January 1988
Dear Audio Reader,
If you're like us, you are reading this magazine to find out about new and exciting equipment. And you're probably reading it from cover to cover.
We've just returned from the Consumer Electronics Show, where the home entertainment industry first shows its most exciting products, and we thought you'd like a preview of what's coming from Marantz.
At the show we introduced our state-of the-art 94 Series, which you'll read about over the next few Pages, and two other important product lines- Century Series and Programmable Remote Controls.
Fifteen components comprise the Century Series, including integrated amplifiers, tuners, CD players, cassette decks, and turntables- plus several stylish new speakers. Century represents an excellent balance of price and performance-a unique opportunity for the audiophile.
The easy to use RC20 Programmable Remote Control learns the commands from your audio system, TV and VCR remotes.
After you try this device, you'll wonder how you ever juggled your collection of remote controls.
Thanks for your support over the years.
We hope that 1988 is exciting for your eyes and ears!
--Jim Twerdahl, President
-Like fine musical instruments, 94 Series components are a means
to an end. Music.
In the nineteen fifties when stereo was just beginning to establish it self, the undisputed ultimate in high fidelity componentry consisted of Marantz audio separates. In the world of high performance audio, Marantz was Rolls Royce and Ferrari rolled into one- artistry in stainless steel, incomparable sonics, painstaking hand craftsmanship, and legendary reliability. Marantz components soon became collectible classics, and their enduring appeal owed as much to their far reaching technical innovations as to their elegance in visual design.
When we conceived our 94 Series of perfectionist components we strove to maintain that Marantz legacy of innovation, and we made each one of these limited production components a showcase for demonstrating the most advanced thinking in audio playback technology.
We also made them physically beautiful and absolutely impeccable in the quality of their finish and construction.
The 94 Series currently includes integrated amplifiers in two power ranges, a compact disc player a DAT (digital audio tape) tape recorder, and a component digital-to-analog converter. In combination these components make a striking visual statement and provide an unparalleled combination of musical accuracy and system versatility.
Integrated Amplifiers
PM-94B; PM-94G
The PM-94 and PM-84D Integrated Amplifiers An integrated amplifier is the cornerstone of an audio system, providing a connecting point for all other components in the sys tem, and supplying the electrical power to drive the loudspeakers.
As a power source, an amplifier must add or subtract nothing from the music signal.
It must handle variations in the input impedance of a loudspeaker system with absolute composure, and it must meet demands for peak power with no audible signs of distress. Above all, it must have no sound or character of its own. A truly high performance amplifier will involve you in the musical performance by revealing even the subtlest details in today's high accuracy recordings.
The PM-94 and PM-84D attain their mea sure of excellence in audio amplification through intelligent design, advanced construction techniques, and the use of the finest internal parts.
Marantz Power Supplies
The Source of Musical Fidelity The heart of any amplifier is its power supply, the reservoir of electrical energy from which the amplifier's signal circuitry draws to boost signal level. It is no exaggeration to say that proper engineering of the power supply is critical to the sound of the amplifier.
The PM-94 and PM-84D power supplies are designed to provide clean, smooth, noiseless reserves of current under all play back conditions, and to reject external electrical disturbances such as electro motive energy from the loudspeakers and powerline voltage fluctuations. Such power supply stabilization is vitally important in musical reproduction because it allows signal circuits to operate with the greatest linearity. This results in superior bass definition and a sense of completely unstressed musical dynamics in the rendering of drums, piano, and other percussive instruments.
These amplifiers actually house four separate power supplies on one chassis. Each channel is equipped with one supply for the low level voltage amplifying circuitry, and another supply for the power output stage. Each supply is powered by a separate winding from the oversized toroidal power transformer, and each has its own dedicated, large capacity filter capacitor for storing energy. These multiple high current supplies permit the 94 Series amplifiers to supply increasing power into low impedance loads, provide for a high immunity to hum, and virtually eliminate crosstalk (the condition where signals from one circuit leak into another circuit through a single power supply feeding them both).
