Turning up the volume on a Marantz 2230

[ssolomon]

I have a Marantz 2230 and recently purchased a pair of KLH model 5's. Obviously the KLH's are less sensitive than my old speakers (some not-so-great-sounding Jensen Tri-ettes), because I have to turn the volume knob higher than before to get the same volume.

For most of my listening I keep the volume knob around 10 or 11 o'clock. But sometimes it's fun to crank it. I haven't gone past noon though, because for some reason I feel like it's bad for the receiver to go past that. Is it ok to occasionally turn it to 1:00 or 2:00? Or would that just be asking for trouble?

Thanks guys,

Sean

 

[rlisin]

I have a Marantz 1060 (which is more or less 2230 minus the tuner section) and a handy little thing called power monitor, KENWOOD PM-80. Not a lab device, but gives a ballpark at least . I can connect it tomorrow and see how much power my 1060 puts out with volume knob at 2 and a strong input signal (a loudness war victim CD from a CDP). If it stays well below 30W, you should be in the clear. Will let you know.

 

[ssolomon]

Awesome, thanks rlisin. I look forward to seeing what you find out.

 

[bktheking]

I've tested both the 1060 and 2230 and they both put out over 30w.

 

[cademan]

You can crank it but just make sure it doesn't get too overly hot at the vents. Plus, listen to your ears. If you hear any distortion, turn it down just enough so it stays clear.

I know you want it to work ok for you, and it probably will, but I have see people abuse these things for hours on end and still come out working ok. Don't abuse it and it could last a long long time.

 

[wmgwizard]

I would use caution doing "max volume" tests with a 40 year old unrestored unit.

Watch out for excessive heat and listen for distortion: at the first sign of either you should turn it down.

How hard would you push a 40 year old car with all original parts versus the same car with a fresh suspension, brakes and drivetrain ?

Proceed with caution.

 

[Raccoon1400]

I'd likely be more worried about the speakers. Keep in mind the speaker power ratings and don't thrash the drivers. (Never crack it with loudness on, or bass up)

 

[rlisin]

If the amplification is similar between 2230 and 1060 (and it should be), you're safe until about 1 o'clock.

I checked my 10 with a Yamaha CDP playing Ozzy Osbourne 'Ozzmosis' (one of the loud ones). With volume at noon I had about 20W output. By 1 o'clock I was seeing 40W peaks, no audible distortion. By 2 o'clock I had about 40W reading with higher peaks, and audible distortion started.
On a less loud CD (Uriah Heep 'Magician's Birthday', early Castle pressing) I could go to about 2 o'clock without distortion, but it started shortly after.

On lower level sources (TT), the output also will be lower, but on louder sources (CD, tuner) I wouldn't go past 1 o'clock, this volume setting seems to more or less correspond to the rated power.

I checked for distortion on headphones with volume control (headphone socket is fed from power outputs, so I cranked up the Marantz and turned the volume down on headphones to normal levels, so any distortion I heard was coming from the Marantz).

Mind that this is ballpark at best, for reliable measurements you'd have to take it to a tech.

KLH 5 can take all the power your Marantz can produce, so don't worry about that (but worry about distortion, that can damage speakers).

 

[ssolomon]

Thanks guys - I'll plan on not really going past noon then.

Mayby this is a silly question, but why wouldn't they design the volume circuit/pot (whatever you call it) so that you can't turn the volume up to clipping levels? It just seems odd that an amp is really only made to have the volume knob turned halfway or so up.

 

[Baron K Rool]

The volume control position is irrelevant. What matters is how strong the input signal is. Feed a weak signal (say, a computer or phone set at minimum volume) and you will not get a loud signal out of the amp, even cranked up to 11. Feed it a strong signal and you may reach maximum loudness just by barely touching the volume knob.

Many power amps don't have a volume control at all (meaning = it's maxed out at all times). Feed a strong signal into that and you might blow up everything within sight.

 

[nashvillebill]

The volume control position is irrelevant. What matters is how strong the input signal is. Feed a weak signal (say, a computer or phone set at minimum volume) and you will not get a loud signal out of the amp, even cranked up to 11. Feed it a strong signal and you may reach maximum loudness just by barely touching the volume knob.

Many power amps don't have a volume control at all (meaning = it's maxed out at all times). Feed a strong signal into that and you might blow up everything within sight.

This is the REAL answer!!! :thmbsp:

 

[Markw]

The volume control position is irrelevant. What matters is how strong the input signal is. Feed a weak signal (say, a computer or phone set at minimum volume) and you will not get a loud signal out of the amp, even cranked up to 11. Feed it a strong signal and you may reach maximum loudness just by barely touching the volume knob.

Many power amps don't have a volume control at all (meaning = it's maxed out at all times). Feed a strong signal into that and you might blow up everything within sight.

+1 :yes:

 

[ssolomon]

Thanks for the explanation Baron. That makes a lot of sense.

 

[rlisin]

Just to clarify what I thought was obvious: I tested with a CDP with strong output and a "loud" CD to determine the safe volume pot position if the amp receives what normally is the strongest signal in home conditions. Every weaker signal would consequently be safe as well. I did mention that on weaker sources it would probably be safe to crank it up a bit more. I used an amp that, to my knowledge, should behave just like the Marantz 2230 in question (see here: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=302060)

Sean did not ask a general question, he asked about HIS Marantz 2230. I tested an amp that should give similar results as Marantz 2230 and gave him an answer (noting it's a ballpark result). In general, of course the answer is that we don't know, depends on the input signal, preamp gain, volume pot curve, etc. (what Baron said).

Cheers,

Raf