WIXLIB

The house that started it all. In thebasement of his Kew Gardens home at81st Avenue and Austin Street, SaulMarantz began to hand assemble the“Audio Consolette,” the first in a seriesof products that now spans over 50years. (Photo from http://www.oldkewgardens.com/)Saul Marantz, however, was not satisfiedwith the commercially available components of his day and he began to buildhis own. One of the major problems facing music enthusiasts at the time wasthe large number of different equalization characteristics used by record companies. These disparate “EQ” curvesmade it difficult to fully enjoy recordsfrom different labels as most recordcompanies adhered to their own inhouse standards.To solve the problem, Saul Marantzdesigned a preamplifier (the original“Audio Consolette”) that incorporatedmany equalization curves. It created asensation among his friends and he wasadvised to start mass production. Jeanencouraged him by suggesting “Howabout making 100 sets by way of trial?”Production, or, more accurately, handassembly, began in 1952 in the basement of the Marantz home in KewGardens (Queens), New York.The Marantz Model 1 Preamplifier: The first product of the newly formed MarantzCompany (1954)The Model 2 power amplifier followed in1956. Largely completed by SidneySmith, it was a very successful tubedesign using EL34s in “ultra-linear”(push-pull) configuration.The Model 2 power amplifier, the firstof Sidney Smith’s designs.early units, he stayed to become chiefengineer.The first 100 units of the AudioConsolette sold quickly through HarveyRadio’s (now Harvey Electronics) mainstore, then on 6th Avenue in Manhattan.However, because of an ever-increasingreputation and a large backlog of orders(estimates vary from 400 to 800 units),Saul established the Marantz Companyin 1953 and opened a factory inWoodside. The Model 1, the successorto the “Audio Consolette,” appeared in1954.Enter Sidney SmithInterestingly, it was during this periodthat the now-legendary Sidney Smithappeared at Saul’s home. A trainedelectrical engineer and ardent vocalstudent, he had seen an ad for theModel 1 and was looking for workafter moving to New York fromChicago. After demonstrating his ability by modifying the Consolette’s circuitry to solve some noise problems inThe Model 1 was ground-breaking inseveral respects. Although it greatlyresembled the “Audio Consolette,” itwas the first preamplifier to includethe brand-new RIAA (RecordingIndustry Association of America)standard equalization curve in addition to a large number of older andnon-standard curves. The Model 1also had a tape monitor switch and a“TV” input.Although some sources cite the Model2 as the beginning of Smith’s exclusiveconcentration on power amplifierswhile Saul focused his attention on preamplifiers, the truth is that SidneySmith was intimately involved in thedevelopment of many products, eventhe vaunted Model 10 and 10B tuners.Although Marantz was a talenteddesigner, his formal education was inthe graphic arts. Consequently, hisunderstanding of electronics, whileextensive for a non-professional, waslargely self-taught. Smith, on the otherhand, benefited from the disciplinedknowledge resulting from his militarytraining in electrical engineering.Other products followed soon after theModel 2 as the company evolved: theModel 3 electronic crossover and theModel 5 power amplifier, a revised andmore attractive version of the Model 2.However, it wasn’t until 1958 that theMarantz Company and the entire industry was inspired by the appearance of thestereo LP record.As all previous Marantz componentswere designed for monaural systems, thecompany knew that new products wereneeded. Later in 1958, Marantz introduced the Model 6 stereo adaptor.4

Designed to unite two Model 1s forstereo use, the Model 6 featured a 2channel input selector and volume control. The Model 6 connected to twoModel 1s through their tape monitorinputs and was cosmetically designed toflank a stacked pair of Model 1s.In December of 1958, a true stereo preamplifier, the Model 7, was released.The circuitry was basically different frommost preamplifiers of the day as theModel 7 used a unique three-stagephono preamp/equalizer that laterbecame known as the “Marantz circuit.”The Model 7 dominated the high fidelityindustry as no other product before haddone. Over its life, more than 130,000units were sold and it was honored as