Marantz Model 104 AM/FM Tuner – Made in Japan, Walnut Case

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.

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
• 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

⚠️ 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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