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Marantz 10B for rack mounting in black ?

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Posted on September 21, 2010 at 08:18:47

Balazs
Audiophile

Posts: 32
Location: Hannover
Joined: February 7, 2003

Hi,
i asked this question already on fmtuners, but maybe i get more answeres here:

was there regulary any Marantz 10B for rack mounting with black front face, or is it just an aftermarket option?
A friend of mine has one, but i haven�t seen any other one, just on classic-audio.com the pic. But the one of my friend has black knobs, too.
I have pictures of 3 rack mount versions with silver face and black or chrome handles.
Is it maybe a remake? But it looks so perfect and original.

Have you any informations?

Do these Rack mounting 10B, reputedly for broadcast, have some special technical features, better alignment, parts, tubes, etc, or is just the front plate that differs?

Thanks
Balazs

Hide full thread outline!

antenna connection

Balazs

04:57:02 10/02/10

RE: antenna connection

Rod M

17:55:54 10/02/10

Now i have bought it!

Balazs

00:51:02 10/01/10

...

Show full thread outline!

antenna connection

Balazs

04:57:02 10/02/10

RE: antenna connection

Rod M

17:55:54 10/02/10

Now i have bought it!

Balazs

00:51:02 10/01/10

RE: Now i have bought it!

Scott_Smith

09:40:58 02/09/20

I've got one.....

Rod M

17:15:28 09/21/10

RE: I've got one.....

Marantzguy

17:28:29 09/21/10

I found it.....

Rod M

19:27:24 09/27/10

RE: I found it.....

Marantzguy

11:46:27 10/01/10

RE: I've got one.....

Rod M

18:00:32 09/21/10

RE: opto-coupler problem

Balazs

11:26:00 09/22/10

RE: opto-coupler problem

Marantzguy

16:52:36 09/22/10

RE: opto-coupler problem...remember this pic?...

Steve O

19:28:52 09/22/10

RE: opto-coupler problem...remember this pic?...

Marantzguy

11:12:22 09/23/10

RE: opto-coupler problem

Rod M

14:39:50 09/22/10

RE: I've got one.....

Marantzguy

11:16:54 09/22/10

No, no, no.....only 2 of them....

Rod M

14:41:46 09/22/10

RE: No, no, no.....only 2 of them....

Marantzguy

15:56:30 09/22/10

RE: Marantz 10B for rack mounting in black ?

Marantzguy

10:17:45 09/21/10

RE: Marantz 10B for rack mounting in black ?

Marantzguy

09:39:06 09/21/10

RE: Marantz 10B for rack mounting in black ?, posted on September 21, 2010 at 09:39:06

Marantzguy
Industry Professional

Posts: 2848
Location: Berkeley, CA
Joined: June 21, 2002

Hi, Balazs:

Perhaps I can assist you.

I own three 10-B tuners. One is equipped with an original factory rack-mount faceplate (which I purchased from its original owner years ago through the pages of Audiomart magazine, to which I had been a subscriber for many years). My unit features handles with support rails underneath the tuner. Incidentally, the rack handles on my unit are not high-polish chrome, but rather seem to have been finished in satin nickel plate.

I believe that the black anodized version you may have seen somewhere is an after-market product. In all of the years of my collecting Marantz tube gear, I have only seen one such image of a black faceplate-equipped unit and the image was available on the web. So, unless it was custom-made at the factory in that finish for some reason, it must be an aftermarket creation. The Marantz Company was known to do custom faceplates, however. Perhaps the 10-B "guru", Tom Cadawas, would possibly know more about this issue.

The other aspect to look for is to see whether or not such a unit featured a black-anodized support. This mechanism is needed to properly support the tuner, due to sheer weight. Look for a "basket" or frame underneath the unit.

By any chance, is the lettering on the surface of the black faceplate photo-etched (below the surface of the faceplate) or is it silk-screened on the surface?

