quadklipsh Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 guys...... the two gladiators at daggers drawn today here in my living room are the 2230 and the MF A1. And as I just sat after warming em up for 45 min. and then playing a couple of tracks on both. the MF simply ruled. it walked over my favourite amplifier the 2230. simply more neater,more detailed,and separated. better quality all the way. price wise mf is 3 times expensive..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy West Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 While Marantz receivers are among the best, IMO the best of Marantz--and the reason the Marantz name became legendary--is because of their separate pre-amps, tuners and power amps, particularly the made in USA products. For example, I have never heard ANY receiver that can compare to a Marantz 250M power amp mated with a good pre-amp (mine is a new Marattz Reference series, but for many years I used an older McIntosh pre-amp). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quadklipsh Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 wow. nice stuff there sandy. im sure you are in that audio bliss every now n then . what kinda room you have , are you any bothered with room reflections and all. i cannot actually think of investing in a better gear lest i correct my room sonics . they never gimmi the bass and oomph i crave for at moderate volumes and above . it seems im lacking 30 60 and 90 hz severly. no juice in these regions. and yes coming back to marantz, i do have my deepest love and heartiest feelings for any old marantz gear .i owned PM44 marantz and boy it started me to it . then the second was a pm 74 and then 2230 , all very sweet and robust in their build quality . id sure like to look for these separates that you mentioned . lemmi know your comments [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy West Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 My rather crowded, bookshelf lined, wall-to-wall carpeted, double wall/double windows listening room is about 14'x14'. My listening position is 10' from the speakers, which are 6' 2.5" apart and angled directly at my listening position. My reference listening level is 80 db SPL, C-weighted, per my SPL meter at my listening position. My loudest listening is normally done at 90 db SPL at my listening position. These SPL readings are for "mean loud passages," not transient peaks, which are naturally higher. Marantz power amps Model 240, 250, 250M and 500M are all very well thought of, among others, and should work well with period to present day Marantz pre-amps. My personal favorites are the 250M and 500M. Any McIntosh pre-amp from the C26 forward will also work fine with these power amps and also with the McIntosh 2100, 2105 and newer stereo power amps. (This is all 2-channel stereo gear.) Good online sources for these components and information about them include: http://www.audioclassics.com/ http://www.classicaudio.com/ http://www.mcintoshaudio.com/ http://www.roger-russell.com/aboutmc.htm If I were starting from scratch today, I'd buy Marantz Reference series components, specifically the SC-11S1 pre-amp (which I do own) and SM-11S1 power amp (110w/chan.). These should do very well with all Klipsch Classic and Reference series loudspeakers, as well as classic floorstanding Altec-Landing, JBL and Electro-Voice loudspeakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 the MF simply ruled. it walked over my favourite amplifier the 2230. I'll have to quote myself: ... but it's going to sound a lot better than a Marantz 2230. Sorry if that's a bit harsh, the Marantz recievers look pretty but that's all I can say... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 it walked over my favourite amplifier the 2230 Is your 2230 an original unit or has it been restored in any way? Most Marantz units do not put out audiophile or purist sound quality. They have a warm colored sound that is not extremely precise. If you listen to string music with your speakers three feet away from your sweet spot then a Marantz receiver is gonna fall short if that's your thing. If you're a headbanger or like your classic rock then you''ll have more of an appreciation for the mid-fi Marantz units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy West Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I believe that the 2230 is a 30watt/chan. receiver. I remenber it as being clean and musical for its price and output, but I think it might be somewhat underpowered for most modern loudspeakers. The 36watt/chan. (clas A) A1 integrated amp probably has more punch, which is probably why it sounds better. Also, a good integrated amplifier should out perform a good receiver, just as a good separate power amp / pre-amp combo should out perform a good integrated amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quadklipsh Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 "underpowered for most modern loudspeakers. The 36watt/chan. (clas A) A1 integrated amp probably has more punch, which is probably why it sounds better" sandy ,maybe im wrong but i dont think 30 vs 36 watts is explaining the difference . its the componentry and circuitry that is perhaps more simpler and linear in A1 causing it to sound rather cleaner and accurate yet very very sweet and warm at the highs . before that, i thought marantz 2230 was the sweetest amp in the world ,period .!!! lolz . it sure is sweet but its far less accurate than than the other . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quadklipsh Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 a good separate power amp / pre-amp combo should out perform a good integrated amp. again sandy , i had a different experience . the A1 has been superior in its handling and detail, sweetness at the HF and warmth than my old and gold QUAD 303 .pre power and its pre amp 33. i was amazed , that A1 was actually superior to ths unit even !!![] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quadklipsh Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 SWL "Is your 2230 an original unit or has it been restored in any way? Most Marantz units do not put out audiophile or purist sound quality. They have a warm colored sound that is not extremely precise. If you listen to string music with your speakers three feet away from your sweet spot then a Marantz receiver is gonna fall short if that's your thing. If you're a headbanger or like your classic rock then you''ll have more of an appreciation for the mid-fi Marantz units." well heck yeah the 2230 was once checked by my technician (a fairly experienced dude, who works with mono block tubes and high end stuff mostly ). he said this unit has been converted to 220 volts transformer . but since there is no hum, nor any dc out at the speaker ends upon start , the amp is good to go ..... he didnt find any evidence of repairs. and yes your description fits my observation , marantz does sound very warm and silky , but its not the purist oriented ,by default . but all who hear it ,they love it , only a small percentage (2%[]) can take out its shortcomings ....and that too only after an A-B comparison with another better amp. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy West Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 It would be interesting to compare a Marantz Model 19. I'm not a receiver guy, but my impression is that the Model 19 was the best ever receiver. It certainly was the most handsome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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