my first marantz

yotems

Well-Known Member
i spent the week thinking about a marantz hat i saw on ebay and how cool it looks and how much i liked it.. i knew i didnt have any marantz gear but i certainly respected the ones i had heard. i have pioneer gear and the same seller has pioneer hats but considering their larger presence in car audio, that hat just doesnt make the same statement. i have NEC gear but no ones makin NEC hats.. even if they did who would even know what the hell it meant? next to no one thats who. i decided to buy the marantz hat and really look forward to its arrival.

a few hours later someone messages me about an amp i have for sale they end up passing on for an awesome package deal with speakers, sub, receiver, etc for cheap they found, when they informed me of a few things they had for sale..

a seasoned 2226b in what will be about 8/10 condition after a real good cleaning.. i already like this thing too much

and a pair of dr120 speakers.. there is nearly nothing for information online for these speakers but they seem pretty good. the crossovers have quite a bit of stuff on em and they are quite sturdy/heavy pieces. the midrange cones are torn so they arent all there yet sound wise but i found NOS ones on ebay. the attenuators for mids and tweeter need cleaned, but when i did get sound out of em through a not so special amp (testing purposes) they still could reproduce sound that my other speakers couldnt so im pretty excited to get them sorted out. i got one of the speaker cabinets cleaned pretty nicely and it looks pretty badass.

i picked this stuff up because i knew i could get rid of the 2226b to really make the speakers a good deal but damnit, i havent even cleaned/heard this thing and i already want to keep it

i most likely will :music:
 
People sure like those old Marantz units. I have several myself, but no 2226B's - in fact, no "B" models here at all. But again, they are well liked.

Congrats.
 
You won’t find any complaints around here about the 2226b. It’s sweet sounding when paired with the right speakers. Not familiar with dr120’s, but basically, you’re looking for some fairly efficient speakers with the modest power of the 2226b. Enjoy it!
 
the DR120’s are apparently a totl speaker marantz offered from 1982-1985. they seem to be some pretty sensitive speakers and they were already paired with the 2226b. im guessing the “b” models are indicitive of the transition into the 80’s as the outputs are the blue and black nec batwing outputs vs the older round germanium outputs. i can only imagine that may be why they arent as popular as the models “pre B”

maybe im wrong though?
 
The b models are generally late 70’s era and highly regarded. I don’t think they are second class citizens to the non-b and they are much more highly regarded than the 80’s era units among vintage collectors.
 
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one speaker i got pretty well and cleaned short of deoxit treatment on the attenuators, and one hasnt been touched. receiver hasnt been touched. it does turn on though. only significant blemishes are two dents on volume side of faceplate, top and side. top isnt that noticeable, side kind of is.

polydax midrange drivers.. ive got two NOS ones coming from ebay.. hopefully they last a while. i also found some nice and clean/dentless tweeters on ebay. if i can pull that dent out of the dust cap on that woofer that would make my life easier as well.. i may have to just get some new woofers though. surrounds arent bad because these are radioshack replacement woofers.. would a conpany like goldwood likely have a 12” woofer with this screw pattern? seems like a pretty generic woofer
 
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this little bastard sounds incredible. its definitely ranked amongst my best gear. i can see why marantz was the go to product for so many people back then.. they were really ahead of the game!
 
Late chime-in here. Congrats on your 2226B! I have one myself, and though it's my first 70s receiver (I know, I know), I've owned quite a few others, and it is hands-down the best sounding thus far (an A class Yamaha was pretty sweet too). The B models that came with the silver backed tuner face (26, 38, 52, 65, 85) are, in my opinion, the best looking of the whole marantz line. The B series came at the very peak of the audio race - they are not inferior. Not anymore than the Technics 1600-1800 were inferior to the 1300-1500, and about the same years.Those all-silver B's are just plain sexy - they should have a category all to themselves called "industrial art". And as I've heard from so many, the wattage should be based upon your spacial and volume requirements. If you are filling a smaller space, and listening at moderate volumes, that thing is going to sound better - hitting its stride - than many of the big boys. Gorgeous receiver. My kids will get mine when I die - only way it's ever leaving me. Congrats.
 
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Congratualtions. I fell in love with them at a store in my neighborhood across the street from Macalester College when I was 12 years old. 47 years later I still loved them. My first one was a 4060 quad mated to JBL 100's in 1976.
 
Late chime-in here. Congrats on your 2226B! I have one myself, and though it's my first 70s receiver (I know, I know), I've owned quite a few others, and it is hands-down the best sounding thus far (an A class Yamaha was pretty sweet too). The B models that came with the silver backed tuner face (26, 38, 52, 65, 85) are, in my opinion, the best looking of the whole marantz line. The B series came at the very peak of the audio race - they are not inferior. Not anymore than the Technics 1600-1800 were inferior to the 1300-1500, and about the same years.Those all-silver B's are just plain sexy - they should have a category all to themselves called "industrial art". And as I've heard from so many, the wattage should be based upon your spacial and volume requirements. If you are filling a smaller space, and listening at moderate volumes, that thing is going to sound better - hitting its stride - than many of the big boys. Gorgeous receiver. My kids will get mine when I die - only way it's ever leaving me. Congrats.


just went through a test on these dr120 speakers in a big room between the 2226b, an NEC a-910 36lb 100wpc beast, and a marantz pm-8004 integrated in a big wood floor room where the a-910’s power really earns its keep. the 2226b moved the woofers more than the pm-8004 did and had very rich mids/highs to boot. this is with all of them at flat EQ and no loudness for the 2226b. i have to imagine an 85b or even the 65b would be a real treat in this room considering the way the 26b sounds
 
I have a 2226B that I acquired with a bunch of other vintage equipment the guy refused to separate. I figured that I could sell the 26B to more than make up the difference of what I didn't want/did want, but once I cleaned it and played it, it's somehow still around ;)

I have it hooked to a set of the Pioneer BS-22 speakers and it runs those like an absolute champ.

I've now got 3 of the "B" receivers. I do love the way they look.
 
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