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Is 22xx series mediocre at best or truly hifi gear

quadklipsh

quadklipsh

Super Member
Iv read a lot of good reviews about 2270 m,2285 and 23xx amps.....
Iv owned a 2230 for years too . And though its been recently recapped the tech heard it after the job and still wasnt singing for its sonic supremacy.
Iv had some sansui amps and kept quad 303 n 405 amps....
Also i have heard accuphase 205. And few serious luxmans .
Can someone throw an idea where the 22xx, and 23xx series marantz stand.
 
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I have rebuilt pretty much everything, so in turn have heard many in my home system.
Many come and go but my fav's are:

In alpha order lol:

Marantz 2230
Pioneer SX-626
Pioneer SA-9100
Sansui AU-505
Sansui 9090DB

These are based on my rebuilds of each.

The above are always satisfying and musical!

I have owned: Audio Research, Conrad Johnson, Threshold etc, etc. You want to spend that much, thats cool, these come within shouting distance and in some aspects are better.

Just my two cents depends on your goals and objectives, I enjoy music, I do not enjoy listening to equipment if you get what I mean.

Pat
 
I own
Pass Labs and a Marantz 2275. The Marantz is not as good, but it is not embarrassed by any means. Great receivers IMHO.
 
Hi Pat! I'm the original owner of a Marantz 2270 I purchased in Germany in 1973. It's been well cared, but I haven't actually used it in a couple decades. I would like to restore it. I am a retired director of IT. I have only basic knowledge and skills working with electronic circuits but would be willing to try the rebuild myself if good instructions and rebuild kits or components are available. Alternatively, I'm willing to pay to have it done if I could get some good recommendations. I live in Buffalo, NY. Thanks for any advise on how to proceed!
 
I like my Marantz receivers better than others listed in my signature, Marantz has a sound a lot of people love but a lot like Pioneer or Sansui etc. better, more of a personal choice than performance i think. But i dont think anyone can really say that these 22/23's are mediocre.

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2325case2.jpg
 
R Krawczyk said:
Hi Pat! I'm the original owner of a Marantz 2270 I purchased in Germany in 1973. It's been well cared, but I haven't actually used it in a couple decades. I would like to restore it. I am a retired director of IT. I have only basic knowledge and skills working with electronic circuits but would be willing to try the rebuild myself if good instructions and rebuild kits or components are available. Alternatively, I'm willing to pay to have it done if I could get some good recommendations. I live in Buffalo, NY. Thanks for any advise on how to proceed!
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Welcome to AK. This thread will have the info you need on who to contact by Message to further some discussion of getting your unit refreshed.

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/go-to-marantz-restoration-folks.865700/
 
Chrisxo55441 said:
I like my Marantz receivers better than others listed in my signature, Marantz has a sound a lot of people love but a lot like Pioneer or Sansui etc. better, more of a personal choice than performance i think. But i dont think anyone can really say that these 22/23's are mediocre.

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I'd say they're far from mediocre. If like to run a blind test between a fully restored 2270 and something MUCH more expensive just to see if anyone can actually tell the difference. I rarely, if ever notice differences in sounds between amps and I've played with a Yamaha M-40, a restored 2270, a 2325, a pioneer SX-434, a Marantz 26, a 140, a 250m,and about a dozen other amps.
 
I've got a 2252 and a 2238B. Both of them have been completely recapped and serviced. I thought they sounded pretty good. Then I built a Pass F5. Two observations became apparent rather quickly. First, the fairly simple pre-amp sections are clean, quiet, and flat. Second, the amp sections are the sound of the unit. The only complaint the F5 ever gets is being very clinical if dialed in to it's .002% distortion capability. Putting that thing next to those units puts them in perspective.
With either my ESS AMT1's or Focal 936's, the Marantz unit amps sound hazy compared to the F5. Asked to deliver significant power into those speakers, the soundstage flattens out, but the F5 just delivers more volume with a more massive scale of imaging.
The F5 needs to be adjusted for a good dose of 2nd harmonic distortion to provide the warmth the Marantz units do with vocals, but even then it still beats them on clarity and ability to scale to high volumes.
My experience has been given what these units are going for these days, and considering what a good recap job costs, they don't represent the best value in objective performance. If they're making the sound you want, that's a different measure of value. I prefer the ESS with the 2238B, but neither of these units will ever directly drive my Focals again. They don't do it well.
 
I think the price of Marantz units is based on some combination of performance, looks and nostalgia. Lots of people had them in the 70's and want to relive the experience (ask me how I know). Are they hi fidelity? Absolutely, in my opinion. Are they the best amps/receivers in the world? Obviously not. But they could sound fabulous in the 70's, and they can sound fabulous today if properly restored. That's enough for me. And in the looks department, I can't think of any gear I like better, but then that is pure personal preference.
 
Owned a few Marantz units over the years. Some better the others that is a fact. The 2230 is a solid performer.
With the right speakers seeing it is rated at 30wpc may well be all that is needed..

That said I put a 2325 up against a 9090 and a SX1010 on a pair of AR2ax's IIRC and the Pioneer came out on top and the Marantz was in last place.

Go figure....
 
Oerets said:
Owned a few Marantz units over the years. Some better the others that is a fact. The 2230 is a solid performer.
With the right speakers seeing it is rated at 30wpc may well be all that is needed..

That said I put a 2325 up against a 9090 and a SX1010 on a pair of AR2ax's IIRC and the Pioneer came out on top and the Marantz was in last place.

Go figure....
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I put my 2325 up against my 9090B my Concept 11 and my SX 1250 on a pair of Ohm 4's and the Marantz came out on top and the Pioneer was in last place

Go figure :beerchug:
 
I keep reading about these big receiver comparisons and everyone wins. Pioneer, Sansui, Marantz, Concept, all of them have won in some AKers comparo so I guess it really is up to the speakers used and the ear of the listener and there is not real winner except the owner when he finds the one that sounds best to them. The fact that a couple of the comments in these short comparo posts (in other threads generally) have disparaging comments about one brand or the other leads me to believe there is some serious brand bias or some speaker seriously preferring one unit over the others and making on unit sound bad.

Guess you really need to try out the different gear to get what sounds best but in almost all these cases I would not put Marantz receivers above a nice set of truly great sounding gear. Excellent gear sure but there is better for less money with all the Marantz lust boosting prices.
 
Marantz gear has always been my kryptonite so to say. One of the first items purchased after collage was my 1070. Still have it in service today. Have twelve or thirteen units right now. The brand is the go to of mine over the years. Pioneer not so much in receivers, Sansui I usually sell off. The 9090 one of my sons wants someday.
Since I owned the three mentioned before and out of curiosity tired them out on the some speakers. One was going to be placed into service. The 1010 and the 2325 along with 9090 have been partially recapped along with general servicing.
The 1010 and the 1250 are different animals IMO. Totally different in performance.
Now it was a close call. All three are very nice sounding and performing. But the unit was going to be used to sell speakers. So the need was for a solid all around performer needed to be used. Any one would of fit the bill in all reality. Just that day the Pioneer won out. Right now the 9090 sits in this position. Who knows next week the 2325.

Back to the original question, a functioning 2230 is one truly sweet sounding model with the right speakers connected. One of my sons has a 2238 that he will not even unhook for a few hours so I can replace a few lamps and do some PM on. My favorites so far in receivers is the 2230 2240 or 2240B 2252B 2275 2325.
 
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