stereo cassette deck ('77-'79)  $600  (recapped, upgraded)

This rare and beautiful marantz 5025B has recently been refurbished, recapped and upgraded by a "retired" Marantz tech with over 30 years experience in the repair of vintage stereo components.  It also features a new style of frosted LEDs that enhance the visual aspect of the meters.  The deck comes with a custom real walnut veneer case.

The Marantz 5025 is a bright representative of the iconic 5000 series, produced by Marantz Superscope from 1977 to 1979. This deck captures your eyes with its sleek design and satisfies your ears with impressive performance, making it still a favorite among audiophiles and vintage electronics collectors.
(NOTE: the difference between Marantz "B" models and the earlier units was mostly the exterior cosmetic design of the faceplates.  The earlier units had screws to attach the faceplates whereas the "B" models featured the hex nuts.  Other faceplate changes reflected the "newer" units released in the late 70's)

While the 5025 was a direct evolution of the 5010, it brought a few upgrades that set it apart. It introduced a switchable zero-stop function for the counter, ensuring precise control during playback and recording. Additionally, the deck features peak-level indicator LEDs that provide real-time monitoring of audio peaks, perfect for those who demand accuracy. The separate controls for microphone and line inputs, complete with a master-level control, offer more nuanced sound customization.

Though it lacks the three-head configuration of the slightly higher-end 5030, the Marantz 5025 still delivers impressive sound quality. The frequency response ranges from 40 Hz to 15.5 kHz on CrO2 tape and an extended 40 Hz to 17 kHz on FeCr tape. With a noise-to-noise ratio of 58 dB and wow and flutter minimized to 0.11%, the 5025 ensures your listening experience is as clean and enjoyable as possible.

The cost in 1977 for the Marantz 5025 was $435, equivalent to over $1200 today.

Specs:
Type: 2-head, single compact cassette deck
Track System: 4-track, 2-channel stereo
Tape Speed: 1.78 IPS
Heads: 1 x record/playback, 1 x erase
Motor: DC servo control
Tape Type: type I, FeCr, CrO2
Noise Reduction: B
Frequency Response: 40Hz to 16kHz  (Cr02 tape)
Wow and Flutter: 0.12%
THD: 1.8%
Dimensions: 17.4"W x 6"H x 11.7"D
Weight: 15 lbs

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CD/DVD player ('07-'10)  $1100 (perfect)

First obtained from the original owner and in mint condition, this fully operational McIntosh MVP851 CD/DVD player also comes with the original McIntosh HR040 remote control.  The owner's manual is also included.

Selling for a hefty $3600 upon its initial release in 2007, the MVP851 was not McIntosh's first CD/DVD to hit the market.  It was, however, their first DVD-A player. 

(NOTE: Commonly abbreviated as DVD-A, it's actually called DVD-Audio.  It's a digital format for delivering high fidelity audio content on a DVD.  DVD-Audio uses most of the storage on the disc for high-quality audio and is not intended to be a video delivery format.)

Like the many McIntosh components before it, the MVP851's front panel is that familiar and hypnotic shiny black glass face with green backlit label (this classic design looks just as elegant as it did when first introduced in the "olden days" of the late 50's.

In a nutshell, the MVP851 features high resolution video processing, progressive scan video output, 192kHz/24 bit audio decoding and multi-channel audio formats, including the aforementioned DVD-Audio. 

But, rather than attempt a lengthy description of this amazing unit, here's a link to the best in-depth coverage:   https://www.soundandvision.com/content/mcintosh-mvp851-dvd-audiovideo-player

Essential specs:
~24/192 Audio DACs
~12 Bit Video DACs
~Progressive Scan
~XLR Audio Out for Front Channels
~Heavy Steel Chassis
~Dimensions:  (Front Panel) 17.5" wide x 5.5"  (the depth behind the front mounting panel is 15" including clearance for connectors.  The panel clearance required in front of the mounting panel is 3/4". 
NOTE: When the DVD/CD tray is opened, the panel clearance required in front of the mounting panel is 6.75")
~Weight:  20 pounds

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CD player (2022)  $600

Essentially brand new, only taken out of the box for a few hours of testing, this Rotel CD11 Tribute CD player comes with the original factory remote, owner's manual with the box and packing materials.  
The remote controls all the functions and also allows the capability to dim the power button and screen LEDs.

