Marantz Model 20
The name "Marantz Model 20" was attached to two entirely different products, and the documentation available doesn't cleanly separate them. One is the late-1950s tube FM tuner that completed the classic Marantz component system alongside the Model 7 preamp and Model 8 amplifier. It was a dual-chassis design with a separate power supply, introduced around 1958-1960 at $275. The other is a 1971 solid-state integrated amplifier listed on HiFi Engine, rated at 60W RMS per channel into 8 ohms with 0.05% THD, weighing 35 lbs. They don't share a spec sheet. They share only a model number.
The period press confirms the tuner's place in the Marantz lineup. Audio (November 1969, p.33) ran a system advertisement for the Model 20 Solid-State FM Stereo Tuner as part of a $2,023 ensemble. The ad played up its built-in oscilloscope display of the incoming FM signal - "the sight of sound," as the ad put it. A later Audio review (December 1969, p.60) covered the Model 20 Stereo FM Tuner alongside the Astrocom/Marlux 407 tape deck and Dual 1219 turntable. It describes a heavy, gold-anodized aluminum front panel with metal-turned knobs.
Past that, the record thins out. For the tube tuner, surviving references mention an 88-108 MHz FM band, 2.4 µV (IHF) sensitivity, and 1.0 V variable output. These figures come from unattributed research summaries, not a captured original manual. Collector chatter says the tube tuner is remembered mostly through its successor, the 20B. That one is a different solid-state tuner with its own specs (1.8 µV sensitivity, 0.3% THD) and shouldn't be mixed up with either version of the 20.
Known service problems on the tube version: the original selenium rectifier in the power supply has often failed and needs replacing with a silicon diode. IF alignment is tricky because early and late production runs differ schematically. On the 1971 integrated amplifier, owners report the small-signal transistors (2SA493, 2SC1222) are prone to noise and the main filter capacitors dry out. Recapping the power supply board is recommended before use.
Known specs, separated by identity:
- Model 20 (tube tuner, c. 1958–1960): FM band 88–108 MHz; sensitivity 2.4 µV (IHF); output 1.0 V variable; dual-chassis construction; $275 at introduction.
- Model 20 (solid-state integrated amp, 1971): 60W RMS/ch into 8 ohms; 20Hz–20kHz frequency response; 0.05% THD; 18" W × 5" H × 12" D; 35 lbs.
No owner's or service manual scan has surfaced for either version. No authoritative source says whether Marantz intentionally reused the model number or whether the HiFi Engine listing is a mislabeled placeholder.
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