Richard Links
Berkeley, CA

RE: Marantz 10B for rack mounting in black ?, posted on September 21, 2010 at 10:17:45

Marantzguy
Industry Professional

Posts: 2848
Location: Berkeley, CA
Joined: June 21, 2002

Hi, Balazs:

I forgot to comment on whether units intended for broadcast monitoring differed in any way from commercial, consumer versions.

I do not know of any differences between standard models and what wound up in the hands of radio stations. As far as I am aware, the Marantz 10-B was not designated as a "broadcast monitor", per se.

Such designations were normally attached to the Scott 4310 and the Fisher FMR-1, both of which were designed as true broadcast monitor tuners. The FMR-1 was often issued with a gray 19" relay rack style front panel and closely resembled the standard Fisher FM-1000. However, it was often shipped with a special on-board accessory called the "diversity" module. With the diversity feature, you had a tuner which allowed crystal-locked selection of a designated frequency, selected by a front-panel switch. The module itself, sat in a special rear portion of the chassis, which in normal FM-1000 tuners, was covered with a blank flat panel, held down with a couple of screws.

A friend of mine in SF owns one of these FMR-1's. He also owns the actual rack-mounted Scott 310-D with separate racked Scott 335 which came out of KPEN FM, Jim Gabbert's pioneering FM Stereo Multiplex station, which was the first such station in Northern Californai to broadcast in FM Multiplex stereo in 1961.

Richard Links
Berkeley, CA

I've got one....., posted on September 21, 2010 at 17:15:28
Rod M Web Geek Posts: 16244 Location: So. California Joined: March 1, 1999 Contributor Since: March 1, 1999	My impression was that I got it from the original owner and that he bought it that way. It's not a rack mount unit and other than the black faceplate, it appears to be identical to another 10B that I have. I've also heard that the black faceplate was an aftermarket product. If so, they did a great job because the lettering and everything appears to be exactly like the silver one. -Rod

RE: I've got one....., posted on September 21, 2010 at 17:28:29

Marantzguy
Industry Professional

Posts: 2848
Location: Berkeley, CA
Joined: June 21, 2002

Hi, Rod:

Thanks very much for posting and the image of your black anodized 10-B.

Is the lettering created below the surface of the panel, which to my knowledge, was achieved by a process called "photo-etching"?

Judging on the basis of your image, I would caution you to not attempt cleaning both of the glass front glass panes. I have heard way too many cases whereby the lettering crumbled or was damaged in cleaning these with normal products such as Windex. The right end of the glass seems to show some discoloration from the rubber block support behind it. Just leave things as they are!

Any problems to report about spontaneous loss of detection?

All three of my 10-B's do this once in a while.

Thanks again!
Richard Links
Berkeley, CA

RE: I've got one....., posted on September 21, 2010 at 18:00:32

Rod M
Web Geek

Posts: 16244
Location: So. California
Joined: March 1, 1999
Contributor
Since: March 1, 1999

You know, it's been a while since I've seen it. When I bought it, I'd just gotten the silver one and it had been aligned and had a few caps replaced. I just bought the black one because I'd never seen one. I used it for a while and it seemed to be in good shape, but then I also have a McIntosh MR78 which while not sounding as smooth did a better job of picking up weak stations, so I was using it.

I just hooked up the silver one in the new house when we moved and the black one is in a box buried with 50 others in the basement.

Anyway, I seem to think the lettering is etched, but I wouldn't swear to it. I'm needing to rearrange that stack, so I'll check it if I run across it.

I've never had loss of detection with the silver one. The black one wasn't run all that long though I seem to recall that it might have had a bit of the opto-coupler problem.

Thanks for the tip on the glass. I've heard that before and the black one is dirty, looks like smoke residue as well. I thought about getting the replacement one from Classic Audio. And someone did clean the silver one probably as a piece of the 10B logo is missing along with part of a number on the FM. You have to look to find them, but it's a bummer.

Oh well, for being nearly as old as I am, it's in better shape.

