Marantz Model 104 AM/FM Tuner – Made in Japan, Walnut Case
$395.00
Gyro touch flywheel tuning and a blackout dial that lights blue on power-up — 2.5 microvolt FM sensitivity, 58dB signal-to-noise, built in Japan between 1976 and 1978. The dial illumination has been restored with new LEDs and a fresh vellum diffuser, and it sits in a solid walnut case a previous owner built by hand. Good condition; a polished-back engraving above the dial shows only under raking light.
1 in stock
Marantz Model 104 AM/FM Stereophonic Tuner – Made in Japan, Gyro Touch Tuning, Blackout Dial, Restored Illumination, Walnut Case
A Japanese-built analogue AM/FM tuner from Marantz’s blackout-dial era, serviced and retested, and presented in a solid walnut case.
The Blackout Dial
Switched off, the faceplate of a Model 104 is a dark window with nothing to look at. Press the power button and the dial scale lights from behind, the pointer illuminates, and the tuning meter comes up with it. That blackout dial is what made Marantz components recognisable across a room in the 1970s, and it is still the reason people go looking for these rather than for something newer and more sensitive.
Gyro Touch Tuning
The tuning wheel is Marantz’s gyro touch design. It is a weighted flywheel rather than a geared knob, so a light push sends it coasting smoothly across the band and it settles rather than clicks. Dialling in a station by hand on one of these is a genuinely different experience from pressing a preset, and it is most of what an analogue tuner is bought for today.
Restored Dial Illumination
The dial illumination on this example has been restored rather than left to fade. A previous owner replaced the vellum diffuser behind the scale and converted the lamps to LEDs chosen to match the correct Marantz blue. The result is even lighting right across the width of the dial, without the dark patches and mismatched bulb colours these usually show after fifty years. It is a restoration rather than original lamps, which is worth knowing if originality matters to you.
The Walnut Case
The walnut case deserves the same precision. Marantz did sell a walnut cabinet for this tuner as a separately priced factory accessory, but this is not that cabinet. Nor is it one of the cabinets we build here. It is hand-built in solid walnut by a previous owner, and it reads as hand-built — the fit is looser than a factory cabinet or one of ours, and the joinery came out of a home workshop rather than a cabinet shop. Plenty of people would still take a solid walnut case over a bare chassis, and the photographs will tell you quickly whether you are one of them.
The Receiver Section
Underneath the presentation, the receiver section is a capable one for its class. FM sensitivity is rated at 2.5 microvolts with 48dB selectivity and a 58dB signal-to-noise ratio, which is enough to hold a clean stereo lock on the stations most listeners actually want in an urban or suburban setting. The single tuning meter serves both bands, reading signal strength on AM and centre-tune on FM, and a muting circuit keeps the space between stations quiet as the wheel goes past. A ferrite AM antenna is built onto the rear panel.
Condition and Service
In service the stereo indicator lamp was replaced and the tuner was retested afterwards across both bands. This one is in good condition.
Cosmetic note. A previous owner engraved an identification number into the faceplate above the dial. It has been polished back until the surface is nearly smooth and it does not show under normal room lighting, but it is still visible under a bright light held at an angle. It is disclosed here because it is the sort of thing you would want to know before it arrives — and it is why this one is priced level with our standalone Model 104 rather than above it, despite the walnut case.
Why This One
A Model 104 in working order is a straightforward thing to find. One with the dial lit evenly end to end, in a solid walnut case, and tested on both bands is a good deal less common, and it is the presentation that sets this one apart rather than the specification sheet.
Features
- Gyro touch weighted flywheel tuning
- Blackout dial scale with rear illumination and illuminated pointer
- Restored dial illumination — new vellum diffuser, LEDs in correct Marantz blue
- Tuning meter reading FM centre-tune and AM signal strength
- Illuminated AM/FM band and stereo reception indicators
- FM muting circuit
- Ferrite AM antenna built onto the rear panel
- Solid walnut case (third-party, not original Marantz)
Marantz Model 104 AM/FM Stereophonic Tuner Specifications
- Model: 104 AM/FM Stereophonic Tuner
- Production: 1976 to 1978
- FM Tuning Range: 87.5 to 108 MHz
- AM Tuning Range: 525 to 1650 kHz
- FM Sensitivity: 2.5 microvolts
- AM Sensitivity: 25 microvolts
- Selectivity: 48dB (FM)
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 58dB (FM)
- Distortion: 0.7% (FM)
- Power Consumption: 15 watts
- Condition: Good — engraved identification number on the faceplate, polished back and visible only under bright light
- Dimensions: (Width x Height x Depth) approximately 16.25 x 6.75 x 12 inches (413 x 171 x 305 mm), including the walnut case
- Weight: approximately 16.5 lbs (7.5 kg), including the walnut case
🎚️ Gold Series RCA Interconnects
Our own Gold Series RCA Stereo Interconnect is a shielded, gold-plated stereo pair, in stock and ready to go. It is the cable that connects this to the rest of your system, and it is a straightforward upgrade on the free leads that come in the box with most equipment. 👉
⚠️ 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.
