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Marantz Receivers (1970s)

Photo(s) by Nina Stössinger. Imported from Flickr on Aug 31, 2013. Artwork published in .
“Model 2215B. Sexy. Sadly not mine, just borrowed until my (also very sexy) Tandberg is happy again.” — Nina Stössinger
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded by “Nina Stössinger” and tagged with “metropolis” on Flickr. License: All Rights Reserved.

“Model 2215B. Sexy. Sadly not mine, just borrowed until my (also very sexy) Tandberg is happy again.” — Nina Stössinger

Many of the control labels on these 1970s-era Marantz receivers are set in Metropolis, the typeface from which the custom Marantz logo is presumably derived.

The extra frilly type (by audio equipment standards) used for the model label and “Stereophonic Receiver” is Davison Spencerian, a script from the Photo-Lettering library that was recently digitized by Mitja Miklavčič and the PLINC team at House Industries. The digital version has a conventially cursive ‘r’ form but I assume there was an alternative romanesque ‘r’ available in the film type days.

The use of these two typefaces goes all the way back to the company’s founding in 1952 when Saul Marantz launched the Consolette

Marantz Receivers (1970s) 2
Source: www.google.com License: All Rights Reserved.
Model 2220 “It not only sounds good, it looks good too. The dial and meter light are a GORGEOUS shade of blue. It weighs in at about 26 pounds. Back in 1973 it retailed for about 300 bucks, which in today's dollars is about $1400.” — Ron Davis of Revolver
Source: revolverlist.blogspot.com License: All Rights Reserved.

Model 2220 “It not only sounds good, it looks good too. The dial and meter light are a GORGEOUS shade of blue. It weighs in at about 26 pounds. Back in 1973 it retailed for about 300 bucks, which in today's dollars is about $1400.” — Ron Davis of Revolver

Marantz Receivers (1970s) 4
Source: mail.audiokarma.net License: All Rights Reserved.
Marantz Receivers (1970s) 5
License: All Rights Reserved.
Marantz Receivers (1970s) 6
Source: www.ebay.com.au License: All Rights Reserved.
Marantz Receivers (1970s) 7
Source: marantz.pytalhost.eu License: All Rights Reserved.
The ad typography uses  and .
Source: marantz.pytalhost.eu License: All Rights Reserved.

The ad typography uses Kabel and Helvetica.

Marantz Receivers (1970s) 9
Source: marantz.pytalhost.eu Stereoplay Magazine, 1979. License: All Rights Reserved.
Marantz Receivers (1970s) 10
Source: marantz.pytalhost.eu Marantz product brochure, 1977. License: All Rights Reserved.

Typefaces

  • Metropolis
  • Davison Spencerian
  • Edel-Grotesk / Aurora-Grotesk VI–VII

Formats

Topics

Artwork location

11 Comments on “Marantz Receivers (1970s)”

  1. Thomas Elliott says:
    Nov 10th, 2013 12:37 am

    Most all Marantz receivers of the ’70s were really nice looking and more importantly very nice performing. Somehow Marantz engineers managed to pull of a major feat, building solid state transistorized stereo HIFI equipment which delivered the warmth of tube type equipment. I’ve restored four of their receivers and have replaced surprisingly little doing it. Other than aged vellum behind the dial and meters, and ridding them of incandescent lamps, bringing them back to factory specs is relatively easy.  A testament to their solid build and engineering quality. These are “keepers”.

  2. Fantastic spotting this here. I’d recently purchased both a receiver, cassette deck, tuner and phono from Marantz and had a feeling that their logotype had been badly stretched. This confirms it. Despite this, It is one of my favorite hi-fi brands and they sound wonderful, indeed.

    The 2270 must be my favorite receiver model design. Cool blue, with all of those perfectly aligned knobs, and just a touch of red for the stereo indicator.

  3. I used to repair the rcvrs and decks as they are well worth it, a very quality name.
  4. Claude Allibert says:
    Oct 5th, 2014 9:56 am

    Hi everybody,

    I have a Marantz Model 2015 which I bought in the 70s and which is out of order. It does not seem to be something so bad. I quite appreciated it. Do you happen to know someone who could fix it…in France where I live. Thank you

  5. Hi Claude,

    If it’s not too late… in Montpellier, France : L’Atelier de l’Audiophile : www.hifi-atelier-audiophile…

    in 2008 they fixed my Model 2220: very good job !

    Si ce n’est pas trop tard… L’atelier de l’Audiophile, à Montpellier : www.hifi-atelier-audiophile…

    Ils ont remis à neuf mon Model 2220, excellent travail par un technicien passionné et perfectionniste.

  6. Karsten says:
    Nov 8th, 2017 5:13 pm

    Hello,

    have the third & the fourth fonts already been identified?

    Input selector: “FM MONO STEREO …”
    The model numbers (i.e. 2215) are not Davison Spencerian.

    That would help me reworking a polished faceplate.

  7. The fonts mentioned are close, yet not quite accurate. I’m trying to track down the font for “Stereophonic Receiver” for a reface of a vintage Marantz 2265B.

    I’m pretty sure the numerals in the model number are Bodoni italic and the sans serif is Akzidenz Grotesk Extended, with a few random characters mixed in.

  8. barinov2000 says:
    Aug 19th, 2022 1:47 am

    Found this font here for you, guys!

    www.studiodilena.com/en/mar…

  9. Hi barinov2000, thanks for the pointer!

    The Marantz logo is a moving target. As Nina wrote, Marantz used Metropolis in some contexts, but as far as I can tell, the logo itself never used that typeface directly.

    This comparison shows, from top to bottom:

    1. Metropolis (Castcraft’s digital OPTI Metropolis Special which is reasonably faithful to the original metal typeface) – note the tapering stems, the triangular “Latin” serifs, the small ball terminal on r, the large oval counter in a, etc.

    2. The Marantz logo as used in the 1950s, with straight stems as well as flat and partly unilateral serifs

    3. The Marantz logo as used in 1974, with much wider proportions, an even bigger ball terminal, and a tailed t without serifs at the base or the top left

    4. Di Lena’s Marantz typeface, which appears to be based on some version between 2) and 3), or which simply takes some liberties, see e.g. the bracketed serifs

    5. The Marantz logo as it’s currently shown on the company website – which looks like the sad result of a visual telephone game

  10. the sans serif is Akzidenz Grotesk Extended, with a few random characters mixed in.

    Hi Markus, judging from this receiver (a 2285B), the sans looks like Edel-Grotesk breit mager, a.k.a. Aurora-Grotesk VI. It’s indeed quite similar to Akzidenz-Grotesk Extended, but has the right 2 and also the C with smaller aperture. The R with the curved leg might have been available in a phototype version – Photo-Lettering had such an adaptation.

  11. The fonts mentioned are close, yet not quite accurate. I’m trying to track down the font for “Stereophonic Receiver” for a reface of a vintage Marantz 2265B.

    I can confirm that “Stereophonic Receiver” as shown in the second and third images is indeed Davison Spencerian, and matches the showings in Photo-Lettering’s catalogs. What complicates the matter is that the digital version available from House Industries doesn’t cover the full range of the original. It comes in a single weight, plus a Shadow styles, whereas the film typeface spans four weights and two widths, and also offered various alternates – including the cursive r and more ornate swash capitals.

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