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Price of marantz 8b


hcnelly

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I may be one of the few people here who really like the sound of vintage amps and the 8b is a great one! I have enjoyed my EL34 PP Dynaco MkIV amps greatly and my current main amp which is a 2A3 PP amp (not vintage, built for me) but I still plan to get an 8b some day. I have heard them (and pair of model 9s!) in a friends system and loved them (the 9s were great too!). but so far I havent found the right one at the right price, I will have them worked over (caps, etc.) before putting them into "production" becuase vintage amps do tend to blow up on you if you are not careful. Warm regards, Tony

Isn't your PP 2A3 the Seth by Jeff Lassard? or am I confused...
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But Jeff built it did he not? If so Sunny do you know how it differs from the Seth? I'm currently rolling a PP directly heated troide design in my brain. Have you heard from or know how to reach Jeff these days? Mike Laverve wants to get in touch with him also. I chatted with Kelly and he has not been able to come up with a current email..

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I'm surprised that with all the discussion of alternatives to the 8B, no one mentioned the offerings of Bob Latino:

 

http://www.tubes4hifi.com/bob.htm

 

Even if ordered completely built by him, they offer terrific value for the money.  And, since he can provide input level controls, most users won't even need to use a preamp with them for additional cost savings.  I know we have forum members who are using his amps with various Klipsch speakers and remember reading very favorable comments about their performance. 

 

Maynard

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Well in my case with good reason...I wouldn't wish that on an enemy...In my opinion one would be better off with an original ST-70 circuut from www.dynakitparts.com...or even better buy a kit from Troide Electronics using the much better Shannon Parks upgraded front end circuit...way better sounding!

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Maybe folks should see your nasty comment..

"Insinuating that you need help. please. You said you reach audio perfection 20 years ago. Nothing new has happened in audio amp design in the last 20 years anymore than it has in televisions or any other piece of electronic gear. What a ridiculous statement to make. Everyone on this forum knows you need no advice. The Dynaco designs were not meant to be the best design when they first came out. Good sounding yes but not outstanding. They were made for amateurs to build their own amp in a kit form. I have no desire to start flaming with you with silly foolishness you have done with other members here.

Dynaco and Maranz 8B's both are old technology that did sound good in their day and people are cashing in on their popularity. Plain and simple. I mean no disrespect to anyone owning any of the older amps. They can and do sound good but as all things time moves on. Electronics moves fast or faster than most fields. The newest TV coming out today is old news next year. This fact is obvious to everyone. Your here for one reason and one reason only, to try and sell your amps and anyone that disagrees with anything you say you have some smart remark to say back. From conversations with other members you are on your best behavior now. I have nothing to sell so I can just tell the truth without BS."

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I've acquired a few of the early stereo amps from the late 1950's and early 1960's. The iron used in these old amps is usually much better built than what is currently being built on a dollar to dollar comparison. When over-hauled by a good tech, using good quality parts, the bang for your buck is great and the vintage amps seem to hold their value well.

 

I find that tube audio is very much subjective, with preferences for certain power tubes over others. Your mileage may vary.

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  • 8 months later...
On 12/03/2016 at 1:39 AM, hcnelly said:

Ive been looking at getting one of these for a while now to use with my Belles....i was wondering what a good price would be for one in a decent condition?...i can always get my own tubes...i just don't want to overpay without knowing what these tube amps go for $$$....i plan on getting it restored if I purchase one...thanks,

Chad

Chad - where did you end up with your amp choice?

 

FWIW - I was running a Marantz 8b with my Heresy IIIs and using a Khozmo Acoustic passive preamp.... loved that set up, but felt the bass was a little light, so went a step further. I still run the 8b, the Khozmo passive and the Heresy IIIs, but I added a Linn LK85 to drive the LF and use the 8b for the upper range horns, only. I had to do a little bit of re-wiring inside the Heresy cabinets and introduced a Marchand XM9 electronic crossover but it's now about as close to sonic bliss as I have been for some time. 

 

Let us know how you got on and if you ended up with an 8b, how did it perform with your Belles?

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 12/13/2016 at 1:25 PM, Nick in his GTV said:

Chad - where did you end up with your amp choice?

 

FWIW - I was running a Marantz 8b with my Heresy IIIs and using a Khozmo Acoustic passive preamp.... loved that set up, but felt the bass was a little light, so went a step further. I still run the 8b, the Khozmo passive and the Heresy IIIs, but I added a Linn LK85 to drive the LF and use the 8b for the upper range horns, only. I had to do a little bit of re-wiring inside the Heresy cabinets and introduced a Marchand XM9 electronic crossover but it's now about as close to sonic bliss as I have been for some time. 

 

Let us know how you got on and if you ended up with an 8b, how did it perform with your Belles?

 

 

Hey Nick, sorry for the late response....i decided not to go with the marantz 8b and I'm looking at acquiring some NOSVALVES VRDs...with a baby on the way, it'll take me a while before I can afford those...I did get a blueberry preamp...my integrated Scott's sound great with the Belles right now, but I have to sell them to pay off the future medical bills :(

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