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Since 1953, our pursuit of The Most Musical Sound has been inspired by our passion for music and driven by the relentless pursuit of perfection. From New York to Japan, our Sound Masters and engineers have created audio components recognized for their quality, durability, and elegance.
Join us as we take a look back at seven decades of Marantz audio innovation.
In the early days of audio recordings, records suffered from inconsistent recording characteristics. In 1952, unhappy with equipment available at the time, music lover, freelance graphic artist, and amateur musician Saul Bernard Marantz, created what was for the time, a revolutionary pre-amplifier. The ‘Audio Consolette’ was equipped with every equalizer curve necessary to handle erratic recording characteristics and immediately struck a chord with his friends.
Saul Marantz built the very first Audio Consolette at his kitchen table. Impressed with the result, his wife and friends encouraged him to make more. The first 100 units of the Audio Consolette sold quickly, and soon the new pre-amplifier was in high demand. Faced with a large backlog of orders, Saul established the Marantz Company in 1953 and opened a factory in Woodside, Queens, New York.
In 1954, Marantz launched a commercial extension of his Audio Consolette, the Model 1 Mono Preamplifier. The Model 1 was praised for amazing sound dynamics that astounded enthusiasts and critics alike. In fact, its performance is still considered a landmark in music pre-amplification today. The Model 1 would be followed by other soon-to-be iconic components: The Model 7 preamplifier (1958), the Model 9 power amplifier (1960), and the Model 10B FM stereo tuner (1964).
The Model 9 delivered such smooth control and stability of power that its unique architecture was customized by NASA for use in the Apollo Space Program.
Learn more about this extraordinary moment in Marantz history.
The late sixties ushered the arrival of the Model 18. A receiver that incorporated a pre-amp, power amp and tuner into a single chassis, it was the first Marantz product with "gyro-touch" tuning. Other notable creations of the Golden Era included the 22X Series and the Model 500. The Marantz look evolved with the arrival of blue dials, the Marantz typeface, symmetrical knobs, and a champagne engraved face plate.
In the ‘70s, Marantz launched a successful advertising campaign based on its reputation for unmatched reliability. The print ad featured a receiver Model 2270 that survived a big fire. While it sustained significant cosmetic damage, the receiver was operational and still met all factory specifications.
1980 marked a turning point in audio history with the dawn of the digital era. Marantz stayed true to its analog roots with the release of the TT1000 turntable series, while launching itself into the digital age. Released in the fall of 1982, the original Marantz Model CD-63 was one of the earliest mass-adopted CD players in the marketplace. It was followed by what was arguably the most musical CD player Marantz ever produced, the CD-63 mkll KI Signature. In 1991, Marantz announced the first CD-recorder officially introduced worldwide, the CDR-1, still recognized as a standard for high-quality CD-recording today.
The first KI Signature player was never meant to be officially introduced. Marantz Sound Master Ken Ishiwata had been working on improvements to the CD-63 SE version, which he kept hidden in his personal listening room. One day, he accidentally used the modified unit to demonstrate a new amplifier for a journalist, who was so impressed that he urged Ishiwata to release it to the public.
In 2002, in the wake of the increasing popularity of Super Audio CD software, Marantz Japan released its first high grade separate amplifiers in eight years, the pre-amp SC-7S1 and the power amp MA-9S1. These amplifier components were landmarks in the new digital audio age. The front panels of the SC-7S1 and the MA-9S1 featured the distinctive Marantz porthole and blue star, introducing the M1 design.
Did You Know? In 2016, Marantz launched the SA-10 SACD Player and PM10 amplifier, introducing “The New Reference”. In an industry first, Marantz Musical Mastering (MMM) integrated the digital-to-analog conversion process, eliminating the need for an external DAC, and captured every nuance from digital music.
2020 saw the arrival of the MODEL 30, and while the name may have been a nod to Marantz’s inaugural product, its modern industrial design was representative of a new direction. In 2022, Marantz launched the MODEL 40n—the first premium integrated amplifier featuring built-in network streaming technology and HDMI ARC connectivity. And later that year, Marantz transformed the home theater experience with the arrival of the CINEMA Series. A line of AV receivers as beautifully designed as they are inspired by cutting edge technology, the CINEMA Series epitomizes Marantz’s ever-evolving innovative spirit and its commitment to exceptional design.
2023 marks our 70th anniversary. We invite you to discover The Pursuit, our campaign celebrating seven decades of Marantz audio innovation.
