Let us know. I'm looking for bookshelfs for my 2226.
Bookshelf Speaker for vintage Marantz 2230
I'm currently running a pair of Boston Acoustics A100 speakers through a Marantz 2230. I'm looking to upgrade to a budget and modern hifi setup and have been looking at several integrated amps (rotel 1062, music hall a.25, etc) and several bookshelf speakers (era d4's, b&w 685's, paradigm 20's, dynaudio audience 52's). However, I can really only afford one thing at a time. To start, I'm thinking of upgrading the speakers. Any recommendations on running some bookshelf speakers ($400-$800) with the Marantz 2230? I like the warm sound of the Marantz and mostly listen to vinyl (rock, punk, jazz, and old country). Any thing I should consider?
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I had a 2230 circa 1972. I had a pair of Epicure 10's and they sounded great up against the wall on bookshelves with the Marantz 2230. A friend of mine in high school back in 1978 bought a brand new Marantz 2285 and pair of Epicure 20's, this system sounded wonderful to us at the time and was the best stereo any of us had.. If it were me I would look for some old vintage speakers like smaller original Advent, JBL L-26 or L-36 (good for some reason on blue grass), Allison four, Epicure or EPI ten/100, etc.. |
PSB Image B25 bookshelf speakers. Stereophile review. Look at the measurements page and check out how linear they are. 15.5"hx8.5"sx12"d. Currently $479/pair, and available at Audio Advisor.. |
I used a Marantz 2240 in a bedroom system for a number of years and went through no less than 6 pairs of budget bookshelf speakers with the Marantz over that time. I thought that the best pairings were the NHT SB2 and the Rega Ara. The worst pairings were EPOS ELS3 and B&W 302. With all that said, I would be looking at NHT Classic 3 or Rega R1. I would probably add Spendors to that list, as well. Regards, Rich |
Paradigm Studio 20's. Own v-2 and v3's - probably going to try 5's once they hit the used market.Sold 2230's back in the day - remarkably good sounding for the era. You might be surprised what a difference shooting contact cleaner into anything in the signal path can make. Hit V/C ,Balance ,tape monitor,selector and pre-out/main in jacks on the back panel. Would be very curious what replacing all the electrolytic s in one of these or a 1060 integrated would yield. Might be pretty tasty? |
The Triangles are very detailed and transparent, not inherently "warm" sounding at all, so if that is the sound you like, you would want to make sure that the more modern integrated inherently provided this rather than relying on the speaks to provide it for you. I'd still recommend them strongly however under that one assumption. They would sound lovely with any good hybrid or even a SET tube amp. Of course if you change amps, then that could also open up any number of other possibilities as well down the road depending on your preferences. |
2nd hand Triangle Titus 202s. These should allow the natural "warmth" of the Marantz to truly shine through. I really like the vintage receiver/Triangle Titus 202 combo. They are easily driven and allow the unique character of each source piece to shine through. I use them currently with a vintage Yamaha cr-640 receiver and have used them in the past with a vintage Tandberg as well to fantastic effect. Also a vintage NAD receiver and Carver separates. I would envision a heavenly match between these and vintage Marantz. |
