Marantz MD-19 (1998)
The Marantz MD-19 was a MiniDisc deck introduced in Japan in November 1998 at ¥75,000. It belonged to Marantz's SLIM design series. It was a full-featured recorder with a 20-bit ADC and 24-bit DAC, running the latest ATRAC version with 24-bit arithmetic processing. The output stage used Marantz's own HDAM modules. The deck also had a sampling rate converter, a balanced volume control, and a monitor mode that let it work as a standalone D/A converter. The front door opened electrically rather than mechanically, and the unit could be interconnected and controlled with other Marantz SLIM components.
The digital side was unusually well equipped. The MD-19 had both coaxial and two optical digital inputs, plus coaxial and optical outputs. Connected digitally to a CD player, it could display and record CD-TEXT. The included wireless remote used a Japanese pager-style katakana input method for titling. Two colors were available, gold and black. The deck measured 458 × 86 × 320 mm and weighed 6.6 kg.
Known specifications from the period record: frequency response 5 Hz–20 kHz ±0.3 dB, dynamic range 98 dB or more, S/N 106 dB or more, channel separation 99 dB (1 kHz), and harmonic distortion 0.003% or less (1 kHz). Power consumption was 13W on 100 VAC. The DAC chip was a PCM 1716, and the mechanism was a KMK-260.
The MD-19F appears to be a variant designation seen in some listings. One Russian seller described their MD-19F as a rare deck in ideal mechanical condition, noting it ran on 100 volts and could "probably" be converted to 220V. A service manual is available from aftermarket sources. No substantive period press reviews have surfaced in the Archive's files. One owner on a Hong Kong audio forum (review33.com) praised the MD-19's sound quality, saying that despite Marantz's other MD lines, none matched the MD-19 once you opened the case to compare.
- Released: November 1998, ¥75,000 (Japan)
- Type: MD deck, magnetic field modulation overwrite recording
- ADC/DAC: 20-bit ADC, 24-bit DAC (PCM 1716)
- Frequency response: 5 Hz–20 kHz ±0.3 dB
- Dynamic range: 98 dB+ / S/N: 106 dB+
- Dimensions: 458 × 86 × 320 mm, 6.6 kg
- Colors: gold and black
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