✅ Buy With Confidence — The Radique Promise
Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. When you’re ready to move on, we’ll take it back. That’s the Radique difference.
📦 Watch how we protect your gear — our unboxing video.
📺 Curious about our business? Check out our YouTube channel for behind-the-scenes videos and more!
📞 Questions? Use the Ask a Question button above, or call us at 613-416-9995.
| Weight | 18.5 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 16 × 20.25 × 10.75 in |
Marantz began in 1953 in Queens, New York, where Saul Marantz built tube preamplifiers and amplifiers, and by the 1970s it was making receivers with champagne-gold faceplates, blue-lit dials and flywheel tuning. We carry Marantz receivers, amplifiers and preamps, turntables, tuners, CD players and cassette decks. We've had more than 150 Marantz listings so far, covering nearly 100 different models. Every used Marantz here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Many Marantz components were sold without their wood case, so we also make new cherry WC-22 and WC-10 style cabinets. Don't see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we'll email you when one arrives.
Our five best-selling Marantz models so far: the SR4023 stereo receiver, the vintage 2225, the SR7000 AV receiver, the SR4320 stereo receiver and the vintage 2238B.
The Marantz story, 1953 to today
Saul B. Marantz founded the company in New York in 1953. His first product, the Audio Consolette preamplifier, became the Model 1, and Marantz dates the first Consolettes to 1952–53. Marantz says the early factory was in Woodside, Queens.
The tube years. Through the late 1950s and early 1960s Marantz built a small run of tube separates in New York that collectors still chase: the Model 7 preamplifier (1958), the Model 9 power amplifier (1960) and the Model 10B tuner (1964).
Superscope and the move to Japan. In 1964 Superscope, the company that also distributed Sony tape recorders in the US, bought Marantz, and Saul Marantz resigned at the end of 1967. The Model Eighteen of 1968 was the first Marantz receiver, rated at 40 watts per channel. Under Superscope, design moved to California and, from the late 1960s, production moved to Japan through Standard Radio, which became Marantz Japan in 1975. Receivers such as the 2230 and 2270 are listed as designed in the USA and produced in Japan.
The power race. After a 1974 Federal Trade Commission rule tightened how amplifier power was rated, receiver makers competed on watts. Marantz's Model 2500 of the late 1970s was rated at 250 watts per channel and had an oscilloscope tuning display.
Philips, Denon and today. In 1980 Philips bought Superscope's stake in Marantz Japan and the brand outside the US and Canada. Marantz says its CD-63 of 1982 was one of the first CD players, and its "KI Signature" models carry the initials of Ken Ishiwata, who joined in 1978. In 2001 Marantz Japan bought the trademark back from Philips, and in 2002 it combined with Denon to form D&M Holdings. In September 2025 HARMAN, a Samsung company, completed its purchase of Sound United, the parent of Marantz and Denon.
Which Marantz is which?
Tube separates (1950s–60s): the Models 1, 7, 8B, 9 and 10B, built in New York. Rare collector pieces.
First receivers (from 1968): the Model Eighteen, followed by the Nineteen at the end of 1969.
22xx receivers (from 1972): the first set was the 2215, 2230, 2245 and 2270, with the champagne-gold faceplate, blue-lit dial and "Gyro-Touch" flywheel tuning. A higher number generally means more power: the 2230 is rated at 30 watts per channel, the 2270 at 70. Later "B" versions such as the 2220B and 2285B followed.
Big late-1970s receivers: the 2325 (125 watts per channel), the 2500 flagship and four-channel "Quad" receivers.
1000-series integrated amplifiers: for example the 1060 (30 watts per channel, from 1971), the 1070 and the 1150 (75 watts per channel). The slim 1030, 1040, 1060 and 1070 share their case size with tuners such as the 104, 105 and 112.
Tuners: from the tube Model 10B to solid-state models such as the 2130, with its oscilloscope display.
Wood cases: Marantz sold its wood cases separately: the WC-22 for the 22xx receivers, the WC-10 for the slim 1000-series amplifiers and 100-series tuners, and the WC-1 for larger models such as the 1200. That is why so many turn up bare. A customer who sold Marantz in Ontario in the 1970s told us the cases his shop ordered were built here in Canada, by Westinghouse. Our own cherry WC-22 and WC-10 style cabinets are made in Canada too.
CD players: from the CD-63 of 1982 to the KI Signature versions.
Buying used Marantz: what to check
Dial and meter lamps. Burnt-out bulbs are common on 1970s receivers and are often replaced, sometimes with LEDs. Ask which, if the look of the dial matters to you.
The dial itself. The diffuser sheet behind the dial ages and can dull the glow. Check that the Gyro-Touch pointer moves smoothly and tracks the stations; dial cords are a common replacement part.
Controls and switches. Crackle when you turn a control or work a switch usually means dirt. Try every input, and walk away from a unit that drops a channel.
Capacitors and bias. Electrolytic capacitors in 1970s gear are often past their best, and full restorations replace them. Restorers also set the bias and DC offset.
Cosmetics. Pitting on the faceplate points to damp storage, and dents or water stains to rough handling.
Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.
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