04/02/2026
Marantz 5030 stereo cassette deck ('77-'80)
$900 recapped / restored
In absolutely mint cosmetic condition, recapped and restored, this Marantz 5030 stereo cassette deck comes with the service / data sheets and old parts. As shown in the photos, one of our optional, custom-built, solid walnut covers is also available.
NOTE: What are the actual differences between the Marantz 5030 and the 5030B? Essentially, on the inside they are both identical. The main difference is the actual physical size of each deck. The 5030 is the same size as the Marantz 2270 and the other 22xx series of receivers. The 5030B is a bit smaller to match the dimensions of the Marantz matching components; an example would be the Marantz 1060 integrated amp or the Marantz 250M amp.
Services performed (February 2026):
Repair: Replaced meter lamps with Cool White LED and tape indicator lamp
Strip, clean and apply Lithium grease as required tape to transport chassis
Replace all belts (3)
Replace Idler Assembly FF/RR - 19x15x3 tire
Replace Take Reel - 19x15x2.5 tire
Replace Drive Idler -19x15x2 tire
Clean all switches and controls with De-Oxit Fader l**e or G5 as appropriate
Demagnetize heads and spindles
Replace all electrolytic capacitors on P900 Power Board
Perform adjustments per the Service Manual
NOTE: Record Bias is set with FeCr tape so Record/Playback is optimized for FeCr. There are no individual adjustments for STD or CrO2
Key features would be its wide bandwidth and the convenience afforded by the 3-head format and master level fader. Of course there are many other features on this incredibly well designed deck.
Three-head decks like this 5030 give you off-tape monitoring and, generally, increased bandwidth. Marantz managed to wrap a separate playback "head" with many other desirable features into an attractively priced package of $470 in the late 70's. Here the electrically separate recording and playback elements are combined physically into a single head assembly, a technique that increased in popularity because it made user adjustment of recording-head azimuth unnecessary. The recording and playback sections were fabricated from hard permalloy; the erase head is ferrite. A single DC motor powers the transport.
Separate concentric controls for the microphone and line inputs permit source mixing. The two elements of these controls, which serve to adjust channel balances, rotate independently; the MASTER control increases or fades the recording level of both channels at once (a welcomed feature!) The recording level appears on two large averaging meters that are clearly illuminated by backlighting, the "safe" area (-20 to 0 dB) in blue and the "danger" area (0 to +6 dB) in red.
The meters are aided by a pair of peak-responding LEDs that trigger at about -10 on the meter, depending on the high-frequency content of the program material. Either the input signal or that from the tape can be routed to the output via the MONITOR switch, the mode being indicated by another pair of LEDs. The multiplex filter can be defeated via a rear-panel slide switch.
The cassette-loading mechanism operates smoothly, and the front door can be removed for fairly good access to the heads for cleaning and demagnetization. You can go directly from a fast-wind mode to PLAY without pressing the STOP, but we would discourage such practice, because the deck can throw a tape loop under these conditions and might jam. The pause introduces no audible click but does create a short-lived speed perturbation.
Although there are many types of cassette tapes available, TDK SA is highly recommended as per many online tests performed with various tapes.
Specs: (after recap)
Type: 3-head, single compact cassette deck
Track System: 4-track, 2-channel stereo
Tape Type: type I, FeCr, CrO2
Noise Reduction: B
Signal to Noise Ratio: 54dB
Wow and Flutter: 0.05%
Dimensions: 17.5"W x 5.75"H x 11.7"D
Weight: 16 lbs
