He could probably be the Steve Jobs of his time. His original creations actually outlive him, while audio gadgets that only use his name as a trademark today — although they may not even be half as good as the Marantz audio equipment of old — continue to be an icon in an industry that has remained robust.
Saul Bernard Marantz (1911-1997) would have been 100 years old this year. He would have been proud to learn that some of his best audio designs — the Marantz 10B tuner, 8B and 9 power amplifiers, 7C preamp, and other classic Marantz audio gadgets — still give modern-day audiophiles endless musical bliss.
In fact the legendary Model 7C could be the biggest-selling high-end audio unit of all time (130,000 pieces in all its variations). This unparalleled record-breaking feat is due to its excellent music quality reproduction. Followers of the brand also assert that it has raised the bar in terms of looks or aesthetics: its front panel has a balanced design and an understated light below its logo. The Model 7C is best -matched with other Marantz products: the 30-watts-per-channel Model 8, and the 1963 Model 9, a 70-watt mono power amplifier that many enthusiasts profess has no equal. Year 1963 proved to be the best for Marantz, with the birth of the Model 10 valve FM tuner which incorporated a built-in oscilloscope that gives listeners a reading of the quality, power and balance of the received signal.
But Marantz, although focused on becoming an electrical engineer as a teen, only made his presence felt in audio at age 40 with the first Marantz audio product, the Consolette pre-amp. Designed and built by Marantz in his home in Kew Gardens, New York, the product shaped the future of high-fidelity audio systems, carrying it to its golden age in the late 1970s.
Lack of financial resources forced Marantz to work and pay for his studies. It took him six years of night courses to finally settle for a job in advertising and commercial arts in the mid-1930s, getting paid $175 a week. During World War II, Marantz found himself a yachtsman in the Coast Guard, patrolling the coastal waters. His interests were varied but intertwining: sailing, classical guitar, audio electronics and speakers, US stamps, optics, and all phases of photography, printing and the graphic arts.
His love for audio never waned. It was in this field that he exceeded all of his expectations. But while his audio engineering genius was beyond question, audiophiles are just as grateful for his keen facility to spot and help other audio geniuses like him. Two renowned audio talents — Dick Sequerra and Sidney Smith — benefitted immensely from Marantz tutelage; their names have become synonymous with high-fidelity audio as well. Ironically, it was Sequerra and Smith’s shared fastidiousness which caused the Marantz Company’s downfall. Marantz later admitted that the cost of designing the Model 10B tuner, perhaps the most illustrious of all Marantz products, disastrously strained the company’s resources. Smith and Sequerra played significant roles in developing the product.
But it was a man named Jon Dahlquist, an aerospace-industry engineer by profession, who re-energized Marantz’s fortune. Their collaboration gave birth to the Dahlquist Speaker Corporation in 1972. A year later, their most defining product, which became the reference by which loudspeakers are measured, the DQ-10, had created a niche in the speaker market. Their partnership was heaven-sent for Marantz who had retired years earlier after selling his trademark to Superscope Inc.
The original Marantz Company has changed ownership several times, but it is a Japanese firm that is nurturing and continuing the Marantz tradition today.
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