Need some Vintage Marantz info

[saab]

Well, a couple of years ago I stumbled into a Salvation Army in Northern Michigan. I saw laying on the floor an old reviever that I thought looked pretty cool. The clerks at the store had no idea if it worked or what it was, but said I could take it homne for $1.00 That's right, one dollar. I hooked up some speakers of my dad's from when he was in college and couldn't believe the sound that they pushed out! Anyways, back to my point... I am still somewhat new to hi-fi headphones. I tried to find out as much about the reciever as possible from searches, but still need some opinions. The reciever is a Marantz model 2238 I believe (I am not at home now). The only headphones I have are Shure e2's, and don't really feel that they need an amp, but I was wondering if this reciever could do the trick as an amplifier or other headphones. It has a 1/4" headphone jack on the frnt so I assume that I could use it.

What headphones sound the best with this type of reciever? I am on a very limited budget as well due to my pending wedding in November.

Anyways, any suggestions/comments/advice would be great!

Thanks
John


P.S. Is there any kind of specific maintenance that I should be doing to keep this reciever in tip top shape? (besides new bulbs)

 

[jmzzz01]

2238 is a 38 wpc receiver made in the '70s by Marantz. It was the original company then, owned by Saul Marantz, and they made well-built, reputable products. Their early tube amps, preamps, and tuners now go for thousands of dollars and are considered some of the best audio equipment made, right up there with McIntosh and Fisher. The 10b tuner is still regarded as a top notch audiophile piece and they fetch $2000-3000. You could find out all the specs for this receiver at http://www.classic-audio.com.

Receivers and preamps, in general, have headphone capability that is added as a convenience to the listener, sort of as an afterthought, as opposed to being designed and developed specifically for that purpose. Depending on the phones you use and the quality you are looking for, it could work out to be what you want, but probably not if you are a discerning listener. It really comes down to the level of sonic accuracy and quality. If you are on a budget, it's not a bad way to go.

 

[saab]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I have a coule of questions.

1. Should I hold on to this reciever? I know I got a good price, but is it worth listening to? I think for the speakers aone it coulod be o.k.?

2. If I wanted to expend my headphone collection to a home pair, is there a recomendation. Like stated before I am on a very limited budget. I listen to every type of music except for country...from classical to rap to punk to rock.
I like a headphone with a full, relaxed sound, but am not sure where I can get this...My price pretty much ends at $100, so I was thinking about the MS-1's.

Thanks again
John

 

[Mr.Radar]

*DELETE ME*

 

[acs236]

I use a Marantz 1070 and 2220B with headphones will very nice results. I'm not familar with the Shure headphones, having never listened to them myself, but I've found that the Marantz receivers sound best with higher impedence headphones.

 

[saab]

I love my Shure's, but I think they are best suited for portable use as I believe they have an impedance of just about 16 ohm (someone correct me if I am wrong)

I have been doing a little bit of researching and have broadened my horizons a bit to include maybe the A500. (still at the top of my price limit though)

Anyways, thanks to everyone for their replies and I hope to hear some more opinions

Thanks
John

 

[cosmopragma]

I gave a Marantz 2235 B (ebay 100 Euro in good condition) to my girlfriend 'cause I couldn't stand her crappy audio anymore.
It's a decent mid-fi speaker amp and it's also in use with Senn HD 600 and Grado SR 225 w/flats.Sure, it's no high-end headphone amp but I like it.
It's much better than the headphone jack of most modern receivers, and you would have to pay hundreds for a dedicated headphone amp to get something better.
As usual IMO, to my ears, YMMV.

 

[jmzzz01]

I hope I don't offend you by saying that I try not to think of this stuff in terms of wanting "laid back" or "forward sounding" items. What you really want, especially if you listen to all types of music, is something that reproduces the sound as accurately and as concisely as possible. If you have a component that sounds "dark", you are better off replacing it with a piece that has a more accurate representation, otherwise you are just adding another link in the chain that is further coloring and distorting the music from it's original form.

Speaking of links, it doesn't really do you any good to have one "top drawer" component along with a bunch of mediocre components because you will never get to hear it's potential until you upgrade the other items, and that may take a long time. I think that if money is tight, you would benefit from planning to buy your additional components with this in mind. That receiver is a decent piece, and you would spend a considerable amount on a new component to surpass it's sound quality. I would look for some used Senns that you could pick up for the $100 you mentioned, and enjoy some music. If that's too much, you can buy a pair of Koss PortaPro jr's from Amazon for $40. They're not 600's, but they sound accurate and are a good value for the $. That's what it's really all about. On a tight budget, buying used is the smart way to go. As mentioned in one of the above posts, "let some else pay for the depreciation". It's so easy, after reading so much about audio equipment and hanging around these boards, to to pursue perfection beyond a practical balance. No matter how weathy you are, there is equipment you can't afford. Build a decent system that you enjoy - and enjoy it. Then start saving for a better system, or a new car, etc.

Have fun- Jim

 

[lini]

Uhm, just on a sidenote - why is this thread located in the dedicated sources forum?

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini