Marantz HD-88 Replacement woofers

[Thomas Kokay]

I acquired a pair of Marantz HD-88's from my Dad back in the late '80's he was the original purchaser of 8 of these back in 1975 or 1976 along with a Marantz 4400 and a bunch of other pretty high end '70's audio equipment.

These are the only survivors in my family of that foray into the world of mid-70's Hi-Fi, I can't see that I will ever part with them, because every time I play music though them I feel the connection to my late Father, I appreciate them more than he ever thought possible.

Sometime in the mid '90's the foam surrounds disintegrated, and this being before the internet and the general lack of knowledge. I replaced the original woofers with a set of 12" PYLE subwoofers that worked pretty well in the day but I think they're getting tired and instead of repairing them I'm looking to get a pair of replacement woofers. I think that the originals have pretty much become unobtanium the last pair that I saw available was about a year ago and haven't seen them since. If someone here has a line on some please contact me and I'll investigate further...

However, I believe that it might be better to pursue a modern day replacement woofer that might will provide an upgrade over the Pyle's that are currently in the cabinets and possibly a closer match to the original woofers.

I'm interested in the hive mind's opinion on these tow options or perhaps suggest something else that will work maybe even better.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/391808345916?_trkparms=ispr=1&hash=item5b3998e73c:g:fs4AAOSwjL5ZOAYr&amdata=enc:AQAGAAACoPYe5NmHp%2B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSU8qUIAeVPdz29zRlje3LgxdFVWjb8n7tcdLxjkV6lqqhPNjOsengDdZvq0eX%2B8igVJu7Uol9u3VO1b0xaVCTpMUOjFtL3q3bH4OnlGeGItpb6x%2BE7GkvRntys1d6n6TVJEqUJt4MI6oS%2FyHyTf0rnd3E67YpWZTnuDEwS7f3ovJGxaFBz8%2FKpRFwiukHHmrTfppVKydeTq3v7iWr8ZdpxQmYWKyQrYDW63w5qVaXbTQDEU4xvAxTbGjFR85J5eGd9I%2BU9Urn3CmL%2B0A3UQZFaat8VRtdF0i9Yvwj8uemItFxFRVhTmJZYO3nphIT2gtwgDrXhL85r0%2FFjEZ2kV4pnwGTwGLX%2FsGx3WfbBSQ37fhLPpav6E9b%2F3xBS78F0QM%2BZyPDtxGJeNQ%2FPPL9Eb3UpcFe%2B8buo2q2aedzt72CeKRItJvaU%2BFNZhNKLMeXa2Mbe%2BFW9uH4BXxAogbW6j7YKVPK5htyF1YwO2GKPmm%2F9aTosJM6BWz8RPaW%2F%2B1A%2F4t7OZqOmDXI5wbd9krAQEZ9WS5%2Fsta6aFDe%2BU4q8o3GcYwyO4h4end8du6%2FofoIfPCLuDZ%2BHvK5qy1FEO44vUkhGv5hcPg%2Bwz3WseAKzwcMQQRUTQ8rcLbWlvVPM6Y5pMVPDF9Ng%2F9CZ3nnKKM04Xc5wlBm2h7m5HEBZZrL5EO%2F3o%2B7aro7CurbyA6hQY66gaCUqYf6F5hpTdxMsNRi%2Fn4U3UaWw2fohD82N%2BBOpA%2B%2BNoQv36urFttLmyNwutwRuy2xYo5azyTJHpkAWqyhynoQja7g1gelTmDYygmSFo%2Fjv%2B%2BRGu7ahdu1NDGxpEyRjq8ApNv%2F9iIbahrEXIl3XmJ9%2BQ%3D%3D|clp:2334524|tkp:BFBMvojkmeRf

Or these..

https://www.simplyspeakers.com/jbl-woofer-m112-8-336961-001x.html

I'm also looking at these:

https://www.simplyspeakers.com/replacement-speaker-woofer-w-1244.html

 

[Thomas Kokay]

Bump

 

[Sgt.Pepsi]

Try to hold out for the original woofers.

 

[jqp]

I have a pair of HD77s that had some aftermarket woofers in them but were 4 ohm so I replaced them with Fisher XP 85 woofers (8 ohm) I had laying around. Am also trying to find original Marantz woofers but sadly most of them were probably tossed out when the foams deteriorated. You could always measure the cabinet to determine the volume and buy a pair of woofers that are suited to the cabinet volume. A choice will have to made to run the 88s as ported or sealed. Woofers for a ported design would probably be the easiest to find. Try Parts Express.

 

[Thomas Kokay]

I have a pair of HD77s that had some aftermarket woofers in them but were 4 ohm so I replaced them with Fisher XP 85 woofers (8 ohm) I had laying around. Am also trying to find original Marantz woofers but sadly most of them were probably tossed out when the foams deteriorated. You could always measure the cabinet to determine the volume and buy a pair of woofers that are suited to the cabinet volume. A choice will have to made to run the 88s as ported or sealed. Woofers for a ported design would probably be the easiest to find. Try Parts Express.

That's just what I did, I got these from Simply Speakers after a email Q&A session, I went with the 4 ohm version of these: https://www.simplyspeakers.com/replacement-speaker-woofer-w-1244.html

Sean Ryan was very helpful and answered my questions promptly.

 

[jqp]

I am a bit confused about the 4 ohm recommendation for the woofer. Quite sure the HD series are 8 ohm speakers, but I have never seen a voice coil measurement of the original woofer. EPI/Epicure/Genesis use 4 ohm 8" woofers, but the speakers are rated as 8 ohms, so anything is possible I suppose.

 

[Thomas Kokay]

I am a bit confused about the 4 ohm recommendation for the woofer. Quite sure the HD series are 8 ohm speakers, but I have never seen a voice coil measurement of the original woofer. EPI/Epicure/Genesis use 4 ohm 8" woofers, but the speakers are rated as 8 ohms, so anything is possible I suppose.

From the Service Manual:



After talking with Sean he said the 4 ohm model would be a bit louder but function the same as the 8 ohm version.

 

[jqp]

Good information. Thank you.

 

[Ianjulius92]

Good information. Thank you.

Did the woofer fit?

 

[jqp]

Yes. It turns out the XP 85 woofers are 3.6 ohm dcr, so 4 ohm with alnico magnet. I sealed the ports on the HD 77's as the XP 85 woofers are for acoustic suspension. Nothing lacking in bass performance now!

 

[Ianjulius92]

Awesome. Thanks!