advertisement


Marantz DLT-1

It was an inline transformer (plus a few loading resistors) designed to go between CD player and amp. It actually increased the output slightly, but I suspect it helped to filter out RF mush coming out of many CD players twenty years ago. I used one between a Nakamichi OMS-7 and my amp and thought the sound better, although when I used it from the same model CD player into a Naim 72 at work, everyone thought it compressed the sound - the Naim did filter everything off above 32KHz so any "advantage" would be eliminated in the preamp anyway...

Used the "right way round" the DLT 1 increased the gain slightly too.

I'm hoping to get my old DLT 1 back soon for use on my antique tuner, which has a high output impedance and a low output (Quad FM3). I hope it does an impedance matching job too, rather like the Musical Fidelity X10-D does.
 
One of the reasons it made a CD player sound better (between the CD and amp) was that it broke the signal earth from the CD player. In other words it was a 1:1 (or maybe 1:1.5 as it had a slight amount of gain) isolation transformer. This helped reduce the digital noise on the CD player's signal earth from polluting the amplifier's signal earth. I don't know how it would perform on todays players but it certainly provided some interesting results back in the mid 1980's.
 
Any idea what the spec was? (I'm not sure if "mine" still has the box and info sheet and Googling shows up nothing I can read...)
 
DSJR said:
Any idea what the spec was? (I'm not sure if "mine" still has the box and info sheet and Googling shows up nothing I can read...)
Click to expand...

David, you could try hi-fi_dave as I know he sold loads of these. I'll see if I can find anything in my files on this.
 
Biggus-Dickkus said:
David, you could try hi-fi_dave as I know he sold loads of these. I'll see if I can find anything in my files on this.
Click to expand...

(chuckle) - He's the bloke who sold me the sodding thing in the first place :D and doesn't seem to have any details.

I await my old unit back with much anticipation...
 
I have one somewhere.
I used it in several systems over the years.
My conclusion is that it does not sit in the way of the music that much.
But, in most systems it gave a little boost to the bass. I think that has to do with loading, but I am no transformer wizard, so it is just a guess.
 
DSJR said:
(chuckle) - He's the bloke who sold me the sodding thing in the first place :D and doesn't seem to have any details.

I await my old unit back with much anticipation...
Click to expand...
Back in the day, I spotted the DLT-1 buried away in a Marantz brochure and persuaded the importer to get me one to try. It was so effective that I had orders for ten within a week (you have to remember it was the 80's) and so I ordered up twenty and then forty. I actually only received 39, the 40th went to Jimmy Hughes (I believe) who used it for some time. Marantz UK never managed to import any more after this.

This was a truly great piece of kit even though transformers are trashed by those in the 'know'. Biggus has described how it works and similar devices are still used today in the likes of EAR amps.

DSJR - I didn't realise you still have one ?
 
It appears I sold it with the Nakamichi OMS-7e I had in around 1990 when I bought the Deltec PDM1mk2 from you (I thought another friend had one, but she hasn't) and the thought came to me this week after I asked myself what I used the DLT-1 with.

A quick phone call confirmed it and it's being sent back for no more than some interconnects (not the Signature beaters...) I'm making up for him...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top