Marantz has announced the CD6004 CD player and PM6004 amplifier, due at the end of September.

The new models replace the popular CD6003 and PM6003 and have been extensively reworked by Marantz engineers under the direction of Brand Ambassador Ken Ishiwata.

The CD6004 has a centralised CD mechanism and improved power supply, mounted on a chassis with a new solid metal bottom-plate to help eliminate vibration.

Digital to analogue conversion comes courtesy of Cirrus Logic’s CS4398 DAC and as well as playing standard CD audio and MP3/WMA files from disc, it can also accept audio digitally from Apple iPhone/iPod/iPad devices via the front-panel USB socket. It can now charge the iPad too, as well as the other Apple devices.

It also has the latest version of Marantz’s Hyper-Dynamic Amplifier Module, the HDAM-SA2, to send audio to the gold-plated RCA phono outputs. Optical and electrical digital outputs complete the upgrades.

The old integrated circuits have been removed from the PM6004 in favour of preamp and power amp sections built entirely from discrete components in an attempt to refine the sound still further.

It still has the the case-shielded low-impedance toroidal transformer, custom main capacitors and high-current power transistors mounted directly on the aluminium heatsink.

It delivers 45 watts per channel into 8ohms, or 60 watts per channel into 4ohms, has five line-audio inputs and a moving magnet phono stage, tone controls with a ‘source direct’ bypass, and two sets of speaker terminals with A/B switching.

Both models come with their own remote control, and will be available in black or silver.

The Marantz PM6004 and CD6004 will be available at the end of September for £310 each.