Marantz 2230... I'm starting to believe the hype!

Jstang, Thanks for the feedback (no "pun" intended), that would make sense to have the OPT inside the feedback loop of a tube amplifier (classic "Wilson" design). I certainly love the look of a vintage tube amp, there are few things in the world more beautiful than a pair of glowing 300Bs in a dimly lit room on a cool winter night.

It would be weird to think that more than just the ears are required to truly appreciate an audio amplifier. I'll have to think about that some more.
 
Not sure how Williamson played into the invention of negative feedback, but I am pretty sure Bell labs and Western Electric had a lot to do with the creation of feedback circuits in the early part of 20th century... Mainly for long distance telephone service, if I have that right. Think they held the patents years ago back 1920s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Stephen_Black

But that Williamson doc seems to do a good job of explaining the role of feedback. Output coupling caps , crossovers and the speakers themselves are out side the loop and OPTs are in....

Analoghack said:
Ooops, I meant "Williamson" amplifier with the classic application of up to 30dB of negative feedback.

http://www.radiomuseum.org/protect-path.cfm?kind=P1&image_id=61&pdf=the_williamson_amplifier.pdf
Click to expand...
 
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Yeah, Harold Black invented the negative feedback amplifier. Williamson just set the standard for High Fidelity audio amplifiers using (approximately) 20dB of negative feedback to achieve very low THD, flat response, and relatively low output impedance (damping factor).

It would be nice to get my hands on a classic Heathkit W4-AM Williamson-type amplifier but I believe they're hard to come by.
 
But Mr. Black was from New Jersey....and he was first. So there...he gets my vote....:D
 
That Mr. Black was cool! Getting back to my Thrift Store Marantz 2230, I've been looking for threads on the best way to make the receiver shine-like-new (the electronic enhancements will have to come later). I'm thinking that some cleaners would be bad and could possibly damage the finish.

Any suggestions?
 
Black lived a couple towns over from me and Saul Marantz lived near by too, up to his passing.

I wish I could say I a met them... But I never did.... Did meet some other famous folks from the gold age... All those guys were blessed to have been involved back then. They did some great work... Where was Williamson from?

Very mild soap and water... But do a search , sure you will find many posts.

Jk
 
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There were many great contributors to the art and science of audio over the years, too many to name here but Marantz was certainly one of them. Williamson was from England; as I understand it, he worked for a tube company (or "Valve" company) as an applications engineer.

Thanks to both you guys for the good advice on cleaning a 2230, right now it's a diamond-in-the-rough.
 
Very enjoyable, if old thread!

I have a Marantz 2230 (purchased some 20+ years ago for $50) that has plenty of power. In my 14'w x 21'l x 8'h living room (my secondary system), it drives my Boston Acoustic A60's (90 dbl @1w @ 1 m) far louder than I need, whether Classic Rock, Jazz, or Orchestral. I find the combination to have great synergy, and clarity as well.

My JBL L-100's (89 dbl @1w @ 1m) also work well with the Marantz 2230, but they are normally in my music room attached to the primary system, a Pioneer SX-950 (85 wpc @ 8 ohms).

I like both receivers very much.
 
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Great thread, Nice read. I had a 2230 years ago and sold it. Yesterday morning I got another at an estate sale. I cleaned the pots and switches and it sounds GREAT! I won't be selling this one!IMG_0001.JPG IMG_0002.JPG
 
20230217_195133[1].jpg First post here so this thread seemed an appropriate place for it. I was a bit surprised to read through this entire thread and see the history and debates of the 2230...

I bought my 2230 new December, 28, 1976 from Wander Sales in Pittsburgh, Pa. (I have the original sales receipt) on sale for $249.99 pre-tax (regularly $299.99). I was a freshman in college, this was my first audio purchase, and that was all I could afford. I was a bit surprised to learn in this thread that apparently, I purchased a new left-over stock model that hadn't been in production in 2 or 3 years (explains the sale price). Little did I know then that 46 years later the 2230 may be considered a classic (at least by some in this thread).

I still have it, the first of MANY audio purchases through the years, it has never left my possession, and have used it extensively. For the last 15-20 years it has seen 24/7 use in my workshop. Cosmetically it is in near perfect condition, but alas it needed a number of obvious things fixed. I decided it was time to have this old girl completely restored (by John Wargo who I found on this forum) and just got it back a few weeks ago. I need to get a full list of work done on the unit, but I spared no expense that I know of and told John to do everything possible. I have yet to listen to the restored sound; I was going to pair it with a set of Klipschorns (located in another house), however I may want to pick up another set of speakers as I don't think that my Khorns will fit where I would like to use this receiver.

There may not be any remaining Marantz 2230 listeners on here anymore, but anyone have any known unquestionably superb speaker pairings that will bring out the best in the 2230?
 
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