Hi, luv all the Marantz tube amplifier. I am getting a Marantz 8B to sit side by side with my Mcintosh MC 225.(225 is breath taking) Just wondering if the Marantz 2's are a 10 where would the 8b stand. Please only compared side by side on the same equipment. ANYONE???? Thankssssssssssssssssssss!I have completely rebuilt Marantz 8b ,Citation II, Marantz 5 and Marantz 2s
The 8b is the most solid stereo amp of classic design in its power range. It is better engineered IMO from a construction and parts point of view than the Citation and almost any consumer amp except the Western Electrics. I like any Marantz better than the Citation BTW..just my taste.
It is steak and hamburger. The steak is better -no question- hamburger is good but will never be a steak. Unfortunately, steak costs more you do get what you pay for.
It is true that that the Marantz will always rise in value the Dynaco will hit a wall in performance and value.
One well regarded member who has overhauled Mac 240, Cit-II, ST-35, Marantz 8 and 8B preferred the 8 to the others.I 'll take a lafayette KT550, A Citation II, Mac MC240's, just to name a few, over an 8B, especially when one considers the price.
Fisher 50a, 100, 200 monoblocks. The 70/80az monoblocks are good as are the 300 and 1000 stereo amps. However the only Fisher amps that can be compared to Mac, Marantz and Citation are the first 3 mentioned.
Ive not heard the respective HHscott 50's mono blocks myself but have been looking for them for some time.I finally gave up the search when a HHscott LK-150 showed up then I pursued the matching LC-21 tube pre.The LC 21 was a complete basket case/gutted so it was a ground up rebuild other than the trafo's were original and present.Many Scott owners seem to like their Mono blocks (240, 250, 280 and an LK model in there too IIRC) and a few of the smaller units too.
While i agree and know for a fact we (AK) as a body have everything suggested in multiples and more, It seems unlikely we could pull together a regional meet. (I know of a Acrosound owner nearby who'd be willing to play too). I think there are some fairchilds and (i'm forgetting now) somebody has this EL 84 thing made in Belgium (two box PS and amp) looks pretty stout. Honestly we can collect some excellent Iron . I doubt we'd have a consensus winner. I wouldn't be surprised if some of us came home wanting something different than we came with.It would be really cool to have a shootout of these classic amps, including some of the ARC and Conrad-Johnson amps and some modern revisions, such as a Mcintosh 275 VI, CJ Classic 60 SE, Latino's M125 monoblocks, etc.
If and when I stumble across a pair of HHscott 265 mono's I will snap them up as I'm a fan of the 6l6 OP tube and see how they measure up to the Fishers.
hunter
Thanks, I really want to get these up and running some time soon. They initially specified the 1614 metal version of the 6L6, what would be the recommendations for using other variants of the 6L6 lineage in them, generally speaking? Were the metal version tubes any good or useful?
On a slightly different note I have an ST70 Series II produced by Sound Valves in the 90’s. I bought it used, it was a domo. It is mostly based on the original circuit but uses 6GH8A inverter tubes and has an all SS power supply and a bigger power transformer. Supposedly the output transformers are copies of the originals. The parts are modern parts, it is mostly stock except for the coupling caps. It sounds very good and produces more than enough volume. It has been rock solid dependable. That being said, the closest I have to a vintage tube amp (other than receivers and integrateds) is my McIntosh MA-230 set up as a standalone tube amp. The SS preamp section is bypassed. My 230 beats it in every way. My 230 is totally stock except tubes but is currently taken out of service until I get the time to change all the lytic caps. And some other upgrades. I also feel that my restored Scott 299C is a bit more pleasant sounding. I do like my 70, the differences aren’t good and bad but good and better. Mine is a bit of an unusual piece in that they didn’t make too many of the Series 2 ST 70’s
It would be really cool to have a shootout of these classic amps, including some of the ARC and Conrad-Johnson amps and some modern revisions, such as a Mcintosh 275 VI, CJ Classic 60 SE, Latino's M125 monoblocks, etc.
I knew that that thread was floating around here. Though GU (geographically undesirable, for me a bit of a shlep).
I wouldn't mind attending a more local one . (I would've like to attend that one if it were closer)
That so called replica is much closer to an EICO HF-89 than it is to a Marantz 8B. It omits several key design distinctions of the 8B's design including the pentode input, and the tertiary feedback winding on the output transformer.A Marantz 8B Replica By Satoru Kobayashi
http://plitron.com/wp-content/uploads/702kobayashi18171.pdf