Marantz HP-1DB (circa 1982)
The Marantz HP-1DB is an unusual and little-documented set of early-1980s headphones. They are dynamic, open-air surround headphones. Marantz developed them to let listeners hear surround playback, Dolby Surround in particular, through headphones instead of a multi-speaker setup. Each earcup holds two drivers: a 44mm main driver and a 30mm sub driver, four loudspeaker units total. The idea was that the two main units and two subunits together could reproduce the directional cues of a Dolby Surround signal convincingly.
The headphones were priced at ¥14,800, which places them around 1982. For the surround duty they use two 3.5mm stereo mini-plugs instead of one - presumably one for the main drivers and one for the subs. The set weighs 270g including that cord. Frequency response is rated at 20Hz to 20kHz, output sound pressure level at 100dB/mW, and allowable input at 100mW. Two standard-plug conversion adapters were included in the box.
Documentation on the HP-1DB is thin. No formal Marantz service literature or brochure scans have surfaced in the archive, and the model doesn't appear in the VTA brand index at all. What survives is mostly owner accounts. A Dutch forum thread from 2009 has an owner who reported the set "always worked fine." After a rewiring job he noted the old set "still works great," adding, with some affection, "back then they still made something good." The per-side wiring runs black/red for the sub drivers and green/white for the mains, with black and white as grounds respectively. A Russian seller listing describes the pair as in excellent condition with no repairs or openings, and includes the remark that "Marantz is Marantz even in Africa - there are no bad things under this brand."
The "DB" in the model name isn't documented anywhere we've found, and no production years beyond the circa-1982 date are recorded. No impedance or THD figures are available either. Marantz's answer to getting surround sound from a pair of headphones was four drivers and two plugs, which is an unusual approach even by the standards of the era.
Known specifications
- Type: Dynamic open-air surround headphones, 4-driver configuration (2 × 44mm main, 2 × 30mm sub)
- Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Output sound pressure level: 100dB/mW
- Allowable input: 100mW
- Input: 2 × 3.5mm stereo mini-plugs (2 standard-plug conversion adapters included)
- Cord length: 4.2m
- Weight: 270g including cord
- Original price: ¥14,800 (circa 1982)
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