Marantz 2230 , should i recap for a cleaner sound ?

quadklipsh

Super Member
The two Sansui's i had were a lot better after recapping them . So i wanted my cousin who now owns my older 2230 ,to have it recapped and compare the sound to his musical fidelity A1 with his klipsch speakers . He now has his RB61 IIs paired with the A1 and the heresyIIs with the 2230 .

I shared my experiences with him about how the recapping might clean up the over bloated bass and oomph in the 2230 with about any speakers ....and that the imaging and high frequencies will benefit too.

Say if we get it recapped how much better will the sound get overall. what are the experiences here ???
 
Depends on the condition of the unit to start i think a lot of them still sound great after 40 years. I have had 13 recaps and 1 getting done now ( electrolytics and filters only ) , i just believe in replacing 40 year old electrolytic caps, all of the units except one sounded great to me before recapping, after some didnt sound any better but had a little more punch, some had smoother and better bass and more detail in the highs and more punch, 2 were night and day differences where i went WOW. The big thing is none of them sounded worse after and on the Marantz's that warm Marantz sound was still there.
 
In my experience, a recap never has made an amp sound worse, and most of the time I notice some level of improvement. It's about long term electrical stability as much as anything else, especially with big old power supply caps that see a lot of heat.
 
Always. 40-year-old caps don't pass the sound through properly - like old guys like me.

I, too, never met a recapped unit I didn't like.

Use the better brands and the better products within the brand. I use Nichicons
KZ (at the top), KA (right behind it), FG, then ES for the power side of things and
any non-polar positions. some have upper limits in capacities.

Also measure the size and eyeball the "typical" lead spacing.

good luck with the upgrade.
 
Especially if you're already describing the bass as bloated - a recap should help. I recapped a couple of 1060's and they sounded great after the recap.

I also had 3 Sony STR-6055's at one point and only one sounded right. The others had varying degrees of bloated bass that I believed was due to aged caps. One got sold before I could recap it, and the one with the most bloated bass went to my newphew as-is since he's using Minimus 7's and can use all the bass he can get. But when he upgrades to better speakers, I'll offer to recap it for him to get rid of that problem.
 
I agree with all of the above. I have recapped around a dozen Marantz units, and I did a listening test after recapping each board. It always seems like one board makes the biggest improvement, and it isn't always the same board. However, power supply and main filter caps seem to make the most difference, followed by the power amps. As for effect on the audio spectrum, to my ears, it opens up the brilliance in the upper frequencies. There is some effect on the bottom end - mainly cleaning it up and making it less muddy. But the wow to me is the brilliance it brings back. I nearly always find myself toning down the treble after a recap.
 
New to vintage audio- love the warmth and musicality of my 2230 but comparing it to my newer anthem gear it seems like the top frequencies are just cut off. I turned up the treble a natch or two but I still don’t have that same clarity or balance in the high end. I’ve turned down the bass a notch so I can turn up the overall volume and actually hear some of the highest freuqeuncies that are cut off/diminished. Is this just the sound that I should expect or is this an electrical issue. It’s almost like a veil is on my ribbon tweeeters. Suggestions?
 
I have a 2230 and would enthusiastically recommend getting it recapped - and in fact, entirely restored/refurbished by a capable tech. Makes a big difference. These units are very nice, but they are by no means neutrally voiced or super-detailed - and the last thing you need is 40 year-old caps further coloring or clouding the sound. That Marantz magic works best when all the caps and other degradable links in the chain are fresh and up to spec.
 
Here's a pic of some 'lytics that came out of last few Marantz units I recapped. Most of them leaky - some of them maybe on the verge of exploding even? old caps.jpg
 
The old caps affect the high frequencies in an outsized way when they are past their best days. I also recommend at least a recap of the audio boards, power supply and filter/coupling caps. I believe you will find your lost highs. Welcome to AK!
Steve
 
I had a chance to compare two 2500's side by side. One fully restored and the other not.

Get er done. Have the 2230 given the full restore it's not even a close comparison once it's done. Bass is more focused, mids are better while the highs were about the same. Everything seem to improve while the sound seems to "flow" effortlessly. One thing I'll say that if done right even on my highly efficient Klipsch Bell's I can't hear any hiss, hum or other noise unless I put my ear ON the speaker grill.
Good luck.
 
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