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REVIEW<br />
REVIEW<br />
Resurrection<br />
of a Legend<br />
Audio Classics 9B Amplifier<br />
by Richard H. Mak<br />
The Marantz Model 9 monoblock amplifiers tend to be<br />
a top choice when audiophiles are making lists of the<br />
most iconic amplifiers. First released in 1960, based on a<br />
modified version of the Marantz 9120 commercial amplifier,<br />
these were chosen by NASA to power precision arrays of<br />
antennas for its space program. The Model 9s were huge<br />
amplifiers for their time; the ultra-linear parallel push-pull<br />
design pumps out 70 watts each, using 4 EL34 tubes per<br />
channel. It was the only real competitor to the equally iconic<br />
first generation McIntosh MC275 (1961–1970), delivering 75<br />
watts per channel in stereo mode, albeit with 6550 tubes.<br />
Aesthetically, however, the Marantz had more sophisticated<br />
styling with a round, centered-bias meter, and a drop-down<br />
panel concealing adjustment knobs, a look which Marantz<br />
products have retained to this day. If you own an original<br />
Marantz 9, you not only own one of the finest amplifiers<br />
ever made, you also own a piece of audio history.<br />
148<br />
TONE AUDIO NO.78<br />
AUGUST 2016 149
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