Marantz: the Man and the Company
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Marantz: The Man and the Company t’s not often that a man and a brand input. In particular, we’d like to thank three children on July 7th, 1911, in are synonymous unless, of course, Ed Woodard, a long-time associate of New York City. Ithey’re really eponymous. But the Saul’s. Through Ed, we even spent time name Marantz is, if anything, more with Saul’s daughter, June Chamberlain Much of Saul’s early childhood was prominent in today’s world of consumer and her husband Mark as she remi- unremarkable and unrecorded. electronics than it was when Saul B. nisced about her child’s-eye view of her Although he showed an early aptitude Marantz founded the Marantz Company soon-to-be-famous father. Mark con- for technology, experimented with crys- in 1953. tributed many photos from the family tal radios, crafted a microscope in his archives, photos that we suspect have early teen years, and hoped to pursue Although others certainly aided the never appeared outside family gather- training as an electrical engineer, his early growth of the consumer electron- ings. We’re fortunate to have them. family’s fortune (or, more accurately, ics industry (or the “hi fi” business, as the lack of same) dictated otherwise. it was then known), perhaps no one was Although he was accepted into an as recognized for his passionate pursuit exclusive Rapid Advance program in of high quality sound reproduction as the New York City public schools, he was Saul B. Marantz. had to leave after the 8th grade to help support his family. As is the case with many people, Saul’s accomplishments were more the result His first job was as a messenger for a of being in the right place at the right now-unknown firm in the NYC finan- time and having the vision and skills cial district. This experience was not necessary to inspire others. If any one altogether positive as he was fired thing stood out from the beginning, it after taking an unauthorized holiday was Saul’s insistence that good indus- on the “friendly advice” of a jealous trial design was as important as superi- co-worker. Fortunately, the young or performance. It was the cosmetic Marantz had spent much of his down design, he felt, that would play an time at the same firm’s art department essential part in bringing electronics and was immediately accepted as an out of the garages and into the living apprentice. rooms of music lovers everywhere. This picture was most likely taken in Brooklyn when Saul was about 1 yr. old. Although Marantz’s years of atten- His history, and that of the company he (Photographer unknown.) dance and curriculum are largely founded, forms an extraordinary picture unknown, he continued his art training of individual accomplishment and cor- with courses at Pratt Institute in porate evolution. We hope you enjoy this fascinating look Brooklyn. After his formal training, he into the life of one of the industry’s true became a commercial artist serving Although certainly not complete, the pioneers. such clients as Hanes (for whom he story we’re presenting here is unique. may have designed the logo) and We’ve interviewed many people in the The Beginning General Electric. consumer electronics industry who He met his future wife, Jean Dickey, in were close to Saul during his life. They Saul B. Marantz, perhaps the man most NYC at a St. Patrick’s Day party in gave generously of their time and responsible for the birth of the high-end 1939. A friend who was dating anoth- knowledge and we thank them for their audio industry, was born the oldest of er resident of the “women only” hotel 1 Saul at his drafting table. Photo taken in the early 1930s. Jean and Saul Marantz. Photo taken immediately (Photographer unknown.) following the wedding. (Professional photographer unknown.) where Jean lived had issued the invi- Saul joined the Army Transportation tation. Saul and Jean were engaged on Service in the spring of 1943 as a Valentine’s Day, 1940, and married in civilian employee. (During this time, October of the same year in Basking Jean Marantz stayed with her family Ridge, NJ. in Minnesota.) He was sent to San Francisco in August, then to New Jean was to play a pivotal role in Orleans where he began service on a bringing the name Marantz to the chartered oil tanker. From New public’s attention. She had graduated Orleans, he went through the Panama from Vassar College with a liberal arts Canal to the Pacific theater. During degree. After Vassar, she returned to this initial journey, he was awarded a her family’s home to attend graduate “Shellback Certificate,” a document school in architecture at the given to everyone crossing the University of Minnesota. She left one Equator for the first time. The certifi- semester short of her degree after the cate states his nickname as “King Department Chairman suggested