Marantz 2220B Recapped-Giant Slayer

[patfont]

Wow, finally got my 2220B back up and running. Recapped and adjusted now.
I had finished recapping the 2220B and went to adjust the bias etc following the SM but it was wrong and took out the parts below in the process:



If in doubt about anything, do not feel stupid posting here just to verify what you are doing, it will save you a lot of time and effort. And thank you for the "Sticky" for the service manual mistakes the 2220B is included.

I want to give a shout out and big thank you to Tim of Bristol Electronics in NJ for getting my Amp board up and running after my mishap. He loves music is a great and very fair guy, and really knows what he is doing. (He is actually a factory warranty service for McIntosh among others.)

I also want to thank "Mark The Fixer" for rebuilding my Bias Diode which I removed one too many times as I was working on the amp board, see pic below of the finished product:



Here are some pics of the finished product:

Main filter caps Elna Tonerex:



Pre Amp board Elna Silmic II:



Phono Elna Silmic II:



Power Supply Board Elna Silmic II and Panasonic FC:



Power Amp Board: Panasonic FC, Elna Silmic II, and Elna Cerafine:




Here is the 2220B still had the plastic protector cover on the faceplate when I got it:



Now on to the sound of this thing, and I actually have another stock 2220B to compare it too, which I had gone over in another post.
My stock 2220B sounds very nice, has that nice warm Marantz sound. It is very musical and is never subtractive in nature but also not the final word in detail, high frequency extension or low end solidity. It also on complex passages will become what I would call muddled to the extent that all instruments are not separated as well as if you were just playing a simple guitar song with vocal. All in all the stock unit is very nice to listen to and something I could enjoy for a long time.

Now on to the recapped 2220B. I will not say it is a laughable comparison, but it is easily in a whole different league now. The low end is tuneful has slam, punch and drive the type that makes you tap your feet and forget that you are listening to a stereo. The high end is extended and just as good as any modern day piece of equipment, and there is none of that ear bleeding harsh high end sound ever, very very smooth detailed and extended. Best of all is the soundstage is now spread nicely in front of you with each instrument or vocal sitting in space and not moving, very unnerving in a piece of equipment in this price range, and at times spooky, giving you goosebumps (this is good.) The low level detail and inner detail is amazing and must be heard, I am hearing things on my records that I only remember hearing when I was using high end equipment. So should you recap you Marantz? Yes of course you should it makes a huge difference, take your time and do 1 board at a time and if you get stuck ask a question here I also have to thank all who have helped me here it has been a fun and wonderful experience.

System used for the above:

B&W 685 speakers TAS editors choice
Speltz anti cables TAS editors choice
Audio Technica 125LC NOS Cartridge

Please see my personal profile for equipment I have owned so you can get an idea of what I am used to listening to, and how I came to form the opinion that this 2220B is a giant killer, punching way above its weight in sound quality. I could easily listen to this for a very very long time. You would have to pay alot more $$$$$$ to get to this level in a modern day piece.

 

[wlhd1610]

Very nice job!:thmbsp:
I need one of those bias diodes as my 2265 arrived with a resistor in it's place!

 

[JBL GUY]

Great job. A lot of people really like the smaller Marantz receivers.

It will make some very nice music for you.

 

[Jailtime]

So you like those Silmic IIs in the tone section? I'm thinking about trying them in a friend's 2245. I've only used Panasonic FC thus far, I like how they sound in Marantz.

 

[mech986]

Very nice description. Do you have a link to your recap thread and the general places (signal, power, blocking etc ) of where you chose to put your cap selections?

 

[patfont]

So you like those Silmic IIs in the tone section? I'm thinking about trying them in a friend's 2245. I've only used Panasonic FC thus far, I like how they sound in Marantz.

I do like the Silmic II in the pre. I have heard a lot of times when people recap their Marantz Receiver that once they do the pre/tone board they sometimes do not like the result. The Silmic II in the pre keep to the spirit of the original Marantz sound but to me it makes it even a little better. It makes vocals sound a little more up front and sound bigger in scale on the soundstage. I like it because it is a hall mark of what I like in a good tube amp. I think the Panasonic FC are very accurate and also will keep the spirit of the Marantz sound there. Now this is for entertainment purposes only and YMMV but I think changing the caps on the phono board brings out a small but noticeable difference. When you do the P/S board it is all good and where you will usually get the biggest sound improvement. With the tone/pre board I think you are in a territory where you are potentially now changing the signature sound of the unit. I have tried FC's and Silmic, and I would also like to try the Nichicon Kz's.