox Touch is still the unbeatable champ when it comes to file compatibility, file handling (it DOES offer gapless playback) and overall user-friendliness. Plus, the internal Dac in the SB Touch sounds great, too.

[kevin360]

What I find disturbing is that the issue isn't mentioned in any of the 'reviews' I read anywhere. I suppose it's fine if one listens to music that doesn't point up this shortcoming, but I think lots of us will find it a serious problem. I'm not sure which is more troubling, the fact that the player has this issue, or the fact that Marantz doesn't consider it an issue worthy of consideration.

The NA7004 does have a pretty nice DAC. Were it not for the issue which prompted this rant, it would be a great unit.

[JRace]

Can you replay the album with a diffent source and get gapless playback?
When you rip the album there are settings for gapless playback.

[kevin360]

As I mentioned, when it happened while sourcing the files from my NAS, I moved a selection to a USB thumb drive and had the same result. Those same files from the NAS play seamlessly with a Sonos Connect. A similar methodology works at the office using a Squeezebox Touch. I tried playing those files off the USB stick in my car and found that they play seamlessly.

I've even tried different file formats - makes no difference. The tech support rep at Marantz was pretty clear about the fact that it's a hardware limitation, which I find egregious. I sent Marantz an email via their support site, but have yet to receive a reply. Part of the problem there is that one must select the model about which one is commenting from a pull down, but the NA7004 isn't listed anywhere - does Marantz take this player seriously? I find this hugely disappointing. I thought this unit was supposed to replace my playing of the actual media - not when its designers overlook such a basic feature.

As Stu said, this is a disgrace.

[Keoma]

What I find disturbing is that the issue isn't mentioned in any of the 'reviews' I read anywhere.

Fully agree about this. I remember reading a review on Sound & Vision magazine, where this important detail was fully ignored. It figures. Unfortunately, such practices are becoming ubiquitous nowadays, specially with products such a this one that offer so many different configuration and playback options. I suppose reviewers simply do not spend enough time with the product. Another example is Musical Fidelity's CLiC, which gets glowing reviews everywhere (specially in print) yet seems to be plagued with bugs and limitations, and is grossly overpriced to boot. A few online reviews, fortunately, have pointed this out. But they are the minority, of course.

[Stu Pitt]

I guess having gaps in playback aren't an issue if you're listening to individual tracks rather than an actual album.  If I listened to Pink Floyd's Dark Side or Wish You Were Here and had a gap between every track, I think I'd throw the machine across the room 3 tracks in.

Gotta love how reviewers forget to mention this stuff.  Kinda like how pretty much every one of them neglected to mention how ergonomically inept the Wadia 170 itransport is.  Talk about a piece of crap - a lot of click wheels don't work, you've got to undock and re-dock on a regular basis.

I just can't wrap my head around how cheap mass-market garbage stuff has no issues with stuff like this, yet so-called high end stuff can't figure it out.  What would happen if Sony put out a streamer that didn't have gapless playback?  The rags would be all over them.  What if Pioneer put out an iPod dock that had absurd bugs?  The reviews wouldn't be all peaches and cream.  Yet it's ok for high end companies to do it.

[kevin360]

A week after commenting about this issue via the Marantz email portal, I received a message that my query had been directed to the correct department. I understand that the influx of communication for D&M Holdings in any given minute probably exceeds what the company to which I'm about to compare them gets in their busiest month, but still! On the same day I sent my message to Marantz, I also sent one to VAC with a couple of questions about my amp. Kevin Hayes (the president/engineer) sent me a very detailed response in about an hour. His response mentioned his forwarding my second question to the tech dept - a reply from which followed within a couple of hours, and said reply thoroughly detailed the procedure I needed to perform. Subsequent communications were prompt and helpful - a very satisfying customer service experience. Marantz receives far more inquiries, but those inquiries are fielded by a much larger, and dedicated (to that purpose) staff. This customer service experience has not been very satisfactory at all - from the attitude of the rep on the phone to the lethargic pace of written response (can't judge the quality of that response yet).

The plot thickens, behaviorally speaking. Now the NA7004 is gapping all over the place - in the middle of songs. The same files play smoothly using the same connections with the Sonos.  I just switched it off for the last time - it is about to return to its box and then to its manufacturer. I can't remember the last time I was this disappointed in a purchase. Oh well, it's time to find a better solution.

Next?