Excellent build quality and very good sound quality.

Whadda ya mean for 8 bucks weaknesses ya gotta be kidding.

Hey folks just adding my 2 cents worth of opinion here, take it for what is worth to you. The receiver I am reviewing is the Marantz 2245. I wrote an earlier review on the 2230 in the 2220 section. I still own the 2230. I need to get the speaker connections fixed on it though. I found the 2245 at Value Village for $7.99. I plugged it in, it lit up, however there were no speakers to test it with. I decided to chance to my luck and buy it. Took it home unhooked the 2230, hooked up the 2245 and Goody for me worked. The 2245 and the 2230 are very similar sounding, some people claim the 2230 is more musical. All I can say to that is damn those guys must have dog like hearing. I did notice that the 2245 had somewhat better control in the bass region. It didn't really get any lower than the 2230 just had more authority down there. I use a test LP to set my system up. The LP has a variety of tests to help you set your system. One of the tests is a series of test frequencys from 10 khz down to 30 hz using the tone controls to get a flat response. The Mid And Treble are set to flat with the Bass set to 1 o'clock. The output is useful to below 50 hz there is still output at 30 hz but it isn't of much use. The 2245 sounds great with all types of music. The older Marantz receivers from the 70's are a worthwhile buy as long as the buyer is aware of what they are buying. These old receivers are good but they are not Audiophile quality by any means.

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Marantz 2230

I bought this 2250B off from ebay, after suffering an extreme case of "audiophilia nervosa" from the loss of my main system in a divorce: modded Mesa Baron power amp, Audible Illusions Modulus 3 pre-amp (both with NOS tubes), Pass Labs D1 DAC, modded CEC TL-1X CD transport, B&W Nautilus 803 speakers, REL Stentor III sub, modded VPI HW-19 Mk III 'table/Van den Hul Frog cart./Well Tempered Labs Classic 'arm, Yamaha CT-7000 vintage FM tuner, Sony K679 ES cassette deck, Nordost SPM Reference bi-wire spkr. cables, XLO Signature and AudioQuest Anaconda i/c's, Aurio's M.I.B."s, etc. It had taken many years of swapping in/out of various components, and a lot of expensive mistakes to assemble that system, when I had finally reached the point where I was satisfied, or nearly so, with everything in the system. You could say that I know what sounds good, and what doesn't. The 2250B is certainly not in the league of a 'He-Man rig" such as the one listed above, but I can say that I'm not dissappointed with it's performance. I've driven several different speakers with this receiver, and it seems to have the current enough to not stumble when pushed hard, given it's 50 wpc rating. The tuner section could be a bit more sensitive and quieter, but this is not a 2130 or 150, so that's that. Also, even though I've never been one to use tone controls/EQ's on a home audio system, the bass/mid/treble pots on the vintage Marantz' are fairly useful for speakers that are less than reference caliber. Most "old" marantz is the "good stuff". If you can find it in good condition, buy it - you won't be sorry. It sounds, functions, and holds up much better than most of the modern equipment on the market today.

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You name it, I've probably owned it or heard it.

Tons of Clean Power... Great Tuner... Beautiful design with the wood case

need to open it up to replace two lightbulbs...

2245... I have been drooling over Mac receivers on Ebay for awhile.. I'm not in the income bracket to afford a good Mac yet.. So I started looking at the Older Marantz with the beautiful Blue Dial... I finally found a 2245 with the Wood Case..I am so happy with it... It is hooked up to my Klipsch Heresy speakers.. and it's the nicest stereo I have heard in awhile... the power is amazing.. I love it..

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Luxman 105, Klipsch Heresy and Kg 2

Build quality. Sonic clarity.

Wish it had a remote.

I have coveted a Marantz receiver ever since first seeing them in the '70s. It was not until recently that I found an excellent and varied market for these classics on eBay. I was curious about the raves over the "warm" Marantz sound. After doing several side-by-side comparisons with my mid-tier Sony AV receiver, I am convinced that it is not my imagination -- the Marantz is, indeed, much more pleasing to the ear. This is especially true for the FM section. The Marantz absolutely crushed the Sony's tuner(which sounded really edgy and annoying particularly during soft piano pieces). The tuner pulls in all those hard to reach stations in the NY area. I have decided to use the Sony only for watching movies and the Marantz exclusively for serious listening.

