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Question re: AR9 compatibility with Marantz

M

munjeet

New Member
First time posting, so be nice! I have a question re: using a pair of ca. 1979 Teledyne Acoustic Research AR9’s. I’m looking to possibly use them with a refurbished Marantz 170DC / 3250B combo. I know that the 4 ohm AR9s are power hungry beasts. If I try and use them with the 170DC, am I putting the Marantz at risk? I don’t generally listen at very high volumes, but I don’t want to damage the Marantz. I realize that a 300DC may be more suitable for the AR9’s, but the 170 is what I’ve got currently. Thoughts? If I keep an eye on the heat, would this pairing be ok without damaging the Marantz? TIA for any input!
 
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If the manual states you can use 4 ohm speakers there shouldn't be a problem.
If using 4 ohm speakers with that amp only use one pair of speakers.
Using two pairs of 8 ohm speakers is the same as having a single pair of 4 ohm speakers running. I didn't had any problems using two pairs of 8 ohm speakers or one pair of 4 ohm speakers with the model 140 amplifier and 3200 preamp I have. Just watch the heat for a bit.
 
Lavane said:
If the manual states you can use 4 ohm speakers there shouldn't be a problem.
If using 4 ohm speakers with that amp only use one pair of speakers.
Using two pairs of 8 ohm speakers is the same as having a single pair of 4 ohm speakers running. I didn't had any problems using two pairs of 8 ohm speakers or one pair of 4 ohm speakers with the model 140 amplifier and 3200 preamp I have. Just watch the heat for a bit.
Click to expand...
Thanks! The manual does say that a single pair of 4 ohm speakers can be used, so keeping track of the heat levels and experimenting seems to be the best course of action.
 
munjeet said:
First time posting, so be nice! I have a question re: using a pair of ca. 1979 Teledyne Acoustic Research AR9’s. I’m looking to possibly use them with a refurbished Marantz 170DC / 3250B combo. I know that the 4 ohm AR9s are power hungry beasts. If I try and use them with the 170DC, am I putting the Marantz at risk? I don’t generally listen at very high volumes, but I don’t want to damage the Marantz. I realize that a 300DC may be more suitable for the AR9’s, but the 170 is what I’ve got currently. Thoughts? If I keep an eye on the heat, would this pairing be ok without damaging the Marantz? TIA for any input!
Click to expand...
Your speakers have a sensitivity rating of 87dB, which is towards the lower side, but not terribly bad. Your amp is rated at 108 wpc @ 4 ohms, which will definitely drive the speakers. Maybe not to their full potential, but you'll hear music. The amp has very beefy heatsinks, so you should not concern yourself with heat issues as long as there is plenty of free air space on the sides and especially the top. In other words, don't put another component on the top of the amp and don't shove it in a closed cabinet.

As there are only one set of spring clip speaker connections you can only use one pair of speakers.

Nice speakers, enjoy!
 
There was a discussion here a few weeks ago about driving the AR-90s from the same era. I owned a pair of AR90s, and found them to be quite demanding, both is terms of amplifier design and room size. If there is a more demanding speaker than the AR-90, it was the AR-9. So while you can safely operate your Marantz with them, the chances are slim that you will find them to be a very good match. I won't repeat everything I said in the old thread, but your speakers need big rooms and amps that can produce high current at low impedance to sound good.

Here's the old thread.
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/vintage-amplifiers-to-drive-4-ohm-speakers.996933/
 
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