thepremiere example of preamplifier designfor many, many years. The front panelwas pure Marantz and featured a sophisticated asymmetrical arrangement ofknobs and switches directly traceable toSaul Marantz’s intimate knowledge ofindustrial design.With its popularity came legends,including that of the so-called “Model7C” variant. In reality, all Model 7s wereessentially identical, except for minorrunning production changes. The “7C”designation refers to a Model 7 in a cabinet, hence the “C” suffix. (Marantz didproduce a few Model 7s with an extended 19” rack-mountable front panel withhandles. These were sold primarily forprofessional use but the circuitry wasidentical to the more popular consumerversion.)In 1959, Marantz released the Model 8.With the soon-to-follow 8B, it was theonly tube stereo amplifier the companyever produced. Although most regard theModel 8B (introduced in 1962) simplyas a modified Model 8, there are significant differences between the two. Forone thing, the 8B featured a SidneySmith-designed transformer, and wasmore stable and phase-accurate, thanksin part to a negative feedback circuitoriginally developed for the Model 9monaural power amplifier. (See the nextThe Marantz Model 7 Stereo Preamplifier, one of the most honoredcomponents in the history of home entertainment.tics, extended the Marantz tradition ofintegrating functionality with high styleand provided an aesthetic template stillused by Marantz today.The combination of a Model 7 and twoModel 9s is, even now, recognized as ahigh point in the history of high fidelity.The Marantz Model 9 monaural poweramplifier – still a classic almost 50years after its introduction.paragraph.) The power output of boththe Model 8 and the 8B was 30 wattsper channel.The Model 9 monaural power amplifierwas released in 1960. Using EL34tubes, this ultra-linear parallel push-pulldesign produced 70 watts of power, asignificant accomplishment for its time.1The increased power resulted, in part,from the strong rivalry with McIntosh,whose power amplifiers were generallymore muscular than otherwise comparable Marantz models. In addition to highpower, the Model 9 reached new cosmetic horizons thanks to a bias meter centered on the front panel and a drop-downfront panel door that concealed adjustments and connections. The meter, inaddition to allowing a user to easily compensate for different tube characteris-Richard Sequerraand The PerfectTunerAs the Marantz reputation grew, dealerdemand for a Marantz tuner increased aswell. After making faceplate and knobkits for Fisher and H. H. Scott tuners sothey would match Marantz preamps, thecompany began an extensive R&D program to produce a tuner of its own eventhough FM stereo broadcasting was stillin its infancy. Richard Sequerra, a highly trained and knowledgeable engineerwith extensive experience in radio frequency design, joined Marantz in 1961.His goal was simple: Produce a tuneras exceptional in its category as werethe Models 7 and 9 in theirs. It tookmore than three years of costlyresearch and the efforts of additionalconsultingengineers,includingMitchell Cotter, to reach fruition.Although Sequerra rightfully deservessubstantial credit for the design, hiswas not the only chef’s hat in the1 Among other qualities, the Model 9 was exceptionally stable. In fact, the young Marantz Company was startled when itbegan receiving orders from NASA contractors for a slightly modified version called the 9120. To its amazement, thecompany found that multiple Model 9120s were specified as the amplifiers of choice to drive precision arrays of trackingantennas for the then-embryonic space program.5

after a meeting of the Board of Directorsof the Institute of High Fidelity, a tradeorganization both men belonged to.Tushinsky, an avid musician, had beenlooking for a way to insure Superscope’sfuture. Originally founded to providewide-screen camera and projector opticsto Hollywood’s film industry, that efforteventually fell victim to other film formats. In the meantime, Superscope’sconnections in Japan led to a distribution agreement with Sony under whichThe Model 10B, often considered thepinnacle of FM reception.kitchen. In the end, Sidney Smith contributed his considerable talents also.As retold by a close associate, SaulMarantz said “Yes, Richard designed itbut Sid made it work.”The result of this effort, the Model 10,didn’t appear until 1964. One of