Need advice for old Marantz speakers

[SMaC]

<font color='#000000'>This weekend, I went to pick up some things from the house of my uncle who recently passed away.  While there, I found two pairs of speakers: 2-Yamaha NS-A200XT and 2 Marantz HD880.

My question is about the Marantz speakers (which are HUGE).  [Hopefully, someone can decipher my non-expert terminology and still answer my question.]  Everything looks like it is in working order except for the woofers.  The woofers look like they are &quot;floating&quot; in the hole cut in the cabinet.  There is no foam or anything connecting the &quot;speaker&quot; part to the wood.

Is this something that can be fixed?  Would it be worth it?  I think they are too big for my house, so I would probably end up selling them, if I could bring them back into working order.

I left these speakers with my mother at her house, so I cannot connect them and see if they even put out any sound.

Any input at all would be greatly appreciated!</font>

 

[Shinerman]

<font color='#000000'>Not sure about the value of the speakers but it sounds like the foam has crumbled away due to age. &nbsp;This is easily and cheaply fixed. &nbsp; It might be worth getting them fixed. &nbsp;They may sound pretty good.

SHinerman</font>

 

[Shinerman]

<font color='#000000'>Check this out! &nbsp;

Those are some big speakers. &nbsp;Looks like a pretty cool design.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....hosting

Shinerman</font>

 

[SMaC]

<font color='#000000'>Thanks Shiner.

I'll check into some info I've seen on other threads for foam replacement. &nbsp;And yes, they are big and heavy. &nbsp;It took two people to move them any distance. &nbsp;I think it would be a challenge to find a wife-friendly place to put them!</font>

 

[Unregistered]

marantz speakers

Hi!
Would love to know what you find out regarding the Marantz speakers. I purchased a pair of HD77's in the mid 70's and they sounded really good. In fact, they're stored in my attic, and sounds as though they're in the same shape yours are in. I'd love to have them repaired and would be interested in how and where I go about having it done.
Thanks!
JJ

 

[Unregistered]

Yup they are a great pair of speakers and worth saving or selling, they pop up on ebay from time to time and go for between $400 and $850 a pair. I have a set and love the way they sound. Search for Marantz speaker on ebay and you will find a set of foam you can order and replace yourself if your handy in a craft type of way. Took me about 2 hours to do both of my speakers and they work like new.

David

<font color='#000000'>This weekend, I went to pick up some things from the house of my uncle who recently passed away. *While there, I found two pairs of speakers: 2-Yamaha NS-A200XT and 2 Marantz HD880.

My question is about the Marantz speakers (which are HUGE). *[Hopefully, someone can decipher my non-expert terminology and still answer my question.] *Everything looks like it is in working order except for the woofers. *The woofers look like they are &quot;floating&quot; in the hole cut in the cabinet. *There is no foam or anything connecting the &quot;speaker&quot; part to the wood.

Is this something that can be fixed? *Would it be worth it? *I think they are too big for my house, so I would probably end up selling them, if I could bring them back into working order.

I left these speakers with my mother at her house, so I cannot connect them and see if they even put out any sound.

Any input at all would be greatly appreciated!</font>

 

[Unregistered]

Marantz HD-880 are excellent

I have a pair of HD-880's that I bought new about 30 years ago. Got them for half price ... $800 for the pair .. in 1970's dollars, of course, don't know what that would be in today's dollars .. thousands I suppose .. and today with mass production you get a lot more for the money, so the same quality doesn't cost that much more than 30 years go.

My HD-880's had the foam surround problem on the 12" drivers and I foolishly pulled and tossed the beautiful sturdy cast aluminum basket frame Marantz units and replaced them with steel frame $80 Radio Shack speakers that matched the resonant and similar stats and required the same port and cabinet volume. The RS drivers don't sound bad, but I kick myself monthly for tossing the originals.

I've worried about the dome tweeter and super tweeter thinking maybe the matrials in them have dried or aged and maybe they are no longer performing as well, or that today there is better technology. But, lots of people have listened to these things over the years and marvel at the sound ... and they were about the best you could buy in the 70's.

I just upgraded my amps to a pair of Adcom 555 mk II's (200 W rms into 8 ohms) with one pair driving a subwoofer and the other driving the Marantz HD-880's. The sound magnitude and volume are awesome. The HD-880's aren't complaining at all even on Enya played LOUD. The HD-880's go down to about 30 Hz but I roll them off at 60 Hz only because I have a pair of 15" drivers in a 12 cu fit box and in isobarik (two drivers face-to-face) that are down only 3 db at 20 Hz. Point is the advantage of the subwoofer is small with the HD-880's ... you gotta have one heck of a sub to make adding a subwoover worthwhile.

