Marantz Prices

[buckaroo59]

When the old original parts are working correctly they sound the best to me. Anytime you add new parts you add a bit of "newness" to the sound of the amp. Sometimes the change is very obvious, sometimes not; all depending on the part and the listener. Whether this sounds better or worse is very subjective, but often enough you gotta have new parts to make the amp function correctly.

I should add that physical appearance has as much to do with an amps selling price as does originality of parts, perhaps even more than the originality of the electronic parts. IMO, finding all original vintage Marantz amps is becoming more of a challenge than in the past. A buyer today should consider that most purchases of older gear today will either come with some newer parts or may soon require some newer parts.

Whatever the amp's condition and originality, what matters in the end is whether or not you like the sound of the amp and can accept the dollar amount that you have tied up in it. Buy wisely, and always keep in mind what you might be able to sell the amp for, because the day may come that you want to sell it just as badly as you want to buy it right now.

 

[Steven Tate]

The reason I buy into the full recap notion is that electrolytic caps are the most likely component to drift away from spec after 40 years. By replacing them, my goal is to protect the original semiconductors from non-spec voltages. Original semiconductors are often hard to find, or require non-exact substitutes, which may change the sound. And the sound does change after 40 years from general cap aging. One reason I believe this - subjectively, for sure - is that I had three Marantz receivers that I bought new in the 70's, and sold by the early 90's. I then went 25 years without one when my interest was renewed and I bought several working ones off of eBay. I knew what new Marantz receivers sounded like, and these were all dull sounding to me. Lows too muddy and no brilliance on the top end. Replacing caps absolutely opened those sounds back up. Did it go exactly back to where it started 40 years ago? I can't say for sure, but I believe it was close, and I believe my transistors and diodes have a much better chance of lasting another 40 years.

 

[buckaroo59]

....And the sound does change after 40 years from general cap aging....

Couldn't agree more! In some cases, that "aged" sound can be desired. In some cases not. In the end though, any part that is "out of spec and could potentially damage" the circuit in some way is a part that qualifies for replacement. There are varying degrees of conservatism that folks deploy when changing caps especially. Some change them all out. Some are very conservative and only change the obviously degraded caps. I am not advocating which philosphy is better really. Just that adding new parts may have sonic effects that a listener may discern. It is up to the listener to decide if those changes are better or worse.

 

[KutzlerTrans]

I get the " only dummys buy stuff on ebay"
I only get it because i'm one of them.
I watch prices and demand. Looking at completed items, its rare to find a deal. Ebay now tells sellers how much they should list stuff for and that ruined getting any deals on ebay.
I have about 15 marantz units that i paid fair market value for when i bought them. Most every one of them increased in value by a third since then.
Am i stupid for pa ying fair market value? No more foolish than buying krugerrands.
Its a matter of location. When i lived in the city, i wod come across deals every so often. Now that i live in a rural area, its justabout impossible to find one, but i did find a marantz 2330 for $100 buy placing an add in the paper.
So, here is the way i judge what is foolish.
Do i want it?
How much is it worth?
Can i get my money back if i resell it, includingy shipping cost.?
Can i fix it if its busticated?
Is it considered rare or in demand?
Do i have a car payment or do i drive an old shitbox that runs good?
And the most important...Is my wife away visiting her mom?

If my answer is YES to all these questions, then its a matter of how fast i can hit that
"Buy it NOW" button.

 

[KLH9]

 

[Dingman]

So mebbe I need to start unloading some hoarded M-stuff (see, we'll have to stop saying "marantz" lest we get hounded, LOL) ???

Meh, I guess I don't care what the prices are. I've got enough gear to keep me entertained for the rest of my life. That doesn't mean I wouldn't sell some things someday (everyone note, this is not a sneaky pre-sale post!), but I'm certainly happy with the gear that I have and prices be damned.

 

[Basalt]

So, recap perfectly working original or not? Does that make the value go up or down?

If not doing it yourself, how much should one expect to pay?

 

[Bert 1100]

Valeur = up IF not only recap but a proper full restore is done with good parts. (Not only caps but some transistors and diodes and more...)
ANd yes to recap (and more.....) of a perfectly working original. (We are talking here of mid-seventies solid-state.....sixties tube Marantz is another story altogether !)

 

[audionut373]

And the most important...Is my wife away visiting her mom?

You too, huh?