themost innovative features of the Model10 (and the Model 10B that soon followed) was the front-panel oscilloscopethat replaced the conventional signalstrength and center channel meters ofthe day. Not only did the ‘scope showsignal strength in a graphic way, it alsoallowed a far more accurate method ofcentering the tuner on a particularbroadcast frequency. In addition, the‘scope provided precise information ofthe amount of stereo separation provided by the broadcaster as it displayedthe differential L/R information directly instead of merely indicating thepresence of a stereo “carrier” signal.Although superb in many ways, theModel 10 posed a significant alignmentproblem that was eventually traced tothe equipment used to solder theinductors in the tuner’s IF (intermediate frequency) stage. These inductorsbecame so heavily magnetized thatfinal alignment became next to impossible. However, only about 100 Model10s were produced before an improvedversion, the Model 10B, appeared laterthat same year. In addition to a minorchange in the dial mechanism, theModel 10B used different inductorsthat were far more resistant to the magnetization problems than had plaguedThe Marantz Model 18 Receiver, the first Marantz product with “Gyro-Touch”tuning, featured an oscilloscope to aid in tuning accuracy and signal analysis.the Model 10. An interesting side noteabout the Model 10B is that final alignment took place in an oven. This simulated the actual operating temperatureand resulted in far more accurate performance under real-world conditions.Perfection’sProblemThe Model 10B did have one substantialdownside. It was so expensive to manufacture and so under-priced that its verysuccess put the company in severefinancial difficulties. In fact, the Model10B depleted the working capital to theextent that Saul was hard-pressed tomake his weekly payroll.Obviously, this situation was untenableand Saul began to think of alternativesolutions, one of which was selling thecompany. Joseph Tushinsky, one of fourbrothers and the president ofSuperscope, Inc., expressed interestSuperscope imported and distributedSony tape recorders in the UnitedStates. Tushinsky, while appreciative ofthe quality of existing Marantz components, saw an immense opportunity inacquiring the Marantz name. In hismind, the brand could then be used formore affordable components manufactured in Japan by another companySuperscope already had a relationshipwith – Standard Radio.The sale was completed in late 1964and presaged a significant change inthe focus of Marantz as a company. Forits 3 million investment, Superscopemoved from being simply a distributor(and thus vulnerable to Sony’sexpressed desire to forge its own destiny in the United States) to being amanufacturer with direct control of itsbusiness future.Although the Marantz Company wouldeventually move from New York to a lavish headquarters building in Sun Valley,6

California, an immediate change was amore modest relocation from the old5,000 square foot factory in Woodside,NY to a new 35,000 square foot facilityin the same neighborhood. The cashinfusion also helped the MarantzCompany grow from approximately 60employees to well over 150.The SuperscopePeriod (1965 to 1980)Based on R&D projects prompted bythe rapid rise of transistor technology,the company moved successfully fromits previous tube-based product line.The Model 7T preamplifier and Model15 power amplifier (actually two Model14 monoblocks united by a commonfaceplate) appeared. But the mostimportant product during this “transition period” was the Model 18 receiver,a collaborative effort featuring SaulMarantz’s cosmetic design, Sid Smith’saudio circuitry, and Dick Sequerra’stuner expertise.The Model 18 was the last product tobenefit from Saul Marantz’s directinput. Towards the end of the transitionperiod from ownership by Saul Marantzto ownership by Superscope, the newmanagement’s desire to broaden thebrand’s appeal exacerbated the alreadyexisting friction within the company.Given the differences between thevisionary/entrepreneurial spirit thatgave birth to the Marantz Company inthe first place and the new owners’hard-nosed pragmatism and a strongdesire for more affordable products,this friction, however unfortunate, wasinevitable. After being offered thelargelyceremonialpositionof“President Emeritus” in the fall of1967, Saul Marantz resigned inDecember of that year