Marantz Tt 1000 mkII

Updated versions of the famed Tt 1000 (1979) and part of the Music Link series.

As we all know, the Tt 1000 mkI was produced as shown, first with a Micro Seiki tonearm (CF-1), then armless or with an SME.
Now for the real cherry : if the original Tt 1000 was built on the mechanical base of the Micro Seiki DQX-1000, the Tt 1000 mkII was built on the base of the Micro Seiki DDX-1500, the latter being the 1990s version of the original DQX-1000.
Same motor (with a different cover for the mkII), same parts, same everything.

With a different transformer and a slightly different PCB, the external power supply of the Tt 1000 mkII, is a straight rebadge of Micro's ultimate AP-M1 - without even bothering to change its looks this time.
The suede mat of the Tt 1000 mkII isn't something that special in itself but it does come from the same AP-M1 and was available from Micro under the AS-1 and AS-1V names.

The feet of the 1000 and mkII come from Micro Seiki as well : they were available as an accessory under the MSB-100 reference and used in the x-rare Micro BL-91L.
The 2-part arm bases are 100% interchangeable with Micro Seiki's, too, but with a twist : the inner part of those bearing the Micro tag are made of bronze while those sold for/under/to Marantz -for cost reasons- were made of aluminium.

And the revised platter of this Tt 1000 mkII is a direct import from that of Micro's DDX-1500. Amazing, isn't it ?

Absolute proof you need ?
The external PS of the Tt 1000 mkII (which uses uses the casing of the Micro PS-M1, as made for the AP-M1's optional EQ-M1 external EQ) bears the "SAILOR" tag which you can see below.

Sailor comes from Sailor Pen, a brand owned by an LP replay addict who funded Micro when the latter was already going down in the late 1980s and in need of urgent cash. After this welcome funding, all of Micro's output was tagged in one way or another with that "Sailor".

And why would a big, huge, brand like Marantz go search for a measly power-supply at Micro Seiki ? Because, bar the glassy looks, the Tt 1000 mk0, Tt 1000 and Tt 1000 mkII simply were mechanically Micro Seiki from top to bottom.

The Tt 1000 mkII is a much better turntable than the original Tt 1000 - the glass platter was a true engineering mistake...

Many Micro Seiki improvements were planned to be incorporated into the Tt 1000 mkII but finally not implemented. Had they been thrown in, the Tt 1000 mkII would have become one of the best turntables ever and would have sold well, benefitting from
a) a still expanding high-end market,
b) the aura of the original 1979 Esotec which was and still is one of the better remembered high-end turntables.
That's... Mistake n°2.

The Tt 1000 mkII would've at last earned its reputation and be on par with its overweight pricetag : the price of the 1979 Tt 1000 precluded many possible sales because it was way too much for a Micro-engineered looker.

Fast-forward ten years : Marantz planned to produce as many as 150 Tt 1000 mkII.
Not sure 150 were effectively produced but, at 12,000DM, it is quite probable they didn't sell even half that amount.

12,000DM was exorbitant and much too much for a mkII -however excellent- finally not that different from the original.
And with a marketing reduced to a single country (Germany, of course), Marantz lowered the possibility of significant sales - last mistake.

Coda :
The german catalog showing the Tt 1000 mkII only displayed a pre-production sample of it. Such things happen, and quite often in fact.
But the lettering on the sample was that of... the old Esotec Tt 1000 from 1979 !
If accidental, that little blunder was rather prescient. Or post-scient.


Source for all this detailed info shall remain anonymous but is very, very close from both The source and from Mr Fukagawa who directed Micro's export operations in Japan between 1980 and 1990.