MODEL 30 Integrated Amplifier

MODEL 30 continues the renowned heritage of exquisite Marantz amplifiers. Tuned by the Marantz Sound Master who channeled his passion, experience, and extraordinary ear into the amplifier design. MODEL 30 is built with its own discrete circuits, the Hyper-Dynamic Amplifier Module, or HDAM. By custom-curating hundreds of individual parts, rather than adopting an off-the-shelf solution, the MODEL 30 HDAM significantly outperforms standard integrated circuits to create the unique musicality you always expect from Marantz.

Fully Discrete Current Feedback Pre-Amplifier Current Feedback pre-amplification with HDAM-SA3 is a well-known, Marantz-original circuit technology, thoughtfully designed to match the requirements of super audio High Resolution music for wide-bandwidth and high- speed reproduction. Being fully discrete, each part can be individually selected and optimized for sound quality and performance by the Marantz Sound Master during long listening sessions. Switching Power Amplification MODEL 30 maintains the purest possible sound and supports the power needed to drive the most demanding speakers. The amplifier output stage of MODEL 30 allows a large power output, delivering 2x100W into an 8ohms load, and easily copes with low impedance speakers thanks to a 2x200W output into 4ohms. Because the feedback is taken after the output filter coil in this switching amplification design, the output frequency response stays the same and is not influenced by the impedance of the connected loudspeaker, ensuring the most musical sound no matter the loudspeakers.

Envisioned to deliver optimal sound quality by simplifying the signal path – vital given the delicate nature of phono signals – the Phono EQ stage in the MODEL 30 amplifier can be used with both moving magnet and low-output moving coil cartridges, thanks to a built-in MM/ MC head amplifier. The design lowers distortion, which is why the phono stage uses two-stage amplification, combining Marantz HDAMs with JFETs in the input stage, giving high input impedance. This allows the non-negative- feedback design to be further simplified by the deletion of coupling capacitors, again reducing distortion and enhancing signal purity. In order to optimize sound performance when using a moving coil (MC) or magnetic moving (MM) cartridge, and to accommodate all configurations as much as possible, MODEL 30 is equipped with an input impedance selector. The input impedance can be adjusted to three different settings: MC LOW (33 ohm), MC MID (100 ohm) and MC HIGH (390 ohm).

Shirakawa Audio Works has been Marantz’s manufacturing home since 2002. This vast facility employs around 200 people, a mix of local talent and audiophiles from all over Japan, on a journey to discover the most musical sound possible. Many come straight from school, while some have been at the Audio Works since its establishment almost 40 years ago. Throughout Japan, traditional practices fuse seamlessly with technologies designed for the future, and the same is true in Shirakawa. While one engineer might test the latest amplifier circuit topology, another will anodize an AVR's champagne face, a feature that has become a trademark over the years. An Audio Works apprentice will spend years learning from Marantz engineers before the torch is eventually passed on to them. In this way, Shirakawa Audio Works feels less like a factory and more like a workshop or laboratory; its employees a combination of artisans and scientists. The Japanese philosophy of Kaizen is based on the belief that continuous, incremental improvement adds up to substantial change over time. The Audio Works team invests heavily in planning and research so that when a product is released, it performs perfectly, bringing the listener closer to the original recording, and lasts. It is with a combination of scientific precision and artisanal craftsmanship that Marantz ensures its high-end products are built and tested to the most exacting standards. It could be argued that the high-end audio equipment built in Shirakawa is more rigorously tested than any other consumer electronics. Marantz QC procedures border on fanatical, ensuring every piece is resistant to heat, cold, vibration, submersion, and any other potential mishaps. Even packaging is repeatedly dropped from a height and exposed to extreme temperatures. Marantz products can survive whatever life throws at them, and that is perhaps a reflection of the engineers themselves. In 2011, Shirawaka was devastated by the Tōhoku earthquake, the most powerful ever recorded in Japan. Audio Works was badly affected by the disaster but only four months later the facility was reopened, and the team – now in hardhats – were back at work. To this day, cracks caused by the earthquake run along the walls, floors and ceilings, a permanent reminder of the resilience and fortitude of the Marantz family.