Marantz Model 9

No formal introduction necessary.

Seven years after the foundation in Tokyo of the Standard Wireless Radio Corporation (the future SRC and therefore foundation for the future Marantz Japan), seven years after the foundation of the Marantz Company in New York... came one of the all-time audio classics.

Perhaps more revered and avidly sought-after than at the time of its original release, it is one of the three components Marantz chose to revive from its past ... twice :
First just before the Philips takeover (october 1978 - effective in 1979 but with distribution limited to Japan), the second time during Marantz' other high time in 1995 (released in 1997/98), after the uniting of Marantz under one single owner (Philips, in 1990), and just before briefly going solo in 2001.

The 1978 reissues (Model 7K, Model 8BK and Model 9K) were only made available as kits... like in the old days.

The 1998 reissues were actually assembled by VAC in the US, with all parts being sourced from the original 1960s providers : these reissues really were 100% replicas with no short-cuts toward cost cutting.

If final assembly could have been made in Japan (the contemporary Project T1 was), Marantz had no production facility in the US for such projects since the last Sm 1000 was shipped so a contractor had to be chosen - VAC it was.
The xxx-rare Model 66 (1998) was also made in the US - by VAC ?

Aluminium anodizing, knobs and switches, point-to-point wiring, custom caps, resistors, tubes and even the TA-3 output transformer all were rebuilt to original specs by the original 1960s suppliers.

The transformer potting compound was however not made again as an unused drum stored away (where ?) was found (where ?) and used - a NOS compound of sorts (or so the literature says :-)
Wiring diagrams were all checked with original unmodded samples and the only parts renewed were the loudspeakers' and IEC AC terminals.

Of the tubes originally used and not available in 1995 (6BH6 and 6CG7), Marantz acquired a military-spec NOS stock ; the other tubes were all carefully tested and finally tagged with a discrete Marantz logo.

Even the original Marantz font was photographed and silkscreened off a 1960s unit. Said font btw, the classic Marantz scripting, is a strongly customized variant of the Kuenstler Script LT - just in case you were wondering about it.


Now - are real/fake/real time capsules worth that much money ?
I don't know. But just like the QUAD II reissues (and their horrid gold finish à la Jadis), the 1998 Model 7R, Model 8BR and Model 9R sold in a jiffy, despite the gargantuesque prices justified by the meticulous recreation of the 1960s originals.

The Model 8BR sold much better, though.
And the 1960s originals still cost more, today, than the Reissue versions - you can't re-make history.




The VAC page - with a mention of the Marantz Replicas ; a 1997 NY Times review.

One original set of Model 9 and one set of Model 9R.

An here is one original and very rare 1960s set of Model 9R : R for rack, not Reissue.