4400 in the house :)

I love the 4400 look, different than any other receiver due to the square push controls. I had one for about a year but replaced it with a 2500. Wish I could keep my 4400 being restored but already have 5 different receivers with speakers so out of room.

Best of luck with it!
 
I love the 4400 look, different than any other receiver due to the square push controls. I had one for about a year but replaced it with a 2500. Wish I could keep my 4400 being restored but already have 5 different receivers with speakers so out of room.

Best of luck with it!
Thanks! I used to work at a hi-fi chain in Massachusetts called Tech hi fi in the early 80's and bought a 2500 that had been taking up space in a back room that they wanted to get rid of for $175...sooo nice! Weighed a ton...I'll never forget trying to pick it up and panicking when I got my finger stuck underneath it and couldn't get it out, it had no case so all that weight was distributed onto that sharp edge on the bottom...I was hooked "literally" right then, I knew it had to sound amazing...wish I still had it...the girl I was living with way back then is the sick friend I later learned needed help, so I sold my 4400s a while back (9 years, ago)...gotta have priorities...I managed to get one now, though, but she doesn't know it, yet.:biggrin: ...btw, does your 2500 have a wooden case? I'm sure it's really beautiful.
 
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The 2500 has the 3 piece wood case, dlb-1 decoder, original owners manual, tech manual and several original brochures. I also had it fully restored including replacing the fan. I use to power my Marantz M-16 speakers. Fortunate and blessed I am.
 
2500 and M-16
 

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The 2500 has the 3 piece wood case, dlb-1 decoder, original owners manual, tech manual and several original brochures. I also had it fully restored including replacing the fan. I use to power my Marantz M-16 speakers. Fortunate and blessed I am.
Yikes! That 2500 is breathtaking! Yeah, I had the original manual to one 4400 (still do, somewhere) and a couple of nice photos, but can't find them...only when I'm not looking for them, not that I do, really..just wanted to compare them to the one I'm getting in a couple of days...I know it's not even close, though.:(...hopefully it'll sound just as good...hooking it up to a couple of Klipsch Fortes, so it should be O.K.
 
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Chris Ready from Boothwyn, PA specializes in the 4400. Has done probably close to a 100+ of them. Did my 4400 years ago, very happy with outcome. If you plan on keeping the unit long term you have to restore it.

Very complex unit to restore. A board by board rebuild would be very expensive in shipping.

Good luck. 3rd most expensive receiver by Marantz during the 70’s.
He knows them inside and out. I was just there with one ( not mine ) . Every thing I have given him has worked well
. He’s that good imo.
 
No doubt but it won’t last, every stock 4400 is ticking away and will eventually fail- so many parts that can give up the ghost in them.
 
Having a bit of a problem with my 4400 I picked up a couple of weeks ago...after receiving it, it powered up and looked O.K. (all lights and scope worked), but I wasn't able to immediately test it properly, only by using a couple of old speakers that would not be able to handle much power. There was a death in my family (my mother) and my priorities changed...I no longer had the time or motivation to move it into the room with my huge Klipsch speakers, so I delayed it until about a week, ago...so, now, with the Klipsch speakers, which can handle practically anything, when I attempt to get any sort of substantial volume, especially with a decent amount of bass, it breaks up, makes crackling noises and the amp itself emits popping sounds...but only past a certain level....sounds O.K. at a low volume, though. I have no idea what would cause this, the two I owned previously worked perfectly with the same Klipsch speakers, but the seller I got this one from claimed "everything works and it sounds great!"...not true, obviously...he specified "no returns, so look closely at pictures, what you see is what you get"...how could I tell what it would sound like from pictures? Anyway, any suggestions? Thanks.
 
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First I’d start off by putting it in 4x4 mode and run it to see if one of the 4 speakers do it. Don’t use the Klipsch to trouble shoot - if you only have 2 speakers besides the Klipsch just rotate between front and rear.
 
I have 4 speakers set up right now, but I didn't intend on using all 4....you want me to see if drawing less power from the receiver will effect it by using one speaker, right? I've checked to see if it does what I was describing using either set separately, and it does...it's as if it cannot provide enough power for either pair, not just the Klipsch....I'll try just one...pretty sure it won't make a difference, though...thanks.

Update: Yup, still breaks up, snaps, crackles and pops at relatively low volumes, but less when low end is limited, even when only one speaker is isolated...not feeling good about crackling coming from the amp, itself, not just the speakers...I'm wondering if restoration is even an option and how costly it would be...I'd also like to get an opinion on what could cause those symptoms, if possible, so I'd know if I should just shut it off until I figure out if I'm risking further damage by using it at all. Not feeling too good about my purchase, at this point...I figured with cosmetic issues being slightly worse than I originally expected, (the scope has a dead spot in the center, the square buttons used for adjusting balance are not only missing, but metal pieces they attach to are both broken off, cabinet has noticeable damage not detectable from photos, etc., etc.) and having paid over a thousand dollars already (full asking price), I figured it would have been nice if it at least sounded good...that's O.K., much worse things have happened recently...anyway, thanks for responding so quickly, earlier, too.
 
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So is it doing this in all 4 speakers? What I’m trying to figure out is power supply, preamp, amps. Is the cracking sound coming from the unit without speakers connected? I’m confused by the description. Maybe a video would help.
 
FWIW, a 4400 found its way to me a short while ago.

Worked a little during pickup, didn’t work when acquired.

Turned out that the bridge rectifier had played its last during the demo. The bridge rectifier in those is a completely disappointing piece of crap for something as magnificent as the 4400.

I tore out the BS diode bridges and droped in a nice beefy heavy duty full wave bridge. A slight modification to the mounting bracket to turn it around and a little wiring are she now has all the power she could ever want.

I posted a thread here somewhere about the fix.

I recommend every 4400 get that done first.
 
So is it doing this in all 4 speakers? What I’m trying to figure out is power supply, preamp, amps. Is the cracking sound coming from the unit without speakers connected? I’m confused by the description. Maybe a video would help.

What's basically happening is when I try to put the volume up past a certain point EVERY (and any individual) channel begins to shut down intermittently, distort, make loud popping sounds, etc...and it occurs at a lower volume if there's more bass added...seems the more demand on the receiver, the more pronounced it is...like it's clipping, and I'm certain it would damage my speakers if I let it continue. And, yes, the receiver ITSELF is making crackling noises the louder I turn up the volume, so it's more noticeable if I just send power to my Klipsch which are located in the next room...so, I'm reluctant to do this, of course...if there are no speakers attached (or I shut off the speaker selection button), there's no problem...no sound, but no crackling....the more power that the amp attempts to provide, the worse it sounds and would probably result in damaging my speakers, possibly the amp, and who knows...seems like something's frying in there, maybe my house? Those old Marantz receivers get hot enough to practically burn your hand if you rest it on the metal grating after a few hours...it seems like it's coming from the back end where it's more open and sounds like it's shorting out or something.... I've never seen an amplifier of any kind do this...I assume the more I do it, the more damage I could cause, so I'm reluctant to push it past that point for more than a couple of seconds, so making a video is probably not a great idea, I would think...
 
My bet it a leg on the diode bridge in the power supply has failed and the cracking is the arcing on that leg.

Quit using it and get it repaired.

Shipping to US is out of the question.
$$$$!

Get in line to have Brad (bktheking) fix it.

Spend the bank account and enjoy it the rest of your life.
 
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