Marantz 5220 or newer deck?

[TellMeWhy]

Dear all, I have the opportunity to purchase a marantz 5220 in new wood case for a decent price (around $300 with new belts and lighting). It would look great next to my 2270 and complete a vintage setup with dynaco speakers.

Question is this: I know tape decks got better through the 80's and for even 100 bucks very decent 'modern' 3 head decks can be had, with hx pro and all mod cons.

I know the 5220 is a good deck, but assuming heads, caps etc are in good order is it still a good deck by more modern standards?

Anyone with experience if this deck against the standard newer alternatives? Will be used for recording and playback as my main deck...

Cheers,
Jon

 

[SDA SRS 1.2]

Have one to compliment my 2325 and 6370q. Sounds and looks great (especially with all the Marantz woodgrain cabinets)!

 

[LoStrings]

The 5220 is a excellent deck...great build quality, excellent sound, and very nice recording capability with the peak light, and fantastic VU meters.

 

[sixthday]

It is good if you dont play Metal Tape.

 

[TellMeWhy]

It is good if you dont play Metal Tape.

Yeh thanks, I see it pre-dates metal tapes. But what about type 3- ferrichrome- are they any good on the Marantz??

 

[LoStrings]

I have never used Ferric Oxide with mine, but I use Chromium Dioxide tapes exclusively, and they record fantastic. I would think the Ferric tapes would sound great also... I am also a fan of DBX noise reduction, and use it with all my cassette and open reel recordings

 

[sixthday]

Not sure. I had 20 Type III cassette not long ago. But didn't have a chance trying out my 5220. These tapes sold too fast...oh well.

Yeh thanks, I see it pre-dates metal tapes. But what about type 3- ferrichrome- are they any good on the Marantz??

 

[RobHolt]

I have a 5220 in my collection purchased to compliment 2250B & 2225 receivers.
By the standards of the mid 70s it's a good machine - well built, easily serviceable with decent audio quality.
However the better machines from the 80s will smoke it sonically as cassette deck technology began to really advance in the late 70s.

The principle issue with the 5220 and many other decks of this period is the single motor transport. These can be made to work well when properly serviced but never attain the excellent of better 2/3 motor machines. Expect weighted W&F to sit in the 0.08 - 0.12% region - benign on most program but audible on piano and other critical steady tones.

If you want your tapes to be faithful copies of the source - go for an 80s/90s top end Nak, JVC, Sony, Pioneer.
If you want something which looks stunning, is easy to fix and maintain but sounds adequate - good, a 5220 is a great choice.

For me I mostly use cassette to make nostalgic mix tapes and time shift FM chat/news radio programmes. Great choice for that.



PS: You can marginally improve the W&F performance of the 5220 by disabling the auto-stop. Simply remove the smaller belt which drives auto stop detect pulley. It lightens the motor load. Adjust motor speed to compensate as needed.

 

[TellMeWhy]

I have a 5220 in my collection purchased to compliment 2250B & 2225 receivers.
By the standards of the mid 70s it's a good machine - well built, easily serviceable with decent audio quality.
However the better machines from the 80s will smoke it sonically as cassette deck technology began to really advance in the late 70s.

The principle issue with the 5220 and many other decks of this period is the single motor transport. These can be made to work well when properly serviced but never attain the excellent of better 2/3 motor machines. Expect weighted W&F to sit in the 0.08 - 0.12% region - benign on most program but audible on piano and other critical steady tones.

If you want your tapes to be faithful copies of the source - go for an 80s/90s top end Nak, JVC, Sony, Pioneer.
If you want something which looks stunning, is easy to fix and maintain but sounds adequate - good, a 5220 is a great choice.

For me I mostly use cassette to make nostalgic mix tapes and time shift FM chat/news radio programmes. Great choice for that.



PS: You can marginally improve the W&F performance of the 5220 by disabling the auto-stop. Simply remove the smaller belt which drives auto stop detect pulley. It lightens the motor load. Adjust motor speed to compensate as needed.

That all makes a lot of sense, and it's kind of what I figured. Right now I'm using a B&O Beocord 6500 from 1990, which although only 2 head, is blowing me away with it's performance. Recordings even sound better than the original sometimes! I guess with older decks like the 5220 there's always a trade off between looks and sound. Will have to see how it is when it gets here... Btw nice tip about the autostop belt!

 

[Adriancotter]

I have a 5220 in my collection purchased to compliment 2250B & 2225 receivers.
By the standards of the mid 70s it's a good machine - well built, easily serviceable with decent audio quality.
However the better machines from the 80s will smoke it sonically as cassette deck technology began to really advance in the late 70s.

The principle issue with the 5220 and many other decks of this period is the single motor transport. These can be made to work well when properly serviced but never attain the excellent of better 2/3 motor machines. Expect weighted W&F to sit in the 0.08 - 0.12% region - benign on most program but audible on piano and other critical steady tones.

If you want your tapes to be faithful copies of the source - go for an 80s/90s top end Nak, JVC, Sony, Pioneer.
If you want something which looks stunning, is easy to fix and maintain but sounds adequate - good, a 5220 is a great choice.

For me I mostly use cassette to make nostalgic mix tapes and time shift FM chat/news radio programmes. Great choice for that.



PS: You can marginally improve the W&F performance of the 5220 by disabling the auto-stop. Simply remove the smaller belt which drives auto stop detect pulley. It lightens the motor load. Adjust motor speed to compensate as needed.

Hi guys,
Just purchased a 5220, picking it up next week. I see above about not being able to use metallic tapes. Were later tapes (not blanks for recording but actual albums) metallic? Will I be able to play albums I bought in the 80’s and 90’s on the 5220?