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Rare black-face Marantz 2285B and Tube Sansui on eBay

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Arkay said:
Noticed two items on eBay interesting enough to post here:
First up is a black-faced (European style) Marantz 2285B, which some might miss because the title calls it a "285B":
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In short, I am mesmerized by the black alu faces: And, this one is right next door to me!

How much of a minus is it, value-wise, that it is missing the case? I know the case can be had for around $100, so does that seem to be a reasonable estimate?

Do blackfaced Marantzes - frankly, I didn't even know these existed - command a premium to the silver faced ones? I think that is the case for same-era black Pioneers, all things equal.

Rgds,
 
I'll chime in here.
Yes, the Marantz "Euro" Black Face Units do command a premium, and according to the Yahoo Marantz Group, one 2285B sold for $1400 on ebay.

Speaking with Arkay just earlier, I owned a absolutely perfect 2285B Black Face a few years back, and this unit I owned, including its matching Black Face 5025 Cassette Deck is pictured on Ben Blish's Vintage Marantz site.

I cannot immediately recall just how many other units were done with the Black Anodized Face, but I do know that a 2385B is also pictured there, and again, another absolutely beautiful looking unit, and no doubt extremely rare also!

The only problem I see with this particular auction, is that the seller hasn't really described its cosmetic condition very well, and the pictures are not good enough to determine what shape the face is in?

This naturally will be the most important part of the Unit, as other pieces-parts of the 2285B Black Face (Case-Knobs-Buttons-Dial Face-Feet-etc) I believe are no different than a standard 2285B Unit. If a case, etc was damaged, or scratched, no doubt these parts could be "cannibalized" off another 2285B Unit.

Depending on condition, the Marantz Cases can go quite high. I once lucked into a perfect Original NOS Walnut Marantz Case for the 22xx Units that never had a Unit slid into it. Not a mark anywhere. Cost was $275! Mark D.
 
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markd51 said:
2285B sold for $1400 on ebay....a 2385B is also pictured there, and again, another absolutely beautiful looking unit, and no doubt extremely rare also!
Click to expand...

I watched a black faced 2385b sell for $590 about 6 months ago or so. It was a 1 owner in excellent condition, the guy had listed it in the wrong section. Hard telling what it would go for now. :sigh:
 
Of course everyone has thier own tastes in audio gear, the 2285B Black Face (in mint condition like the one I had) is actually a beautiful sight to behold!

The contrast of the Black Face really accentuated the Silver Knobs, Buttons, and Dial Face. Lit up, as you can see from my donated pics of the 2285B Black Face on Ben's Marantz site
www.classic-audio.com really added to the mind blowing, beautiful look of this unit! Combine that with the matching 5025 Black Face Cassette I had also, and it was truly the cat's meow. I'd like to also mention, that out of 10 Marantz recievers I owned, the sound of this one I also liked the best.

I've been a Marantz fan for decades, although some of thier equipment I didn't care for (mostly for slightly lackluster sound, and reliability), this was one unit I should've never sold. I'll always kick myself for letting these two particular units slip through my fingers. Mark D.
 
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