Marantz LS-10S (1990)
Not much is documented about the Marantz LS-10S. The record shows a compact two-way bookshelf speaker from 1990, priced at ¥35,000 per piece at release. It was a bass-reflex design with a 10cm cone woofer and a 2cm dome tweeter, crossing over at 3.5kHz. The cabinet measured a small 152mm wide by 245mm high by 192mm deep, and weighed just 2.2kg.
The few specs that survive come from the Audio Heritage database. Frequency response is rated at 70Hz to 22kHz, impedance at 6Ω, output sound pressure level at 84dB/W/m, and maximum input at 60W. These are modest figures for a mini monitor of the period - efficient enough for near-field listening, but not a speaker that will fill a large room without help. A passage in Mix Magazine (September 2008, p.49) indicates that portable digital recorders were the focus of that issue, which suggests the LS-10S did not get prominent coverage there.
Beyond the numbers, the record is essentially one auction listing. A pair sold on Yahoo! Auctions Japan in July 2023 for ¥22,500, described as being in very good condition with original driver units, no foam deterioration, and verified-working crossovers. The seller play-tested them with a Marantz PM-17 integrated amplifier and described the sound as "very nice." That single data point — a 1990 Marantz mini monitor still singing through a contemporary Marantz amp — is about as much as we have on how these actually performed in the wild.
Known specifications:
- Type: 2-way, 2-speaker, bass-reflex bookshelf
- Drivers: 10cm cone woofer, 2cm dome tweeter
- Frequency response: 70Hz – 22kHz
- Impedance: 6Ω
- Output sound pressure level: 84dB/W/m
- Maximum input: 60W
- Crossover frequency: 3.5kHz
- Dimensions: 152W × 245H × 192D mm
- Weight: 2.2kg each
- Original price: ¥35,000 (per piece, 1990)
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