Here’s another vintage receiver I picked up recently – a classic Marantz 2245 from the early ‘70s in the WC-22 wood case. It’s in excellent condition overall with a very clean face plate and perfect glass. There is a small chip at the back left corner of the case and some black marks on the knobs, but considering this is over 35 years old these are just minor [character building!] imperfections.
Even though I got the Marantz 2245 receiver for a good price, I knew I would have to put more money into it. The speaker relay was failing resulting in some very loud pops through the speakers and with a receiver this old, capacitors would need replacing. I took it to my vintage stereo repair expert and he gave it a thorough restoration including new power switch, new speaker relay, new caps, and tuner alignment. He believes this to be a low mileage receiver as it has all the original lights still working and was very clean on the inside. Someone had attempted some amateurish repairs, but he corrected those and a low level hum in the right channel. That’s the thing with vintage stereo equipment, you never know what you are getting into . . . and it’s usually bad and expensive.
So how does this old Marantz 2245 receiver sound? The short answer is superb. I am driving some ‘80s Klipsch KG4 speakers which are probably not the best match because they are not very restrained, but it still sounds great. Deep bass, yet super clear and crisp highs. I am hearing things, especially in the lower register, that I have not heard before. Geddy Lee’s bass on “YYZ” has a growl and clarity I have not heard before, for example. The addition of a “mid” control is a nice touch that gives the Marantz a little more control than other receiver brands. It has a big soundstage, great separation and a wonderfully warm presentation, especially when playing LPs. The tuner is strong and sensitive and pulls in stations with ease. It’s much less muddy and warmer than my Pioneer SX-780 although that unit needs recapping as well so it’s not really a fair sonic comparison.
All in all the Marantz 2245 delivers fantastic sound quality that you would have to spend upwards of $1,000 to beat buying new gear today. And no new piece of equipment is going to give you that vintage look and beautiful blue Marantz glow. At 45 real watts per channel it’s not super powerful, but for normal listening that is more than adequate. So two thumbs way up for the Marantz 2245 receiver. It’s my first Marantz and probably not my last.
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I have my dad's old 2245 in storage. Has some glitchy behavior and needs a bit of rehab. What can I expect something like that to cost? What did the restoration on your cost?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. A typical restoration would be $100+ and maybe as high as $300 depending on what the issues are and what parts are needed. I spent about $200 getting mine back to spec.
ReplyDeleteI bought one of these new in 1974. Once I saw the blue lights,I was sold. With the optional walnut veneer case this was one stunning object(but HEAVY.) It became someone else's in the long years since. If I recall correctly this reciever was in the 300 + dollar range. You certainly have a nice piece of stereo equipment there friend!
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