 

[Blue Shadow]

So, recap perfectly working original or not? Does that make the value go up or down?

If not doing it yourself, how much should one expect to pay?

Small amp a couple hundred, a big receiver a couple three times that, depending on all the work needed. Just ball park numbers since it doesn't seem many folks talk about actually paying a specific amount for a certain unit to be rebuilt.

 

[LFazio51]

IMO one of the central most important issues surrounding restoration, if not learning to execute this process personally, is locating a qualified service company you can trust. Depending on ones location, this can be a tough proposition as the amount of companies offering these services is shrinking. This is also one of the key factors driving the cost of restoration.

 

[tarior]

I have often wondered if a classic Marantz would sound the same after an upgrade to new caps, etc. I would think that the changing to modern parts would cause a change in the sound. I had a Marantz 2238B that I purchased on Ebay about 7 or 8 years ago for $225 and it was near mint condition! Unfortunately, it died ( one channel stopped working), about 2 years after I purchased it and I could not afford to repair it so I sold it for parts. :-(

P.S.
Steven, I have been around for 72 years so I know what you say!

Sad thing is it was probably just a dirty switch or relay contact.

 

[tarior]

Has anyone here upgraded a classic Marantz with new parts and noticed a difference in the sound?

Sometimes they have a little better clarity, and quieter background. That's about it. The characteristic sound is pretty much the same.

 

[audionut373]

IMO one of the central most important issues surrounding restoration, if not learning to execute this process personally, is locating a qualified service company you can trust. Depending on ones location, this can be a tough proposition as the amount of companies offering these services is shrinking. This is also one of the key factors driving the cost of restoration.

I agree! If you have to ship your gear for a rebuild the shipping could be astronomical!

 

[tarior]

Shipping is spendy and a giant PITA. It's why I stopped accepting shipped in work about 5 years ago.

 

[Basalt]

Yup - I've been looking in the Sacramento, CA Area and almost all reviews are either great, or horrible. Always seem to take months, and may or may not actually do anything. With my mostly working great original (my father's) 2285B, I don't want to take a chance with those odds. I don't mind spending the $$, but I need to know it is going to be worth while! Shipping I fear the most as so much can go wrong including disappearing completely.

 

[Blue Shadow]

. I don't mind spending the $$, but I need to know it is going to be worth while! Shipping I fear the most as so much can go wrong including disappearing completely.

Shipping is up to the person shipping the unit to get the unit packaged properly. Once this is done the unit will arrive in the same shape as when it was packed. In the rare instance the unit is hit by a fork lift or the truck crashes and burns to the ground, the unit will have proper valuation (not insurance, ask the carrier) to go buy a replacement (less nostalgia) in at least as nice a condition. It is up to the person packing the unit to ensure the unit arrives in good shape. Almost every 'shipping catastrophe' I have seen reported on AK as shipping damage is the result of poor packaging.

Getting it done local is a better idea, even carrying it to a tech a number of hours away. Unfortunately many techs fix gear but don't do full restorations as those are expensive to set up and lots of work to collect the information needed just to order the correct parts. The amount of time from the typical tech is not something the typical customer wants to pay for. This is the reason to find one that does restorations. They know the ropes of the work and this saves them hours, not minutes in getting the parts and slapping them in the unit and then setting the unit up like new.

Good luck.

 

[Dingman]

2 out of 3 times repair shops failed to repair for me. I was willing to pay, but only one shop here in town was able to repair my 250 amp.
One said it was repaired and that lasted for about 20 minutes before it blew again.

I repair my own now. Results have been pretty good.

 

[Djcoolray]

Yep....

Everything is based upon what you are willing to do and the easy way out is often just a costly limitation !!!

 

[carbonti]

Yep....

Everything is based upon what you are willing to do and the easy way out is often just a costly limitation !!!

I don’t agree. What you describe here as an ”easy way out” which I construe is your way of saying overpaying for vintage gear rather than searching out a hidden gem somewhere through your hard work and diligence. But what you are describing is IMO buying in a market for vintage Marantz, or virtually any desirable vintage good, that does not exist any more. Free markets always develop and mature with the results that are always reflected in the prevailing market price.

It’s great that you think you can find stuff that’s undervalued. But the cat’s long outta the bag about scoring good gear because somebody somehow doesn’t know what he’s got. That kind of market no longer exists anywhere that has been touched by the internet. Because any manner of hard work won’t uncover what isn’t there to be had.