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Markton MR500 ??

Tony ray

Tony ray

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I went to the local flea market today and ended up having to do several trips back and forth to the truck between getting 4 mini advent speakers, a set of Yamaha NS-A635a (free) and on the way out I spotted two silver face receivers sitting behind a guitar amp. One was a technics sa-200 the guy said didn’t work, and the other was a brand I never heard of which he said did work. I took a chance and gave him $30 bucks for both, then got out of there before I spent more money. Got home and the technics didn’t power up. Will look it over closer later. The Markton fired right up and sounds pretty decent. Could probably use a good cleaning and missing one foot. Listened to it for awhile and surfed the web and found absolutely nothing on any Markton MR500 receiver. On the back it says Japan, but that’s pretty much it, no specs or anything. Has anyone ever heard of it?? Like to at least know the specs.
 

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Makes a person wonder what is on the inside. Have you taken a look under the hood? Defnitely no info on the interwebs.
 
google AI has this.. not much help but I guess it’s something
The
Markton MR-500 receiver was indeed made in Japan, a characteristic shared by many quality vintage audio products from that era.
Markton was one of several Japanese audio equipment manufacturers that produced electronic components during the 1970s and 1980s, a period when "Made in Japan" was synonymous with high-fidelity and reliable construction in the audio world.
The MR-500 is a vintage stereo receiver known for:
  • Solid state construction.
  • Typical power output for home audio systems of its time.
  • Standard features like AM/FM tuning, multiple inputs (phono, aux), and headphone jacks.

While specific detailed specs are scarce online compared to major brands like McIntosh or Marantz, the unit is generally well-regarded by vintage audio enthusiasts for its build quality and performance, typical of Japanese-made equipment of that era.
 
I'm surprised you got that much info from Google AI. It told me that it was probably misidentified. LOL. Of course the info that you got was also quite generic in nature.
 
This now popped up..
Lafayette Radio Corp. did not "own" the company Markton, but rather sold products under the
Marktonbrand name, which was one of their private-label or house brands.
Lafayette Radio, originally known as Wholesale Radio Service Company, used several in-house brand names for their products, which were manufactured by various independent suppliers (often in Japan) to their specifications. Their primary trademarks included "Lafayette", "Trutest", "Symphonic", "Duo Symphonic", and "Criterion".
Markton was another brand name used by Lafayette for a range of electronic equipment, including microphones, headphones, and other audio accessories, which allowed them to offer products under their own labeling alongside other national brands like Pioneer and Sony.
 
Interesting, based on the appearance I did think it somewhat resembled other Lafayette products from the era, but didn't mention it since I had never heard of that name.
 
Tony ray said:
This now popped up..
Lafayette Radio Corp. did not "own" the company Markton, but rather sold products under the
Marktonbrand name, which was one of their private-label or house brands.
Lafayette Radio, originally known as Wholesale Radio Service Company, used several in-house brand names for their products, which were manufactured by various independent suppliers (often in Japan) to their specifications. Their primary trademarks included "Lafayette", "Trutest", "Symphonic", "Duo Symphonic", and "Criterion".
Markton was another brand name used by Lafayette for a range of electronic equipment, including microphones, headphones, and other audio accessories, which allowed them to offer products under their own labeling alongside other national brands like Pioneer and Sony.
Click to expand...
Having worked for Lafayette Radio Electronics for over 20 years, I never heard of Markton nor recall any connection between the name Markton and Lafayette Radio.

When Lafayette moved it's Hi-Fi production to Japan, Trio built all the vacuum tube receivers, amplifiers, and tuners. When they moved over to solid-state Hi-Fi in the late 60's, all receivers, amplifiers, and tuners were manufactured by Planet Research.

The receiver you show does not appear in any Lafayette main or supplement quarterly catalogs.

You said: "Markton was another brand name used by Lafayette for a range of electronic equipment, including microphones, headphones, and other audio accessories, which allowed them to offer products under their own labeling alongside other national brands like Pioneer and Sony"

I cannot find in my reference Lafayette material that "Markton" was ever a house brand or private label name used for any products Lafayette sold.
However, Lafayette Associate stores (and there were many across the U.S.) had the ability to sell Lafayette products but also had the ability to sell anyone else's products that they chose to do.

But more then willing to view info that shows a definite connection between Lafayette Radio and Markton.
 
peteCWA said:
Having worked for Lafayette Radio Electronics for over 20 years, I never heard of Markton nor recall any connection between the name Markton and Lafayette Radio.

When Lafayette moved it's Hi-Fi production to Japan, Trio built all the vacuum tube receivers, amplifiers, and tuners. When they moved over to solid-state Hi-Fi in the late 60's, all receivers, amplifiers, and tuners were manufactured by Planet Research.

