Marantz SD 3000 Two-Speed Cassette Deck – Level 1 Serviced, VG

Marantz SD 3000 — Two-Speed Transport, Double the Tape Speed

Marantz SD 3000 Stereo Cassette Deck – Two-Speed Transport, Dolby B, Level 1 Serviced, Very Good Condition

A silver-face Marantz cassette deck with a trick almost nothing else in the category offers: it runs at double speed.

Standard cassette speed is 4.75 centimetres per second, and every deck ever made runs there. The SD 3000 will also run at 9.5 — twice as fast — and the difference is not subtle. Doubling the tape passing the head extends the frequency response, increases dynamic range and improves transient response, which in plain terms means recordings made at the high speed sound markedly more robust and open than the same tape recorded normally. The cost is tape: you get half the running time. Owners who use the feature consider it a fair trade, and some rate a high-speed cassette recording as approaching entry-level open reel.

Worth knowing that the SD 3000 was also sold in a single-speed version. This is the two-speed, which is the one to have.

The rest is honest late-seventies Marantz. Two heads with a DC servo motor and belt-driven single-capstan transport, mechanical transport controls, and a mechanical three-digit tape counter. Tape type is selected manually with separate equalisation selection, handling normal, chrome and ferrichrome tapes. Dolby B noise reduction cuts tape hiss by as much as 10dB at the highest frequencies, and there is an MPX filter for recording off FM.

The front panel is thick aluminium in the silver-face style of the era, and these were built accordingly — solid, mechanical, and made to be used.

This example has undergone our Level 1 service and testing, which should ensure many more years of reliable performance ahead.

Condition

Cosmetically it is in very good condition. We went over it carefully under bright light before grading it, and it is a genuinely clean deck for its age.

Features: Two-speed transport — 4.75 and 9.5 cm/s Dolby B noise reduction, up to 10dB of hiss reduction MPX filter for FM recording DC servo motor, belt-driven single-capstan transport Manual tape type selection with separate equalisation, for normal, chrome and ferrichrome Mechanical three-digit tape counter Mechanical transport controls Thick aluminium silver faceplate

This deck sold new in Japan for ¥59,800.

Marantz SD 3000 Specifications

• Model: SD 3000
• Type: 2-head single compact cassette deck
• Years of Manufacture: 1979–1981
• Track System: 4-track, 2-channel stereo
• Tape Speed: 4.75 and 9.5 cm/s
• Heads: 1 x record/playback, 1 x erase
• Motor: DC servo
• Tape Types: Type I normal, FeCr ferrichrome, CrO2 chrome
• Noise Reduction: Dolby B, with MPX filter
• Frequency Response: 40Hz – 16.5kHz (FeCr tape, at standard speed)
• Wow and Flutter: 0.08%
• Dimensions: (Width x Height x Depth) 416 x 146 x 239 mm (16.4 x 5.75 x 9.4 inches)
• Weight: 6.6 kg (14.5 lbs)

⚠️ Important Information for International Buyers

This unit is configured for North American 110/120V power. Buyers outside North America will require a step-down transformer and appropriate plug adapter.

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