Marantz 2230....anything better?

lukiedog

lukiedog

Super Member
Maybe its just synergy, but I finally got my 2285B yard sale purchase ($5 including wood case) working and swapped out the 2230 powering a set of ALR Jordan Entry S I'm using in a nearfield arrangement at my PC and...I MISS MY 2230! The sound was much more lush with it. Not that the 2285B sounds poor, but, no question, the 2230 is going back into the driver's seat. Is the 2230 just the absolute best Marantz receiver every made or what?
 
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I did rebuild the amp board on the 2285B with Panasonic FC caps and replaced the outputs with ON Semi equivalents (originals were blown). Possible cause of 2285B not measuring up to the 2230?
 
If you haven't rebuilt the 2285B yet it is an unfair comparison. For the little $ you have invested why not do a total overhaul?
 
What else needs to be done? I replaced all transistors (drivers, outputs, etc) and caps on the amp board. The 2230 is all stock.
 
Different layout. The 2230 is highly regarded as the best of the 22XX series. I have owned the 2230,2245, and 2270.
The 2230 is the sweet spot if you have efficient speakers. Invest in a refurbish!
Regards,
Jim
 
lukiedog said:
What else needs to be done? I replaced all transistors (drivers, outputs, etc) and caps on the amp board. The 2230 is all stock.
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Oh woops! I thought you said the 2230 had been redone.

I have always liked the sound of the non-B units myself. I've had a 2230 and a 2230B and the 2230 sounded much better.
 
I dunno, I do love my 2230, but it is relegated to Hangar / Office duty. I also have a 2245 and a 2252B. Of all of them, I like the 2245 the best, but it may be speaker pairings and location as well.

Model.......Speakers...........Location
2230 Polk Monitor 4 Hangar Office (block walls)

2245 CV DX-3 Home Office

2252B CV RE-20 Master Suite

The 2230 sounded boomy until i changed the speaker from Marantz SP-208 to The Polks, now it is very clean with the right amount of bass. The 2230 is Cap Coupled, that may be the difference though. We shall see how the 2230 holds up in a harshsher environment.....it will be travelling to Iraq with us on our next cycle.
 
DTSNLVRS said:
I dunno, I do love my 2230, but it is relegated to Hangar / Office duty. I also have a 2245 and a 2252B. Of all of them, I like the 2245 the best, but it may be speaker pairings and location as well...
The 2230 is Cap Coupled, that may be the difference though. We shall see how the 2230 holds up in a harshsher environment.....it will be travelling to Iraq with us on our next cycle.
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The cap-coupled / low damping factor 2230 seems to especially work well with speakers that were/are designed for use with tube amps. In any event after pairing mine w/ Dynaco A-25 speakers I preferred the combo overall to my Odyssey amp + YS Audio tube pre + ACI Sapphires. :scratch2: A poster on another forum was adament in labeling the 2230's sound to be the closest to a tube amp of any SS he had heard...

Yeah I *really* like mine...

Jim
 
What other low powered capacitor coupled amps are out there?

I haven't really broken in the 2285B since the repair, but I really don't think it will make a great deal of difference; the 2230's superiority is not subtle. I wonder if Nichicon KW caps would have been a better choice?
 
Listening at this moment to Bill Evans Trio with the 2230 - EPI 100's combo. Sweet. My daughter was just here with her boyfriend (both early 20's). He noticed the music and had lots of questions about the great sound coming out of that "old equipment".
 
Marantz 2230 is absolutely a great sounding receiver. I just wish it had speaker protection relay, the turn-on "thump" is sometimes annoying.
 
lukiedog said:
What other low powered capacitor coupled amps are out there?
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The HK 330 a, b c and c get good reviews and they are cap coupled. I don't know about the bigger HKs in the series, but they are dual powered, a nice step up.
 
I'm dogging a 2235 right now.Just waiting on an email to confirm.The owner says not sure if it "starts" or not!
Can't wait to get my hands on it.
 
Ahh the 2230. Absolutely love mine. In addition to having it refurbed, I also experimented by adding a tube preamp(Decware CSP2)that I had lying around the house with it and it has helped to add some extra weight to the sound. They work real well together with my Klipsch Fortes. Big rich sound.
 
Agreed

I've had 3 Marantz receivers. The 2230, 2270, and the 2285b. The only one I still have is the 2230. It is the best 30wpc there will ever be.
 
lukiedog said:
What other low powered capacitor coupled amps are out there?
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I believe the early 70s Pioneers and the x000 Sansuis are cap coupled.
i.e Pioneer SX-636, SX-990, Sansui 5000A or 5000X. I do know they have a sweet tube-like sound.
 
I like my 2230, but I like my 2265 just a little bit more....can't quite put a finger as to why, but it might be the different tone contours available....

BTW, the 1060 integrated amp is essentially a 2230 minus the tuner...

my 2230 in my office does sound fantastic with my AR18's or Smaller Advents, though
 
This may be sacrilegious being a Marantz site, but I really like the sound of my Sherwood 7100A. I was wondering if anyone has heard both the 7100A and 2230, and how they compare.
 
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bthoma51 said:
This may be sacrilegious being a Marantz site, but I really like the sound of my Sherwood 7100A. I was wondering if anyone has heard both the 7100A and 2230, and how they compare.
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If you post that question in the vintage solid state forum you might have better luck than this thread.

As far as the 2230, I preferred my 2245 and let two of them go. The sound to me was about the same but the extra power may come in handy some day.
 
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