Marantz 94 Series power supplies also feature an AVSS (Automatic Voltage Shift Supply) circuit that instantaneously adjusts power supply voltages to meet signal demands. AVSS, when utilized in power sup plies with such massive electrical storage capabilities, endows the amplifier with enormous headroom for responding to musical peaks, while at the same time increasing electrical efficiency and minimizing heat generation.
Such over-engineering of the 94 Series power supplies gives these amplifiers a remarkable sense of clarity. Musical details seem more in focus, and even the most dynamic compact discs are reproduced with a notable lack of stress.
Quarter A Operation for Warm, Musical Reproduction
Both the PM-94 and the PM-84D boast pure class A operation up to one quarter of their rated outputs. Class A operation involves sending a high idling current through the output transistors at all times.
This keeps their internal temperatures stable, and prevents transistors from switching on and off during playback and generating notch distortion in the process. Class A operation permits a transistor to track a signal more accurately than in typical class AB operation, resulting in extremely smooth, natural sounding musical reproduction, with a notable lack of edginess or harshness even at very loud playback levels.
We have found that by operating our amplifiers in class A mode up to a quarter of their rated outputs, the full sonic benefits of class A are obtained without the necessity of brute force engineering strategies.
(Pure class A operation up to full rated power would require great bulk and weight.) And in Quarter A, the transistors change to AB mode only at high signal levels (where distortion is effectively masked), so the amplifier is essentially class A in operation.
Perfection in Every Detail
The PM-94 and PM-84D are constructed with meticulously selected circuit components to ensure consistent operation over many years and to provide the most refined sonics available. Special Cerafine capacitors have been manufactured for these amplifiers by the Elna Corporation, and other circuit elements, including transistors, resistors and even internal wiring have been chosen only after the most exhaustive listening comparisons. The internal chassis of both amplifiers are heavily plated with high purity copper to provide a low impedance grounding plane and high immunity to low level electrical noise. Special oxygen-free copper wiring is used for all critical signal handling connections.
Superior Flexibility and User Convenience
The 94 Series amplifiers are designed to provide maximum flexibility and convenience as well as no compromise sonic performance. Separate bass and treble controls are provided for both channels, and each has inputs for up to seven signal sources, including hi-fi video and the new DAT (digital audio tape) decks. For absolute lowest noise and distortion, both the com pact disc and phono inputs may be routed directly to the amplifying circuits, bypassing the tape dubbing and tone control circuitry.
Three separate phono cartridge input levels are provided, and a high quality transformer is included in the PM-94 for moving coil cartridges. Both amplifiers have outputs for two speaker systems, and both are capable of driving two pairs of speakers simultaneously.
The PM-94 is available in satin black with oak side panels or in rose gold with rose wood panels.
Integrated Amplifiers
PM-84D
---Copper plating the entire chassis provides a high immunity to low level
electrical noise.
Compact Disc Players
CD-94G; CD-94B
CD-94 Compact Disc Player
The compact disc medium offers extremely impressive specifications in terms of dynamic range, absence of noise and distortion, and general musical fidelity. But extracting all of the information encoded on a disc requires a thoroughly engineered and exactingly constructed player.
Precise Mechanical Construction
Performance engineering begins with the mechanical transport system that spins the disc and operates the laser. Since the audio track is only two microns wide, even the smallest unwanted movement of the disc will adversely affect playback.
Disc stability is ensured by the CD-94's high quality motors and anti-resonance chassis construction. The transport mechanism is provided with an elastic suspension system that isolates the spinning disc from external shocks and airborne vibrations, while the outer chassis improves isolation still further by means of a heavy resonance-suppressing aluminum top-plate and specially damped, cast metal heatsinks. A magnetic clamp holds the disc firmly in place during playback and all mechanical parts are fabricated from die cast aluminum for mechanical reliability and the last measure of acoustical isolation.
All of this mechanical sophistication has a definite purpose- the extraction of every bit of musical information contained in the signal track. When this is successfully picked up and conveyed into the analog circuits of the player, the unique tonal qualities of various instruments and voices will be clearly defined, even in densely orchestrated passages.