The receiver you show does not appear in any Lafayette main or supplement quarterly catalogs.

You said: "Markton was another brand name used by Lafayette for a range of electronic equipment, including microphones, headphones, and other audio accessories, which allowed them to offer products under their own labeling alongside other national brands like Pioneer and Sony"

I cannot find in my reference Lafayette material that "Markton" was ever a house brand or private label name used for any products Lafayette sold.
However, Lafayette Associate stores (and there were many across the U.S.) had the ability to sell Lafayette products but also had the ability to sell anyone else's products that they chose to do.

But more then willing to view info that shows a definite connection between Lafayette Radio and Markton.
Click to expand...
Thanks! With as many different answers I’m getting I’m thinking google AI is full of crap.. it seems the answer is never the same twice. Would have been nice to find some info and specs on it but it might wind up the basement stereo if I dont get rid of it.
 
I had a post up on one of the vintage hifi stereo groups on Facebook and someone recognized the name.. said was from a company that made cbs. When I asked him for more info and how he came about that this was his reply..

Old man stuff. My former neighbor was a ham operator, we saw some of this stuff "markton" he told me it was a CB radio company trying not to go bankrupt, sold through Montgomery ward.... Needless to say it didn't end well. I've got a similar unit, and it has an auto- tune on it. It's electric and spins the dial to a saved station. Pretty damn cool and the only reason I bought it.

Now to see if I can find some Montgomery ward info.. hell i might just have to keep it just because I spend so much time looking for answers!
 
Tony ray said:
I had a post up on one of the vintage hifi stereo groups on Facebook and someone recognized the name.. said was from a company that made cbs. When I asked him for more info and how he came about that this was his reply..

Old man stuff. My former neighbor was a ham operator, we saw some of this stuff "markton" he told me it was a CB radio company trying not to go bankrupt, sold through Montgomery ward.... Needless to say it didn't end well. I've got a similar unit, and it has an auto- tune on it. It's electric and spins the dial to a saved station. Pretty damn cool and the only reason I bought it.

Now to see if I can find some Montgomery ward info.. hell i might just have to keep it just because I spend so much time looking for answers!
Click to expand...
I have no record of any company called Markton in the CB business.
Some names in the CB business starting with "M" include MARS Radio Corp, Mark, Mason, Mectron, Medallion, and even Montgomery Ward(one CB model)
Montgomery Ward went out of business around 2001 but came back later as a online store.

Some manufacturers embossed their name somewhere on the chassis or sometimes, if it was a specialized-type part used in the receiver, their name might appear on it.

Some small time developers back in the late 60's through the 70's, developed unique designs, had a pot of money, and had some Japanese Company manufacturer the product for them. Some products got into notable retailers and many others were sold through wholesalers to whoever had the cash.

You might try reviewing the Advertiser's Index in several late 60's through the 70's Hi-Fi type magazines to see if the name Markton ever appeared as an ad. It might provide a clue if it was a company or just a "made up" name for a parent company.
 
Tony ray said:
I went to the local flea market today and ended up having to do several trips back and forth to the truck between getting 4 mini advent speakers, a set of Yamaha NS-A635a (free) and on the way out I spotted two silver face receivers sitting behind a guitar amp. One was a technics sa-200 the guy said didn’t work, and the other was a brand I never heard of which he said did work. I took a chance and gave him $30 bucks for both, then got out of there before I spent more money. Got home and the technics didn’t power up. Will look it over closer later. The Markton fired right up and sounds pretty decent. Could probably use a good cleaning and missing one foot. Listened to it for awhile and surfed the web and found absolutely nothing on any Markton MR500 receiver. On the back it says Japan, but that’s pretty much it, no specs or anything. Has anyone ever heard of it?? Like to at least know the specs.
Click to expand...
Tony the receiver you have was a house brand receiver in the 1970s I believe sold by Harvey electronics,it was my first receiver and I bought it in 1974 or 5 from a store in Massapequa by on sunrise highway.I unfortunately cannot remember the name of the store for sure but it was a good unit and I had it until I traded up to a pioneer sx 1010 if I remember correctly. IT was not a kit and had nothing to do with Lafayette electronics.
 
purplehaze55 said:
Tony the receiver you have was a house brand receiver in the 1970s I believe sold by Harvey electronics,it was my first receiver and I bought it in 1974 or 5 from a store in Massapequa by on sunrise highway.I unfortunately cannot remember the name of the store for sure but it was a good unit and I had it until I traded up to a pioneer sx 1010 if I remember correctly. IT was not a kit and had nothing to do with Lafayette electronics.
Click to expand...
Thank you!! That’s also too funny because I just go a sx-1010 too! It’s attach shop to see what has to be fixed!
 
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