Before the modern "Ki" series, the D-1 featured solid, lacquered cherry wood side panels. It looks like a laboratory instrument dressed in a tuxedo.
The analog output section utilizes a Non-Negative Feedback (Non-NFB) design. This approach prevents digital high-frequency noise from being "looped" back into the circuit, which Marantz believed was the primary cause of "cold" or "harsh" digital sound. marantz project d-1
While the industry in the late 90s was sprinting toward 1-bit bitstream technology, the engineering team at Sagamihara chose to look backward to move forward. They returned to the legendary chipsets—widely considered the pinnacle of multibit R2R ladder DACs. Before the modern "Ki" series, the D-1 featured