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7c vs & 7t Listening testing. Which one Wins...

waow! been reading the whole thread with a coffee mug and what a joyful ride!
i'm the happy 2-hand owner of a pristine 1964 8B mounted with NOS mullard tubes and i play my variable Linn genki directly on its test inputs. friend tech checked the unit: 99% specs on all components are ok for me.
speakers are tannoy canterbury corners with 12" red monitors. one is 1958, the other early 1961. i mostly listen to acoustic jazz, chet, miles, bill and the usual suspects.
i wonder: how i could be happier musically? say with a 7c? ok, but for that price, i'd rather invest and experience other tube amps, like A116s :D - or some single-ended jewels, whatever.
but the 7 design is so dropped-dead gorgeous i just indulged in a 7t for my birthday. it will probably sound different (worse?) than direct cd/8b but i can plug the 124 and play my lp's collection. and i like to have that classic combo.
it's a first-hand unit, early series (131XX), beautiful. condos seem ok (or?), all caps will be replaced and a few more parts - thanks to the good tips revealed here. jstang i wish i could send it to you to play your magic but from france it's a long way home...
unfortunately, my tech friend is old-school. he simply refuses to modify designs. replaces similar values, maybe upgrades some in quality, period. but i'll try to shake him down, promise!
i'll keep you guys posted with the 7t when it comes back from the bench.
:music:
 
Air fare will get me at your front door with soldering iron in hand.....

Keep us posted...

Jk
 
jstang said:
Air fare will get me at your front door with soldering iron in hand.....

Keep us posted...

Jk
Click to expand...

yeah, that would be nice:tresbon:
sending it to you would be ok )- i have great fedex rates - but shipping back would kill it with customs and french VAT (same on old stuff as new 20%!
i'll try to convince my main man to follow some of your advices
i gathered most of them from different threads but if you can sum up some kind of best of (components replacement mostly ) thru mp that would be great.
 
beathunters,

I've had a 7c for years and recently got a 7t. I'd say listen to your 7t for awhile "stock but up to specs" and then decided which way to go...you may be pretty happy with it as is.

I also like your idea of checking out single ended amps. Before I bought my 16b amp, I used a 300b with the 7t. That was a surprisingly good combo.

Lots of possibilities. Have fun.
 
onemug said:
beathunters,

I've had a 7c for years and recently got a 7t. I'd say listen to your 7t for awhile "stock but up to specs" and then decided which way to go...you may be pretty happy with it as is.

I also like your idea of checking out single ended amps. Before I bought my 16b amp, I used a 300b with the 7t. That was a surprisingly good combo.

Lots of possibilities. Have fun.
Click to expand...

thanks for the tip muggs, up to specs is a wise move, :thmbsp:indeed
 
beathunters said:
yeah, that would be nice:tresbon:
sending it to you would be ok )- i have great fedex rates - but shipping back would kill it with customs and french VAT (same on old stuff as new 20%!
i'll try to convince my main man to follow some of your advices
i gathered most of them from different threads but if you can sum up some kind of best of (components replacement mostly ) thru mp that would be great.
Click to expand...

There is something called "Temporary Export" that you should look into. I have used it to send replacements to my companies office in Germany and they send the dud item back in return. No VAT or customs. With Fedex it was pretty simple, just an extra declaration page. Not sure how it is with France but I would guess it to be similar.
 
ruffian said:
There is something called "Temporary Export" that you should look into. I have used it to send replacements to my companies office in Germany and they send the dud item back in return. No VAT or customs. With Fedex it was pretty simple, just an extra declaration page. Not sure how it is with France but I would guess it to be similar.
Click to expand...

hi ruffian
thanks, this is very interesting. i'll check with my fedex account!
ready jstang?
 
I read this thread from the start to finish and really learn a lot about people.
I have had a Marantz 7T some 30+ years ago and used it with a model 15, both completely original and enjoyed them tremendously. Around two years ago I had the opportunity to purchase another 7T with cabinet in pristine condition. So I did and looked inside and it again was all original.
The testament to the design of the 7T is how well some of these units work after all these years without repair or modifications. No, it is not the best sounding pre-amp but I really do not care. It works when I turn it on. I enjoy the asymmetrical looks, classic! Sidney Smith was a great engineer and I honor him by going back in time to a much simpler time and just enjoy a great U.S. design. A year or two after this design came out; some other pieces of transistorized gear worth listening to were some of the Harmon Kardon Citation units. Surprisingly these stand the test of time also. Some were available a kits also.
There were transistorized amplifiers and pre-amps that copied the Marantz designs soon after. But how many people talk about their Acoustic Research, JBL, etc. amplifiers like we do the Sidney Smith designs? I enjoyed every new piece of SAE equipment when it hit the shelves and would frequently visit to see which units would last over a period of a few months without being replaced. Integral Systems also had some amplifiers and pre-amps in ‘72/73 but are hard to find. They were also a good design and simple to repair.
In my opinion a 7T is like a 60’s XKE Jag, not perfect but worth the relationship.
 
