Marantz EQ515 Graphic Equalizer (1991)

Name: Marantz EQ515
Brand: Marantz

The Marantz EQ515 is a 20-band stereo graphic equalizer (10 bands per channel). The left and right channels are independent, and a 10-band spectrum analyzer is built in. It was released in Japan in 1991 at ¥34,800. It was designed to correct room acoustics with the included microphone. Connect the mic, play the built-in pink noise generator, and read the response on the spectrum display. A forum user on audioes.ru remarked on how unusual it was to see an equalizer with a setup microphone, having never heard of such a device before.

The bands run from 31.5 Hz to 16 kHz in ISO-standard spacing, with a ±10 dB variable range. Rated output is 1V and total harmonic distortion is 0.005%. Frequency response is rated at 10 Hz to 25 kHz ± 1.0 dB, signal-to-noise ratio is 110 dB, and it weighs 2.8 kg (420 × 81 × 207 mm). It runs on 100V AC, which fits its Japanese-market origin. One Russian seller claimed it was made for the European market, but that conflicts with the authoritative Japanese spec source and the "Made in Japan" badges on surviving units. The EQ515 is an analog unit. There are no digital inputs or DACs inside.

Documentation is thin beyond the spec sheet. A 24-page service manual exists (it covers the closely related EQ551 as well), but no professional reviews from the period have surfaced. Most surviving units today show up in Russian marketplace listings, often described as arriving directly from Japanese auctions. Condition reports are uniformly positive. Sellers describe units in excellent working order with quiet sliders. A Catawiki listing suggested a 1986 manufacture date, but the 1991 release from Audio Database is the more reliable figure. Asking prices on Avito currently range from roughly 23,900 to 35,000 ₽.

Notable features reported across listings: