Marantz 5030B

The Marantz 5030B is a front-access, three-head stereo cassette deck with a DC-servo motor, introduced around late 1978. It was priced at $419.95. The period record gives manufacturer specs and one published lab test. It doesn't settle where the deck sat in Marantz's cassette lineup or how long it stayed in production.

Audio (December 1978, p.80) listed the factory specifications. Frequency response was 35 Hz to 14 kHz with standard tape, extending to 17 kHz with FeCr or CrO₂ formulations. Signal-to-noise ratio was 58 dB, wow and flutter was rated at 0.05% WRMS, and input sensitivity was 0.16 mV for microphone and 50 mV for line. Output was 800 mV on the line jacks and 43 mV through the headphone jack. The deck measured 17⅜ inches wide, 5¾ inches tall, and 11¹¹⁄₁₆ inches deep, and weighed 14.8 lbs. HiFI-Stereo (March 1979, p.39) added that the unit had a double Dolby noise-reduction system, a THD figure below 1.5%, and a signal-to-noise ratio of 66 dB with Dolby engaged. The S/N gap between the two publications likely comes from different measurement standards (with/without Dolby, IEC vs. DIN weighting) rather than a running change.

HI-Fi-Stereo-Buyers (January 1979, p.62) published the only known independent performance test. Using a standard test tape from 50 to 10,000 Hz, playback measured −4 / +2.2 / −1.5 dB. With Maxell UD/XL tape and no Dolby, record/play frequency response was +1.8 / −0.5 dB from 30 to 10,000 Hz, rising to +3 dB at 15,000 Hz. Distortion at the 0‑VU indicated level was 1.2% THD, with 7.5 dB of headroom before hitting 3% THD.

Beyond those figures, documentation is thin. No service manual, no schematic, and no detailed discussion of the transport or head arrangement have surfaced in the usual archives. The 5030B appears to have been a solid, mid-priced three-header from Marantz's late-1970s cassette era, aimed at the same buyer who might pair it with a Marantz receiver from the 22xx series.

Type: Stereo cassette deck, 3-head, front-access
Motor: DC-servo
Frequency response (manufacturer): 35 Hz – 14 kHz (normal), 35 Hz – 17 kHz (FeCr/CrO₂)
Wow & flutter: 0.05% WRMS
Signal/noise: 58 dB (unweighted, no Dolby); 66 dB (Dolby on, per HiFI-Stereo)
THD: <1.5%
Input sensitivity: Mic 0.16 mV, Line 50 mV
Output level: Line 800 mV, Headphone 43 mV
Dimensions: 17⅜ × 5¾ × 11¹¹⁄₁₆ in (441 × 146 × 297 mm)
Weight: 14.8 lb (6.7 kg)
Price (1978): $419.95