Not to speak for Dave, but I'd say that while the 330C and 2220B are in the same neighborhood of sound quality, the Marantz is a bigger, flashier unit with a more expensive build quality. I bet most people would choose the Marantz if the price was the same. The 330C on average sells for about half the price of the 2220B, though.
Vintage Harman Kardon Receivers
- Thread starter 5Toes
- Start date
Karl vd Berg
Super Member
HK 330i receiver
There is one here around the corner for 25 euros in nice condition like the below pictured... Just wondering... :scratch2:
There is one here around the corner for 25 euros in nice condition like the below pictured... Just wondering... :scratch2:
J English
Super Member
If it were me, I'd snap that up for that price if working well. I like all things h/k. I own 330b, 430, 590 receivers. The 590 seems a little warmer than the 430 but is still in good shape. I've had to have the bias and DC offset adjusted professionally but it is still working fine at this point. The one things to be sure of with the 80s receivers is that the power ICs are still working OK. These are sometimes tricky to source and replace.
Brian
An Old Geezer
Nice to see a young'in who has done his homework and is interested in vintage.
Unless you kiss the blarney stone, a Marantz in the 22xx series is going to be very difficult to find. Maybe on of the 2x series that preceded it and they tend to be under rated and not on the collectors' radars.
You may want to check out the Klipsch forum. They are into high efficiency speakers obviously. I used to read their posts and the Klipsch company's forum and ther seemed to be universal agreement the the H-K receivers went really well with the efficiency and horns of Klipsch. I would look for any of the x30 series. From memory, the 430 was the one many liked on their forum. I think any of the series would do well. I have a H-K in the basement and one thing I noticed is at low volumes, the background noise is blacker than a number of higher powered units, a function of I think the expectation that the higher powered units would be run at higher power levels so way down did not matter.
There are a number of receivers and amps that will do well such as the Sherwoods, that are plentiful and not collector targeted units so, well with your price range. Another is the Philips Lab Series and lower powered Sonys such as the STR6045.
You may also want to consider an integrated amp and separate tuner. Like receivers including the 430 and up x30 series but, not the 330 series, have a preamp output and power amp input so at a later date you could add a better preamp or power amp and use the receiver also. I use a Soundcraftsman preamp/equalizer with my H-K as I find the power amp in the receiver to be stronger than the preamp. The receiver is quite good as it sits but the preamp is the weakest link in the design. The power amp section is very very good.
Unless you kiss the blarney stone, a Marantz in the 22xx series is going to be very difficult to find. Maybe on of the 2x series that preceded it and they tend to be under rated and not on the collectors' radars.
You may want to check out the Klipsch forum. They are into high efficiency speakers obviously. I used to read their posts and the Klipsch company's forum and ther seemed to be universal agreement the the H-K receivers went really well with the efficiency and horns of Klipsch. I would look for any of the x30 series. From memory, the 430 was the one many liked on their forum. I think any of the series would do well. I have a H-K in the basement and one thing I noticed is at low volumes, the background noise is blacker than a number of higher powered units, a function of I think the expectation that the higher powered units would be run at higher power levels so way down did not matter.
There are a number of receivers and amps that will do well such as the Sherwoods, that are plentiful and not collector targeted units so, well with your price range. Another is the Philips Lab Series and lower powered Sonys such as the STR6045.
You may also want to consider an integrated amp and separate tuner. Like receivers including the 430 and up x30 series but, not the 330 series, have a preamp output and power amp input so at a later date you could add a better preamp or power amp and use the receiver also. I use a Soundcraftsman preamp/equalizer with my H-K as I find the power amp in the receiver to be stronger than the preamp. The receiver is quite good as it sits but the preamp is the weakest link in the design. The power amp section is very very good.
wmgwizard
Addicted Member
I dont believe 88db is very efficient for a speaker. Not nessicarily inefficient but there are speakers out there in the upper 90's efficiency. Every 3db is equivalent to doubling your amp power.
Yes some of Sony's lower end gear does sound harsh due to the corners cut to meet a price point and be on the shelf of every store. Sony's ES line from the same era is some very serious gear and generally held in high regard.
That being said, you really want something with comparable, if not more power. If you drive your system till the woofers distort, you need more power.
More power cost's more, so be patient and keep saving. You are on the right track. A 20-40wpc receiver would be a step backwards no matter how nice the receiver is.
Yes some of Sony's lower end gear does sound harsh due to the corners cut to meet a price point and be on the shelf of every store. Sony's ES line from the same era is some very serious gear and generally held in high regard.
That being said, you really want something with comparable, if not more power. If you drive your system till the woofers distort, you need more power.
More power cost's more, so be patient and keep saving. You are on the right track. A 20-40wpc receiver would be a step backwards no matter how nice the receiver is.
Last edited:
beanoil
That's not how this works
Quite a coincidence. My vintage Kenwood KR4070 has gotten progressively worse in the past 2 years. It was low use, probably the reason it lasted as long as it did. Hooked up to a pair of Paradigm towers, it has been in the formal area of my home in a cabinet providing obligatory Thanksgiving and Christmas music, as well as background music for parties, and guests. A very nice sound, I've owned it since high school, so it was special.
