Speaker connection to vintage (early 70s) Marantz 2230 receiver

[yomix12]

Have a pair of bi-amped bookshelf speakers that I need to connect to Marantz 2230 receiver. Am thinking of a bi-amped connection running speakers to both the A and B speaker inputs. Does anyone know how the amp on this receiver works with two pairs of speakers it was made for? Can both speakers be driven with the same 30 watts in this configuration?

Also, have powered subwoofer that am thinking of connecting to the Marantz pre-out.

Any thoughts on either/both of these issues would be very appreciated.

 

[Swerd]

Have a pair of bi-amped bookshelf speakers that I need to connect to Marantz 2230 receiver. Am thinking of a bi-amped connection running speakers to both the A and B speaker inputs. Does anyone know how the amp on this receiver works with two pairs of speakers it was made for? Can both speakers be driven with the same 30 watts in this configuration?

I have one of those receivers too. I bought it in 1972!

In the 1970s when the 2230 was made, those A (labeled Main Speaker) and B (Remote Speaker) speaker connections were meant to used as either A or B, but not both. Those two buttons on the front panel could both be pressed, but that 30 watt/channel amp could easily run out of juice and go into clipping trying to run two pairs of speakers.

What speakers are you planning to use? How much power they require and what their impedance value is does matter.

No one in those days ever dreamed of bi-wiring speakers. And neither did Marantz/Superscope.

Also, have powered subwoofer that am thinking of connecting to the Marantz pre-out.

How do you plan to connect a subwoofer to the left or right pre-out without disconnecting the pre-out from the amp-in jack? Once you remove the bridge between pre-out and amp-in, the receiver's amp gets no signal.

Similar to bi-wiring speakers, no one in those days used subwoofers, and the 2230 wasn't designed for it.

Any thoughts on either/both of these issues would be very appreciated.

What you've described is bi-wiring, not bi-amping. Bi-wiring is of no value at all, and bi-amping is only of very limited value. The Marantz 2230 has only two output amplifier channels, not the four it would require for bi-amping.

Frankly, I wouldn't bother with bi-wiring or a subwoofer on that receiver. You'll have a complex mess of wires, with little or no benefit.

 

[lovinthehd]

I'm also wondering just what you mean by you have bi-amped speakers....you mean they have the two sets of speaker terminals which are mostly about marketing? I'd think you're not asking about A/B speaker terminals if so, though. I'd just hook the speakers up to the A speaker terminals (and be sure to use the jumpers on the speaker terminals too). You could conceivably use a pair of splitters on the pre-out/main-in to incorporate a sub using both L/R inputs on the sub, tho....

If wondering about passive bi-amping or bi-wiring, try this article https://www.audioholics.com/frequent-questions/the-difference-between-biamping-vs-biwiring

 

[TLS Guy]

Have a pair of bi-amped bookshelf speakers that I need to connect to Marantz 2230 receiver. Am thinking of a bi-amped connection running speakers to both the A and B speaker inputs. Does anyone know how the amp on this receiver works with two pairs of speakers it was made for? Can both speakers be driven with the same 30 watts in this configuration?

Also, have powered subwoofer that am thinking of connecting to the Marantz pre-out.

Any thoughts on either/both of these issues would be very appreciated.

Just connect the +ve and -ve connections of each speaker together, to recreate the jumpers, and connect to the main speaker outputs.

To use the sub you need one that has right and left sub inputs. If you don't have one of those you are out of luck.

Now you will need two RCA Y-connectors. Remove the jumpers between the main in and outs. Now plug the single end of each Y into the right and left out. Connect the the left Y to left sub in and the main left in on the receiver, and the right Y to the right sub in and the right main in. Now you are set.

What you must not do is parallel the right and left outs, or ins, as that will make everything you play through the receiver dual mono.

 

[BMXTRIX]

The entire biamping idea won't work, as already said. Biwiring is pointless as well.

I would stick with, as others have said, with a single set of wires from the 'Speaker Systems - Main' output to your speakers and ensure a jumper is in place between the red/white connections on your speakers. Ask if you need clarification of this.

To connect a subwoofer, @TLS Guy is correct that you will really want a subwoofer which has left/right RCA inputs on it for proper operation.

You would take RCA Y-Adapters...

https://www.amazon.com/Speaker-Splitter-Conductor-Shielding-Flexible/dp/B0916WWN9Z/ref=sr_1_4

Plug them into the MAIN PRE OUT of the 2250.

