Marantz LS1040 (1995)
The Marantz LS1040 is a compact two-way bookshelf speaker released in 1995 at ¥28,000 for a pair. The Japanese audio database record is the main source of technical detail, and it's fairly complete for a small speaker of this era. The design is sealed and magnetically shielded, intended for AV use, with a 10 cm cone woofer and a 2.5 cm dome tweeter crossing over at 2 kHz. Rated input is 40W (80W maximum) into 6 ohms. Frequency response is 80 Hz to 20 kHz and sensitivity is 84 dB/W/m. Each cabinet measures 138 × 204 × 214 mm and weighs just 2.3 kg.
The LS1040 is a bit more flexible than the typical mid-90s mini-speaker. It shipped with a dedicated speaker stand, and the fact sheet notes it came with metal fittings and fixing screws for wall mounting. That fits its intended role in a home theater setup, where the magnetic shielding would let it sit close to a CRT television without interference. A Japanese blogger who recapped a pair in 2021 observed that the LS1040 looks "almost the same" as the Marantz LS-5V. That relationship is informal and not confirmed in any specification sheet.
Documentation is thin beyond the spec sheet. No owner reviews, no production end date, and no formal reception data survive in the sources we have. Secondary-market evidence is scattered. A Yahoo Japan auction drew seven bids and ended at ¥1,350 in June 2024, while an eBay listing asked €222.86. The gap mostly reflects condition and the thin market for a modest, era-typical compact speaker.
Known specifications:
- Type: 2-way, 2-speaker, sealed bookshelf, magnetically shielded (EIAJ)
- Woofer: 10 cm cone; Tweeter: 2.5 cm dome
- Crossover: 2 kHz
- Frequency response: 80 Hz – 20 kHz
- Impedance: 6 Ω; Sensitivity: 84 dB/W/m
- Rated input: 40W; Max input: 80W
- Dimensions: 138 × 204 × 214 mm; Weight: 2.3 kg
- Original price: ¥28,000 per pair (1995)
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