Marantz
Marantz is an American- Japanese manufacturer of hi-fi and home cinema equipment.
Company History
The beginnings
The American Saul Bernard Marantz (1911-1997) began in 1951 in Kew Gardens (New York, Queens ) to develop amplifiers and produce by hand. This was triggered by Marantz ' dissatisfaction with the quality of the equipment offered at that time. From this time the audio Consolette Model 1, a stocked with tubes mono preamplifier comes. 1953 was founded the Marantz Company in Long Iceland, New York ( 44-15 Vernon Blvd. ). The following year Sidney Stockton Smith joined the company in 1956 and developed the Model 2 The headquarters was now on Broadway. In the wake of the preamplifier Model 7 (1959 ), the stereo power amp model 8 and the mono power amplifier model developed 9 ( 1961).
1960-1979
By 1960, Marantz was mainly in the USA with its high-quality tube sets only a small, exclusive group of clients available. 1961 Richard Sequerra chief engineer. He led with the FM Tuner Model 10 on the oscilloscope as a tuning indicator. As part of the Apollo space program, NASA decided to use a modified version of the power stage model 9 under the designation 9120 in target tracking stations. In 1964, Marantz sold his company to the California Super Scope Company. A year later the company moved to Chatsworth ( California). When developing new devices to Marantz now turned increasingly to the transistor technology. Mid-sixties Affiliate Super Scope is a large part of its production to Japan and worked together with the standard Radio Corporation. The units are of Japanese origin to the nameplate with the words " Designed in USA, made in Japan" recognizable. Only the high quality products are still manufactured in the USA. 1968 Saul Marantz withdrew from the company management.
1970 Saul Marantz involved in the founding of the speaker manufacturer Dahlquist and worked together with Sidney S. Smith as a consultant for the production. In 1972, Superscope Marantz Japan in the Far East. Only three years later, in turn sold Superscope 50 % to the Japanese standard Radio Corporation, which changed its name to Marantz Japan. Under the pressure of rising costs the elaborately engraved labels on the front panels have been replaced by a not very durable silk screen printing, for example. Production in America was gradually phased out. The product range included not only amplifiers and tuners and turntables and speakers.
In Europe, especially in Germany, Italy and Switzerland Marantz succeeded in 1972 with the breakthrough affordable devices. Britain had a covered market with its own producers, so that the still high-priced devices from companies like Quad, Leak and Radford could hardly gain ground. Middle of the seventies, Marantz also complete quadraphonic equipment and Quadro adapters for existing systems.
In 1979, before the Marantz quality Esotec series. In the same year, the Japanese engineer Ken Ishiwata came to Marantz. Ishiwata was known when he improved series devices by stocked sounded relevant modules with higher quality parts. These devices were marketed later under the name KI Signature.
1980-1999
In December 1980, Marantz has been completely sold to Philips. In the eighties, also Marantz dedicated, closely working with Philips, in digital technology. In 1983, the first CD player on the market, the device was identical to the Philips CD -100, but carried the Marantz logo. Around 1986 Saul Marantz was achieved together with his partner John Curl under the name Lineage a successful comeback. The first production was immediately sold out at CES. Saul Marantz retired for health reasons, then back again. With the laser disc player CDV -780 Marantz went into the video technology.
The nineties were marked by the fusion of audio and video technology. At IFA 1991, the CD - Recorder CDR -1 was introduced, the own professional digital imaging allows home. The first THX-certified amplifier, the SM -80, 1992 came on the market, four years later, followed by the also THX certified receiver SR -96. The video projector VP8770 and the plasma television PD4280 completed the offer.
On January 16, 1997 Saul Bernard Marantz died at the age of 85 years.
In the late nineties Marantz took over the production of Tube Amplifier Model 7, 8 and 9 again. The devices were fabricated at the Valve Amplification Company in Durham, North Carolina by hand.
Since 2000
In 2000, Marantz introduced the first Super Audio CD Player SA-1. In May 2001, Marantz Japan Inc. took over Philips' trade mark rights and sales for Europe and the United States. The company established offices in Germany, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands and the USA. 2002 Marantz merged with Denon competitors to D & M Holdings Inc. also includes the company McIntosh, Boston, Snell, Escient, Denon DJ, Calrec, D & M Professional and D & M Premium Sound Solutions to this holding. The product lines of each manufacturer were managed independently. 2008 Philips ended the 28- year collaboration with Marantz.