Take one of each and plug it into the MAIN PRE IN of the 2250 so that you get good audio to the Marantz and your speakers. To make that connection, you will likely need a short RCA-RCA cable, or a RCA coupler like this:

https://www.amazon.com/VCE-5-Pack-Coupler-Connector-Adapter/dp/B06W9JBQSW/ref=sr_1_14

That will leave you with two RCA pre-outs which you can then connect to the RCA inputs of your subwoofer.

This receiver should be fine for some pretty basic audio playback and I expect it will sound decent enough.

 

[highfigh]

The fact that most receivers had speaker A and B connections doesn't mean that each pair is powered by its own channel and if you think about it, why would the manufacturers sell receivers and integrated amplifiers when a (very) small percentage of their users would ever connect a second pair and waste two amplifier channels in the process? Bi-amping was almost never done at that time, almost never in a consumer audio system, unless it was REAL bi-amping, using an active crossover and separate power amplifiers. Bi-wiring was almost NEVER done.

You'll also find that the big, fat speaker wire seen now will never fir into the holes on the speaker terminals- that's because engineers designed these receivers and saw no reason for it.

 

[Swerd]

Thanks @TLS Guy and @BMXTRIX for spelling out the details of adding a subwoofer to the mix with an older receiver such as the Marantz 2230 through the pre-amp out/amp-in bridges. Last night I didn't want to look up the parts needed to do that.

A last comment on these so-called vintage Marantz receivers. Marantz is a famous name in home audio, dating back to 1952 when Saul Marantz first started his business. His products had a very good reputation and a very high price tag.

In 1964 the Marantz name was sold to a small US company called Superscope. They began designing solid state audio receivers & amps to sell in lower-to-mid price ranges, using the Marantz name & face plate cosmetics as decoration. Their products were manufactured in Japan, and competed with well known Japanese brands such as Sansui, Pioneer, and others. Many people, including myself, bought them during the 1970s. They were decent quality, but were not significantly better than their competition. By 1980, Superscope sold the Marantz name to Phillips. Since then, the name has been bought & sold several more times.

Marantz products made before 1964 were said to be very good for their time, but they probably all used vacuum tubes. Today, they're of interest only to antique audio gear collectors. The Superscope Marantz receivers made in the 1970s were decent quality, but were not in the same league with the older Marantz products. Nearly all the Marantz products now sold as vintage, are probably the Superscope Marantz stereo receivers that survive. They probably sell for far more than they cost back in the day.

 

[Swerd]

They probably sell for far more than they cost back in the day.

It's easy to adjust for inflation, check those prices, and compare them to today. I did that and came up with surprising & interesting results.

In 1972, I paid $220 for a new Marantz 2230. (I bought it at a US Air Station in southern Italy, at a military discount price. I don't know what the retail price was at that time in the US.) I adjusted for inflation using this:

Inflation Calculator | Find US Dollar's Value From 1913-2024

Easily calculate how the buying power of the U.S. dollar has changed from 1913 to 2024. Get inflation rates and U.S. inflation news.

www.usinflationcalculator.com

$220 in 1972 becomes $1,362 in 2020. That got me a 30 wpc stereo receiver with the typical assortment (for the time) of inputs & features, including AM/FM tuner and phono pre-amp, but no remote control .

In 2020, I bought a replacement AVR, a Denon AVR-X4500H for $1200. It was new but discounted to that price as it was a 1- or 2-year-old model. Adjusting only for inflation, that price would have been $194 in 1972! That got me a 125 wpc AVR with 9 channels, FM tuner & phono pre-amp, WiFi reception, plus all the digital processing software for home theater playback with all the bells & whistles.

Clearly, the cost of amps & receivers has dropped significantly over the years.

 

[fmw]

Others above have explained correctly that you can't biamp and you gain nothing from biwiring. I will just add that if you were to connect two sets of speakers to the same amplifier the net impedance of the speakers would be half of a single pair. If they are 8 ohm speakers, you will cause them to look like 4 ohm speakers to the amplifier. That may or may not be a problem but, with receivers, 4 ohms is usually a tough load requiring you to keep your volume at lower levels. Some receivers have an 8ohm/6ohm switch. All it does is reduce the volume level on the 6 ohm option. Follow the advice above. Connect your cables to one speaker connector pair and be sure you have a jumper to the other pair. Happy listening.

 

[Bruni]

please,
I have some Marantz equipment including models: Power 250m, pre 3800 and tuner 150, does anyone know a place in Florida for a general overhaul or restoration of equipment? thanks for listening