Marantz CDA-94Limited (c. 1988)
The CDA-94Limited is the gold version of the Marantz CDA-94 D/A converter. It is a limited-edition variant built to be "more complete" than the already fully-featured original. The Philips Marantz CD development group pulled together all of its technology at the time to make it, and the attention to detail shows. The gold finish came with a real upgrade: a Toslink optical input, sitting alongside two 75Ω coaxial digital inputs. It also has a balanced output via output transformer, inheriting the concept of the LHH2000.
The conversion stage is built around dual TDA1541A-S1 (Single Crown) DAC chips running 16-bit, 4-times oversampling, with an L/R independent configuration and a third-order Bessel filter. It handles 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and 48 kHz sampling frequencies with automatic locking. The internal layout is thorough. The power supply, digital, D/A conversion, and analog sections are completely separated to prevent interference, and each of the three power supply sections is fully independent. The chassis was stiffened with a 3-mm-thick bottom plate and large insulators filled with Portland cement to manage vibration. Frequency response is rated at 2 Hz to 20 kHz ± 0.1 dB, with total harmonic distortion of 0.0015%.
The original price was ¥160,000 around 1988. It's a heavy unit at 11 kg, with dimensions of 462 x 107 x 358 mm. Sources are split on the exact release timing. One blog places the introduction in April 1987, while the Japanese spec database and a Reverb listing both suggest 1988. The "around 1988" figure from the more authoritative database is the safer bet.
One Russian seller described the sound as "large-scale, emotional, warm - like a purebred German reel-to-reel," though that's a single classified listing rather than a professional review. Little else is documented about how the Limited was received critically, and no production numbers have surfaced.
Known Specs
- D/A converter: 16-bit, 4x oversampling, dual TDA1541A-S1 (Single Crown)
- Filter: Third-order Bessel
- Inputs: 2x coaxial (75Ω), 1x optical (Toslink)
- Outputs: 3x analog, 1x digital tape, 1x headphone, balanced output
- Sampling frequencies: 32 / 44.1 / 48 kHz, auto-switching
- Frequency response: 2 Hz – 20 kHz ± 0.1 dB
- THD: 0.0015%
- Dimensions: 462 × 107 × 358 mm; 11 kg
- Price: ¥160,000 (c. 1988)
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