Thinking about a Marantz 1200

Steve,
I wish I had known you were looking for a wc-1. I have been making replica cases, and just obtained a wc-1 for a pattern. You are right that they are hard to find.... My wc-1 should be ready by May.... I will post photos when they are done....

Aaron
You should find a ready market for the WC-1. I looked at all of the U.S. folks doing Marantz cabinets that I could find, and none of them made a WC-1. I'm sure it's lower demand than some of the others, but if you are the only game in town, you should be able to sell as many as you can make. :thumbsup:
 
But the industrial design and symmetry is mesmerizing! I’m curious how you think it compares to your 2325.
The most noticeable thing to me is the difference in volume control position for the same volume. On the JBL's, I'm cranking pretty good between 10 and 11 o'clock with the 2325. To get the same volume on the 1200, it's at around 1 o'clock or so. Both have great sound reproduction, but I just haven't listened enough to the 1200 to define a difference. The one thing that is definitely noticeable is that the background is dead quiet on the 1200, and maybe not quite so on the 2325. It could be as simple as the fact that I rebuilt the 2325 and Bob did the 1200. Or it could be the additional circuitry in the 2325 just has more things to inject noise. But I'm not getting rid of either one of them. :rflmao:
 
Steve,
I wish I had known you were looking for a wc-1. I have been making replica cases, and just obtained a wc-1 for a pattern. You are right that they are hard to find.... My wc-1 should be ready by May.... I will post photos when they are done....

Aaron
Hey Aaron... do you make wc-2 cases? Have a pair of gorgeous 3300 & 250m thta I bet would look outstanding in wood cabinets!
 
Steven,
In your 1200,
I used a lot of WIMA MKS2 and Vishay axial caps(both expensive) but they are worth it.
Keep in mind also that the while the 1200 is 100wpc , the 2325 (I just finished two 2325 restorations in a row) cranks out 150wpc all day long!

Bob
 
Steven,
In your 1200,
I used a lot of WIMA MKS2 and Vishay axial caps(both expensive) but they are worth it.
Keep in mind also that the while the 1200 is 100wpc , the 2325 (I just finished two 2325 restorations in a row) cranks out 150wpc all day long!

Bob
The volume difference is no big deal. I can still get more volume than I need before 2 o’clock. I listened to an old Genesis live album last night and it just blew me away. It sounded like I was at a live performance. Awesome work!:thumbsup:
 
I thought I would report back on the WC-1 case that was custom made by a gentleman in Serbia for my 1200. The unit was a perfect fit. The way the overall case is smaller than the faceplate, it requires roughly 1/4" shims between the bottom of the receiver and the bottom of the case. Those shims were included along with rubber feet and screws. Fit was great and the finish is very nice. Of course......when sliding the unit in, I forgot about the 300 (exaggeration) screws sticking out of the bottom of the unit and I got a couple of shallow scratches on the upper surface of the lower cross piece. :mad: It will take a light sanding and coat of satin varnish to fix it. :whip:He asked me for exact measurements of everything including spacing of threaded holes for attachment screws. Everything lined up perfectly. Price was $240 including shipping from Serbia and it took about a month to get it. Considering how hard it is to find a genuine WC-1, I was very happy with the transaction. Here are a few pics with the unit installed. Oh, and take my word for it. Those edges that look ragged are just an artifact of the bright back lighting from the blinds. :confused: I have some new silver screws that are for a 2230, 2245,2270 faceplate that I'm going to install to cover the corner mounting holes. They fit perfectly and cover the hole, but I need some M1.2 nuts to attach them. Hoping Amazon has them.
Listening to Genesis "Three Sides Live" right now and in hog heaven. Thanks Bob Speece for a great rebuild!
Steve

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I thought I would report back on the WC-1 case that was custom made by a gentleman in Serbia for my 1200. The unit was a perfect fit. The way the overall case is smaller than the faceplate, it requires roughly 1/4" shims between the bottom of the receiver and the bottom of the case. Those shims were included along with rubber feet and screws. Fit was great and the finish is very nice. Of course......when sliding the unit in, I forgot about the 300 (exaggeration) screws sticking out of the bottom of the unit and I got a couple of shallow scratches on the upper surface of the lower cross piece. :mad: It will take a light sanding and coat of satin varnish to fix it. :whip:He asked me for exact measurements of everything including spacing of threaded holes for attachment screws. Everything lined up perfectly. Price was $240 including shipping from Serbia and it took about a month to get it. Considering how hard it is to find a genuine WC-1, I was very happy with the transaction. Here are a few pics with the unit installed. Oh, and take my word for it. Those edges that look ragged are just an artifact of the bright back lighting from the blinds. :confused: I have some new silver screws that are for a 2230, 2245,2270 faceplate that I'm going to install to cover the corner mounting holes. They fit perfectly and cover the hole, but I need some M1.2 nuts to attach them. Hoping Amazon has them.
Listening to Genesis "Three Sides Live" right now and in hog heaven. Thanks Bob Speece for a great rebuild!
Steve

Hey Steve,

I can't tell if the screen that was used is the same size as what you find on a wc-22? I have a WC-1 and the mesh on the screens has much smaller holes. I am trying to determine the screen size I should use for the replicas that I will be creating. I can probably get away offering the larger holes, but I want to be as close to the original as possible.