A good friend is really into vintage stuff, with many units from the day. So he brings me a Marantz 2220 to try. I had no idea what I was missing from the Wood. The Marantz is a wonderful unit, warm, smooth like caramel. The FM section brought in stations with ease, extremely sensitive. No hum, no extraneous noise, CD's from a junk DVD/CD player sounded, again very smooth and "warm" evening out some of the brightness that is tiring to me. BUT, it wouldn't fit in it's hiding place in my home. It was HUGE, a full 15" deep, and heavy. I was sad to return it actually, as it was beautiful, and had the optional wood case and those blue backlights.
My buddy brought me a Harman-Kardon 330B. Size is right, the leatherette finish was like new. Just one small area was scratched around the power button. I got it home, hooked it up, and turned it on. Simple old school tuning bar, backlit by green lamps. A little volume, and OMG. WTH? I didn't get new speakers, change wiring, or do anything different, yet this receiver has a totally different sound. Velvety, (if that's a word). My favorite jazz CD from the same cheap player has suddenly become very wide, with the drummer whiskering the cymbal, the standup bass slightly in front, lead guitar off to the right. This little HK is a home run. A wide soundstage, with old school classic sound,it reveals things I haven't heard for a long time. I'm excited about it, enough that I'm going to DIY some new speaker cables, and break out the de-oxit tomorrow for a little experimenting and cleaning.
Both of the receivers you and I have mentioned are in your price range, with the Harman less than the Marantz. I suggest you look on CL, and listen before you buy. Happy hunting!
JeffR714
JeffR714
Can someone explain how to hook up a reel to reel deck and a cassette deck both recording and playback the 430 is confusing I've got my reel to reel hooked up via tape monitor and tape 1 the manual claims you can hookup to tape 1 or 2 and record and play that's not the way it works. I know I'm stupid most receivers have 2 monitors.. Any help would be appreciated
.
.
mhardy6647
Lunatic Member
Your question's a little breathless, and (though I have an hk 430) I've never tried to use it with one tape deck, let alone two, but...
based on the manual http://www.harmankardon.com/images/media/HK430_OM_EN.pdf
it has two sets of line-level outputs for tape recording (TAPE 1 and TAPE 2).
It has only one MONITOR, though.
Recording to two decks should be easy enough (assuming both TAPE outputs are passing a signal).
One of the decks can be in the MONITOR loop; the output of the second deck would have to go to the AUX input. This would permit one to play back a recorded tape, but not to monitor during recording. As the manual says, the sensible way to hook up two
decks is to hook any three head deck (which is capable of true, real-time, off the tape monitoring while recording) to the MONITOR input, and hooking the other (two head) deck output to the AUX input.
An excellent alternative would be to add a purpose-built "tape monitor/tape dubbing" switchbox. Sony once made a very nice one, and Radio Shack had one that was kind of chintzy but "fit for purpose". Both of these turn up on eBAY regularly -- either would give you more flexibility than the hk430 (which was, frankly, aimed at a market demographic that wasn't likely to be using two tape decks at the same time).
based on the manual http://www.harmankardon.com/images/media/HK430_OM_EN.pdf
it has two sets of line-level outputs for tape recording (TAPE 1 and TAPE 2).
It has only one MONITOR, though.
Recording to two decks should be easy enough (assuming both TAPE outputs are passing a signal).
One of the decks can be in the MONITOR loop; the output of the second deck would have to go to the AUX input. This would permit one to play back a recorded tape, but not to monitor during recording. As the manual says, the sensible way to hook up two
decks is to hook any three head deck (which is capable of true, real-time, off the tape monitoring while recording) to the MONITOR input, and hooking the other (two head) deck output to the AUX input.
An excellent alternative would be to add a purpose-built "tape monitor/tape dubbing" switchbox. Sony once made a very nice one, and Radio Shack had one that was kind of chintzy but "fit for purpose". Both of these turn up on eBAY regularly -- either would give you more flexibility than the hk430 (which was, frankly, aimed at a market demographic that wasn't likely to be using two tape decks at the same time).
DonQuixote99
just give me some truth
Wow,you come in with guns a blazing !
Seriously,settle down and do a little research.:yes:
Now now--don't you remember the initial rush when you first got a taste and wanted more?
DonQuixote99
just give me some truth
An HK-330B was my first 'good' piece of gear (after my audio re-awakening). Goodwill unit, had a channel out, but De-Oxit on the mono-stereo switch cured that. It's a sweet unit. You'll be very happy with an HK.
JeffR714
JeffR714
Thanks for the info but if it wasn't made to do it why does it state that it can in the manual anyway I'll just use a switcher record from source with cassette deck playback thru Aux and I'll just keep reel to reel thru tape monitor...I just had to think about it for a minute. I'm not using two decks at the same time just wanted a cassette deck and my reel to reel separate.
Last edited:
J English
Super Member
I have two HK330b receivers, and alas, both now have some hiss, coming from the pre section, I believe. Debating whether to try and have someone restore the better one sometime down the road. Anyone have a feeling for the likely cost range to restore one? $200+? I may just have to sell them for parts and move on... Fortunately, my 430 was OK, last time I checked her out.
I know this thread is old, but did you end up recapping your two 330b's? I've done four now and it's fairly easy and inexpensive.... http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....cap-restore-and-upgrade-bom-part-list.739572/