-Rod

RE: I've got one....., posted on September 22, 2010 at 11:16:54
Marantzguy Industry Professional Posts: 2848 Location: Berkeley, CA Joined: June 21, 2002	Hi, Rod: From your response, am I to understand that you own 50 Marantz 10-B tuners? Yikes. Turn them all on and brown-out your area! Richard Links Berkeley, CA

RE: opto-coupler problem, posted on September 22, 2010 at 11:26:00

Balazs
Audiophile

Posts: 32
Location: Hannover
Joined: February 7, 2003

Hi Rad, thanks for your answers and picture.

How does an optocoupler problems appeares, how can one detect it?

Maybe a little bit off-topic, but how can i test a 10B for the most common problems? What should i check when i test it without any electric equipment, just in normal modus in my system? I have some other good tuners, so of course i can compare sound and signal strength on special stations.
But any other special things i should be care of?

RE: opto-coupler problem, posted on September 22, 2010 at 14:39:50
Rod M Web Geek Posts: 16244 Location: So. California Joined: March 1, 1999 Contributor Since: March 1, 1999	Marantzguy could surely expain this better, but the problem is that these wear out causing the unit to randomly flip from stereo to mono mode. -Rod

No, no, no.....only 2 of them...., posted on September 22, 2010 at 14:41:46
Rod M Web Geek Posts: 16244 Location: So. California Joined: March 1, 1999 Contributor Since: March 1, 1999	The other 49 boxes are several other tuners, receivers, speakers, phono preamps, reel to reel tapes and other junk. Junk, according to my wife. -Rod

RE: No, no, no.....only 2 of them...., posted on September 22, 2010 at 15:56:30

Marantzguy
Industry Professional

Posts: 2848
Location: Berkeley, CA
Joined: June 21, 2002

Hi, Rod:

That is a little more like it!

Well, let me tell you that in the mid seventies, when I was looking to buy my second Marantz 8-B power amp, I answered an ad in the newspaper where one was advertised for sale. At that time, the going price was generally around $225. When I got to the home of the guy who placed the ad, I found that the entire flat was crammed full of unbelievable audio gear.

After my purchase, the seller took me around and after passing one entire room filled to the top with loudspeakers of all descriptions, he showed me the contents of one closet. Inside were four factory sealed cartons each of which contained a Marantz 10-B. He was asking $1K each for these tuners at a time when they also went for perhaps $500 in tip-top condition.

I never got over seeing all of that stuff and believe me, there was an entire wall of McIntosh gear as well, but not in sealed cartons!

Incidentally, the seller was a guy named Harry Stephens and he had to weigh at least 300 lbs. I doubt if he is still around these days, or maybe he was put to rest with all of his gear.

:-)

Richard Links
Berkeley, CA

RE: opto-coupler problem, posted on September 22, 2010 at 16:52:36

Marantzguy
Industry Professional

Posts: 2848
Location: Berkeley, CA
Joined: June 21, 2002

Hi, Rob and others:

I had this very elaborate response ready to post and just lost the whole darn thing!

Below is a resource you should carefully examine. It represents the most complete assembly of such information that I know of or have come across and it has fairly recently been made available to us for FREE on the web. THANKS TO WHOMEVER for DOING THAT!

:-)

If your opto-couplers fail, you will see a straight vertical line or a straight horizontal line on your display. A diagonal line in the stereo mode would tend to indicate either a weak signal being switched to mono or failure of the circuitry responsible for proper switching. There are bulletins about this on the site I mentioned.

In addition, there are a few little suggestions also included on this site which are very helpful to any 10-B owner. Testing and or swapping tubes may restore proper operation to the tuner. I once helped a local owner who called and told me that he could only receive signals in the upper portion of the FM spectrum. We tested tubes and discovered a weak 6DL4 in the front end and when it was replaced, this restored proper operation to his tuner.

Basically speaking, the opto-couplers contain either a single neon lamp and a pair of cadmium disulfide photo cells (CDS cells) or in the cae of the module controlling muting function, that module has inside of it only a single lamp and a single CDS cell.

You can remove them and slice them open with a jeweler's saw. Inside you will find a wafer of styrofoam with the aforementioned parts mounted through it. The whole affair is shielded from any stray light with a collar of black light-absorbant material.

