Marantz 1060 with JR 149 Speakers (Linn Mimik CD Player and Thorens TD 165 Turntable)
The Marantz 1060 amplifier was bought new in 1977 (on special as they were being replaced by a later model!) see here for story. It remained my main and only amplifier for many years, replaced only because of curiosity and opportunity; other amplifiers and other audio became available very cheap and second hand due to the need for repair. I decided to pair the Marantz with the JR 149 speakers to make a compact system, in the past the Marantz had been connected to my home made speakers, a Carlson design with Philips drivers, that were made in 1975 by my Dad a carpenter, he made the cabinets with a little help from me (a learning experience for me really of course; I was 15 years old), I designed and made the crossovers and fitted out the cabinets. They sound great and I still have them, the original Fountain solid state amplifier is long gone, sold to fund the Marantz. Anyway the Marantz is original, no recapping, no repairs apart from a new power switch in the 80's sometime. If you read the story of how I chose the Marantz 1060 from among the many other contenders ....then imagine my surprise when I listen to it now, it still sounds as good, ridiculously good, I'd choose this over many, many much pricier amplifiers including modern ones. I have compared it to many of the later 80's and 90's amplifiers (Cyrus, Pioneer, NAD etc.) it betters them! Why I have no idea; the Marantz uses very good quality components but not much that is "exotic" ... no Wima capacitors (but high quality Japanese brands, Elnas and such like) mylar and ceramics as well as some electrolytic capacitors as were usual at the time. The resistors are all carbon. It has a very good layout and wiring but again nothing really unusual, the circuit topology is not revolutionary by the standards of the day (but it is of a very symmetrical design) so far as I can see. It has capacitor coupled outputs. Note: Power, it's rated as 30 watts RMS but a number of reviewers and tests measured it at more like 38 watts RMS per channel. I paid £108 in the UK but it was on sale as it was being discontinued and replaced, (with 1060b or 1070 I'm not sure) anyway original price was, apparently, £140 approximately. I compared it with more expensive and more powerful brands/models and went with the 1060.
The Sound: Warm-ish, very detailed, extraordinary mid-range, and fine clear treble. The phono amplifier is extremely good, even better than some expensive outboard models I have used. The JR149 speakers have been recapped (the original capacitors actually failed and stopped the drivers producing any sound in one of the units) with components from Falcon Acoustics in the UK. These are very surprising for their size and pair very well with the Marantz. The Marantz is not a very powerful amp and the speakers are not very efficient but they work very well together and produce volume well in excess of what I would deem loud in a moderate size room, I'm listening to them with the volume control at around 10 o'clock for a comfortable listening level with great dynamics and clarity.