Marantz 2325 Vintage AM/FM Stereo Receiver with Wood Case; Fully Restored 1897

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Offered today by The Music Room: One Marantz 2325 Vintage AM/FM Stereo Receiver with Wood Case.

Description:

The most powerful of all Marantz stereophonic receivers from 1974 through 1975, and so popular that it continued to be manufactured through the end of 1977, the Marantz 2325 is truly a classic audio masterpiece in every sense of the word. Not for the financially faint of heart, the 2325 set you back $799.95 at retail in 1974 dollars, fully equivalent to shelling out about $1500 today. But that's what you paid if you wanted the best. The 2325 boasts a very conservative power rating of 125 watts per channel into an 8-Ohm load, with a ridiculously low (even by today's standards) 0.15% distortion spec at full rated output. In fact, the unit was bench-tested by a popular hifi magazine at half that distortion rating. And since the way output power is measured and advertised has changed significantly over the years, I'd say this 125 watt per channel Marantz could easily keep pace with modern units rated at twice the power - without even breaking a sweat.

The 2325 was one of the few Marantz models offered with a cool little perk - a fully equipped, on-board Dolby™ encoding and decoding noise reduction system. Not just a useless IC chip, mind you, this is sophisticated noise reduction circuitry, enabling specific Dolby™ threshold calibration of both recording and playback - it even comes with a 400Hz reference tone generator! With the 2325, you could (and still can) knock out most of the tape hiss on recordings made on decks having no noise reduction capability at all. Take note, reel-to-reel fans!

Finally, the sound quality. You can throw specs all over the place, but some units just sound better than others. Back when I was a kid selling audio in the late '70's (yup, I sold Marantz gear back in the good ol' days), we had both the Marantz 2325 and the monster 2500 on the display shelf. To me, the 2500 was way cooler looking, with the scope display and gold-toned tuning dial, but when it came to sound, the 2325 just had a smoother, more pleasant, more musical sound. The 2500, impressive at it was, to me had a more mechanical, possibly more "precise" sound, but the bottom line was that I could only listen to it for a little while before listener's fatigue set in. By contrast, I could listen to the 2325 all day...so I bought one! And many days, I did listen to it all day! If you're in the market for one of the best-built, best-sounding receivers ever made, a unit that will be music to your ears for years to come, you can't do much better than the legendary Marantz 2325.

Condition:

This receiver is in excellent cosmetic condition, as you will see when you view the pictures below, but there are a few superficial issues, the most notable of which is a small nick on the top edge of the brushed aluminum faceplate, and a few scratches on some of the knobs if you look closely. From much more than a foot or two away, this unit looks like a brand new receiver.

Functionally, this unit is a perfect 10. All of the old incandescent bulbs have been replaced with cool-running, non-flickering lifetime LEDs. With the exception of the tuner circuitry, all electrolytic capacitors on all boards have been replaced, including the big filter caps, with components far exceeding the quality and durability of the original parts. The troublesome speaker relay has been replaced with new, all controls and switches have been cleaned and lubricated, and preventative maintenance has been performed in many other areas to ensure that this receiver will perform at its peak for decades to come. Full details of all restoration services are listed below.

As a result of the above attention, this 2325 works like it did the day it left the factory. All the dial and indicator lights are bright and clear, the controls and switches work smoothly and are noise-free; (the inner treble knob has a trifle more turning resistance than the rest, but works just fine), the connections on the back are tight, shiny, and like new. The amp is wonderfully quiet at idle, but has enough power to dim the lights to the beat if you insist on concert-level volumes. The tuning is wonderfully sensitive with near-full signal strength meter deflection on most of my local FM stations - using a 10" piece of copper wire as an antenna!! Even the Dolby™ circuitry appears to function perfectly in all modes. All-in-all, a beautiful example of Marantz craftsmanship built when they were at the top of their game - literally the best of the best. Don't miss out on this outstanding piece!

