Marantz is a company that develops and sells high-end audio products. The company was founded in New York, but is now based in Japan. The first Marantz audio product was designed and built by Saul Marantz in his home in Kew Gardens, New York. The company had a major influence in the development of high fidelity audio systems, and reached the high point of their success in the mid to late 1970s. During the 1980s, while owned by Philips, a pioneer in compact disc technology, Marantz sold some very well received CD players, but other products in the line were not as successful as in the past. Beginning in the early 1990s, Marantz focused on higher-end components. In 2001, Marantz Japan acquired the brand from Philips and owned all overseas sales subsidiaries. In 2002 Marantz merged with competitor Denon into D&M Holdings Inc., later named D+M Group. On March 1, 2017, Sound United LLC completed the acquisition of D+M Holdings. History 1952 Saul Marantz sells his first audio product, the "Consolette" pre-amp 1964 Marantz acquired by Superscope Inc. 1966 Beginning with the Model 25, and then 22 and 28, Marantz starts manufacturing its products in Japan through a partnership with Standard Radio Corp. 1974 A manufacturing plant is opened on the Péronnes-lez-Binche site, Walloon Region, Belgium 1975 Standard Radio Corp. changes its name to Marantz Japan Inc. 1980 Superscope sells the Marantz brand, dealer network, and all overseas assets (except U.S. and Canada) to Philips Electronics 1983 Marantz's audio enhancement technology (Marantz Enhanced Digital Stereo) is introduced 1992 Philips acquires U.S. and Canada trademarks and dealer network 1997 Saul Marantz dies aged 85 2001 Marantz Japan Inc. acquires the brand and all overseas sales subsidiaries 2002 Marantz Japan and Denon merge to form D&M Holdings, to later be joined by other higher-end audio equipment brands such as Boston Acoustics 2008 Philips sells its remaining stake in D&M Holdings, ending a 28-year relationship between Philips and Marantz 2014 Marantz Professional acquired by inMusic Brands 2017 Sound United LLC acquires D+M Holding 2019 Ken Ishiwata dies aged 72 Products Selected products: Marantz 2325 Receiver Marantz 5420 Cassette Deck Marantz 2275 Receiver Marantz 2600 – Marantz's most powerful receiver Marantz 10b Tuner Marantz 2385 Receiver Marantz HD77 – Four-way, high-fidelity loudspeaker system Marantz PMD-660 – solid-state recorder Marantz CD63, CD63SE and variants - iconic CD player range Marantz UD7007 - Universal HD Blu-ray