Marantz Project D-1 (1998)
The Marantz Project D-1 is a D/A converter from 1998, built as a limited run of 500 units at ¥500,000. Marantz went all-in on 16-bit playback here, just as the industry had largely moved to 1-bit DACs. The DutchAudioClassics blog that pairs it with the Philips LHH900R calls it "the ultimate conclusion of the 16-bit era," and the design brief seems to have been exactly that: no compromise, no cost-cutting, no concession to fashion.
Two Philips TDA1541A S2 ("Double Crown") DAC chips sit at the center. These are the real 16-bit dual DACs, and they guaranteed full 16-bit precision over a wide temperature range. Around them, Marantz developed an original DSP that handles an 8fs digital filter, de-emphasis, an invert circuit, and a feature called "scaling." Scaling lets you shift the signal level sent to the DAC input in ±9 steps. The analog stages run Non-NFB (no negative feedback) circuits for the I/V conversion and balanced amplifier, with a second-order passive post-filter. The power supply is a 250 VA transformer, high-speed 10A fast-recovery diodes, and banks of paralleled low-impedance capacitors. The chassis gets the same treatment: a 3.2 mm copper-plated steel bottom plate, thick aluminum panels elsewhere, and sintered alloy insulators on a 3-point grounding foot system. It weighs 17 kg.
Inputs are generous for the period. There are seven digital inputs across coaxial (BNC), optical, and balanced (AES/EBU), plus one coaxial and one optical digital output (switchable on/off). Sampling frequency auto-switches between 32, 44.1, and 48 kHz. Analog outputs include XLR balanced plus both normal and inverted RCA unbalanced. Specs: frequency response 5 Hz - 20 kHz ±0.5 dB at 44.1 kHz, S/N 100 dB, dynamic range 98 dB or more, THD 0.005% at 1 kHz, channel separation 96 dB at 1 kHz.
The record on this model is thin beyond the hardware itself. No service manual appears to circulate publicly, and documented owner experience is scarce. A Japanese auction listing called it a "super name machine," and a YouTube title from someone borrowing a friend's unit asks how 1998's top-of-the-line digital holds up against a modern Schiit Yggdrasil. One blog credits the design to Satoshi Suzuki's team, who also worked on the Philips LHH-1000. Japanese auction results from recent years suggest strong collector interest: one unit with spike feet and manual sold for ¥227,000 in 2024, and another with original box and instructions went for ¥111,100 in 2026.
- Two Philips TDA1541A S2 (Double Crown) DAC chips
- Original DSP with 8fs digital filter and ±9-step scaling
- Non-NFB I/V converter and balanced amplifier stages
- 7 digital inputs (coaxial BNC, optical, balanced); coaxial and optical outputs
- XLR balanced plus normal/inverted RCA outputs
- 17.0 kg; 440 × 134 × 364 mm (W×H×D)
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