Marantz Audio Consollette

The Marantz Audio Consollette, a historically significant piece of audio equipment that represents the very beginning of the Marantz company.

📜 History of the Marantz Audio Consollette

The Audio Consollette was the first product ever designed and built by Saul Bernard Marantz, the company's founder. Saul Marantz, a music lover and graphic artist, was unhappy with the quality of available equipment in the early 1950s, particularly the inconsistent equalization standards of 78 rpm records. He spent four years designing a revolutionary pre-amplifier, the Audio Consollette, to correct these issues. It was first sold in the fall of 1952. The initial 100 units sold quickly, leading Saul to formally establish the Marantz Company in 1953.

🏷️ Different Versions Through the Years

The Audio Consollette itself was essentially the hand-built, original model. However, it led directly to the company's first commercial product:

• Audio Consollette (Original): The very first design, a mono-tube pre-amplifier. These early units are extremely rare.

• Marantz Model 1 Mono Preamplifier: Launched in 1954, this was the commercial extension and improved version of the Audio Consollette. It shares the core circuit, function, and aesthetic, but is considered the formal production model. It was built with higher quality components and featured a separate power supply. The "Audio Consollette" name is often used interchangeably with the early Model 1.

• Marantz Consolette (Modern): In the modern era, Marantz released a premium wireless speaker dock named the Marantz Consolette (MS7000) to honor the legacy of the original product. This modern unit is entirely solid-state and digital.
  

⚙️ Function in an Audio Setup

The original Audio Consollette/Model 1 is a mono-tube pre-amplifier (or "control console"). Its primary function is to handle switching between low-level audio sources and to boost the signal before it is sent to a power amplifier. Crucially, it performed a vital function for vinyl records: equalization. It featured a sophisticated phono equalizer with multiple selectable curves to compensate for the varying recording characteristics of pre-RIAA 78 rpm and early LP records.

🔗 Placement, Compatibility, and Usage

The Consollette fits into a setup known as a "separates" system, where the pre-amplification and power amplification are housed in different components.

• Placement: It sits between the audio sources (like a turntable or tape player) and the power amplifier.

• Compatibility: It is compatible with any high-quality mono tube power amplifier of the era.

• Usage: Since it is a mono unit, two Consollettes (or Model 1s) are required to build a stereo system. One unit would handle the left channel and one the right, providing the ultimate channel separation.
  

🎶 What It Does

The Consollette's most significant achievement was its ability to apply highly accurate equalization using its unique record equalizer controls, allowing listeners to play back the erratic recordings of the day with proper frequency balance. Sonically, it is a tube-based design utilizing three vacuum tubes, which imparts the desirable warm, musical, and detailed sound that Marantz is famous for. It features controls for bass and treble equalization, a high-frequency cutoff filter, and a seven-position selector switch.

💻 Modern Uses and Equivalents

Original Consollettes and Model 1s are now mainly used as collector items and for playback of vintage mono vinyl recordings by serious audiophiles. Finding an original external power supply is difficult, and one may need to be custom-built for restoration.

• Modern Equivalents: The modern equivalents would be high-end, tube-based mono preamplifiers or the successor product, the Marantz Model 7 preamplifier, which was a dedicated stereo unit.

  
  

💰 Current Value in Today's Dollars

The value of the original Marantz Audio Consollette/Model 1 is extremely high due to its historical significance and rarity. Prices are typically for a pair required for stereo use:

• Unrestored/For Parts: Even a single unit missing its power supply can be worth $800+ USD.

• Excellent Pair (Restored): A fully restored pair of Marantz Model 1 tube preamps, often including the necessary Model 4 power supplies, can sell for prices ranging from $7,500 to over $12,000 USD.