Advanced Digital Circuitry for Superior Digital Sound
The CD-94 uses the latest and most sophisticated decoding and output filtering circuitry to interpret the digital information on the disc. It is a true sixteen bit, four times oversampling design.
Sixteen bits of information represents the full 96dB of dynamic range on a compact disc- in other words, all of the information that relates to every sound on a recording. Many compact disc players only decode fourteen of those sixteen bits, resulting in reduced clarity and loss of subtle musical details.
Four times oversampling is a means of moving up the frequency of the digital pulse train or "clock" frequency which carries the audio information. The pulse train itself is only a code for conveying this information, and the digital pulses must be removed in the decoding process. Speeding up the "clock" allows the digital pulses to be removed more easily without contaminating the music signal.
The CD-94 uses two filters to remove high frequency energy unrelated to the music signal. The first is a digital filter that per forms mathematical analyses of the signal in the digital domain and subtracts false data representing unwanted high frequency content. The second filter is a gentle analog filter that removes the actual clock frequency of the oversampled digital signal.
Neither filter imparts significant phase shift to the audio signal and all of the information on a recording relating to the placement of performers is preserved.
Favorite Track Selection
The CD-94 provides for extreme flexibility in programming. The unique FTS (favorite track selection) feature allows you to permanently program up to 1600 track selections. This enables you to store indefinitely, in any order, your favorite tracks from hundreds of separate discs.
Absolute Signal Integrity
The CD-94 shares the same sophisticated power supply engineering as the 94 Series amplifiers. A large toroidal transformer and large capacity filter capacitors are employed. Separate power supplies are allotted to the transport, front panel display, digital circuitry, and finally to the analog output circuitry. The separate sup plies greatly reduce the "gritty" sound quality that results from electrical interference among the separate circuits.
For ultimate fidelity and freedom from residual noise, the CD-94 includes a pair of digital outputs, one electrical and the other involving a fiber optical connection and a laser transmitted signal.
The CD-94 is available in black satin finish with oak side panels, or rose gold with rosewood side panels, and includes a full function remote control. We believe that no other compact disc player has been made with such absolute attention to detail.
Digital Audio Tape Recorders
DT-94
DT-94/84 DAT (digital audio tape) is the newest and most accurate recordable audio format available to the consumer, and the Marantz DT94 and DT-84 represent the vanguard of this technology. Like the other components in the 94 Series, these recorders are built to the highest standards and incorporate the most sophisticated mechanical and electronic subsystems. For the first time, the home recordist has access to a studio quality medium.
A Medium for the Perfectionist
DAT bears a strong family resemblance to the professional multi-track rotary head digital tape recorders that have been used in recording studios for many years. The technology is similar to that utilized in compact discs, but instead of physical depressions on a disc, DAT uses magnetized sections of recording tape to represent the digital pulses.
The pulses themselves constitute an intricate code that represents intensity measurements of individual sound waves. Each wave cycle in the enormous succession of sound waves comprising a musical performance is assigned a number in the digital code, and the numbers are stored on the recording tape just as numbers are recorded on a computer's magnetic hard or floppy disc.
Because the data on the tape is numeric rather than a direct analog audio signal, tape hiss, tape distortion, and even slight variations in tape speed cannot contaminate the sound. During playback, signals are created by a digital-to-analog converter reading the numbers on the tape and selecting corresponding signal voltage intensities. The result is a pure representation of the musical waveform as it appeared at the input.
Sophisticated Digital Circuitry
The basic specifications of DAT are similar to those of the compact disc, but the DT 94/84 goes beyond standard specifications in its performance. These recorders use dual 16 bit oversampling D/A converters, a 96 pole digital filter, and a 3 pole mini mum phase, anti-aliasing output filter. True 16 bit A/D (analog-to-digital) converters are used in the record section.
Unparalleled Fidelity and Versatility
Sixteen bit resolution, and its resulting 96dB of dynamic range, virtually eliminates background noise and permits you to re cord the most explosive musical crescendos without fear of overload or distortion. You can make perfect copies of prized old phonograph records or reel-to-reel tapes, you can make live recordings comparable to those made with digital mastering tape recorders, and you can make virtually perfect recordings from modern vinyl records and compact discs.
