Modern speakers for vintage receiver

Makis

Member
Hello everyone
I have a Marantz 4400 with a pro-ject essential II turntable and a set of sony speakers. The receiver is going to be restored(recaped,cleaned etc) even though it seems to work fine so far. What would be a decent pair of speakers to pair this setup? The room is rather small(about 4*4m) and I can only look for bookself speakers. My options so far are Wharfedale(diamond 10.2),Klipsch(R-14),Dali zensor and Kef(C1 or C3). I mostly listen to rock and classic music. I am a newbie so I dont really get the numbers on the specs!
Am I in the right direction here? Please share your wisdom...
 
Your ears will tell you more than specs. I order a pair of Martin Logan LX16's/Motion 15's after auditioning them. Pretty amazing and you can get the LX16's for 500-550 US which is a great price for a speaker this nice. You can't find a bad review.
 
Hi Makis, and welcome to AK!

A couple of questions:
- How much do you want to spend on your speakers? Do you want to run two channel or four?
- Is there any reason you want to buy new speakers rather than used (classic) ones?

Your Marantz 4400 is a highly respected receiver and should work fine with practically any speaker, new or old.
Read what owners have to say about it:

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/marantz/4400.shtml

How about some auditions of what others are using?

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....-of-your-systems-lets-hear-and-see-it.782592/

GeeDeeEmm
 
Thank you for your replies!
@sanford12 :The Martin Logans dont seem to be available anywhere in my country(Greece).But I will look again in case I missed something.
@gdmoore28 :Ideally I would like to limit my budget to 300€.But if there is something really worth it,I could stretch it a little. For now I will only use the 2 channels.If at some point in the future I have the space and time,I would like to make a quadrophonic setup,just for the fun of it. So mainly,2 channels.
Due to my lack of a trained ear and experience I wouldnt trust to buy classic/vintage speakers because I wouldnt be able to evaluate their condition.
 
There are some Hales Revelation 1 speakers on that auction site for $250. I don't know how much international shipping would be or if it's available but they are excellent speakers.
 
Well...consider this time tested formula: Space/type of sound area +genre listened to most +degree of aptitude accessible +power of system +personal taste as to lows/mids/highs +depth of pockets +specs available -what critics have to say -advertising ads +physical appearance +your assessment +the sig other's input = what you will end up with.

Q
 
I thought that there would be some kind of limitation/special requirement for a 1975 receiver but thankfully not.I'll visit my local shops and test live a couple of speakers then
 
Should I have any trouble with impedance mismatch? My amp has a said impendance of 8 ohms in 2 channel mode and 4ohms in quad setting .I will have a pair of Epos Ls3 in a few days which are 4ohm. How should I handle it and what should I expect?
 
You just told us what you need to do. Run it in the four channel/quad mode with those four ohm speakers.

I believe that when you run it in two channel mode, two channels are bridged together to provide more power. The downside to this is that, when two channels are bridged, they "see" the impedance of the speaker as one half of what it's rated at. So, those four ohm speakers would be seen by that bridged amp as two ohms, which is not a good thing.

If I'm wrong, please correct me.
 
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Should I have any trouble with impedance mismatch? My amp has a said impendance of 8 ohms in 2 channel mode and 4ohms in quad setting .I will have a pair of Epos Ls3 in a few days which are 4ohm. How should I handle it and what should I expect?

No bridging in this receiver, Skipper.

From your Marantz 4400 owner's manual, page 10/08:

"Note: . . . when using the 4400 in the 120W X 2 mode, do not use 4 ohm speakers - use 8 ohm or higher."

It also says, page 10/32:

"Do not use 4-ohm speakers if main and remote speakers are to be used simultaneously. Use 8 or 16 ohm speakers only."

Page 8 says:

"The 4400 can be used as a stereo or 4-channel receiver. When using the 4400 as a stereo unit, the Power Mode Switch on the rear panel should be placed in the 120W X 2 mode. The instructions contained in this manual are to be followed for both stereo and 4-channel operation; however, for stereo operation, the front channels alone will apply."

All of this leads me to assume the following power amp assignment:
- Front left amp - powers front left main and remote speakers w/minimum 8 ohm impedance for each speaker totalling 4 ohm for two speakers, main + remote
- Front right amp ; powers front right main and remote speakers w/minimum 8 ohm impedance for each speaker, totalling 4 ohm for two speakers, main + remote
- Rear left amp - powers rear left main and remote speakers w/minimum 8 ohm impedance for each speaker totolling 4 ohm for two speakers, main + remote
- Rear right amp - powers rear right main and remote speakers w/minimum 8 ohm impedance for each speaker totalling 4 ohm for two speakers, main + remote.

In short, you may safely use your new four-ohm speakers for the two front ("main") channels (L and R, ie, stereo) in the 120W X 2 mode. There is no bridging of any of the four amplifiers in the receiver, so you may use 4 or 8 ohm speakers on the two "main" rear channels, as well. (The rear channels will be synthesized here.)

(Really cool feature note: each of the four channels are equipped with preout/main in connectors! I'd buy the receiver for that feature alone. Tons of flexibility in amp/preamp assignment. :rockon:)

Here is the important part: when using 4 ohm speakers in each of the four "main" channels, you must not use any speakers at all in any of the four remaining "remote channels," which are typically used for setting up two or four channel sound in another room, anyway. So no loss.

All of this is rather clumsily and haphazardly explained in the 4400 owner's manual, found here:

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/marantz/4400.shtml



GeeDeeEmm
 
Your ears will tell you more than specs. I order a pair of Martin Logan LX16's/Motion 15's after auditioning them. Pretty amazing and you can get the LX16's for 500-550 US which is a great price for a speaker this nice. You can't find a bad review.
Allow me to second the "Your ears will tell you more than specs" part to further indoctrinate a newbie properly. Specs to audiophiles are like sports stats to fat guys stuck in a worn leather recliner in front of the TV. It allows us to bloviate about something without having to set foot on the field. Take any reviews you read with a grain of salt - the "professional" writers always gush about products that they've been loaned. Reading a bunch of "amateur" reviews will help you develop somewhat of a consensus, but nothing beats the leg work of getting out there and learning to listen to your own instincts as to what you'd like to be listening to in your 4 X 4 room for the next few years.
A few years back, I went shopping for mid-fi speakers for the home theatre. I had the salesman plug in a movie and start cycling through the various speakers against the wall. The choice was easy as I allowed my own ear to be the judge. The bad: what I liked was well out of my budget and I wound up eating macaroni and cheese for awhile.

One of the rear surrounds.

MonitorAudioRS1.gif
 
Unfortunately, because I was on a journey I missed the epos and got myself a pair of acoustic energy 301 for a fairly good price. Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow they should be here(already on the way). They are 8ohm so no worries. In the meantime I got the amp recaped so one less worry there. Now all I need is some quality cable(Van Damme Up-LCOFC 4mm also on the way) and a pair of stands. Just for the record, I will update to see how it goes. I have the amp in my hands for almost a year and have never heard it play on some serious speakers!
Again,thanks you guys for the great advices
 
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