and had no further direct relationship with the organization he founded. His last project wassecuring a new engineering team tocontinue product development for newMarantz-brandedcomponentsasSidney Smith, Dick Sequerra, and therest of the “old guard” left with him.Even though Marantz the person hadleft, Marantz the company grew substantially in the years immediately following7The Marantz 2270 Receiver. The model numbers of the “2200” series receiversincluded power ratings. In this case, power output was 70 watts per channel.Saul’s departure. In fact, some havecalled this period (1965 to 1980)Marantz’s “Second Golden Age” as theMarantz brand appeared on far moreproducts than it had ever done before.In 1966, Superscope began exploringmanufacturing possibilities with severalJapanese manufacturers with a view toproducing these lower cost Marantzproducts. Eventually, Standard RadioCorporation was chosen as a partner andproduction began. Superscope eventually purchased a 50% interest in StandardRadio and, with the exception of thehigh-end separates manufactured inCalifornia, more and more Marantzbranded components were manufactured in Japan.The most successful expansion of theMarantz brand was the receiver line.In fact, the “2200” receivers becameone of the most successful productofferings in the history of consumerelectronics. Ranging from a mere 10watts of power per channel to well over70, the new receivers brought theMarantz mystique to tens of thousandsof consumers.From its U.S. manufacturing facility inCA came many new separate components– the so-called “A” line. 1970 saw theintroduction of the Model 32, a modestlypowered stereo amplifier (60 watts/chan-nel) and the last Marantz product with asequential model number. The more powerful – 125 watts/channel – Models 240and 250 (the 250 with power meters)soon followed. In 1973 the companyreleased the Model 500, a power amplifier with output capability of 250watts/channel and forced air cooling.Marantz followed that with the slightlymore powerful Model 510 two years later.Matching preamplifiers included theModels 33, 3300, and 3600, all produced under the guidance of ChiefEngineer Dawson Hadley (the founder ofHadley Labs and recruited by Saul beforethe company moved to CA), JamesBongiorno (later head of GAS and Sumo),and other engineers.The LoudspeakerChallengeJoseph Tushinsky’s interest in expandingthe Marantz brand did not stop withelectronics. Under Tushinsky’s urging,Superscope began to push loudspeakerdevelopment with the aim of becoming amajor player in the this business.Although company records are somewhat clouded here, it appears that several Japanese-designed speakers hadalready reached the Japanese domesticmarket via a distribution arrangementwith Mitsubishi Electric Corporationbefore U.S. design began.

The Marantz Imperial SevenLoudspeaker with Vari-Q and the diamond pattern foam grille designed byPatrick Hart.In the U.S., the Marantz Imperial Six,2designed by Hadley and Bart Locanthi,had reached the market prior to 1971.It featured an extremely flat frequencyresponse curve and was well-reviewed.The Imperial Seven, designed to compete with JBL’s very popular L100,was the first Marantz speaker to feature a foam grille cut in a large diamond pattern.Another innovation used by some of theAmerican-designed Imperial speakerswas a technique called “Vari-Q,” implemented with a removable port plug forthe bass-reflex enclosures. This allowedthe listener to “tune” the speaker tomodify bass response. With the plug out,the speakers produced substantialthough uneven bass. With the plug in,the enclosure emulated an acoustic suspension design with lower and moreeven bass output.Interestingly enough, this technique wasthe result of an extended listening session attended by Doug Sax and LincolnMayorga of Sheffield Lab fame(Sheffield was one of the first successful“direct-to-disc” LP producers). While listening to a pair of Marantz ImperialSixes mounted well off the floor to simulate common placement in studio control rooms, both men noticed that thebass produced by the speaker was somewhat less extended and flabbier thanthey remembered hearing at the originalrecording session. Hadley then stuffedThe Marantz Model SLT-12 turntable: Despite the theoretical advantages ofstraight line tracking, the “Rube Goldberg-esq” mechanism was somewhat lessthan reliable.rags into the Six’s ports and