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Marantz MODEL 30 and Marantz SACD 30n – A complete new era at Marantz

The new Marantz MODEL 30 stereo integrated amplifier and the Marantz SACD 30n network SACD player will herald a completely new era for the Marantz brand and represent the vision of the future, so euphorically Sound United LLC. announces the new stereo combination for the high-end segment.


The Marantz brand had been known for years for, among other things, pursuing a clear strategy, not only in the stereo segment, of bringing the original recording as close as possible to the listener. This credo, laid down by the brand’s founder Saul B. Marantz, led to solutions that offered the finest equipment and, over the years, a design line that at first glance made Marantz products recognisable as such. It can therefore be said that Marantz took a rather conservative approach to design in the most positive sense, much to the delight of sworn lovers of the brand. But this is now being radically changed, as the new solutions that Sound United LLC. is now presenting are not only intended to introduce the latest generation of a classic stereo combination, but also to herald a whole new era at Marantz.

The vision for the future is to herald a completely new era for the Marantz brand, which will now be launched with the new Marantz MODEL 30 stereo integrated amplifier and the Marantz SACD 30n network SACD player. It is important to be aware of the company’s roots and its decades of history, while at the same time paying attention to modern, innovative equipment, and crowning this with a completely new, remarkable industrial design.

Even if the solutions now presented in their completely new design language may come as a surprise, for Marantz itself they are full of history and the result of a long development process. As early as 2017, Marantz had already set out its goals for repositioning itself in the high-end audio world, Sound United LLC. said in a broadcast. The design team modernised all aspects of the brand in a return to its long tradition. Inspired by legendary products, such as the first Marantz Audio Consolette preamplifier, the Marantz Model 9 power amplifier, the Marantz Model 30 integrated amplifier or the Marantz Model 2250 receiver, the new Marantz Model 30 stereo integrated amplifier and Marantz SACD 30n are to take classic Marantz design elements and combine them with a well thought-out, modern approach to construction and materials. According to Sound United LLC, the two new introductions thus offer a first glimpse of the future at Marantz.

Joel Sietsema, SVP of Brand at Sound United, the parent company of Marantz

The new Marantz Model 30 stereo integrated amplifier benefits from the meticulous work of the Marantz sound engineers, the sound competence cultivated over generations, and of course all the technical innovations and the hi-fi tradition of Marantz, which can certainly be described as legendary. The consistently analogue concept is characterised by a fully discrete two-stage design with independent power supplies for pre- and power amplifier, according to the manufacturer. The circuit exclusively responsible for the pre-amplifier stage enables a stable power supply that is independent of the power demanded by the power amplifier. An oversized toroidal core transformer, which is exclusively responsible for the pre-amplifier stage, guarantees high sound purity. The elaborate steel housing surrounding the transformer suppresses leakage flux to prevent the generation of electrical noise in the peripheral circuits.

The power supply unit for the output stage supplies high voltages to the switching amplifier without any delays. A clean power supply is a guarantee for the finest details, as this design ensures maximum control of the connected speakers of any kind. Even strong basses can be handled effortlessly in this way. The absolute signal purity ensures outstanding audio quality, Sound United LLC. is convinced.

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The amplifier has, and this will please vinyl lovers, a phono pre-amplifier for MC (Moving Coil) and MM (Moving Magnet) )pickups, a so-called Marantz Musical Premium Phono EQ circuit and the Marantz HDAM technology for a record playback at the highest level. Thanks to the integrated MC preamplifier, the phono EQ preamplifier in the Marantz MODEL 30 can be operated with both MM and MC pickups with low output voltage. The two-stage amplification in the phono preamplifier reduces distortion. In the input stage, Marantz HDAMs are combined with junction field effect transistors (JFETs), resulting in a high input impedance. The elimination of coupling capacitors further simplifies the design, reduces signal distortion and improves signal purity. The Marantz MODEL 30 amplifier is also equipped with an input impedance selector that allows three settings: MC LOW (33 ohms), MC MID (100 ohms) and MC HIGH (390 ohms). This improves sound performance with both MC and MM pickups.

The Marantz MODEL 30 continues the Marantz tradition and uses the company’s own discretely constructed HDAMs (Hyper-Dynamic Amplifier Modules). This elaborate construction offers an unrivalled musical sound that is as clean and detailed as possible. With controlled surface-mounted individual components and short, mirrored paths for the left and right signal paths, the HDAMs surpass conventional integrated operational amplifiers and achieve outstanding sound quality and performance.

The new Marantz SACD 30n also makes use of exclusive, high-quality, proprietary components, such as the special Marantz SACDM-3L transport mechanism, which is designed for the best possible performance when playing Super Audio CDs, CDs and music stored on data media. It is also designed to meet the needs of the modern music enthusiast who wants to access existing music file collections and leading streaming services. The Marantz SACD 30n uses the HEOS built-in platform and combines a first-class CD/SACD player, a contemporary hub for digital sources, a USB DAC and an integrated preamplifier in one device.

With the help of HEOS Built-in technology, the Marantz SACD 30n can stream the audio formats FLAC from 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz with a resolution of up to 24 bits, as well as content in DSD up to DSD 5.6 MHz, the data formats ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) and of course MP3 from the most important streaming providers, including Amazon Music HD or TIDAL. The HEOS Built-in module considerably expands the access options, Sound United LLC. is quite rightly convinced. For example, voice-supported technologies such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Apple Siri are also available for easy music playback and control. A prerequisite for this is, of course, the corresponding solutions in the smart home, and for the sake of completeness, this should be mentioned here.

For optimum digital-analogue conversion, the new Marantz SACD 30n uses the company’s own Marantz Musical Mastering (MMM stream converter and MMM conversion stage). PCM input signals are extrapolated to DSD using the MMM stream converter within the player, namely DSD at 11.2 MHz. The high-frequency signal generated is converted into the analogue output signal by the MMM conversion stage, which is used here instead of a conventional DAC. Two system clocks provide accurate up-conversion of the incoming signal in the range 44.1 to 384 kHz, whether it comes from a disc or from the digital inputs. The DSD analogue converter passes its signal to the Marantz HDAMs in the output stage.

The headphone amplifier built into the Marantz SACD 30n has a dedicated amplifier module which incorporates the well-known Marantz HDAM SA2 circuits with an outstanding signal-to-noise ratio. The amplification factor can be adjusted in three stages (LOW, MID and HIGH) to suit headphones of different impedances. This allows even high-impedance headphones to be operated.

According to the manufacturer, the new Marantz MODEL 30 and Marantz SACD 30n systems are manufactured with great care in Japan, more precisely in Shirakawa. This guarantees the outstanding quality that one can expect from solutions in the high-end segment.

The new systems will be available in black and silver gold, and are already being offered these days. For the Marantz MODEL 30, a non-binding recommended retail price of € 3,000,- must be budgeted for. The recommended retail price for the new Marantz SACD 30n is also shown at € 3,000,-

Getting to the point

The vision of the future is to herald a completely new era for the Marantz brand, now heralded by the new Marantz MODEL 30 stereo integrated amplifier and the Marantz SACD 30n network SACD player. It is important to be aware of the company’s roots and decades of history, while at the same time paying attention to modern, innovative equipment, and crowning this with a completely new, remarkable industrial design.

Manufacturer:Sound United LLC.
Distribution:Marantz Deutschland D&M Germany GmbH A division of Sound United
Price:Marantz Model 30 € 3.000,-
Marantz SACD 30n € 3.000,-
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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