I've thought about replacing the drivers in my HD-880, but used an SPL meter to check sound output and the 880's are still flat as high as the meter will go (about 10 kHz) and probably beyond. I don't know what the tweeter dome material is, but I recently pushed on one (accidentally) and it sunk in and poped back out without damage (a dime size push on the 1.5" tweeter). The 5" mid driver looks to be in good shape as well with the rubber impregnated paper code edge still flexible.

You will pay a thousand or more, maybe much more, to get four-way speakers like these (four-way limits distortions that come from a driver handling two different frequencies at the same time).

If you decide not to do anything with these HD-880's, I would be very interested in acquiring the 12" drivers!!.

Harrison

 

[Unregistered]

More on the HD-880's

In fact, I'd like to have the whole box ... I would use th 12" driver frames in my current HD-880's and use the remaining drivers in a center channel to match my HD-880's. SO, do let me know if you are interested in selling them.

Harrison

 

[bhmadiso]

HD880's

I've owned a pair of these since the 80's and don't know what I'd do without them. I've found that anything comparable these days very expensive. I had the same problem with the foam and replaced it myself about 3 years ago with a kit I bought for $25. It wasn't difficult, just had to be careful and make sure everything was centered properly. Take your time. You can do it for sure and it's well worth doing. Good luck.

 

[bhmadiso]

<font color='#000000'>This weekend, I went to pick up some things from the house of my uncle who recently passed away. *While there, I found two pairs of speakers: 2-Yamaha NS-A200XT and 2 Marantz HD880.

My question is about the Marantz speakers (which are HUGE). *[Hopefully, someone can decipher my non-expert terminology and still answer my question.] *Everything looks like it is in working order except for the woofers. *The woofers look like they are &quot;floating&quot; in the hole cut in the cabinet. *There is no foam or anything connecting the &quot;speaker&quot; part to the wood.

Is this something that can be fixed? *Would it be worth it? *I think they are too big for my house, so I would probably end up selling them, if I could bring them back into working order.

I left these speakers with my mother at her house, so I cannot connect them and see if they even put out any sound.

Any input at all would be greatly appreciated!</font>

I own some HD880's and they are fantastic speakers. I had the same issue. The foam can be easily replaced (I did it myself) by purchasing a foam replacement kit from an online dealer. You just have to be sure to carefully remove as much of the old foam from the cone as you can and make sure that when you attach (glue) the new foam to the cone that the cone is centered.

 

[cmcmaster]

to SMAC re Marantz HD880s

I have the same speakers. I had the same problem. I got the address of a place that mails you replacement speaker foam "surrounds" they are called to fix problem. These speakers sound Great. They were top rated by consumer reports. great presence. It is worth fixing and keeping. Do not sell cheap. I will try to find address of the surround place that mailed me the replacement foam. Try to find space for them they are a family heirloom
clarence

 

[HINOMAN]

Re Hd880 Speakers

Do U Wish To Sell These?
I Will Buy As Is
Name Your Price
Please Reply Asap As I Am Sourcing These From Other Locations, But You Cant Have Enough And Others Are Very Tardy In Replying

 

[jwenthold99]

for what it's worth, here is a link to a repair kit on ebay, for under $25

 

[mxz600]

Do U Wish To Sell These?
I Will Buy As Is
Name Your Price
Please Reply Asap As I Am Sourcing These From Other Locations, But You Cant Have Enough And Others Are Very Tardy In Replying

I have a pair in very good condition except that they need to be refoamed. Make me an offer. Everything else in very good condition. I have had these since new in the 70's.

 

[Pyrrho]

You can buy foam repair kits for different models of speakers. You need to be "handy" to do it well, as the cone must be properly centered or you may cause the voice coil to rub.

If you don't want to do the work yourself, you can have the foam replaced professionally. There are quite a number of places that do it. I have used this one:

http://www.millersound.net/indexfl.htm

I have been very happy with the results for the various speakers that they have repaired for me. Since I am not affiliated with them in any way, I cannot offer you any guarantees, but they are highly regarded by other people as well. You would have to contact them with the specific model to find out if they do your speakers, and how much it would cost.

 

[mxz600]

You can buy foam repair kits for different models of speakers. You need to be "handy" to do it well, as the cone must be properly centered or you may cause the voice coil to rub.

If you don't want to do the work yourself, you can have the foam replaced professionally. There are quite a number of places that do it. I have used this one:

I have been very happy with the results for the various speakers that they have repaired for me. Since I am not affiliated with them in any way, I cannot offer you any guarantees, but they are highly regarded by other people as well. You would have to contact them with the specific model to find out if they do your speakers, and how much it would cost.

I am getting them done professionally at a cost of $90. I will then be ready to sell them. They are just too big to have around the house. Since I am new to the forum I cant start a new thread in the for sale area. Any idea what they are worth?