everyonenoticed a surprising – and very welcome– difference.In 1976, Edmund (Ed) May, one of themost respected speaker designers atJBL, joined Marantz and was given thecharge of developing a speaker line tocomplement the company’s other highend offerings. Superscope built a newR&D facility for May to work in. Theresulting “HD” speakers were highlypraised and enhanced the brand’s reputation substantially. Unfortunately, Maydied in 1980 and later design effortsmet with considerably less success andall efforts to design and market loudspeakers ceased.The SuperscopeHeritage:Snatching Defeatfrom the Jaws ofVictoryBased on the success of the receiver linein the United States and a greatlyexpanded separate components line inthe Far East, Superscope, which owneda substantial interest in Standard Radio,changed the name of the Japanese manufacturer to Marantz Japan, Inc. in1975. Despite strong sales, however, allwas not well with Superscope’s stewardship of the Marantz name.Although interpretations differ, some ofthe problems resulted from poor financial controls and a tendency towardsprofligate spending. Not all the problemswere monetary, however. Among otherthings, Marantz embarked on a programto develop a straight line trackingturntable, one that would, in theory atany rate, eliminate most of problemscaused by trying to track a record groovewith a pivoted tone arm. Saul Marantzhad argued vigorously against this product prior to his departure, citingmechanical problems in the initialdesign. However, the company introduced the SLT-12 in 1968 or 1969.The original SLT-12 was available onlywith a Shure V-15 phono cartridge but alater version (the SLT-12U – for “universal”) accepted virtually any cartridge.Regardless of the version, the mechanism proved to be as cranky as SaulMarantz had predicted and by 1970 theturntable was out of production. Genericproblems with this unit soured many2 Marantz Imperial speakers designed in the U.S. had model numbers spelled out (i.e., Imperial Six). Marantz speakersdesigned in the Far East used Roman numerals (i.e., Imperial IV).8

Marantz Model 7700 Tape Deck(1978), a three speed auto reverseunit. (Photo courtesy of http://www.classic-audio.com)customers as there was virtually no wayto ensure the turntable’s continued operation. Other less-than-successful introductions included Marantz-brandedopen reel and cassette tape decksintended to ameliorate Superscope’s lossof distribution rights for Sony’s taperecorders.On the positive side, receiver sales continued to be strong and products developed primarily for the Asian andEuropean markets did well. Integratedamplifiers (combining preamp andpower amp in a single chassis) wereparticularly successful. The comparatively little-known SM1000 poweramplifier, in fact, won the prestigious“State of the Art” award from StereoSound magazine in 1979. Marantz alsointroduced power amplifiers with aswitch to allow users to select Class Aor Class AB operation, depending onpower needs.By 1980, Superscope’s financial condition had become so tenuous that itdecided to sell rights to the Marantzname for the Asian and European markets as well as the Japanese manufacturing facilities to Philips, the Netherlandsbased mega-manufacturer. However,Superscope retained the name for theNorth American market, thus setting theThe CD-63 used a top loading mechanism for convenience and featured “oversampling,” an advanced digital technique that resulted in less analog filteringand thus improved sound.stage for a somewhat schizophrenic perception of Marantz around the world.1980 – 2001:The PhilipsExperiencePhilips saw the acquisition of theMarantz brand in a very positive light.Despite considerable R&D and manufacturing capabilities in almost allareas of consumer electronics, Philipshad little success in addressing thehigh end audio market. It viewed theMarantz name as the most practicalway to broaden its appeal to qualityconscious consumers. Marantz benefited also as the affiliation with Philipsput Marantz squarely in the loop ofPhilips’ extensive knowledge of digitalaudio, which had be

audio industry, was born the oldest of three children on July 7th, 1911, in New York City. Much of Saul’s early childhood was unremarkable and unrecorded. Although he showed an early aptitude for technology, experimented with crys-tal radios, crafted a microscope in his early teen years, and hoped to pursue