Marantz 3300 - Fanboy issues, buyer beware.....

Those old Marantz solid state units from the 70's aren't worth the exorbitant prices some are asking. Instead, the tube gear that was built and sold when Saul Marantz owned the company is definitely collectible -  the model 7 preamp and models 8 and 9 amps.

I chased vintage Marantz receivers almost two decades ago.  Granted, $150 max would get you a Marantz 22XX series receiver in decent enough shape, but there would be an outlay of almost what you paid for the receiver to repair the receiver at some point down the line.  I stopped chasing.  Now you are talking electronics that are more than 50 years old.  

Consider buying new, consider the Outlaw RR2160.  Other than buying speakers, there's nothing else to buy and you have all the options you need.

I realize it is outside your budget ($1000 vs $600).  Then again, I have my Outlaw receiver since 2006.

Rich 

https://www.stereophile.com/content/outlaw-audio-rr2160-stereo-receiver

I am quite familiar with the Marantz 3300/3600/3800 preamps, and owned a Marantz Model 7 tube preamp for nearly 30 years. I also owned a Hafler preamp.

A new Schiit Saga blows all of them out of the park sonically. I use a Sylvania Bad Boy 6SN7GT in the original Saga and the sound is great.

why not build a system out of new Schiit gear? And if you want a complete system without tubes, the Schiit Ragnerak is on closeout at $999. You can put a multibit DAC in it for a few hundred more, and you get a headphone amp that ranks up there with the best as well.

I had Marantz (3200,140) gear in the ‘70s. It depends if you’re looking to make a system with fantastic aesthetics and decent sound or better sound.
 

A great combo for me a little later on in the ‘80s was an Advent 300 as a preamp and a Hafler DH-200. The Advent has a terrific phono section if you want to play records and the Hafler was a really clean power amp. Unlike the Marantz, these are not pretty components. They ugly. The Advent looks like a radio from 1958 and the Hafler is a rectangular block of dead weight. But they sound great and you can probably get them both for the same price as the Marantz.

I kept them both for 20 years before I was temporarily seduced by the dark side of home theathre (oooof aaah). Thank goodness that only lasted a year..