Marantz Model 105: A Really Nice Vintage Analog Tuner for Urban Dwellers
Written: Nov 10 '09
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Pros: warm, lush sound; cool blue Marantz lights; solid, high quality feel
Cons: not as sensitive as my Kenwood or NAD tuners
The Bottom Line: The Marantz 105 has a lush, warm sound, and it has the famous sexy blue lights, but it's not as sensitive as the Kenwood KT-5500. Recommended for urban dwellers.
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| Horswispr's Full Review: Marantz 105 Tuner |
A Marantz Model 105 tuner was added to my collection of vintage stereo gear a couple of years ago. It's a simple analog AM/FM tuner that has mono and muting switches, and little else in the way of features. Most importantly, it has the famous Marantz "blue lights" that were a symbol of quality in the 1970s, and also looked cool as hell in a darkened room. The Marantz 105 was manufactured from approximately 1973 through 1975 and sold for $150 in its day, pretty expensive for a stand-alone tuner. Today, a used Marantz 105 can command anywhere from $80 to $200 or eBay or Craigslist, depending on condition.
The Marantz 105 is easy to hook up. Just run RCA cables from the tuner to your preamplifier or integrated amplifer, hook up a dipole FM antenna (or something fancier if you have it) and you're ready to go. The 105 has an AM antenna on the back. so you don't need to run a wire off to nowhere to get good AM reception. The tuner is small and easy to move around. It's about 4 3/4 " tall, 12" deep and 14 1/4" wide. Unpacked, I'd guess its weight to be about 17 lbs.
The blue lights of the Marantz 105 look great, and the equally famous "gyro" tuning dial feels really smooth as you cruise the FM (or AM) dial. The switches on the Marantz 105 have a nice, expensive feel to them, and I found the muting circuit of the 105 to be more effective--quieter--than that of my vintage analog reference, the Kenwood KT-5500, as I tuned up and down the dial in seach of strong FM stations. The 105 has no center channel meter for FM, only a (blue) signal strength meter that works for both FM and AM. I haven't found this to be a problem.
What matters most is sensitivity and the sound, and here also there were differences between the Marantz 105 and my Kenwood KT-5500. First, sensitivity: The Marantz 105 is slightly less senstitive than the Kenwood KT-5500. Here in my subrban Bay Area location, both tuners can pick up KDFC, the local (and powerful) classical radio station in stereo with no problem. But while the Kenwood can get a decent (mono) signal from KCSM, the local (and not so powerful) jazz station, the Marantz could barely tune it in at all. My sample size is small: two non-tampered-with Kenwoods and two non-tampered-with Marantzes, but I feel fairly comfortable saying that the Kenwood is a bit more sensitive.
As for sound, both the Marantz and Kenwood sound warmer and more musical than my "sensitivity champion," the NAD 4225. And on powerful stations, the Marantz is even warmer and more musical than the Kenwood KT-5500. With both the Kenwood and the Marantz, and especially with the Marantz, it's as if the instruments and vocalists are more three-dimensional than with the NAD. The NAD isn't bad sounding, and I was probably too hard on it in my review of the Kenwood KT-5500. But its sound is definitely "tidier" and a bit less lush and three-dimensional than the sound of the two analog tuners, the Marantz especially. To its credit, the NAD presents the music against a more silent background than either of the analog tuners.
Although the two samples of the Marantz 105 I've had here aren't as sensitive as the Kenwood KT-5500s, I still really like the 105. Its sound is really inviting, and the look is way cool, as is the feel. If you live way out in the sticks, I might opt for something more sensitive. But if you live in an area where most stations come in strong, it might be a great way to go.
A note to those who might purchase a Marantz 105 on eBay: Make sure you find out whether all of the famous blue lights are working, and if so, when they were installed. The lights do burn out in time, and not always all at once. I decided to be adventurous and install a burnt out light myself, and while the bulb cost all of a dollar or two, replacing it was a several hour task (for me, a rookie) that involved a lot of concentration and several words I don't usally use in mixed company. There are folks who know what they're doing who can do it for you, but labor might wind up costing you almost as much as the tuner.
The wooden cabinet shown in Epinions's picture of the Marantz 105 tuner does not always come with the unit. I've refinished a few Marantz cases, and they are quite pretty. Expect to pay $50 or so extra if you want one. Even though I like to refinish wooden cases (and speakers), I run all my vintage components "in the nude" (no wooden cases).
All of that said, the Marantz 105 analog tuner is a nice way to add the Marantz touch to your vintage system. If you're near a metro area, I recommend it highly.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 100
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