Marantz 1070 amplifier

The seventies Marantz amplifiers have gained a very justified fame. But among them, for most of the aficionados, one is topping the chart: the 1070.

Designed in California and carefully crafted in Japan, the 10x0 series shines in its design, the strict pick of the components and the manual skills involved in presenting products that still make us happy decades after.

Engineering was top notch for the period: the power transformer is fully screened, separate printed circuit boards are used for the stabilized power supply, the input pre-amplifiers and tone control circuits. Whilst conventional soldering is used on switches, plugs etc, inter-panel wiring makes use of wrapped joints, a technique claimed to have a lower contact resistance than soldered joints that you can see in period high-end brands.

Visually, the choice of materials is also a signature. Over the now traditional brushed aluminium panel, a black perspex insert provides additional contrast to let the controls stand out. The footprint is below DIN, that brings some delicacy. The case is the "faux wood" finished metal hood, that really looks good as is, while a real wood cabinet was available to give the unit more statement. Today aftermarket cabinets are available, at a sensible price though, as are rack handles.

It will be hard for us to give a complete detailed summary of all what the punters have to say about this amp; but in short… it sounds warm, fast, strong and clean, and will enchant any good speaker.