"An impressive score at the very affordable end of the market, but the CD11 Tribute is very special. It's built on an already accomplished platform with more warmth and definition, and above all that intangible quality: soul. Nevertheless, plaudits should be shared by both the original engineers and tuning team – for this CD player is unmistakably created by people who love music."   ~HiFi News

The back story (kudos to HiFi News):
Without any sense of irony, the man most identified with rival brand Marantz for 40 years is *Ken Ishiwata.  He is posthumously recognized for his work in 'tweaking' Rotel's budget CD.  This review of the Rotel CD11 Tribute was a year to the day since the passing of audio legend Ken Ishiwata. The anniversary was marked by his daughter with a YouTube video of some joyously retro Latin music performed by an all-Japanese vocal group. 'Instead of making this a very sad day,' she wrote, 'we would like to share one of his favorite songs with you. He used to play this all the time, it brings back lovely memories and a smile upon our faces'.

This view of Ishiwata as a family man is one unfamiliar to those who knew him only for his work in the audio arena, but it was Ishiwata's son and daughter, Jun and Miki, who signed off on the completion of the product we have here, the fruits of the last project on which he was working at the time of his death. Out of leftfield, perhaps, but Rotel's CD11 Tribute CD player is unmistakably the product of the thinking he applied over more than four decades of audio design and development in his previous 'home' at Marantz.

Ishiwata and Marantz went their separate ways back in early 2019, and given that Ken was never the 'retiring' type, many hi-fi pundits were keen to discover 'What will he do next?'. Now we know… Development of this 'tuned' version of Rotel's established '14 Series' actually began in the third quarter of 2019, Ishiwata working with Rotel's engineers to make improvements on what were already excellent components

The CD11 Tribute was designed to conform to the idea (relatively rare these days) that a CD player should do just what it says on the front. There are no digital inputs to hook external sources into the onboard DAC (a 192kHz/24-bit device from Texas Instruments) while outputs are available on line-level RCAs and a coaxial digital socket only. No USB, no network connection and no SACD playback; just load up the CD and press 'Play'.
Typical standard track skip, track selection and program play are included.
The design upgrades are both mechanical and electronic, with the application of damping materials helping to deaden vibrations in both the top cover and main chassis. The DAC stage sees the replacement of eight capacitors and one resistor with upgraded types, while all nine capacitors in the PSU have also been switched for preferred alternatives. Furthermore, the electrical ground paths within the player have been re-routed.

*Ken Ishiwata...
The man, who knew and shaped the audio sector like no other, passed away on November 25, 2019 of an autoimmune disease. His career began when he, as a young student, heard Julie London via the Marantz system of a fellow student's father. An audiophile-erotic experience, of which he liked to report and which meant the start of his audiophilia. Ishiwata still worked with the legendary Saul Marantz and remained loyal to the company for over four decades. His "AI" modifications of normal Marantz products as well as extensive developments such as the "Ruby" set consisting of SACD player and integrated amplifier on the occasion of his 40th Marantz anniversary at the end of 2018 are unforgettable. Ken Ishiwata, who represented a timeless claim and always made a secret at his age, was 72 years old. 

Rotel and the Tribute...
After 40 years with Marantz, Ken Ishiwata's impressive track record – going right back to the company's original Special Edition models – was most recently celebrated with the KI Ruby SACD player and amplifier [HFN Jan '19]. In addition, in a role formalised in his latter years with the company as Brand Ambassador, Ishiwata played a major part in opening up then-emerging hi-fi markets – at one point he was surprised to find himself starring in a two-hour interview special on Chinese national TV! So how did he end up working on what would eventually become these Tribute products for rival brand Rotel?

As Rotel's CTO Darren Orth explained, 'I was in the same audiophile circles with Ken over the years, as was the Tachikawa family in Japan – founders and owners of Rotel. There was mutual respect for the talent and market position and a long desire to work together but the opportunity never arose. [It] did finally arrive in the late summer of last year when our initial discussions began, with the project becoming a reality in September 2019. All of the Rotel engineering team were delighted at finally having the chance to work with Ken'.

About Rotel... 
Rotel is a family-owned Japanese manufacturer of high end audio and video equipment. The company was established in 1961. In the early 1980s, Rotel joined the B&W Group forming a strategic alliance with Bowers and Wilkins and later adding Classé Audio.  Rotel was one of the few Japanese audio companies to create, design and manufacture their products in-house instead of using subcontractors.  They didn't advertise to the extent of the other big names in Japan, they relied on targeted marketing towards audiophiles and higher end audio related publications.

