What's the deal with old, cheap marantz receivers?

I don't know about the Marantz units but a lot of the vintage tube receivers' phono stages operate optimally at around 5mv from the cartridge (or cartridge/step up combo). Your OM-30 at 3.5 mv would probably work but be too low for these stages.

 

nice , I have been looking for one. actually maybe the 1030 cause of the size. great phono sections I hear.

 

Hell Yeah they last! I'm rockin' out to Hendrix Singles Collection No. 2 right now with my dad's 2270. He bought it new when they came out. Low serial number. I've seen that ad before. I'm sure it did work, but I'd think twice about believing that all the lamps worked. I replaced mine in 2006 and two are already burnt out.

Also, the early production models had problems with the amp circuits burning out. Later ones were redesigned. Apparently mine did fry out on my dad and he had it repaired (with the redesigned parts) so it's fine now. Like the best of both worlds, low numbered, stable parts.
Keep this in mind if you are looking at getting one, make sure you either get a high serial number, or if it's a low number, check to see that it was repaired sometime in the 70's. If not, you'll have a hard time getting it fixed since the parts are no longer in production, and rebuilding it to spec doesn't last long. That's the only difficult part to source apparently, the rest can be replaced with "off the shelf" parts.

Jake

 

Man, I miss the pre-Internet '90s when everyone was ditching their Marantz units for shiny black JVC and "Fisher" rack systems. Those of us in the know were picking up their old gear for $15 a pop and manically laughing all the way home from the thrift store. At various times I had a 2230 in my main system, a 2015 in the bedroom, an HK 330b in the rehearsal space and a 2440(?) serving as a PA system. The latter was kind of an odd duck, designed to amp the back pair of speakers in a quad setup. It had a built-in quad decoder, but I never got my act together enough to actually set it up as a full quad system. Too busy chasing loose women and setting stuff on fire.

 

I was in a thrift store here in Phoenix two summers ago. I picked up a NAD 5255 CD player for $3.95 because the drawer didn't open. Fixed that with a rubberband since NAD said they couldn't supply the proper belt. I decided to keep going in there, figuring if they had an NAD (and who knows how much of a potential system I missed), they must get other good stuff, too. A couple weeks later, I walked in and found a 2216 for $14.95. I bought that. I've always loved the classic look of them - a couple of the bulbs were out, some gouges on the left side of the faceplate and scratches on top. I cleaned it up and used it for a couple of weeks. Why did I stop? I went back into the shop and saw nothing. On my way out, I walked on the other side of a counter and saw the back plate of a Marantz receiver sitting on a shelf near the floor. I said, "Whoa. That has a lot more inputs and outputs than mine does." I bent down to look at it. One of the employees came over and said it's not for sale - it's already been sold. It was a 2270 - with the engraved faceplate and a 4-digit serial number (2073). During my research for the 2216, I found out that it was one pricey unit, and highly reviewed on audioreview.com. I asked, "If it's sold, then why is it still here?" The woman replied, "Someone came in earlier, but he went to get cash." I left. I was pretty upset that I missed it - considering the store had only been open a half-hour before I came in and I was there just before closing the prior evening. I went back that afternoon, since they usually drop more stuff around noon, and saw it was still there. The same woman saw me again and she said, "That guy hasn't come back. You wanna buy it?" To which I emphatically responded, "Most definately!" I was out the door with a near-mint 2270 for $21.32 including tax.

It has one bulb out and I don't want to change it myself since it is so much more complicated than the 2216. I love the sound. I never use tone controls, so they're always at 12 o'clock. I listed it for sale a while back since I'm making the move to tubes (just bought an Audio Research VS55), but I changed my mind on selling it. The story is just too good. Plus, I need a preamp until I can decide what I want for the VS55. Even once that is decided, it will hang around as my vintage solid state system. It does a fabulous job with the KEF Reference 104/2s. You can say I'm crazy or have no ears, but it beats the hell out of most things I've heard recently. I'm trying to find a nice WC-22 case for it. If anyone can point me in the direction of one (other than eBay), PM me.

Other vintage Marantz stuff I've had included a 1030 Integrated I bought from a guy at a coffee bar for $15. I gave that to a friend and it's still in service (slight hum, and I didn't need it). I also had a 5220 cassette deck I sold to a guy in Italy for $90 plus $65 shipping (actual shipping). Lastly, a 6350 turntable sold to a guy for $200 on Craigslist in Portland. He rode the bus over to pick it up. It was so nice, that concerned me, so I had him wait while I put together a suitible box with packing for him to take it home.

 

I still have a fully operating NAD PE 2200 amp. The subsequent higher end Monitor Series models were very good too and I have the 1700 preamp/tuner and 2100 amp. They were all made in Japan. Most of NAD products are now Chinese-made, including the MasterSeries. I missed those good old days since I no longer buy any NAD equipments.

 

They are probably all made in the same factories in China, regardless of the brands.