The convenient DAT cassette is a little over half the size of a standard analog cassette, yet it can hold two hours of continuous music. It can store so much information because of its advanced metal tape formulation and a high effective tape speed, or "writing-speed:' of over nine feet per second-a speed made possible by the rapidly spinning head.
The DT-94/84 will record a live microphone feed at a sampling rate of 48kHz, the same frequency used in professional recording. It will also permit perfect dubs of a tape made on another consumer DAT machine-a direct digital data stream can be transmitted from one machine to another via a standard electrical connection or a fiber optical digital port.
Convenience and Programmability
With DAT, individual tracks are much easier to access than on conventional tape decks, and the DT94 can execute complex programming commands. DAT requires no bias adjustments, no azimuth calibration, no setting of recording level during direct digital recording, and tape type can be disregarded since all DAT cassettes use essentially the same tape formulation.
With the introduction of the DT94/84, the music lover finally possesses a recording medium that performs to the standards of the digital age, while incorporating the styling and remote control functions expected in an advanced consumer component. These are simply the most impressive recording devices ever offered to the public.
Digital-to-Analog Converters
CDA-94G; CDA 94B
The CDA-94 Digital-to-Analog Converter
The CDA-94 is a component digital-to-analog converter-a device intended purely for the converting of the digitized data on a compact disc into an analog music signal that can be routed to an audio amplifier. All compact disc players include D/A converters as part of their decoding electronics, but making this circuitry separate has several advantages. First, the circuits are protected with the greatest possible electrical shielding; and second, they are provided with a degree of power supply capacity and stability impossible to achieve in a conventional CD player where all circuits share a common chassis and a common ground.
The Marantz CDA-94 also shares the same general circuit topology as the integral D/A converter in the CD-94, but it has select able digital clock frequencies of 44.1kHz, 48kHz, and 32kHz, permitting the decoding of compact discs, DAT (digital audio tape), and digital satellite radio broadcasts respectively. (Digital satellite audio transmissions have been approved in Japan and in some European nations.) The correct clock frequency is selected automatically so you never have to worry about matching the source to the appropriate frequency.
This component D/A converter uses the same advanced four times oversampling digital filter D/A conversion technology featured in the CD-94. But here the safe guarding of signal integrity is taken even further by the provision of separate circuit boards, separate power supplies, and even separate power transformers for the digital input section, the D/A converters them selves, and finally for the analog output amplifiers.
The CDA-94 will mate only with CD players such as the CD-94 that have direct digital outputs. It will accept either electrical or fiber optical inputs, and is equipped with line level outputs for linkage with preamplifiers, integrated amplifiers, and signal processors. Output connectors include both standard RCA jacks and balanced line connectors.
An absolute phase inverter is also pro vided, which can reverse the positive and negative halves of the wave cycles comprising the audio signal. Phase is often reversed during the recording process, and restoring correct absolute phase can bring about a real improvement in stereo imaging.
When used with top quality loudspeakers and amplification, the CDA-94 will bring about subtle but significant improvements in depth and spaciousness and will provide a superior rendering of the soundstage.
The CDA-94 has a non-resonant aluminum chassis anodized in either satin black or rose gold. Black finish comes with oak side panels, and gold with rosewood.
The 94 Series of components offers a level of performance and workmanship that will establish them as classics in their own right-worthy heirs to the great Marantz tradition of the past. Because they were designed by engineers who are also music lovers, they will provide you with a depth of musical experience that is simply unobtainable with lesser componentry. The proof is in the listening.
HIGH FIDELITY
Marantz Company, Inc.
20525 Nordhoff Street, Post Office Box 2577
Chatsworth, CA 91313-2577, USA
Phone: 818-998-9333; Fax: 818-998-5475
(Source: Audio magazine, Feb. 1988)
Also see:
Marantz CRP loudspeakers (Nov. 1978)
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