MARANTZ 140 power amps and MARANTZ 3200 preamp
- Thread starter Joseph5151
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Joseph5151
New Member
I really apprct. all the input. I think Im going to hook up the dream with splitters as suggested and just run a set of the speakers from each amp. Running the speaker cables from the amps to the speakers. Ill also be using the Macintosh MQ104 equalizer for the lows. Seems like the best setup to use bot units. Thanks again for all the help. This forum is great. At some point Im going to probably go to all McIntosh gear. I just love the look of the old Marantz stuff.
spark1
Lunatic Member
That would be the only way to use both pairs of speakers. You would not want to run both pairs to a single 104; in that scenario, the impedance would drop down to 4 ohms...not good for that amp.
I assume you know that the "correct" procedure is to power up the preamp, then the power amps. Reverse when powering down. Good luck...hope the Mcintosh speakers sound good with your amps.
Joseph5151
New Member
Thank you all again for all the info. Im going to use RCA splitters and run both amps with 1 set of speakers per amp. Sounds like the best way to do it. Also will be using the McIntosh MQ104 for the bass. I probably should of went with all McIntosh gear but I just love the look of the old Marantz units. Thanks for all the info again. Great Forum...
Depending on the locations of the speakers with respect to room boundaries (ie: walls, corners etc), you may want to consider an additional MQ. The MQ104 has programmable filters for the mids and highs which I do not believe are defeatable. This is accomplished by a kit of resistors originally supplied with the MQ104 and requires a bit of advanced skills to program it correctly to the environment.
Rather than get bogged down with all that, I would suggest the basic MQ102 (preferably a pair of them) which is significantly less expensive and will simply control the low frequency curve in order to obtain flat bass response from the speakers, without influencing the mid & upper registers.
If the speakers are located in room corners, the EQ is not needed with the ML2C, ie: If one speaker is in the corner, the EQ setting corresponding to that speaker channel should be at "1" which has no effect. If the other speaker is placed at a wall (not in corner), the setting for that channel would be at "2" or "3". Maximum boost is at 5 which I believe is +12 dB (@ 20 Hz).
Keep in mind the higher settings will dramatically increase the amount of power that the amplifier will be expected to deliver. In other words, "5" setting will be 8x the output (wattage) of the "1" setting - depending on how high the bass content in the music.
Rather than get bogged down with all that, I would suggest the basic MQ102 (preferably a pair of them) which is significantly less expensive and will simply control the low frequency curve in order to obtain flat bass response from the speakers, without influencing the mid & upper registers.
If the speakers are located in room corners, the EQ is not needed with the ML2C, ie: If one speaker is in the corner, the EQ setting corresponding to that speaker channel should be at "1" which has no effect. If the other speaker is placed at a wall (not in corner), the setting for that channel would be at "2" or "3". Maximum boost is at 5 which I believe is +12 dB (@ 20 Hz).
Keep in mind the higher settings will dramatically increase the amount of power that the amplifier will be expected to deliver. In other words, "5" setting will be 8x the output (wattage) of the "1" setting - depending on how high the bass content in the music.
Joseph5151
New Member
That is great info. Im going to return the 104 and try to find a 102 just to have. There does not seem to be any out there to buy. Speakers will be in corners of the room to by the way. Thank you again. m
If they're in corners, the equalizer will not be needed.
spark1
Lunatic Member
He does not.
Joseph5151
New Member
That is correct. No duel Posts. I was wondering if I should run a set of Polk RTiA9's with the ml-2's to help with the high end.
Joseph5151
New Member
That good news because they are hard to find. I was wondering your thoughts on running a set of polk RTiA9's with the ml-2's to help with the high end Sound.
Joseph5151
New Member
Going to run each set with one 140.The ML2C is 8 ohm - not 4.
Other thread made no mention of two pairs of speakers. Is 4 ohm being claimed because of two 8 ohm in parallel? Very confusing.
Joseph5151
New Member
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I'm not sure how well that would work. Running multiple sets of speakers can blur the stereo image however some listeners feel the benefits outweigh the costs. Only way to find out is to try it.
