crooner

This was a unit sold on eBay not so long ago, and it was clearly labeled as Marantz on the front including the meter bezel. However, looking at the back, I see no Marantz serial number label and the RCA input jacks are screwed on and not riveted. mmmmmm

I agree the reissue was very nicely built. However, I recently noticed the VAC units transformers were not potted. This is hard to detect since the two outputs and power trannies are inside a metal cover. Here's a picture of the 8B replica clearing showing the transformer end bells and they are definitely not potted. Why did VAC decided not to pot them? I have no clue. Cost?

Glad you liked my little YouTube clips. I made them to demonstrate the superior performance of the 10B. Over the last few years a number of individuals have dedicated themselves to bash the tuner. Among them that infamous "information center" website. That's nonsense pure and simple. The 10B does not suffer from IP3 or SCA rejection problems. On the contrary, it is completely immune to in band interference including artifacts from HD radio subcarriers. It is also impervious to IM distortion due to overload from close by FM transmitters. Adjacent and alternate channnel reception is superb. This certainly was and is a groundbreaking design.

Hi Gilbert! That's one gorgeous tuner! What serial number did you get? I owned serial 1384 (sold it earlier this year to a gentleman in Italy). I currently own serial 3849. The first was very early (serial numbers start at 1000). I believe it sounded the best of the two. It was a coin toss to decide which one to sell. I decided to keep the second due to the fact that it included all paperwork including the little measurements tag and warranty certificate! Both of my units had the Long Island City address. Very late 10Bs were built in Woodside NY. I noticed that my second 10B had all the original tubes marked with a little piece of black tape. I guess the factory did this to keep track of user tube replacements.

The Marantz 10B uses the 6U8 in the stereo multiplex section to output the individual left and right channels. Usually this tube is a Telefunken. If the unit is working properly, I'd leave it alone. The only tubes I'd be comfortable rolling are V13, V17 and V18, which correspond to the first audio and cathode follower stages. I did try some Telefunken ECC83's and ultimately found the stock Bugle Boys to sound the best. YMMV.

Hi Gilbert! I'm the guy who wrote that little piece on the 10B a few posts back. :-) Registered on this forum a year ago, but this is my first post. Congratulations on your purchase! The Marantz 10B is the most amazing piece of vintage tube electronics I have owned. And let me tell you I've owned quite a few very expensive pieces over the years. It has been said that is capable of reproducing the sound of the original source, despite all the FM processing. And by personal experience it is completely true. With the 10B, it is the first time I've experienced true high fidelity from FM. Previously I owned a McIntosh MR67 and a MR78. They didn't come close! Here in Southern California, we still have quite a few good sounding Jazz, Classical and even some oldies and rock stations. HD self noise seems not to affect the 10B at all, which is definitely good news. I have my 10B connected to an APS-9B outdoor yagi antenna on a remote controlled rotor. The antenna is approximately 35 feet above ground. I can routinely receive stations as far away as Santa Barbara. LA stations, 120 miles away, come in as locals. The tuner has an uncanny ability to separate stations, allowing adjacent channel reception. The 10B is rock solid stable. Mine never drifts, not even when cold! The design is bulletproof and very reliable. My first 10B example was still going strong on the original optocouplers. My second, and present, unit has replacement optocouplers that I installed myself. Aside from that, it is totally original including tubes. They definitely do not need alignment unless somebody has messed with them before. I have Mike Zuccaro nearby, and I don't think I'll ever need him! Check out my YouTube video on the 10B: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jGfswQ-yMI If you have any questions on the tuner, don't hesitate to ask! crooner