-Aaron
 
Hey Steve,

I can't tell if the screen that was used is the same size as what you find on a wc-22? I have a WC-1 and the mesh on the screens has much smaller holes. I am trying to determine the screen size I should use for the replicas that I will be creating. I can probably get away offering the larger holes, but I want to be as close to the original as possible.

-Aaron
I’ve never even seen an original WC-1 in person, so I’m not sure if the metal was the same as the WC-22 or not. This one definitely has larger holes. I have seen this size on other cases, but again, I’m not sure if those were original or aftermarket.
 
I’ve never even seen an original WC-1 in person, so I’m not sure if the metal was the same as the WC-22 or not. This one definitely has larger holes. I have seen this size on other cases, but again, I’m not sure if those were original or aftermarket.
Here are some photos of the WC-1 and WC-2 that I have. The WC-1 has smaller holes than the WC-2. I am trying to determine if the WC-1 screen is original or not.

WC-2 on left, WC-1 on right.

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I think your WC-2 has even smaller holes than mine. I would try to get mine to match my WC-43, which I think matches the WC-22. But I’m building a new four level equipment rack that will have the 2325 and 1200 on the second shelf (turntables on top shelf). There will be 1-1/2 - 2” clearance on top of the 2325/1200. Plenty for cooling, but the tops of the cases won’t be very visible.
 
The volume difference is no big deal. I can still get more volume than I need before 2 o’clock.

After just working on a 1200 I realized there is a gain switch on the back. If yours is set to low gain it reduces volume on purpose so you get more use of the entire volume control and also potentially don't magnify too much noise. Set on high I get tons of volume by 1/4 to 1/3.
 
After just working on a 1200 I realized there is a gain switch on the back. If yours is set to low gain it reduces volume on purpose so you get more use of the entire volume control and also potentially don't magnify too much noise. Set on high I get tons of volume by 1/4 to 1/3.

You can also use the 'gain' switch to let you keep the volume control in the area where the loudness compensation operates.

Tom
 
After just working on a 1200 I realized there is a gain switch on the back. If yours is set to low gain it reduces volume on purpose so you get more use of the entire volume control and also potentially don't magnify too much noise. Set on high I get tons of volume by 1/4 to 1/3.
Son of a gun, Mike. I never noticed that. And it indeed made it where moderately loud listening level was about 25% volume. I’ll have to experiment and pay attention to the Loudness effect both ways as Tom mentioned. I can’t believe I’ve been playing this for six months and never noticed that switch. I guess it sounded so good with volume at 12 o’clock, I never felt the need to investigate. Thanks for remembering this feature of mine and letting me know. Let us know how that “new” 1200 sounds after it settles in. :beerchug:
Steve
 
Just came across this thread as I'm going to be picking up a fully restored 1200b on Saturday. I've always wanted to check one of these out since I had a Model 30 integrated a few years ago.

Congrats on your 1200 Steven!
 
Just came across this thread as I'm going to be picking up a fully restored 1200b on Saturday. I've always wanted to check one of these out since I had a Model 30 integrated a few years ago.

Congrats on your 1200 Steven!
Thanks! I’m really loving the 1200. I’m still work8ng on a multi-shelf cabinet that will hold multiple units, so in the mean time, I only have a place to set up one unit. I took the 2325 down to put the 1200 in place. My vinyl sounds fantastic on it. Bob did a great job for me. :thumbsup:
 
Thanks! I’m really loving the 1200. I’m still work8ng on a multi-shelf cabinet that will hold multiple units, so in the mean time, I only have a place to set up one unit. I took the 2325 down to put the 1200 in place. My vinyl sounds fantastic on it. Bob did a great job for me. :thumbsup:

I'm gonna be using it with some efficient Klipsch speakers as well (KLF-30's). Does this amp have some nuts or what? I'm thinking it's going to work very well.
 
I'm gonna be using it with some efficient Klipsch speakers as well (KLF-30's). Does this amp have some nuts or what? I'm thinking it's going to work very well.
There aren’t many speakers the 1200 will not drive well. My JBL L-100’s are heavily modified with new crossovers and the port plugged to essentially make them acoustic suspension. I’m sure they are not as efficient as my Fortes, but the 1200 really rocks them. I can’t tell which set I like the best. They both sound great, but are very different. Right now, I’m using the JBL’s for rock - my main genre - and the Klipsches for most everything else.
 
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