Marantz 6300

Adriancotter

Adriancotter

Member
Hi guys,
A vintage audio dealer has a Marantz 6300 turntable which he is restoring and has offered me first refusal. This guy is top notch, has already restored a 2265 Integrated Amp for me, it’s in perfect working order and looks like it just came out of the shop, so no worries on the product condition.
My question is from a sound quality perspective how does a 6300 compare with a modern turntable, say something like the Rega’s P1, P3 or P6 or some such. I currently have a Rega RP1 with upgrade pack.
Appreciate your opinions,
Regards,
Adrian
 
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I have a 6200. It is a nice TT. Definitely not TOTL. But, with a Shure M95, it sounds very nice. No rumble at all and the speed does not drift. I cannot comment on new tables. If the price is right, I would not hesitate. Beware of the "Marantz Tax", though!
 
I own the 6300. I had to out some work into it that you will not have to as you have a guy already doing that. The 6300 has a heavy tonearm. It's important to have your guy setup the arm very correctly. I replaced the head with a lighter one. I of course kept the orginal one and put the cartridge and stylus that came with the table on it as a backup. It's also a good idea to have a good cartridge and stylus on the table just like with any table. That is a personal choice as to what sounds good to you. I run a Ortofon Red but am going to a Blue soon. But that's just me. Now, to compare it to new tables I really don't know. I have never owned any other tables to compare it to. Sorry. But I think my 6300 sounds great. It is a sensitive table because of the tonearm weight but because of that it setup right sounds super. I hope this all helps.
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Hi Wolfman,
Thanks for takin the time, all useful info, great to hear that you’re so happy with it. What are the amp and receiver in your set-up? What model JBL’s?
 
Oooo. Yea. Sorry. I should have put that in for ya. I have a Marantz 1090 integrated amp. It's a quit rare one but has the things that I wanted with it. Like two phone inputs. A mono switch and two tape inputs too. Its 45 watts per channel that matches the speakers perfectly. My speakers are the JBL L-100'S. They are all orginal speakers. Nothing has been messed with. The only thing I did with them is replace the foam around the tweeters and the grills. That's it. All speakers and the crossovers worked well so I left them alone. I also have a Marantz 110 turner to add to the system. I have two JVC cassette tape decks and a Akai 4000S Reel to Reel.
But the main heart of the system is Marantz and JBL. They are classic pairings really. People have been using them together for 40 to 50 years and sound wonderful together. At least I think so. If you do some research I think you will find that others feel that way too. I choose separates for my system but a Marantz receiver is also a good choice. The JBL's are rated for 50 watts. Some may think you can over power them and it's fine but not me. They tend to feedback when you do that. Even at 50 watts I can make mine feedback depending on what's on the table. Remember that back then even say 40 watts can rock the house at 8 ohms. Mine sure will make my windows buzz at 1/3 volume. I have never even gotten to half volume. Just too loud. Soooooo. Also I have a chromecast unit on my Aux so I can play my digital stuff off my phone. Sounds great, clean and bright. I have alot of stuff digital as I also have a hugh system in my Corvette. That way my music travels with me on the odd occasion when I do go out. You can do some research on these and other Marantz/JBL gear like I did. Do not let the prices scare you. You can find deals out there like I did. Be patient and look locally. That's how I found mine at the best price. Sometimes people just want to get rid of them or don't know what they have. They inherit and just don't know. :>) please let me know if I can answer any more questions. Happy to help if I can. I for myself live the vintage sound as I play vintage 70's 80's music.
 
The Maratnz 6300 is the best looking available Marantz turntable for folks that want a matching table for their rig. It is priced way too high for its performance but all the 'taxed' units are like that. If you want one, the one available seems to be a good choice if purchased at a reasonable price. But expect performance on the level of about a third of what some of the expensive ones have sold for. They are adequate table.

I had the 6320, armless 6300 and used a Magnepan Unitrac tonearm and moving coil cartridges. The table just happened to be what I had available to put the arm on. The other table was a TD-160 Super again with a Magnepan arm. I used the 6300 until I upgraded to a KD-600 and used the TD-160 until I upgraded to a TD-125. Both of these tables have much better isolation than the ones they replaced. The TD-160 was very susceptible to footfalls, the TD-125 not so much. The KD-600 is just miles ahead in isolation compared to the 6320 which isn't a heavy or suspended table, the two common ways of isolation used in tables.

If you like the 6300 go for it especially at the right price because if it doesn't peform you can move it on. They are not making them anymore and more and more folks are like Wolfman, wanting Marantz. Prices won't be coming down for some time.
 
I agree that the 6300 does have an issue with isoliation as lots of tables do. Again it goes back to a heavy arm. There are many ways to counter this with feet or the way I did it. I added the Auralex mat by Acoustics. It's just one way to stop the issue.
I have seen TD-125 for $1,600 and up and TD-160 for $800 and up. Much more than the 6300. I would own a Thorens if I could afford one. They are great German made tables but out of my reach. But I do like what I have.
 
I guess I sold my TD-160 (last year) and TD-125 (last week) for too little then. Come to think of it, I could have made a lot more on the 6300 I sold but that was several years ago. :)

But yeah, the 6300 sells typically for 2 to 3 times its performance level suggests. It's decent, just not great other than looks.
 
Heres mine.
This probably shoould have posted under a yard sale forum, but my wife found this Marantz model 6300 at a yard sale for $8. Has a Pickering with a broken needle. I have cleaned, lubed and will put a cart on soon to fully test. Everthing appears to work!


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It can't hang with a Music Hall 7.1 I own, but might hang with my Music Hall 2.2.
As others have mentioned, a table that seems to sell well above its performance point.
 