I believe the aside from failure of the opto-couplers, the only other trouble involves what we call "spontaneous loss of detection". And, I jokingly say that only the guys in GhostBusters can help us all in that regard!

I have made my own replacements for the opto-couplers from parts found right off the shelf of RadioShack in the past. I do not know the exact specification for matching the CDS cells, however and have never actually seen it published.

Lastly, to my knowledge, only L&M Electronics in San Francisco, ever offered an upgrade modification for the failing optocoupler units. The owner, a fellow who goes by the name "Wally" (for Wolfgang) designed a small circuit board on the basis of some integrated chips which took the place of these funky old neon-lamp / CDS devices. In the early eighties, it would cost you $150 for that mod, and if he still offers to do this, you can only guess what it might cost you!

There are after-market home-brew replacements for the opto-couplers often made available via eBay. They are about $125 or so for three units, I believe.

I have no experience in using them nor do I have any opinion on them or the person offering them for sale.

But they are there if you need them!

Good Luck!

Richard Links
Berkeley, CA

Service information on Marantz 10-B Tuner

RE: opto-coupler problem...remember this pic?..., posted on September 22, 2010 at 19:28:52
Steve O Audiophile Posts: 12374 Location: SE MI Joined: September 6, 2001	...an exploded view of a 10B dual cell optocoupler.

RE: opto-coupler problem...remember this pic?..., posted on September 23, 2010 at 11:12:22
Marantzguy Industry Professional Posts: 2848 Location: Berkeley, CA Joined: June 21, 2002	Hi, Steve: Certainly do recall that nice image! In fact, I have put a copy under my pillow at night for the sake of tuner safety. :-) Richard Links Berkeley, CA

I found it....., posted on September 27, 2010 at 19:27:24

Rod M
Web Geek

Posts: 16244
Location: So. California
Joined: March 1, 1999
Contributor
Since: March 1, 1999

We cleaned out part of the basement where most of the gear boxes were stored. It was more of a shuffle to other places where there's a crawl space, actually 5 to 3 feet, so not on your knees exactly.

My son quickly latched onto the now nearly empty bedroom in the basement since the heat wave hit.

Anyway, the black faceplate is definitely etched with white lettering. I can't tell any difference from a silver one other than being black.

-Rod

Now i have bought it!, posted on October 1, 2010 at 00:51:02
Balazs Audiophile Posts: 32 Location: Hannover Joined: February 7, 2003	It looks quite nice.

RE: I found it....., posted on October 1, 2010 at 11:46:27
Marantzguy Industry Professional Posts: 2848 Location: Berkeley, CA Joined: June 21, 2002	Hi, Rod! Nice to hear that you located your baby! It does look pretty impressive, afterall! Richard Links Berkeley, CA

antenna connection, posted on October 2, 2010 at 04:57:02

Balazs
Audiophile

Posts: 32
Location: Hannover
Joined: February 7, 2003

Hi,
even looking at the service and owners manual, i still don�t understand how to contact an 75 ohm antenna correctly to the Marantz. Is it possible at all? Or do i need a 75 / 300 ohm converter to connect it regularly to the two 300 ohm connectors?
Or can i connect the hot inner part of the 75 ohm antenna directly to the left 300 ohm binding and the shield to ground?
Or is there any tweaks to connect a 75 ohm antenna directly, maybe with disconnecting the 300ohm coils?

RE: antenna connection, posted on October 2, 2010 at 17:55:54
Rod M Web Geek Posts: 16244 Location: So. California Joined: March 1, 1999 Contributor Since: March 1, 1999	I just use a 75-300 ohm converter. -Rod

RE: Now i have bought it!, posted on February 9, 2020 at 09:40:58
Scott_Smith Industry Professional Posts: 1 Location: Chicago Joined: November 15, 2008	I know this is a very old thread, but I was curious as to whether or not you ever determined if the 10B faceplate was a factory item, or something made aftermarket? Would like to try and find one!

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