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Marantz 2245 Value

moodyj2000

moodyj2000

Member
So in looking at picking up a Marantz for a good phono stage I have settled on a 2245 based upon all I have read and recommendations. Problem is the cost. The days of finding one for $100 are gone and I don't live in a region of a country where thrift stores and yard sales are full of vintage audio.

I can probably pick one up in good to great condition on ebay for $700 to $1000. The problem is that I originally wasn't planning on spending that much. I am not a super critical music listener and I still have speakers and turntables to decide upon. I can get a 2220B for about 75% of the 2245 and a 2215 for even less. I also don't really have a problem dropping the cash if the 2245 is really leap years ahead of the other two models in sound.

Any feedback would be appreciated. This will be in a 20'x18' room that I don't really crank the sound in.
 
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Part of it is the "receiver eye candy tax". You could be able to find an integrated/tuner for less. Heck a preamp/amp/tuner. Just my opinion.
 
moodyj2000 said:
. I can get a 2220B for about 75% of the 2245
Any feedback would be appreciated. This will be in a 20'x18' room that I don't really crank the sound in.
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If you can get a 2220B for 250 bucks, you better get it----------they average 500 on the bay---------------just my opinion.
I have one and it sounds great.
By the way, it all depends on your speakers. If they need 60 watts just to make a peep---it won't work. I have cheap speakers--------LOL :biggrin:
 
ocdecio said:
Part of it is the "receiver eye candy tax". You could be able to find an integrated/tuner for less. Heck a preamp/amp/tuner. Just my opinion.
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All kinds of modern used, and some new in that price range. "Receiver Eye Candy Tax" about nails it.

Oh, don't worry fellow flippers, somebody will pay the price, Perhaps the OP?
 
I paid $500 on a 1200B (to restore but in working condition). I paid $300 on a 125 in good shape. I paid $385 on a 33. There - about $1000. 100W RMS per channel. Best preamp I ever had. Best tuner I ever had. Best integrated as well.

Now give me a receiver that does that for the same price.
 
Last few months, I was able to catch up on my restoration projects - one of them being the Marantz 2220. It sounds so good, I am replacing 2270 from my home office setup with it. 2270 sounds great, obviously, but I thought it was a waste of power for my small office space where I maybe use it once a week. I played around with different speakers, and most sounded good (KLH 17, Sonus Faber, fullrangers, and etc.). If you have access to efficient enough speakers, lower powered Marantz will give you similar experience as the higher powered ones.
 
If you're buying a 2245 on what you've read and recommendations, not sure it's going to be what you think. When it was new it was simply another mid-line Japanese receiver, it still is today. I listened to many marantz vs Pioneer vs Yamaha vs McIntosh in those days and the only one I never bought was marantz (until more recently when I for some reason felt they needed to be added to my collection).

If you're truly set on a vintage marantz receiver, that's fine, I've had many. You will have to pay the collector price, it is what it is.

SQ though, you can do a LOT better for $700-$1,000, phono stage and all. As far as moving down to the 2220 and 2215 they were the bottom of the line marantz, so have less features as well as less power. If you think that you'll NEVER need more power then that's fine, but chances are pretty good that you eventually will fall in love with a pair of speakers that require more. I'd side with the bigger receiver, in fact if you don't need (want) a tuner I'd point you toward the many many integrated amplifiers that you can buy for that money, that will be so much better and more powerful.

JMO
 
Just my humble opinion, but for about the same amount as the Marantz tax assessment, you can buy yourself one of the more modest Sansui Alpha integrated amps and be much better off in both power and SQ. I've had a few Marantz units and definitely keeping my AU-x701, it's better overall and about 15 years fresher.
 
silvernutsaq said:
Just my humble opinion, but for about the same amount as the Marantz tax assessment, you can buy yourself one of the more modest Sansui Alpha integrated amps and be much better off in both power and SQ. I've had a few Marantz units and definitely keeping my AU-x701, it's better overall and about 15 years fresher.
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As mentioned already, it's not all about the performance. I used to totally dismiss Marantz receivers because of how they sound (even when restored), but now I have half a dozen sitting pretty and being admired by me everyday. :)
 
Yep I agree on The Bling Factor with Marantz. That's why I prefaced it with just my humble opinion. They are lovely representatives of the mid-seventies silver era.

I only gave my modest advice because the OP stated he's not a very critical listener and still has to pick up speakers and turntable. However later in the paragraph it was also stated if something is "leap years" ahead of the others in sound, he wouldn't mind dropping the cash. I've had more than one buyer show up all set to take one unit, wind up purchasing something completely different based on a demonstration in my living room.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. In my original post I should have clarified that I was limiting my choices to which Marantz receiver to buy. I have multiple other locations in my house with other modern amplifiers and components but this particular room is all about style. I want a vintage solution that looks cool, is compact and sounds good. I am staying with a receiver because I want a single component solution, Marantz for the look and 2245 for the reputation with a turntable. I decided to just suck it up and pay for the 2245. Didn't get it for as low as I wanted but didn't pay top price for it either. Chose one that only had the pots cleaned and no other service work so that I could control who will do the refurb if any is required.
 
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