Restoration Services:

• ALL original electrolytic and tantalum capacitors in power supply and in signal path replaced with top-quality components:
  • All electrolytic capacitors in the signal path upgraded to Elna "Silmic II" audio-grade capacitors
  • Power supply and most other small electrolytics replaced with Panasonic "FC" series hi-temp (105C) capacitors
  • All electrolytics 1µF or smaller replaced with Panasonic polyester film capacitors
  • Original 15,000 µf 70V filter caps replaced with new Vishay-Spague 18,000 µf 75V
• ALL original incandescent bulbs replaced with cool-running lifetime LEDs:
  • All dial lamps and meter lamps replaced with custom dual-element, non-flickering snap-in type LED illumination
  • All bi-pin indicator lamps replaced with dual-element LED devices
  • Illuminated tuning needle bulb replaced with LED
  • All LEDs easily reversible to stock incandescent if desired - no permanent circuit changes made
• Yellowed meter diffusion paper replaced with new white rag vellum
• Output devices removed, cleaned, and remounted with new insulators and new thermal compound
• Main rail power rectifiers removed, cleaned and reinstalled using fresh thermal compound
• Speaker relay replaced with new Omron equivalent
• All rotary and push-button switches cleaned with DeOxit G5 Gold
• All potentiometers flushed twice with DeOxit FaderLube
• Tuning capacitor bearings cleaned and lubricated
• Cleaned and re-lubed tuning pointer track
• Chassis metal cleaned and protectant applied
• PS and audio signal path circuit boards carefully cleaned, inspected and any suspect solder connections reflowed
• High-quality Kester silver-bearing solder used in all part replacements and re-solder work
• FM discriminator coil peaked and tuning needle calibrated
• DC offset zeroed and idle current set to factory specs (after one-hour warm-up/stabilization period)
• All RCA-style inputs, dubbing jacks and headphone jack internally and externally cleaned and deoxidized

Shipping: Cost to ship this item within the Contiguous United States is a flat rate of $49 - including packaging and insurance. For other locations, please request a quote prior to purchase.

Features:

• 125 watt per channel direct-coupled, all-discrete, high-current-capable amplifier circuitry
• Independent power supplies for each channel
• Gyro-touch tuning with signal strength/multipath and center-tuned meters
• 300 and 75 ohm FM antenna inputs, FM muting switch, variable muting threshold (rear panel)
• On-board Dolby™ noise reduction system
• Signal strength/Dolby™ level/multipath meter, center-tuning meter
• 2 tape loops, with dubbing from 2 to 1 and 1 to 2
• Front panel dubbing jacks for Tape 2 (Tape 2 RCA jacks also in rear)
• 2 magnetic phono inputs, 1 auxilliary input
• Loudness switch; high (9 kHz) and low (15 Hz) filter switches
• Independent Bass, Mid, and Treble controls for each channel
• Stereo/Reverse/L+R/L/R Mode switch for complete front-panel speaker control
• Main In and Pre Out jacks for using this unit as either a preamp or a power amp
• Variable Bass Turnover (250Hz/500Hz) and Treble Turnover (2kHz/4kHz) switches
• Two sets of speakers may be connected, both sets may be operated together or independently
• Two rear panel accessory outlets (one switched, one unswitched)

Specifications:

Power / Frequency Response:Continuous Average Power: 125 Watts /ch @ less than 0.15% THD into 8 ohms
Power Band: 20Hz to 20,000 Hz
Frequency Response (±0.5 dB): 10Hz to 100,000Hz
Damping Factor (at 20 Hz): 70

Tuner:
FM Quieting (at 10 µV RF input): 70 dB
Stereo Separation: 42 dB at 1000 Hz

Total Harmonic Distortion (Stereo): 0.3%
(Mono): 0.15%

Dimensions (h" x w" x d"): 5-3/4 x 19-5/16 x 15-3/16
Weight (lbs.): 49.5 lbs.