 

I think the first receivers/preamps that claimed to be digital-ready did not hit the market until the early 80's. Those vintage Marantz receivers were at least 7 to 10 years older.

 

My kid brother recently won an eBay auction on a near-mint 2226...after a bit of cleaning inside and out, and replacing the bulbs, this old receiver sounds spectacular with even SACDs and DVD-As! Someday I'd like to hook it up to my system and try it out with my SL-1700MK2 since my bro no longer listens to vinyl.

 

I have a 2226 as above. The Mono and Hi Filter, even when not messed with, makes one of the speakers cut in and out but otherwise it is great shape. Just today I hooked it up as a pre-amp instead of my Audio Research LS9 just to see how it would do. Not bad... not bad at all.

Pat

 

My 2270 rocks with everything I throw at it including CD and computer sound card. Left channel sometimes distort on the headphones, but I'm sure that's easy to fix.

 

I grew up with a 2238b in the house, which I just inherited from my dear old dad, and I've always been partial to its sound. Had to clean up the volume pot, but everything else is dandy and it really sounds great no matter what I put through it.

 

Just out of curiosity how do the vintage Pioneer integrated amps compare to the marantz ones??

 

I wouldn't know about vintage Pioneer, but I found out tonight my kid brother just put his clean 2226 on eBay...says he needs to sell some gear for other audio adventures (whatever that means...kids these days), and with a HT receiver and a tube amp, he just doesn't need the Marantz any longer:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Marantz...oryZ3279QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Damn, if I didn't have such a tight budget right now, I'd buy it from him! Unfortunantly, I can't spare the change...but this receiver is nice and definately worthy of ownership (he does take very good care of his components, as well as I do).

 

One piece I would never let go is my 2226. I'm using it with a model 250 amp and a pair of JBL L16's. The phono section and pre on the 2226 is worth the price of admission.

The title of this thread is killin' me.

 

And just to put the value that these Marantz receivers offer into numbers:

A Marantz 2270 that cost $594 in 1973 would cost $2605.24 in 2007 according to inflation calculators.

 

But the $594 model back in 73 was probably overpriced since the audio market was less competitive with less pricing pressure compared with today.

 

Yes and no.

The "mainstream" market is more competitive and the unit profitability is less. But the high end market is far more well developed and it is one in which products are arbitrarily priced at a level the affluent consumer expects and the cosmetics and advertising are used to build up to that perceived worthiness.


Solid state Marantz receivers are popular with a nostalgia market of sorts and have a value that has nothing to do with sound.

They are not necessarily bad products at all but you need to understand they need to be gone through and that some parts may not be available if there is a failure.

Switches and pots especially can be tough. Also, some models used potted solid state modules for output sections. Not only are they no longer available, they did not sound very good.

When well set up and fully working they provide good FM reception and reasonable sound especially through lower efficiency speakers when less volume is needed. They exemplify the harsh low level 70s solid state sound that started the return to tubes.

 

I am loving my Marantz 2226. I actually like the sound using it as a pre-amp better than my Audio Research LS9 pre. Call me crazy I guess but the music is more "involving", for lack of a better word, with my 2226. I am receiving a Marantz 240 Amp tomorrow to see how that sounds when matted with the 2226. Right now I have my Audio Research D130 powering the 2226.

Pat

 

I'm a bit confused, but I thought Marantz took a big step down when they were bought by Superscope, which I thought was around 1972 or 73. Yet I heard recently that Superscope was involved much earlier than that.

Regardless, my 2270 was bought in 71 and it was very good sonically. I used it for both my home stereo, easily driving my AR3a's, and with a pair of Altec A7's which I used for my college band's PA. The 2270 drove those speakers extremely well, much to my surprise, and of course allowed me to do stereo PA.

It was my belief at the time that the 2270's made after 73 were not nearly as good for a variety of reasons.

Regardless of this, I'd say that my 2270 was far better sounding than any receiver I ever heard from Pioneer, Sansui, Kenwood, or any of the other mainstream brands. The only thing I thought that came close, back in 1971, was the AR receiver. Of course, I've heard many members here speak well of some of those other receivers, so who is to say.

 

Yes, Superscope certainly improved nothing, but the designs were US for quite a while. The stuff the Marantz engineers designed was well engineered given the available build budget. Marantz engineers adapted to solid state early on and their early solid state US stuff, when updated a little, is still very respectable.

 

I have a couple pieces of vintage gear myself and have come to the same conclusion.

I'd go as far as saying, it would get pretty expensive if you were trying to buy a piece of current gear to match some of the Marantz stuff. Regardless of measured performance, I'm amazed at how well it compares to mid to hi contemporary equipment.

 

There is no doubt a vintage Marantz receiver has a much better tuner section than most modern-day receivers except those very high-end ones.

 

I used one for 7 years and it had a great phono stage and excellent tuner. The sound you get just pluging a CD player into it is middle of the road by today's standards. Plus the power consumption is insane.

 

For those forum members who have given up on CD's completely, such vintage receiver may just be the ticket to warm analog sound.