The MODEL 30 and SACD 30n are said to have taken three years to develop. While they may well point toward a new direction in industrial design for the brand, you can still trace the newcomer's DNA right back to the founding mission of Saul Marantz - to get the listener as close to the original recording as possible.

The story started in 2017 and involved Marantz looking back through its history and picking up a bit of the Audio Consolette, adding some original Model 30, a dash of Model 2250, and a sprinkle of Model 9, and then mixing it with the brand's repositioning ready for its future in the world of high-end audio.

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

Our main goal in updating Marantz was to effectively capture the timelessness, musicality and passion the brand has brought to the world for nearly 70 years. This is why we dove into the brand's history first to design the MODEL 30 and SACD 30n. We knew these new products and their successors had to continue refining that classic Marantz sound, but also deliver fresh new aesthetics and build quality that contemporary enthusiasts could love. The result is a familiar, yet entirely new Marantz ID and an exciting listening experience that delivers on the Marantz promise of the most musical sound.

Marantz MODEL 30

The MODEL 30's all-analogue design features a fully discrete two-stage build, with independent power supplies for the pre-amplifier and power amplifier.

The pre-amp gets an oversized toroidal transformer held within a double-shielded steel case to mitigate leakage flux that could generate noise in peripheral circuits. The power amp's supply delivers high current instantaneously to the switching mode amplifier, chosen for its load independence.

Additionally, Marantz has kept the pathway as short as possible with just 10mm between the power amp output and the speaker posts. We're told that this ensures maximum control over any connected speakers and provides clean power for the reproduction of the finest details. The output from the Class D Hypex NC500 amp module is rated at 100w RMS at 8 ohms.

As well as inputs marked for CD, Tuner and Recorder, there are a further two Line inputs, a power amp input, and outputs for pre-amp and recorder. The amplifier also features a phono stage that boasts the Marantz Musical Premium Phono EQ circuit and Marantz HDAM (Hyper-Dynamic Amplifier Modules) technology.

The Phono stage in the MODEL 30 can be used with both moving magnet, and moving coil cartridges. Distortion is said to be reduced through two-stage amplification in the phono stage. Marantz HDAMs are combined with JFETs (junction field-effect transistors) in the input stage, giving high input impedance.

The exclusion of coupling capacitors further simplifies the design, and apparently reduces signal distortion while enhancing signal purity. Furthermore, thanks to the onboard input impedance selector, you can tailor to suit the three most common moving coil cartridge types - MC Low (33 ohms), MC MID (100 ohms) and MC HIGH (390 ohms).

Marantz SACD 30n

The SACD 30n network audio streamer and SACD player draws on the Marantz proprietary SACDM-3L transport mechanism that has been engineered solely for the best possible performance when playing SACDs, CDs and music stored on data discs, says the manufacturer. Furthermore, the SACD 30n adds streaming as well as a USB-DAC, along with a built-in pre-amp and so offers a complete digital source hub.

The unit's streaming chops comes by way of the HEOS platform and so can stream FLAC files from 44.1kHz to 192kHz at up to 24-bit resolution, DSD 2.8MHz and DSD 5.6MHz, ALAC (Apple Lossless) and MP3 files from major streaming providers, including Amazon Music HD, Tidal and others. HEOS Built-in also adds voice-enabled technologies, including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Siri for totally intuitive control over playback.

SACD 30n relies on Marantz's proprietary Marantz Musical Mastering (MMM-Stream converter and MMM-Conversion stage) for digital analogue conversion, as found in the brand's 10 and Ki series. PCM inputs are up-converted to DSD at 11.2MHz, while two system clocks are employed to ensure the most accurate up-conversion of the incoming signal, whether it's from the disc or digital inputs, ranging from 44.1kHz to 384kHz.The DSD-to-analogue converter then feeds into the Marantz HDAM in the output stage.

Finally, the headphone amplifier used in the SACD 30n features its own dedicated amplifier module using exclusive Marantz HDAM-SA2 circuitry. The head amp's gain can be adjusted through low, mid and high, enabling it to be paired with even the most impedance-hungry headphones.

The Marantz MODEL 30 Integrated Amplifier and SACD 30n Network Audio Streamer & SACD Player are expected to sell in Australia for $5,990 each (in black and silver finishes) and will be available from December 2020.

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