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stereo reel-to-reel deck  ('75-'79)  $1100

Obtained from the estate of the original owner, this semi-professional TEAC A-6300 reel-to-reel stereo tape deck  was one of the more inspired Teac offerings of the mid-to-late 70s. 

To most of us that spent a lot of time fiddling with decks back in the day,  there's something special today about kickin' back and listening to this TEAC spinning hours of pure, clean music while watching those large reels exude their hypnotic vision of the glorious 70's...

In a lengthy and labor-intensive servicing procedure, it has been completely disassembled for a thorough check and cleaning of all controls, heads, rollers and belts.  (see the photos above). Essentially, the deck has no cosmetic damage of any kind and operates perfectly.  Two new metal reels are included; one reel with fresh tape (which has never been used) and a second take-up reel.  It also comes with the original factory dust cover.

This deck was very similar to the TEAC A-4300 but, unlike the 4300, the 6300 also handles the larger a 10½ inch reels. The engineering in this deck showed greater levels of inspiration than they would be offering a few years later.

The 6300 is a single direction record, bi-directional playback deck with four heads and three motors. Other features included an index counter repeat for replaying a particular section automatically, bias and EQ switches for normal or high-output/low noise tape and record lock-out switches and dual-scale VU meters. An interesting touch are the guide rings on the controls which enabled settings to be marked for later reference.  This tape deck combines a 4-track system with a 10.5" reel, and is equipped with an Oatley berth (atypical tape head alignment design) and counter repeat playback mechanism.  It also features an Oatley verse playback mechanism and can be played back and forth continuously. If you attach a sensing foil to the part where you want to reverse the tape, it automatically reverses from forward (forward) to reverse (reverse).

The tape is protected by a delayed circuit design that operates during reverse operation and the tape begins its run after the capstan motor reaches a constant speed.  With a one handed button layout, you can press the REC and PAUSE switches at the same time to wait for recording, then press the Play button to start recording.
In addition, if you find the position you want to record during playback, you can add a follow-up recording without pausing the tape. This allows you to record continuously with less clicking noise between songs.

The 6300 is equipped with a "3J" mechanism (Just Bias/Just Equalizer/Just Level) to cope with low noise tape.
With this mechanism, you can set the bias, equalizer, and level switch independently to the optimum position for the tape.
The heads are made of high-hardness permalloy for a higher saturation level of magnetic flux and less wear.
The heads are referred to as a "hyperbolic shape", which gives a stable head touch and minimizes the contour effect.  Teac's design assured that durability was improved by fixing a large motor and flywheel to a thick aluminum panel.  

Specs:
Four heads: erase, record and two playback heads for bi-directional playback
Motors: three
Frequency response: ( 3dB) 40Hz -24kHz at 7½ ips
Wow & flutter: 0.06% at 7½ ips
Signal to noise ratio: 65 dB (3% weighted)
Rewind speed: 160 seconds for 1800′
Inputs: 2 mic, 2 line / Outputs 1 headphone, 2 line /
Dimensions: 20.5"H x 17.25"W x 8.25"D ”
Weight: 48.4 lbs

About TEAC...
TEAC Corporation was originally founded as Tokyo Television Acoustic Company on August 8th, 1953 by two brothers, Katsuma and Tomoma Tani. In 1956 the two brothers founded Tokyo Electronic Acoustic Company, finally merging the two in 1964 to form the modern day TEAC Corporation.  Synonymous with excellence in tape decks and related products, TEAC patented many innovations in the advancement of audio technology.

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Multi-Play CD Player (1990)  $200

In excellent cosmetic and operating condition, this Pioneer PD-M435 is a 6-disc Multi-Play CD Player. This versatile unit offers convenient playback of up to 6 CDs contained in user-friendly interchangeable cartridges.  It comes with four cartridges and the original Pioneer remote control.

Key features and specs:
6-disc magazine (cartridge) for extended listening sessions
High-quality LC78820 digital converter for pristine sound reproduction
PEA1030 CD mechanism ensures smooth and reliable disc reading
Impressive frequency response of 2Hz to 20kHz for full-spectrum audio
Excellent dynamic range of 92dB for lifelike sound
Outstanding signal-to-noise ratio of 106dB for crystal-clear playback
Minimal THD of just 0.04%
2V line output for compatibility with various audio systems
Dimensions: 16.5"W x 12.8"D x 4"H 
Original Pioneer factory remote control

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