that, Kong,” a reference to his hirsute as a woman, she would not be taken physique. seriously in her chosen field. After working for a Persian art dealer, she Although Marantz did not partake in This photo was taken on the day Saul moved once again to NYC in 1938, any battles, he spent time in New returned from the Pacific theater. His where she worked in the accounting Guinea, where an Australian pilot, daughter, June, is behind the stroller. office of Macy’s. (Although this seems much against regulations, flew him (Photo most likely taken by Jean an unlikely preparation, her proficien- over the Owen Stanley Mountains for Marantz.) cy with math, particularly calculus, a reunion with his brother, Charles, proved invaluable to Saul as he read- who was stationed there as a member ied the “Audio Consolette,” his first of the military. First Mate were “under the influence.” product, for sale many years later. Marantz confined both to their quarters Jean’s ability at solving complex Things were not entirely calm for the and assumed temporary command. No equations allowed her to calculate the young Marantz, however. While taking the mutiny charges were filed, however, as proper values for many of its internal tanker through the Great Barrier Reef, he the Captain later admitted that Marantz’s circuit components.) discovered that both the Captain and actions were “correct.” 2 This four-disc set from MCA is now a collector’s item. One of Saul’s photos, this one from The Segovia Technique, by Vladimir Bobri. This edition published by The Bold page 45 of The Segovia Technique. Strummer, Ltd., Westport, CT During his employment with the Army tro, Andres Segovia. (Their daughter, hours in the darkroom experimenting Transportation Service, Saul earned his June, remembers sitting on Segovia’s with prints to achieve a maximum of GED (Graduate Equivalency Diploma) knee when Segovia visited her parents, brilliance and clarity.” and, though he was technically a civil- probably at the Woodside home. She ian, rose to nominal rank of Major. also remembers a large empty speaker Marantz’s Segovia photos also appear in enclosure in the house which she used the booklet accompanying the 4 CD set After his return, Saul and Jean lived in as hiding place when she was 3 or 4 called “Andres Segovia – A Centenary Woodside, a suburb in the Borough of years old and suggests that this is evi- Celebration” released on the MCA label Queens, New York City, and later moved dence of her father’s co-developing (MCAD4: 11124). to Kew Gardens, another Queens neigh- interest in music and electronics.) borhood. The “Classic Vladimir Bobritzski, also a member of Saul Marantz’s musical interests blos- the Guitar Society, later authored Marantz” Period: somed in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s (under the shortened name “Bobri”) a 1951 to 1964 when friends Karl and Ginny Noell book entitled The Segovia Technique, invited Saul and Jean to a meeting of originally published in 1972. The arrival of the monaural LP record the New York Society of Classical in 1948 and general post-war pros- Guitar. The couple soon joined the Saul took many photographs of perity contributed to the rising inter- Guitar Society, as it was called by Segovia’s fingering style for this book est in high fidelity equipment. members, and Saul began guitar les- and received the following acknowl- Among many other companies, sons shortly thereafter. During this edgement for his work in the book’s McIntosh Laboratories, Fisher Radio, period, the couple met and developed Preface: “SAUL MARANTZ who took and H.H. Scott began to manufacture a strong friendship with guitar maes- most of the photographs and spent components. 3 The house that started it all. In the basement of his Kew Gardens home at 81st Avenue and Austin Street, Saul Marantz began to hand assemble the “Audio Consolette,” the first in a series of products that now spans over 50 The Marantz Model 1 Preamplifier: The first product of the newly formed Marantz years. (Photo from http://www.oldkew- Company (1954) gardens.com/) Saul Marantz, however, was not satisfied The Model 2 power amplifier followed in with the commercially available compo- 1956. Largely completed by Sidney nents of his day and he began to build Smith, it was a very successful tube his own. One of the major problems fac- design using EL34s in “ultra-linear” ing music enthusiasts at the time was (push-pull) configuration. the large number of different equaliza- tion characteristics used by record com- Although some sources cite the Model panies. These disparate “EQ” curves 2 as the beginning of Smith’s exclusive made it difficult to fully enjoy records concentration on power amplifiers from different labels as most record The Model 2 power amplifier, the first while Saul focused his attention on pre- companies adhered to their own in- of Sidney Smith’s designs.