The Heir To The 2600

[vintagestereo]

Now Sam has ANOTHER Marantz receiver he has to buy. Nice photos Chris.

Duffy -- Sam always tells me he's almost done with his collection, but, then, he sees something that excites him, so "ya never know".

My collecting interest is not what it was, however, when something like the SR-9000G shows up at my door, that "old excitement" comes back.

I've my the Hitachi SR-2004 I just got at the Tech's and I'm eager to here what he has to day. So, for the moment, "I've got THE fever" again.

-- Chris

 

[vintagestereo]

the crossover period when leds took over from vu's i remember quite well as a kid...although not able to afford even low end stuff let alone the above eye candy back then...i remember lusting after kit which featured light emitting diodes..which were all the rage... :yes: ...only being 12 y.o. back in 1982...i remember asking an older friend who what an L.E.D was...when i saw them on a tape deck for the first time...my jaw dropped ...
i even found the very tape deck i first saw them on for the grand sum of £1 on ebay the other day...an aiwa af 3500...
the stuff of dreams back then... :thmbsp:

melo -- I'm still dreamin'!

-- Chris

 

[SoCal Sam]

Sam -- I'd like to see the insides.....Tom was pretty awed by it all....and I know he's not a big Rotel fan, at least not as far as the RX-1603 is concerned. He's now obsessed with the Sansui 4000...which he considers the best looking Receiver he's ever seen. I have to admit, the one he has is exceptionally nice and the details are very well executed. But, really...................

Hey Chris:

The RA-1412 has 4 22,000uF caps to make only 120 wpc. It is massively overbuilt for that rating. Tom has some sentimental connection to the x000 Sansuis. I got a working 5000a with wood case for him. The case is a little beat but the face and chassis are mint.

Guys, I am (almost) done collecting.

Sam.

 

[mikey3117]

Hey vintagestereo! I wholeheartedly agree that the Marantz stuff built "right after" 1979 is very solid! I was with my dad back in 1979 when he went to the local audio store to buy an (almost) complete Marantz system. What we came home with was a PM-700 Integrated, ST-400 Tuner, a Technics SL-Q2 TT, and a pair of HD-880 speakers. I inherited the speakers in the early 90's and the rest in the late 90's. I held onto them for quite a while until I upgraded to what you see in my signature. (The HD-880's will be with me for life!) My point is....the PM-700 was a very well built, very good sounding 85wpc amp. The ST-400 was very sensitive and quite unique in it's use of an analog dial as well as a digital readout. I have bought and sold many Marantz units from the 70's and when I compared the build quality from the earlier units to the ones that my dad bought in '79, it looked the same! That 9000G is beautiful!! Marantz units from this brief period shouldn't be overlooked!

 

[vintagestereo]

Hey vintagestereo! I wholeheartedly agree that the Marantz stuff built "right after" 1979 is very solid! I was with my dad back in 1979 when he went to the local audio store to buy an (almost) complete Marantz system. What we came home with was a PM-700 Integrated, ST-400 Tuner, a Technics SL-Q2 TT, and a pair of HD-880 speakers. I inherited the speakers in the early 90's and the rest in the late 90's. I held onto them for quite a while until I upgraded to what you see in my signature. (The HD-880's will be with me for life!) My point is....the PM-700 was a very well built, very good sounding 85wpc amp. The ST-400 was very sensitive and quite unique in it's use of an analog dial as well as a digital readout. I have bought and sold many Marantz units from the 70's and when I compared the build quality from the earlier units to the ones that my dad bought in '79, it looked the same! That 9000G is beautiful!! Marantz units from this brief period shouldn't be overlooked!

