"Pooged" Marantz 7T back, and how!

[sunnysal]

Just got back my Marantz 7T from Vintage Amplifier Restoration and WOW!!! more than I bargained for! While I had high hopes for this unit (it was the first solid state unit from Marantz...came right after the legendary 7C and was designed and built by the same Sid Smith who did most of the great Marantz units in the 50´s and 60´s, this thing was based on the 7C, shares many high-quality parts and is built like nothing is built anymore!) I really did not expect this preamp to make the huge difference it has in my system...for those of you who are/have been interested in my system I now have a pair of early 90´s K-horns with the ALK x-overs, a pair of Dynaco Mk IV monoblocks wired for triode operation and some mid-fi changers running into an MSB linkdac III with upsampling...Well, in short , the preamp has "fleshed out" the rather thinnish sound from my k-horns, it also did a most amazing thing; it totally changed the presentation of the sound stage...In all the time I have been swapping components (A McIntosh 6400 SS integrated amp, a Harmon and Kardon Citation VII S preamp and an Audio Valves SS Preamp) I have never had a component make this kind of change in the soundstage!!! Slightly wider, with all the instruments still clearly laid out left to right in the normal positions as before BUT now with DEPTH!!!...I feel everything now has a three dimensional aspect it never had before...I even swapped back to my last preamp again today to see if I was imagining things and no...this thing has, besides "warming things up", added a holographic aspect I never heard before!!! way cool, though disconcerting...I find myself flipping through CDs just to hear how they sound with this new preamp...bad or good? I don´t know from a scientific standpiont but...I LIKE IT!!!...though perhaps I hear some vvveeerrryyy slight smearing of detail in the cymbal range (very high up) everything else sounds great!!! one last note, some of us are interested in derived center channels...this unit comes with a third center channel output built in...level control and all...so those of you looking for a preamp in general and especially those looking for a low priced amazing preamp for your classic "heritage" klipsch-based system, look no further...a Marantz 7T, rebuilt and upgraded by someone skilled (thanks William!) is audio nirvana!!! Warm regards from sunny San Salvador! Tony

This message has been edited by sunnysal on 08-18-2001 at 07:08 PM

[Randy Bey]

That sounds wonderful.

Lots of people that I know that had passive preamps now are waxing enthusiastic about active preamps.

I wouldn't doubt that the marantz sounds good. They were such a hifi name once upon a time.

Happy for you, Tony.

Keep us posted on your impressions.

[Randy Taylor]

iferI know how you feel about your amp and the way it sounds. I just had the same people at Vintage Amplifier Restoration do a upgrade on a old Mcintosh MC 225. They changed out all the capacitors, resistors and power supply filters and it sounds great. They do beautiful work.

[sunnysal]

I still may add a Creek remote volume control (Couch Potatoes, out of the closet and unite!!!) especially since my experience with the creek passive preamp was so darn good, nothing is more transparent in my experience!, thanks for the feedback, tony

[bill rawls]

Tony,

We are happy that you posted good comments for vintageamplifierrestoration.com.

Working with you is a pleasure and we welcome clients with the appreciation of vintage equipment such as yours.

Not to abuse the forum for advertising, but as far as I know we are the only means of having a vintage amplifier totally rebuilt (all components replaced with audiophile quality components) at affordable prices. This is only possible because of our love of the equipment and putting over 40 hours into the rebuild of equipment (such as your Mark IV monoblocks) at a reasonable cost.

We hope that you continue to enjoy our work.

William and William

vintageamplifierrestoration.com