Wolfman181 said:
. Sometimes people just want to get rid of them or don't know what they have. They inherit and just don't know. :>) please let me know if I can answer any more questions. Happy to help if I can. I for myself live the vintage sound as I play vintage 70's 80's music.
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I just got mine for $350 from someone in my area of town. Not quite as good as the $8 yard sale find though but I am happy. He inherited it from his uncle and had no use for it. It was in excellent condition but had a few issues. The feet were missing, the rod on the tone arm pivot was snapped off (see my thread on repair) and it needed a new stylus and the pitch controls needed a shot of deoxit.
 
I've got a pair of them in excellent condition - for about $400. Granted, I picked them up years ago. I agree with the above posters that they're somewhat overrated, but if the price is right, you won't lose money on them. Also, their output depends largely on your speakers. If you have good speakers, the 6300 with a Shure M91ED and JICO SAS stylus will sound great. If you have less than average speakers, it really doesn't matter what table and cartridge you have. Your sound will be less than average.
 
Wolfman181 said:
Oooo. Yea. Sorry. I should have put that in for ya. I have a Marantz 1090 integrated amp. It's a quit rare one but has the things that I wanted with it. Like two phone inputs. A mono switch and two tape inputs too. Its 45 watts per channel that matches the speakers perfectly. My speakers are the JBL L-100'S. They are all orginal speakers. Nothing has been messed with. The only thing I did with them is replace the foam around the tweeters and the grills. That's it. All speakers and the crossovers worked well so I left them alone. I also have a Marantz 110 turner to add to the system. I have two JVC cassette tape decks and a Akai 4000S Reel to Reel.
But the main heart of the system is Marantz and JBL. They are classic pairings really. People have been using them together for 40 to 50 years and sound wonderful together. At least I think so. If you do some research I think you will find that others feel that way too. I choose separates for my system but a Marantz receiver is also a good choice. The JBL's are rated for 50 watts. Some may think you can over power them and it's fine but not me. They tend to feedback when you do that. Even at 50 watts I can make mine feedback depending on what's on the table. Remember that back then even say 40 watts can rock the house at 8 ohms. Mine sure will make my windows buzz at 1/3 volume. I have never even gotten to half volume. Just too loud. Soooooo. Also I have a chromecast unit on my Aux so I can play my digital stuff off my phone. Sounds great, clean and bright. I have alot of stuff digital as I also have a hugh system in my Corvette. That way my music travels with me on the odd occasion when I do go out. You can do some research on these and other Marantz/JBL gear like I did. Do not let the prices scare you. You can find deals out there like I did. Be patient and look locally. That's how I found mine at the best price. Sometimes people just want to get rid of them or don't know what they have. They inherit and just don't know. :>) please let me know if I can answer any more questions. Happy to help if I can. I for myself live the vintage sound as I play vintage 70's 80's music.
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Always liked the 6300. Though the arm is heavy it’s sounds nice with a Shure cart. Wolfman, I like your setup. Run a Pr of 100s on my Marantz 4270. Had them 15 years. Sounds great. Found a pt of nice Decade 26s that I paired with a 2270. All over the place music wise. Seventies, eighties, then jazzz or classical. Always in the hunt for a 6300. Let us know if you get it.
 
@Wolfman181 Keep your eyes out for a pair of Marantz Imperial 6 speakers. You won't be disappointed. They sound great with any of my Marantz amps, or anything really. They play very well with tube gear also. Yesterday I hooked them up to a 5.5wpc tube amp I just finished building. While it doesn't shake the windows, it still sounds nice with the 6's.
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WOW. I agree. Very nice amp. Great job. I am sure that it sounds fan damn tastic. The Marantz speakers you talk about are also very good speakers. I will have to keep my sees open for a pair. Lately all my extra cash has been going into vinyl cleaning gear. I just put together my cleaning system for vinyl with an ultrasonic unit.
I also use a Spin Clean and a Record Doctor both. This way I can buy records that if they are not scratched but are just real dirty I can give them a super clean and away we go. That's done now and the system is complete. So I can save a few pennies. Thanks for the suggestion. A very good one.
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Hi Guys. Just now I made the decision on a cart. and stylus. Because a MC will require a new phono stage and take a place on my amp that is taken by some that is occupied by something now. So I ordered the Ortofon Blue. I run the red now and like it but it's been in use for about a year now. Its worn out. Its having a problem a channel. It now riding correctly in the groove anymore so it cuts off one channel at the beginning of an album. Once it drops in then it's fine. I will let you know how it is but it takes a while to break in.
 
Also just got a Ortofon headshell Blue to match up. The Marantz was just to heavy and the Sanyo one that I was using was not working out well. It is also making a big difference. I have about 8 hours now on the new stylus and it's getting better and better.
 
Adriancotter said:
Hi guys,
A vintage audio dealer has a Marantz 6300 turntable which he is restoring and has offered me first refusal. This guy is top notch, has already restored a 2265 Integrated Amp for me, it’s in perfect working order and looks like it just came out of the shop, so no worries on the product condition.
My question is from a sound quality perspective how does a 6300 compare with a modern turntable, say something like the Rega’s P1, P3 or P6 or some such. I currently have a Rega RP1 with upgrade pack.
Appreciate your opinions,
Regards,
Adrian
Click to expand...
 
Those older Marantz tables are overrated and way overpriced. People buy them for appearance but definitely not audio quality. The 6300 is the perfect example
 
i was gobsmacked when i saw one on Mplace for 2100 today.and sure enough asking prices on bay are the same.2000+will buy a lot more than a pretty face.i don't get it.
 
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