Marantz Worst was still good.

Texasgeorge

New Member
In early 1990 I purchased the whole Legacy Series shabang for $1199 plus tax at the Mongomery Ward store in Austin. When I took it home and set it up the amplifier did not work at all. The next day I took it back and traded it for the floor model until a new one arrived. Two weeks later they told me the new one was in and I told them I was going to keep the one that I knew worked. They said fine. The rack was pressed sawdust and contact paper with a glass door, my kid still uses it to house some old stereo components I used to have. I never used it. The turntable was crap but I had a good one already anyway. The graphic equalizer was a trouble maker from the beginning and I disconected it after a few years and chunked it in a closet. The CD player had a five disc cartridge that worked well for about ten years before it became too annoying and I bought a Sony instead. The tuner was chintzy but it worked fine for me. The dual deck casette tape became obsolete pretty quick but I still have it hooked up and it would work if casettes were worth bothering with. A couple of weeks ago the amp went into protection mode and I took it into a vintage shop to see if they could repair it. Three weeks later they are still working on it sporadically as parts come in. They said that they have replaced all the diodes and resoldered every connection but that a router switch (or something like that) still isn't working right and that they were waiting for a new one to arrive. Despite it being the worst stereo system that Marantz ever made (supposedly) it still kicked ass for 15 years. I'm willing to pay up to a couple of hundred if they can fix it even though I know the market value is only a fraction of that. It's a hundred watts per channel and the speakers are massive and rattle the windows in the neighbors house when I crank it up. I've never taken it anywhere near the point of distortion although I'm sure my kids have. I've found rap cd's in the player and the bass and treble set all the way up so I suspect the volume level has been there too yet the speakers are unscathed and still sound great. The point I'm trying to make is that although it will never be a collectors item it was still a pretty darn good unit for a decade and a half and I never would have known it was pure crap unless I had read it here. Everything says "Constructed in China" except the speakers that say: "Designed in the U.S. A. constructed in Tiawan" but the audio tech still tried to tell me it was all made in Japan, although I don't know why it would make any difference. If the amp is declared a loss I was thinking of buying a new Marantz receiver from Amazon that is priced at about $300 or a new low end Marantz amp that is around $700. Are any of the current Marantz products any good in that price range? I imagine the ones that are $5000 and up are pretty good but I can assure you I will never know for sure.
Or, would you recommend that I get into a bidding war with y'all on E-Bay for a vintage model?
 
1. Welcome to AK!

2. There's something to be said for sentimental value. Not every piece of gear that stereo nuts have is worth big bucks. It's what it's worth to you that matters most of all. Some would say not to bother fixing something like your system, but if it pleases you, that's all that you should care about. The only warning is that if it starts to cost more to fix than equivalent or better replacements... it can and does happen.

If you start caring what other people think of your gear, then you'll be trying to please them, not yourself.

A good part of AudioKarma is emphasis on vintage gear. Many of us (myself included) firmly believe that you'll get a lot more bang for the buck buying used equipment from the 1970's rather than new. Bidding wars on ePray are dumb, but wise bids on good stuff is where it's at. :D

Regards from Tom
 
Right now, as we speak, I have the following Marantz receivers:
2240B/Klipsch Chorus
2245/JBL 4312A
2270/JBL Pro III
2250/JBL 4312
2235B/JBL 4311B
2230B/JBL 4311
2238/Cambridge Soundworks Model 6
2240B/JBL Pro III

Additionally, I own two 2250Bs, both of which are out for R & R.

I almost always have at least one receiver out for repair and, as all of them are in the WC-22 wood cases, this becomes a royal pain. I have to admit that about once a month or so I get the urge to take all of these receivers and all of these speakers and sell the whole lot on eBay and start all over with some good BRAND-NEW equipment.

But then I'll be in the middle of listening to a CD or LP of some old familiar piece of music that all of the sudden sounds so good that it gives you goosebumps and I'll know then and there that there's no way in hell that I'll ever get rid of my old Marantz receivers no matter how high much maintenance they require.

Long story short: stick with what you have and, if you have to replace any of it, GO VINTAGE!
 
btw in case u dont kno marantz was sold in the mid 80s to an over seas comp an every thing went to ick stuff in my head lol my buddy bought a new rantz system an he liked it but he heard my vintg set up an went home an sold his setup lol an is now lookin for the good marantz stuff so i started him off with a good reciever a 2385 for free btw ive got a closet FULL of vintage pcs in case of a war lol
 
Welcome George!

I agree, IF you cannot get your Legacy unit back working, a 70s marantz receiver would be the way to go.
 
If you are that fond of the Legacy unit, by all means fix it. Value for any individual is a subjective thing, and if you like yours, it has value to you, regardless of what "the market" prices it at.

I've taken some ridicule here for defending the sound of the 4025 "Casseiver", a lower-powered vintage Marantz originally at the lower end of the price scale and today practically worthless in the marketplace. I have a bunch of Marantz vintage receivers, including 2285B, 2275, 2265, 2252B, etc... whose prices have been rising significantly while you can't give away the 4025s, but I still think the tuner in the 4025 sounds as sweet as most of them :music: , and the thing looks impressive, too! :yes: So what if the build quality wasn't Marantz's best ever? Tht doesn't make this thing the total rubbish that some claim. I've invested money in a new case for mine. The new case cost more than the whole unit did. In fact, I could buy two more 4025s tomorrow (liiterally - I know where are two are for sale) for what I paid for the materials for the case on mine. Stupid? In dollars and sense, yes, a foolish waste, but in personal satisfaction, NO. It was worth it, TO ME. It adds "value" to my collection, in my opinion. It's a personal thing - it is your money, your gear, so do what feels right to you. Let others do what feels right to them.

THAT SAID, I think anyone with good ears will tell you that almost any of the vintage Marantz units from the 22XX/23XX series or earlier models will sound better than your Legacy system. Not to say that the Legacy is bad, just that the older ones were even better, even more "special". The differences are audible, and will be obvious if you play them side-by-side. Keep and enjoy the Legacy if you are attached to it; you are helping preserve a bit of audio history that few are bothering with -that's a good thing. But if it can't be fixed or you want to explore a different --and most would say better -- sound, then try an earlier model from Marantz's better years. Your ears will be smiling! :D
 
I would not get into a bidding war for a Marantz 22xx on ebay. I would look around your area in GW, thrifts, yard sales., estate sales. A Marantz 22xx on ebay is overpriced and a bad deal with a seller who misrepresents the unit anyway he/she can. You get one and it will costs major $$$ to bring it up to good condition. I'm not talking about a little $75.00 repair job either.


MattFLA
 
We all have units that aren't exactly considered top end, or even mid end. We keep them because we enjoy them and like to give them a spin every once in a while. So if you can fix it go for it. If not, don't get a Marantz, get a Yorx or sound design... No bidding wars on those. :D Just get what you want, not what is hyped.

There is a great deal of experience on this board, but it mostly comes down to opinions as to what sounds good and what sounds not so good. Now if you want great build quality, then ask a few of the techs on board and they can direct you to the best built units, but that still may not get you to the sound you like. That takes a lot of trial and error, but it also is a lot of the fun.
 
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