Mikey -- Have enjoyed your comments on other threads. While I'm NOT about so say that the post-79 Marantz is as good as the earelier gear, I will say that much of it is NOT NEARLY as bad as many people believe and, for the most part, it is EQUAL or BETTER THAN what the competitiion was offering in the same price range. This would hold true until after the SR-940, when Marantz took a decided turn for the worse. The 1986 SR-3600 (one's up on E-Bay right now) was decidedly AWFUL. (I owned one so I speak first hand).
However, the PM-94 Amplifier (check out what those go for) was certainly a step the right direction and got the Company back on track. Also check out the RS-3559 from 1989, once again the "cream of the crop" of first generation Dolby Surround Receivers. The mains were rated at 125 wpc but, according to our good friend Julian Hirsch at Stereo Review, tested out a 178 wpc. Now, that's the kind of conservative rating that gives a Company a REPUTATION!

-- Chris

 

[vintagestereo]

I've swapped the SR-9000G with a Yammie R-9 I have playing through some EPI 100s, that Gordon W refoamed, and the difference is rather surprising.

I never faulted the R-9's performance, impeccable in every respect.

However, the SR-9000G, although rated at only 5 wpc more (130 wpc vs. 125 wpc) sounds significantly more powerful. With the tone controls on flat, the bass is noticiably deeper. Even on FM signals! And, I've never heard the EPI 100s produce such nice clean highs with any other receiver.

Of course once the Volume on the SR-9000G goes past 10 o'clock the EPIs start to lose their composure and appear to be "at risk". However, as the proud current owner of 15 TOTL Marantz Receivers, including the very first one, I can honestly say the SR-9000G is certainly among their best and now I understand why my German friend, Nico, spoke so highly of it. Geez, this thing sounds SWEET!!! What do you think, Matty?

Needless to say, the R-9 will probably be in the closet for a while. Although the SR-9000G is clearly not as well built is its ancestors, it is pretty amanzing to me how Marantz was able to cut costs, maintain the "Marantz Sound" and improve performance and realiability while lowering the price of admission quite a bit. Job well done.

-- Chris

 

[SoCal Sam]

I've swapped the SR-9000G with a Yammie R-9 I have playing through some EPI 100s, that Gordon W refoamed, and the difference is rather surprising.

I never faulted the R-9's performance, impeccable in every respect.

However, the SR-9000G, although rated at only 5 wpc more (130 wpc vs. 125 wpc) sounds significantly more powerful. With the tone controls on flat, the bass is noticiably deeper. Even on FM signals! And, I've never heard the EPI 100s produce such nice clean highs with any other receiver.

Of course once the Volume on the SR-9000G goes past 10 o'clock the EPIs start to lose their composure and appear to be "at risk". However, as the proud current owner of 15 TOTL Marantz Receivers, including the very first one, I can honestly say the SR-9000G is certainly among their best and now I understand why my German friend, Nico, spoke so highly of it. Geez, this thing sounds SWEET!!! What do you think, Matty?

Needless to say, the R-9 will probably be in the closet for a while. Although the SR-9000G is clearly not as well built is its ancestors, it is pretty amanzing to me how Marantz was able to cut costs, maintain the "Marantz Sound" and inprove performance and realiability. Job well done.

-- Chris

15 TOTL Marantz! Wow, you are dedicated. Does this mean you now own a 2500 and a 2600?

 

[vintagestereo]

15 TOTL Marantz! Wow, you are dedicated. Does this mean you now own a 2500 and a 2600?

Sam -- Not unless I can get one for less than $300.00. Let's just not open that can of worms.

Have a great weekend and let me know when you can do lunch. Let's have a "show and tell". Bring that Rotel Amp. along. I'll bring something cool as well.

-- Chris

 

[SPL db]

Good to hear from you, Scott! How's that 9050?

Still hasn't moved...

And yours?

Scott

 

[vintagestereo]

Still hasn't moved...

And yours?

Scott

Mine works fine, but it's "in the closet" for the time being since I don't have anywhere to display it at the moment. Also in that particular closet with it are the Setton RS-660, Sansui G-9000, 2 Marantz 18s, the infamous Kenwood Galaxy Commander, a Marantz 2325, a Sansui 5000X, a Realistic STA-2100 and last, but not least, a Yammie R-2000. So, it's got some competition as to what is going to come out of that closet.

-- Chris