You're right. My second car was a used 1966 Jaguar XKE (first year with the 4.2 liter engine). Only the '66 and '67 had the 4.2 engine with tripple SU carbs and the covers over the headlights. 1968 was the beginning of exhaust emission control and the three SU were replaced with 2 Strombergs... the XKE was never the same...
BUT, your Marantz 7T, which, as you say, doesn't sound all that great, can in fact be returned to its former greatness with a creative refurb... attention to detail is the key to restoring the 7T. That said, it will rival anything you have heard. I can tell you it rivals my Mark Levinson ML-1, and that is a mouthfull.:music:
 
I didn't say it sounded bad, it is what it is. It is much better than most of the gear produced for a few years afterward is what I was saying.

My dad bought a '69 LTD new with a 429. It was the car I learned to drive. So for all cars I drive 40+ years later I still compare them to this vehicle. It did all things well and from a roll would beat many or stay with muscle cars of the day. Kind of my sentiment for the 7T…
 
Those 4-2-9s were way under rated... My street weapon is a 351C 4V with lots of cam, compression, carb, gear, rpm....in a stripped down 70 Stang.... And those big 69/70 LTDs have to be some of the best cars made, like you said they did everything well....

The 7T has some oversights that are straight froward to correct....and caps that need updating.... Then its a big block killer....
 
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jstang said:
Those 4-2-9s were way under rated... My street weapon is a 351C 4V with lots of cam, compression, carb, gear, rpm....in a stripped down 70 Stang.... And those big 69/70 LTDs have to be some of the best cars made, like you said they did everything well....

The 7T has some oversights that are straight froward to correct....and caps that need updating.... Then its a big block killer....
Click to expand...

I still love those muscle cars. I had to sell a 1969 (my FAV) and 1970 Ram Air GTO, among others, when I moved 22 years ago.
My favorite though was the 1969 302 Z-28. Sweet body with good balance, and a screamin' motor (Big Block Killer).
But the AKers are wondering how this is relavent...
The 'good' stuff came in the late 60's and the early 70s.
The 7T is the quintessential example... as with the Model 7, 8B, 9, 18, 19, 2245, 2270, 15, 16B, 250 and the late great Model 500 Power Amp.
The US auto industry didn't do jack after 1972, at least for my money, unless perhaps an '85 Corvette or newer. But, I'm sure you all can find a few deserving exceptions, but is it relavent to the Marantz 7T, indeed, a 'Big Block Killer'!?:D
 
jstang said:
Those 4-2-9s were way under rated... My street weapon is a 351C 4V with lots of cam, compression, carb, gear, rpm....in a stripped down 70 Stang.... And those big 69/70 LTDs have to be some of the best cars made, like you said they did everything well....

The 7T has some oversights that are straight froward to correct....and caps that need updating.... Then its a big block killer....
Click to expand...

Those 351 Cleveland engines were awesome. Last year, Hot Rod magazine had a contest to see who could make the most horsepower withing certain guidelines and a 351 Cleveland won the contest. Hot Rod found that engine put out 665 horsepower and took number one in the contest. That was with a single 4 barrel carb and no blower or nitrous if memory serves me corretly. Very impressive. My all time favorite muscle car was the 69-70 Mustangs. They made a Boss 351 for one year and it is one of the great sleepers. I think that was in 1971. Not many were sold but beware of ever challenging one with your big block! Not to beat a dead horse, but in 1981, a guy invited me to hear his pair of Marantz One pre-amps that were modified. He wouldn't sell them to me but about a year later he called me asking if I was still interested in buying the Ones. He came to my house this time and I compared them to my New Old Stock 7c, a modified 7c, A Mark Levinson ML1 and an Accuphase c-200. Well, the modified Ones were far better than anything else I had so I bought them. He had just picked up another pair in mint condition and wanted the sell the ones I bought to get the money to modify the new ones. Should I have not bought this pair simply because the phono stage was built as well as the power supply? They also have Alps stepped attenuators. They just have a remarkably open sound to them compared to the other pre-amps on hand at the time. So, I bought them and never regretted it to this day. I still have them.
 
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