As for the previous reviewer's eBay experience, I understand that there can be bad situations, but all my eBay dealings have been first rate.

Treat yourself to one of these beautiful units. Spend the money to have it serviced if necessary. I think it would be difficult to be disappointed.

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Vintage Yamaha, Sansui

Great sound

None

Built in 1976 when I was 12 years old, this receiver sounds like 100 watts not 50 and the tuner is better than today's junk. I have a CD, and my TV hook into the aux, tape 2 outlets and I never what to turn it off. The phono section rocks my windows. I love this thing. It looks great too with it's Marantz gyro blue dial face. (Got it on e-bay but would never buy again from there. Buyer beware!)

Sound,Build quality,Electrical Design

NONE

The Marantz 2245 is an exceptional solid state stereo receiver. Designed in California, manufactured in Japan (often erroneously represented as being manufactured in the United States) the 2245 and its ilk (other 22 models)was very expensive when originally sold in the 70s. The 2245 would sell for $350.00-$500.00. That was a ton of money at that time. I was buying stereo equip. then and I simply could not afford it. I wanted the marantz and I would compromise with a pioneer (despite what some people say they were nowhere as near as good-sounding)or sansui(some models were exceptional-much better than the pioneers). But I always wanted the marantz. Now thankfully they are easily available on e-bay. The overall design is amazing -big power supplies, overbuilt circuits and capacitors is why these things are so reliable -even today 30 yrs. later. The sound for solid state is excellent-far superior to the crap they sell at best buy, circuit city,etc. If in the market for stereo receivers as opposed to home theatre-which is overwhemingly awful for music I strongly recommend the Marantz 2245 stereo receiver

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PIONEER Sx-205, Other Pioneer,Sansui 771,Marantz 2385

Strong solid sound, very crisp and clean sound. Extremely under rated. Blew away my A/V 200 RMS Teac Receiver. This receiver is a Marantz 2245 not 2250b. They are very similar

No remote control. But I don't mind gettin of my ass to to crank it up.

I was very suprised at the raw power of this little monster. The sound is amazing and it sent my big bad Teac, home crying with its tail between its legs. I am currently running two sets of speakers from the 2245 and they both sets are rated for 150 watts. This receiver makes all four of these speaker kick ten times more then my Teac. One set of speakers is Marantz RG 150 and the other is 150 watt paradigm. High quality and classic 70's style is the perfect summary for this review. Oh by the way, this reciever weights 38 lbs. Make sure you bend at the knees when picking this baby up!

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Marantz 2250b.

Very solid, built like a tank.

Minor problems associated with age.

I had a Marantz years ago before going down the digital high tech road like most everyone else. I was convinced that the sound coming from the black plastic recievers was how music was supposed to sound. Buying this reciever was an awakening for me. Everything I play through it comes out with a new life, and it still amazes me. I am using it with Sansui spx5500 front speakers and sometimes Marantz Imperial 7's in the rear (Marantz speakers were a bit of a dissappointment), a Pioneer CT-6262 tape deck, a Marantz 6100 turntable, and a mid-fi Teac CD player. The sound is very warm and colorful with that sizzling edge that is usually found only in tubes amps. There is a slight bit of muddling during complex passages at higher volumes, probably due to the smaller amp, but that icy precision of digital amps never really appealed to me. The bass is strong and clear, like it should be. Drawback is age, of course. Electronic components deteriorate over time, and minor repairs can be expected, but like a classic auto, they are worth every penny. No one makes them like this anymore at any price. Put your high tech equipment out where everyone can see it, and put the old Marantz where YOU can liston to it. Your albums will take on a whole new meaning and you won't be disappointed.
Just a note..if you have it serviced, check around for a good vintage tech. Some store techs will replace parts with cheaper ones instead of the ones Marantz used. Marantz used the best of everything and overkilled in the designs. That accounts for the heavy wieght of these great recievers and the very solid power and dependability. Lets keep them going strong for the next generation to enjoy as much as we do.

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Beomaster 4000, Pioneer sx880