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Marantz 2230 pre out output impedance

C

Cropper

New Member
Hey guys.

Does anyone know the pre out output impedance for a Marantz 2230 receiver please? I swear it’s not in the manual or service manual

I’m trying to use it as a preamp with a Bryston 4 ST (input impedance of 50k ohms unbalanced) and I’m getting barely any sound through

I didn’t expect them to be so out of whack that I’d get no sound and worried I’ll damage something

Receiver was working fine as an integrated, amp was fine with my arc sp-8

any help appreciated!
 
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The Byston's input impedance is an easy load and the Marantz's output impedance would have to be very high (well over 100k) before the mis-match was bad enough to give you barely any sound, and that seems very unlikely.
Have you set the switches correctly on the back of the Bryston? The mode switch needs to be set to "individual" and the inputs to "unbal". Is it possible the switch contacts are dirty? Also, don't have anything connected to the XLR sockets when using the RCA sockets.
 
Thanks Rothwell,

Yeah I checked the back of the Bryston as that actually happened to me once before when I moved it (flicked one of the switches by accident)

I’ll give the Marantz a good clean inside and out and see if that helps - I just assumed the connections were ok as it was working as a stand-alone and that would require the pre out and main jumpers to be making a solid contact as well. RCA connection could be making slightly a different connection though so certainly a good suggestion.

I’d read a bunch of forums that suggested Bryston 4b ST is an outlier and hard to pair up with a preamp so was worried maybe the pairing wouldn’t work. I’d still likely to rule that out if anyone knows output impedance (maybe even just ballpark based on other 22xx series)?

I have a 2330 as well, but seems a waste to use that as only a preamp
 
If you put the same RCA cables you used to connect the Bryston in place of the pre out/main in jumpers, does the receiver have normal volume?

The pre out impedance in itself is NOT the issue.

Didn't inadvertently engage a muting switch or something?

Also, how high did you turn the volume control? Maybe the input sensitivity of the Bryston is much lower (higher number) than the amp in the receiver so you have to turn the knob more than you are accustomed to? Just because an amp has more power than some other one doesn't inherently mean it will be as loud or louder than the other at a given setting.
 
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Yeah it’s the same RCA cables I used before but I tried that (using them as a jumper) and same issue.

The amplifier was working with an ARC SP8, the receiver was working as a stand alone amp/preamp connected into a Topping D90 DAC.

I got a new to me Bryston 4b SST2 yesterday on the main system with ARC SP8 so wanted to use the old Bryston 4b ST with the Marantz 2230 as a preamp in another room until I get chance to get a new preamp to go with the old Bryston 4b ST.

I did get sound with the volume/gain all the way up, but you had to have your ear next to the speakers (AR3) to hear it. I swear I also saw the red light flicker on the front of the Bryston as well, like it was clipping.

When I took the receiver out the path, so now just Bryston 4b ST to Topping D90 (with it now set to Preamp and DAC rather than just DAC) it all works fine. The receiver also works fine with just the Topping D90, so I’m kinda lost if it’s not something to do with Marantz 2230 and Bryston in combination.
 
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I guess I'm not clear on the first sentence. Does that mean you get the no/low sound from the receiver as a standalone unit when you use the RCA cables as pre out/main in jumpers?
 
Sorry, not clear - the receiver works fine by itself with the rca cables being used as a jumper. It also works fine with the original plastic caps as the jumper.

in fact, it all works fine, apart from if you put the Bryston with the Marantz. Cleaning the Marantz made no difference, still nearly no volume
 
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The sound you describe sounds like the crosstalk you get when one input is selected (with nothing playing on that input) and you can just about hear something playing on another input. It's the signal bleeding through from one input to another via the small stray capacitance between switch contacts.
How that relates to your situation, I can only guess. It sounds like something isn't making contact but it's close enough for the stray capacitance between contacts to carry a faint signal. This website has some info on that Marantz:
https://www.jmargolin.com/marantz/marantz.htm
And this page has the circuit diagram for the filter section which, I think, feeds the preamp output sockets:
https://www.jmargolin.com/marantz/p600.jpg
The diagram isn't easy to follow, but it looks like it should have a low output impedance, so that isn't the problem.
 
Thanks all - I’ve switched it out for now. Going to do a full recap as it was due anyway. Just weird as it’s working fine by itself but better to be safe than sorry
 
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